I saw 10CC last night on the last date of their "Ultimate Ultimate Greatest Hits" tour. I don't know exactly what I expected, but...these guys were way more AMAZING than they had a right to be. Graham Gouldman, the last of the original members, is 79, but front and center throughout and much, MUCH more than an oldies presence. The drummer and lead guitarist have been with him (on and off) for about 50 years. But titles like "drummer" seem weak, since they all played multiple instruments throughout the night. Heck, they sang an a cappela version of "Donna" as part of the encore that was absolutely stunning. The level of musicianship was off the charts.
They were technically excellent (duh!), energetic(!) and FUNNY in ways that many more "popular" acts will never accomplish, or even aspire to.
I hope they tour forever, knowing they can't...
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
I never saw them live but The Things We Do For Love is one of my favorites of theirs. Any links to live videos that are noteworthy?
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Interestingly, a video from the concert I saw is posted on YouTube. The cell phone audio isn't the best, but the video quality is quite good. "The Things We Do for Love" starts at about 55:29.
If you aren't familiar with Graham, Google his pre-10CC songwriting credits for a revelation. When he was inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame he didn't play any of his 10cc stuff, he played "Bus Stop"...
Last edited by DC Ron; 09/16/2507:45 AM.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
While I do agree with the sentiment of refuse to grow old .... There comes a time when it's time to retire, especially if you are not able to do what you used to do. I've seen a number of musicians who are still performing and giving a great performance and experience to the audience and fans and I've seen others that were embarrassingly bad and should have been home with their families, not on the road on stages trying to sing.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
While I do agree with the sentiment of refuse to grow old .... There comes a time when it's time to retire, especially if you are not able to do what you used to do. I've seen a number of musicians who are still performing and giving a great performance and experience to the audience and fans and I've seen others that were embarrassingly bad and should have been home with their families, not on the road on stages trying to sing.
Exactly right! Which is why I was very pleasantly surprised by the "boys" in 10cc. Can't believe they need the money, or that the money is that good playing 500-seat venues. Truthfully, they just seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, and happy to play the way they still can. The audience was certainly appreciative...
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
While I do agree with the sentiment of refuse to grow old .... There comes a time when it's time to retire, especially if you are not able to do what you used to do. I've seen a number of musicians who are still performing and giving a great performance and experience to the audience and fans and I've seen others that were embarrassingly bad and should have been home with their families, not on the road on stages trying to sing.
I've seen a lot of stars who went into semi-retirement come back and IMO sound weak. I think for many, the reason why performing when old is due to the fact that they took too much time off.
Playing and singing are physical. The muscles need to be kept in good shape, because if we let them go, especially at an advanced age, it's very difficult and time-consuming to get them back in tiptop shape.
If you don't use it, you lose it.
We take a vacation almost every year. Even if it's 2 weeks, I know when we get back, our stamina is a little off. I can't imagine what it would be if I took a year or two off.
During the COVID lockdown, when we had no gigs, Mrs. Notes and I set up the gear in the living room, and gave free concerts to the squirrels and birds that hang out in the trees around our house. (They never tipped us, not even one buck.)
For those of us who are still gigging ±50 weeks per year, everything we need to perform is still in good condition.
We also take care of ourselves.
I know this will end some day, but I'm having such a good time, I want to postpone that day as far into the future as I can.
I don't get to hear too many stars in concert, because it seems like I always have a gig the same day they are performing. But I applaud those who kept their chops up into their senior years.
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
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