Mean Speed-Carlton Summary
composer=David J. Matthews
song=Grey Street
performer=Dave Matthews Band
event=concert at Piedmont Park, 2007
average velocity/mean speed=105.2 beats per minute
average beat=571 milliseconds
mean emotion according to meanspeed music theory=natural
recording source=iTunes
Bit Rate=128 kbps
Sample rate=44.100 kHz
Volume=(-11) dB
Profile=Low Complexity
Channels=Stereo
intellectual property=Bama Rags, © 2007 Bama Recordings, L.L.C.
We have explored the last legal version of Grey Street we could buy.
Again, the song averages 105.2 beats per minute - still within the meanspeed music theory category (mean emotion) of what we still call “natural.” I say “still called” because of all the categories this speed might best be called “The Speed of There” of “The Speed of the Ideal Moment.”
It does turn out to be the universal speed of orgasm - source: axiomatic German studies from 2 years ago which overturned the former orgasm paradigm held by Masters and Johnson. Dr. Masters had proven, and this holds, that no rhythmic quality to a sexual act between two lovers of different sexes (or the same sex, by definition) is common EXCEPT at the speed of sexual climax, both men and women experienced 6 to 10 uncontrollable spasms of bot the genital area and the anal area. In 2003, German scientists went all the way (literally) and inserted anal devices of spasm measurement in order to challenge the spasms starting at 80 pumps per minute. Sure enough, the universal speed of orgasm is 100 pulses, or pumps or beats per minute, slowing down little by little, literally and figuratively.
What one hears in the version of Grey Street, after we have heard
1) Busted Stuff, 2001
2) Live at AOL benefit Concert, 2002
3) Live at the Gorge, 2004
4) Live on Trax Vol. 6, 2006
5) Live at Piedmont Park, 2007 -
what we hear is a fresh song starting to get stale, all in the same speed range. Someone on the Piedmont Park mix turned up one musician, who will go nameless - he played one 11 note chromatic riff for 4 minutes. I’ve heard that riff in the song before - hear it is so loud that it seems like Dave wants to embarrass him by saying; dude, listen to that - learn some melodic lines, please. This is a rare song that when you look at those concerts which I have compared and contrasted, the quality of the song suffers a little bit with every passing couple of years. Perhaps Dave and the Band should closet the song for a while and make it fresh again.
I sound harsh. I have listened to the song about 75 times over the last 5 days - calibration style active listening, and therefore I understandably am a little sick of it right now, like eating 7 chocolate cakes. On a great day, I can easily put away an Entemann’s “chocolate marshmallow” cake in its entirety in. Not 75 of them though. I’ll probably start loving the song in all versions again tomorrow!
Ian Schneider
Meanspeed Music
June 16, 2008
