That’s when the midrange and distortion began to fill out the sound of the band. I’ve always been a fan of that.
ADAM CLAYTON
The genesis of this post came from a YouTube video from U2's Adam Clayton and a custom amp he was promoting. In the process of that promotion, Adam Clayton gave his philosophy about playing bass. For Clayton, he didn't want the quiet almost silent bass playing you hear on many records, but he also isn't Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. With U2, the bass fills the role that a rhythm guitar plays in other bands. This sound and foundation is what Adam Clayton calls the "midrange." I think it is a genius strategy, and the midrange concept has spilled over into my thinking on other areas of life. I will now elaborate for the Gentle Reader.
Little Caesar's is a cheap pizza but on the low range. Mellow Mushroom is on the high range with its gourmet offerings and high price tag. Pizza Hut is the midrange. This pizza analogy captures the midrange concept.
Now, I am not a midrange type of guy. I don't eat pizza, but I used to eat pizza. When I was paying, it was Little Caesar's all the way. But I appreciate the midrange.
I find that the midrange captures the sweet spot of what people want. This would be Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Nike, and Levi's. The midrange is where people return again and again. Some people despise the midrange, but I don't. I rarely choose the midrange option, but I am not going to throw shade on it either.
The secret of hitting the midrange is Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If you give people three options, they tend to choose the one in the middle. The general public doesn't want the extremes of things. You see this in music, cars, movies, and on and on.
The problem with the midrange is the boredom thing which leads to a crisis of confidence. This is how Coca-Cola becomes new Coke. This is why U2 strives to not sound like U2 except they end up sounding like U2. This is why McDonald's will branch out into new restaurant concepts only to come back to being McDonald's.
I value consistency over novelty, so I never appreciate it when a midrange whatever tries to change the formula. At the end of the day, people want their Coke to be Coke. They don't want Pepsi with a red label.
As I said, I am not a midrange guy. I don't drink soda pop but water from the tap. I buy store brands and generic brands most of the time. I listen to AC/DC instead of U2. I find that all of my choices on things tend towards the cheap, the gritty, and the blue collar. I find that the midrange appeals to people from the middle class not the working class.
I encourage people to embrace the midrange and not apologize for liking it. You might be derided as a "normie" because haters gotta hate. Whatever. It is said that Kurt Cobain utterly despised Phil Collins. Cobain also painted a ceiling with his own brains. Phil Collins is still awesome. There is no shame in the midrange. Stop apologizing for it.
