Patrick Leonard and Shep Pettibone on Celebration Tour?

[Magic Pussy 273]

11 hours ago, Alpha said:

I think its more of a Sandra thing since even Chris mentions how negative she was in the book and who knows about the whole Ingrid thing

Speaking of, we know Sandra didn’t see this tour but any Chris sightings at the Celebration Tour? I’d guess he went to the Detroit show w family if any. 

[Blue Jean 16,021]

5 hours ago, Magic Pussy said:

Speaking of, we know Sandra didn’t see this tour but any Chris sightings at the Celebration Tour? I’d guess he went to the Detroit show w family if any. 

He has no reason to celebrate 40 years of Madonna

[Honey Little 4,475]

2 hours ago, Blue Jean said:

He has no reason to celebrate 40 years of Madonna

What are you trying to say? It’s his sister. Of course he should.

[EgoRod 5,696]

14 hours ago, Prayer said:

Tony Shimkin talked about it with Madonna Tribe years ago:

https://www.madonnatribe.com/idol/tony_shimkin.htm

"When the album was originally released I was told by Shep I had to choose only one song to put my name on as a writer, knowing what I know now I would have said no it's all or start over on your own. So with that I chose Deeper and Deeper because I knew it would be a hit."

We should hear Shep's version of the story too to judge but looks like Shimkin was hired for programming but ended up helping strongly with the writing too and they agreed to give him writing credits on one song.

Interesting about this interview is the D&D part that he says he was behind the Spanish guitar part , I remember reading in a Shep interview that he hated it that part and Madonna was obsessed of using it.

It does feels like this was a more duo thing Shep/Tony rather than Shep alone, not surprised he didnt do any more after they depart ways.

[Prayer 15,058]

3 hours ago, EgoRod said:

Interesting about this interview is the D&D part that he says he was behind the Spanish guitar part , I remember reading in a Shep interview that he hated it that part and Madonna was obsessed of using it.

It does feels like this was a more duo thing Shep/Tony rather than Shep alone, not surprised he didnt do any more after they depart ways.

Shep came from the DJ world (same as Jellybean) so maybe he was more like a curator with good instinct and a great ear that a proper trained musical producer (similar case to Madonna herself, really?). I think he always relied on partners for his productions but he was the executive producer.

[EgoRod 5,696]

53 minutes ago, Prayer said:

Shep came from the DJ world (same as Jellybean) so maybe he was more like a curator with good instinct and a great ear that a proper trained musical producer (similar case to Madonna herself, really?). I think he always relied on partners for his productions but he was the executive producer.

Yeah he was a DJ and when he made the club in Asbury Park he kept Djing and hosting. I always thought he was more involved in the production but reading that interview (that i forgot about it) I realised lots of the 'Shep sound hits" were product of their collaboration together. He always speaks about it as such a Madonna/Shep thing. Even the Janet Jackson remix that was a base for Vogue.

[Blue Jean 16,021]

1 hour ago, EgoRod said:

Yeah he was a DJ and when he made the club in Asbury Park he kept Djing and hosting. I always thought he was more involved in the production but reading that interview (that i forgot about it) I realised lots of the 'Shep sound hits" were product of their collaboration together. He always speaks about it as such a Madonna/Shep thing. Even the Janet Jackson remix that was a base for Vogue.

I was sure I read he played piano on the Into the Groove remix on You Can Dance.

[EgoRod 5,696]

5 minutes ago, Blue Jean said:

I was sure I read he played piano on the Into the Groove remix on You Can Dance.

Maybe he made that rumour up

[Prayer 15,058]

2 hours ago, Blue Jean said:

I was sure I read he played piano on the Into the Groove remix on You Can Dance.

It wasn't Shep, but the remix engineer, Andy Wallace:

"You Can Dance" album liner notes.

[Blue Jean 16,021]

9 hours ago, Prayer said:

It wasn't Shep, but the remix engineer, Andy Wallace:

"You Can Dance" album liner notes.

Oh okay, yes that is where I read it a zillion years ago

[PHIL 275]

well, i'd be VERY MUCH interested to hear what Pat Leonard thinks of the tour...

[Honey Little 4,475]

5 hours ago, PHIL said:

well, i'd be VERY MUCH interested to hear what Pat Leonard thinks of the tour...

he wasn’t spotted at any of the concerts 

[Lorx 377]

Shep Pettibone was a really good producer. I'm sad he retired from music... Patrick Leonard is still an active musician, but I think he and Madonna don't talk each other anymore. Life often divides paths, even if we're good friends

[Honey Little 4,475]

1 hour ago, Lorx said:

Shep Pettibone was a really good producer. I'm sad he retired from music... Patrick Leonard is still an active musician, but I think he and Madonna don't talk each other anymore. Life often divides paths, even if we're good friends

They are both elderly. It happens.

[Lorx 377]

5 hours ago, Honey Little said:

They are both elderly. It happens.

They’re about the same age as Madonna, but getting older doesn’t mean you have to lose touch.

As for friendship, over the years it often happens that you lose contact with dear friends, especially when you lead a very dynamic life. I'm 30 and I notice this in my life... Imagine what it's like for someone like Madonna! 😆

Madonna and Leonard both moved on, with Madonna still hitting it big (or even bigger) with other artists.

But I think she’s had a harder time finding really groundbreaking musicians since Hard Candy. MDNA was a mess, even though she brought Orbit back.

Rebel Heart is fun and all, but it just doesn’t hit the same level as her older stuff.

I guess that’s why she brought Mirwais back for Madame X—she knows her previous producers got that special something.

These days, pop music feels a bit stuck, not really pushing boundaries or mixing in cool, offbeat stuff from other scenes, which probably has a lot of fans wishing for a comeback from great musicians like Patrick Leonard.

There’s tons of talent out there, but it’s rare to find folks in pop who really flip the script anymore. And nowadays she just looks for names in the pop mainstream scene.

Even with her teaming up with big names like The Weeknd—who's definitely skilled but not the type to experiment much—you notice it’s not quite like when she worked with really inventive guys like Talvin Singh, Dallas Austin, Andre Betts, Richard Page, Guy Sigsworth, Patrick Leonard, Shep Pettibone, Babyface, Mirwais, Prince, William Orbit, or Nellee Hooper. Back then, her collabs weren’t just about big names, they were real artists and musicians pushing the limits.

 

[Prayer 15,058]

Thing is, when she came back with William Orbit in 2011 they didn't capture back the full magic of the "Ray Of Light" album and when she came back with Mirwais they didn't bring back the magic of "Music" album. And I love both "MDNA" and "Madame X" albums, but expectations are created and never met. Lightning only strikes once.

I don't know, going back sometimes can be more disappointing than exciting.

It all comes down to the actual songs, really. With great songs half the work is done, that's where Patrick Leonard was king in a way. They were great together but it's been 25 years since the last one.

[EgoRod 5,696]

Patrick Leonard did that crowdfunding that got cancelled because of a private funding but never released..

He deleted his IG and gone, you still can find some videos with the hashtag : #bringthecircushome

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/830073315/patrick-leonards-new-album-bring-the-circus-home

[Honey Little 4,475]

What happened to Andre Betts?

[steady75 9,850]

46 minutes ago, EgoRod said:

Patrick Leonard did that crowdfunding that got cancelled because of a private funding but never released..

He deleted his IG and gone, you still can find some videos with the hashtag : #bringthecircushome

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/830073315/patrick-leonards-new-album-bring-the-circus-home

Yeah he took my fucking money and ran. So unprofessional. 

[Prayer 15,058]

Well surely people were refunded if it didn't go ahead, right??

I'm sure it would haven been a scandal and complaints everywhere.

I remember it was around the time the LAP demos cassette was auctioned and he uploaded some unreleased stuff on YouTube... my bet is Madonna and him reconnected because of that and he decided not to go ahead with his own project for whatever reason. Also, we know a "LAP" reissue was probably planned (and finished?) for 2019 so maybe he became involved and decided to put apart the other project?

WHO KNOWS.

[Lorx 377]

55 minutes ago, Prayer said:

Thing is, when she came back with William Orbit in 2011 they didn't capture back the full magic of the "Ray Of Light" album and when she came back with Mirwais they didn't bring back the magic of "Music" album. And I love both "MDNA" and "Madame X" albums, but expectations are created and never met. Lightning only strikes once.

I don't know, going back sometimes can be more disappointing than exciting.

It all comes down to the actual songs, really. With great songs half the work is done, that's where Patrick Leonard was king in a way. They were great together but it's been 25 years since the last one.

Sure, Orbit had no really fresh ideas. I'm a Sinner feels like an outtake from Ray Of Light. And the other productions, though they have nice ideas, are confused and lack clarity.

Falling Free is the besy song, written with Joe Henry, indeed.

Orbit's contributions on Music were not up to what he achieved in Ray Of Light, he lost his magic after ROL. Indeed, Amazing and Runaway Lover are the weakest tracks on that album.

Certainly, MDNA was not just an Orbit project. He worked with low-level artistic DJs like Martin Solveig and Indiigo. Benny Benassi was slightly better but still not a top-tier producer, focusing on very mainstream and uninspired dance music, perhaps delivering his best ever with Madonna.

As a result, MDNA turned out to be a mediocre album.

Mirwais in Madame X wasn't at his previous heights, but he managed to inject some fresh ideas like God Control, I Don't Search I Find, Killers, or Extreme Occident. These songs are still superior to those Orbit produced on MDNA.

The point is that revisiting collaborations with old musicians with whom you've previously succeeded doesn't always work, but I understand why she might occasionally look back. She's somewhat detached from the world of real musicians as she said many times, and if she collaborates with someone new, they tend to be mainstream DJs like Solveig, or at most Diplo and Avicii... And she doesn't like working with them.

This doesn't compare to the musical talent of her earlier producers.

[Prayer 15,058]

3 minutes ago, Lorx said:

Sure, Orbit had no really fresh ideas. I'm a Sinner feels like an outtake from Ray Of Light. And the other productions, though they have nice ideas, are confused and lack clarity.

Falling Free is the besy song, written with Joe Henry, indeed.

Orbit's contributions on Music were not up to what he achieved in Ray Of Light, he lost his magic after ROL. Indeed, Amazing and Runaway Lover are the weakest tracks on that album.

Certainly, MDNA was not just an Orbit project. He worked with low-level artistic DJs like Martin Solveig and Indiigo. Benny Benassi was slightly better but still not a top-tier producer, focusing on very mainstream and uninspired dance music, perhaps delivering his best ever with Madonna.

As a result, MDNA turned out to be a mediocre album.

Mirwais in Madame X wasn't at his previous heights, but he managed to inject some fresh ideas like God Control, I Don't Search I Find, Killers, or Extreme Occident. These songs are still superior to those Orbit produced on MDNA.

The point is that revisiting collaborations with old musicians with whom you've previously succeeded doesn't always work, but I understand why she might occasionally look back. She's somewhat detached from the world of real musicians as she said many times, and if she collaborates with someone new, they tend to be mainstream DJs like Solveig, or at most Diplo and Avicii... And she doesn't like working with them.

This doesn't compare to the musical talent of her earlier producers.

You got some points there but... the fight between "real" and not real producers is useless, in my opinion. Shep wasn't a "real" musician either, even Jellybean (both DJs), and she created magic together with them. She's not a "real" musician either, but has a great musical talent.

It's always about the song. If the songs are not great no "real" producer will be able to lift them up.

Great music is great music, doesn't matter where it comes from.

[Honey Little 4,475]

I feel like Mirwais was always fresh, unlike Orbit.

[EgoRod 5,696]

50 minutes ago, steady75 said:

Yeah he took my fucking money and ran. So unprofessional. 

I thought people who took part of the crowdfunding never got charged?

[EgoRod 5,696]

23 minutes ago, Prayer said:

Great music is great music, doesn't matter where it comes from.

 

Jokes apart, I think ROL was great because Orbit had a lot of material already done and Madonna knew how to make it hers. It was a sound current at the time, particularly in the UK.

The sound of alternative and rock bands working along trip hop, big beat and electronic artist/djs was on. The evolution of Rave into Chill. Madonna was in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. Same applies to working with Mirwais when the french electronic sound, electroclash and detroit techno was taking over.