Studio vs. live versions

[herlock]

Hi all,
I feel that there are 3 categories of MK/DS songs:

1-Songs that are enhanced and expanded by the live experience:

For me: SoS, OUATITW, ToL, R&J, PI, Solid Rock, MTS, RATR, CE, DWB, SAN, HFB, Marbletown, WAM, Coyote, BLT

2-Songs for which no live version can beat the studio version:

Skateaway, YLT, OES, WII, STP

3-Songs for which I can't really decide - both live and studio have their respective strong points:

To me: TR, BiA, MfN, GH,Rudiger, BR, PTTE, Going Home, Wild Theme

What do you guys think ?

[Love Expresso]

Well, I think you should better not use so many abbreviations to this extent!
It makes me dizzy in my head!

LE

[herlock]

Arghh. You got me here ) I'll try to avoid this in future.
Cheers

[Love Expresso]

I was just kidding... I like the idea of the post and can agree to most of your suggestions. Especially What It Is sounded never really great in my opinion.
But MK live is a completely other story. "Heavy Fuel" sounds cool on the album but also great live. "Why Worry" was so epic on the album that I was always
disappointed by any live recording I have heard so far.

I would love to say anything about "Before Gay's & TV's" but never heard that one live...

LE 

[herlock]

Actually I did not mentioned Heavy Fuel or Walk of Live because I'm not too much of a fan.
As for Why Worry, I should have mentioned it in the "best live" section. Have you listened to Wembley 85 version ? absolutely gorgeous. I prefer it to the only official one we have - the RLRR DVD with Emilylou Harris, a bit too laid-back for me; but RLRR is worth buying for the fab version of Speedway alone...

[dmg]

I agree with you that WII never sounded better than on the record but OES I think was enhanced by the live performance of Paul Franklin and the breakdown in the middle was a nice touch.  I always preferred that live.  The thing I liked most about Why Worry was the drumming during the outro on the album version which Terry Williams never took over live - not really his style.  Finally Wild Theme.  I think that the Hillbillies versions from '97 and '98 are better than the album one.

[herlock]

I actually have mixed feelings about OES live: on the one hand, the first part of the song does indeed sound greater live than the studio; as for the end solo... the good thing about it is, yes, an incredible performance from Paul Franklin (at least, not out of place like in TR or BIA); but, what definitely ruins it is the accelerated pace; the one on the album is just right, building slowly then taking off with majesty; the live version sounds like "let's hurry up, or else no saussages left to eat", if you follow my meaning

[Love Expresso]

I think there are strings in the outro playing of On Every Street on the album? I discovered them quite late due to crappy hifi systems.. But that sound is really awesome. And the drumming ist also great. A very fine song. A little bit arty, lyrically, but great. It was track number two that I was able to hear on the radio after Calling Elvis, and I was absolutely stunned and thrilled and expectations for the new album were increasing boundless...

That was a great year! 

LE

[boboDS]

I would definitely add Lady Writer to the studio songs. I never really liked that one played live. Also Love over Gold - the outro on the album is great, I wonder why they always left it out, just like with Why Worry.
Another one that comes to my mind is In the Gallery. I never liked the 1978-79 versions  (just one was good from the 2nd Rockpalast night). The keyboard outro on 1980 version is great, but they could have expanded it a bit more (well, a lot more). But the "double drum rhythm" at the end of the song, oh come on, that's just terrible imho.

I think that OES is much better played live. The outro is longer, more powerful. And the tempo isn't fast at all to my ears.

[xxFordiexx]

I was just kidding... I like the idea of the post and can agree to most of your suggestions. Especially What It Is sounded never really great in my opinion.
But MK live is a completely other story. "Heavy Fuel" sounds cool on the album but also great live. "Why Worry" was so epic on the album that I was always
disappointed by any live recording I have heard so far.

I would love to say anything about "Before Gay's & TV's" but never heard that one live...

LE 

You gotta love the Emmylou  Harris duet of Wht Worry surely? It's awesome

[Love Expresso]

Oh yes it is nice. I was at the Hamburg show back in 2006, it was the third night of the tour, all very fresh, and as Guy wrote somewhere, "you could hear a pin drop during Why Worry". But it is sung by Emmylou so it is not the "real" version for me, if you know what I mean. I love the Notting Hillbillies version from Ronnie Scott's (July 27th, 1998) btw, great rhythm. But soundwise and from the "epical" factor, the album version is unbeaten in my opinion.

LE

[superval99]

I was just kidding... I like the idea of the post and can agree to most of your suggestions. Especially What It Is sounded never really great in my opinion.
But MK live is a completely other story. "Heavy Fuel" sounds cool on the album but also great live. "Why Worry" was so epic on the album that I was always
disappointed by any live recording I have heard so far.

I would love to say anything about "Before Gay's & TV's" but never heard that one live...

LE 

You gotta love the Emmylou  Harris duet of Wht Worry surely? It's awesome

I don't like the Emmylou duet much at all - her voice is too strident for that song imo.  I like the way Mark sings it alone.  On the album, he almost whispers the lyric and it's so beautiful.   I love the NHB versions too!

[xxFordiexx]

Didn't Mark sing it on the Hurlingham gig 2009?

I'm sure he did cos I remember it sounded awesome!

[superval99]

Didn't Mark sing it on the Hurlingham gig 2009?

I'm sure he did cos I remember it sounded awesome!

Yes he did and at the other promos in 2009 and they were all fantastic!