I’ve been a semi-fan of Rockapella ever since seeing them on Spike Lee’s Do It Acapella on PBS a long time ago. (1980s?) Don’t have much of their music though, as their CDs seem to be hard to find. Listening to Smilin’ tonight, not one of my favorite CDs, I couldn’t help thinking “Backstreet Boys” during a track or two. I’ve had that feeling before with that album and it makes me afraid to share their music with my friends.
Now, in some of their arrangements and harmonies I can hear comparasons to the great and under celebrated Boswell Sisters, the forerunners to the Andrews Sisters. But I still can’t help getting the tainted taste of Backstreet from these guys sometimes. Please convince me that Rockapella are cooler than that.
The a capella scene is pretty big in college, and there are some groups that exist beyond the collegate realm. Rockapella is certainly one of the more successful and talented of those groups. But, yeah, it has a little bit of a ‘we can’t leave college behind’ feel to it.
A subtle point of distinction: Rockapella is actually, you know, cool. And pretty much by definition, no boy band is (popular, maybe, but not cool). Therefore, Rockapella is most assuredly not a boy band, even a grown-up one.
Normally you have to type it three times, ala Beetlejuice, but this time I’ll make an exception.
I’ve had a lot of people tell me to change CDs because the Rockapella stuff I had on sounded “like a boy band,” but I think that’s because most music written for boy bands borrows heavily from the close harmonies popular a capella relies upon.
Let me assure you that the high end a capella groups are LOADS more talented and cool than any “boy band”. Rockapella is one of the best groups around, but i prefer the amazing arrangements of www.bluejupiter.com
The genre is especially fun when they do versions of existing songs and somehow fully arrange the music with their voices alone…Be sure to check out the sound clips from their CDs on that website, particularly “Mr Pinstripe Suit”! (I do recomend “Ear Candy” as anyone’s next a capella purchase)
The most spot-on, brilliant parody of the Backstreet Boys, et al., that I’ve ever heard is by an a cappella group. Title of the Song by Da Vinci’s Notebook is the template of every boy band song ever written.
At this point I would like to interject a little spelling pedantry:
a cappella - “Of the chapel”, or in the style of church music. Generally means “without accompaniment” these days, and is the right way to discuss all-vocal music. Two P’s, two L’s (think of two men and two women singing in harmony).
a cappela - “Of the small hat,” or “of the (specific type of) pasta,” but really doesn’t have a meaning. It’s just a typo. Two P’s, one L. Incorrect if you’re talking about singing.
a capella - “Of the female goat,” or in the style of… well, that’s not really my bag, baby. One P, two L’s. Incorrect if you’re talking about singing, unless you mean a singing female goat, in which case the terminology is a Celine Dion.
(Kind of puts a sick edge to the Spike Lee show I mispelled above too. :eek: )
Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I didn’t realize that Rockpella performed in a Zappa tribute concert. That alone ends any misgivings I may have had about liking the group.
The Zappa tribute was an age and a half ago; if you want recordings, you’re probably best off finding someone to trade tapes with. I don’t have a copy myself, but I know my mother, ever the completist, has it. There are probably still a few floating around on eBay.
To spin the conversation in a new direction (“hijack” is such a vulgar word), what’s everybody’s favorite Rockapella lineup? I like the J-Bird Records era best, I think. Sean’s compositions are by far my favorite RP originals, but I like Kevin’s voice much more. As for Barry vs. George, well, there’s no question in my mind. I’ve not heard enough of John to really have an opinion (He did one number at Elliott’s last show, but that’s all), though El was such a great guy and so strong technically that I can’t imagine anyone surpassing him in the baritone spot.
Just ordered a used copy off of Amazon for $7.99 and decided to pick up a used “Frankly a Cappella: Presuasions Sing Zappa” for $4.89 at the same time. I remember seeing that one in a store when it first came out but didn’t get it then.
Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with the group enough to comment on the different lineups. It was the song, “Zombie Jamboree” that first got me interested in the group though. Aside from “Smilin’” mentioned above, I only own the “Christmas” CD, which I like a lot, and “Don’t Tell Me You Do.” A quick look at their website shows new faces, In fact I think I only recognize one. I think last time I looked there it was after the 9/11 tragedy, when I found an mp3 of them singing the National Anthem.
My college a cappella group wrote a clause into our group’s constitution that we would never sing this song. It was universally despised by the founders not because it is a bad song, but because every other college group has done it, and done it badly, at some point in their history. I still cringe when I hear anyone perform it.
That and Sarah McLachlan’s Possession sung by an all-female group. THAT’s never been done, either. :rolleyes:
I’ve been a Rockapella fan since the Spike Lee special too. Seen 'em live two or three times, and always enjoyed them, especially when Sean was with them.
Haven’t seen them in a while and I was wondering: Have they changed the lyrics in “Zombie Jamboree”? It includes a reference to the Twin Towers. After 9/11 I wondered what they’d do about that. They can’t stop singing it because it’s sort of their signature piece…
They stopped singing it for a while and replaced the song with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” They phased “Zombie” into the set later on with the High-Wire Zombie intact.
I’ve not heard enough of John to really have an opinion (He did one number at Elliott’s last show, but that’s all), though El was such a great guy and so strong technically that I can’t imagine anyone surpassing him in the baritone spot.