Another example of a drum-machine based song that is totally out of whack — but swings like crazy — is Prince’s Kiss. Not to speak of “I Wanna Be Your Lover”. But that’s where Prince is actually drumming.

So just now I’m therapy-mode to learn to appreciate and play music without listening to note alignments…

Although, in my view “fixing” just means creating the illusion that the musicians really played together. Because all good timing is about playing together. It isn’t about lining up with a click track.

Listen to The Roots, or Curtis Mayfield and you’ll hear some incredibly “off the metronome” playing. Do they play together? Yes. Does it groove? Hell Yes!

Listen to The Beatles for their alignment to an arbitrary gird and you will be shocked. Do you hear music despite that? I do, unless I stop listening to the music and start listening for the alignment.

I realize you may be referring more to material whose embryo began with a grid. So you are going to have a whole lot more “fixing” to do with even some of the best players. Nothing wrong with that.

If is sounds bad, then it is bad.
If is sounds good, then it is good.

cheers,

TG