I have to listen more closely but I think there are two keyboards playing at times on Celluloïd Heroes, so there must be some overdubs.
Cheap Trick’s Live at Budokan is another great example where the band just plays so well live (with or without studio enhancement as a case may be) that one no longer really needs the studio versions. I previously mentioned Skynyrd’s One from the Road. Another great example that I forgot to mention was UFOs double live Lights Out album. I don’t think there’s a single song on Lights Out where I prefer the studio version or really ever need to even hear it again. Wondergirl is correct, Live at Budokan is another great example where live, a band can eclipse their studio work to such an extent that the live album becomes an indispensable part of the band’s legacy. By way of contrast, our Fearless Leader previously mentioned Def Leppard. I’m a big fan, latching onto them as early as the High And Dry album, but I wouldn’t bother buying a live album from them. I know just how much time they spent in the studio recording, re-recording, dubbing, overdubbing (and probably underdubbing?) and I have seen them live on more them half a dozen occasions, starting as far back as the High And Dry album (at a rather famous, small, hole-in-the-wall club in New Haven, Connecticut called Toads Place, opening for Blackfoot [an oddly great combo since, at the time, Def Leppard just sounded like a new hungry AC/DC] with a 16-year-old Rick Allen hammering away on the drums with both arms still). As a result, I know that while they can replicate the songs well live and put on a well done show that is quite enjoyable when you are there, a recording of them playing the songs live would offer nothing new or improved upon the originals. The list of live albums by bands of this nature is pretty endless and in that case, I’d rather stick with the clean studio versions. My point is that, for me, this Kinks live album holds a rather rarified position (at least in my collection of live recordings) in that they remain one of the few bands where I really do want to hear both the live versions and the studio versions of their songs. My apologies for babbling on about this, I just happen to dig this album enough to feel the need occasionally to jump to its defense.
Till the End of the Day: I’m sure I’ve mentioned this previously, but I love when rock bands (attempt to) play reggae. As a result, I love this version. I won’t even attempt to say whether I like it more or less than the original, I view them as two completely different takes and enjoy them equally. I have a playlist of rock/metal bands playing reggae and needless to say, this song is on that list. Celluloid Heroes: This is how I discovered this song, and I absolutely love it. Dave gets to stretch his wings and instead of doing a widdly widdly EVH style solo, he just builds it into an already great song and makes it that much better. I’ve come to enjoy the original as well, but in this case, the live version takes the crown.
"Till the End of the Day" This one caught me by surprise because I wasn't expecting it. It's the most interesting song on the album, and likely the only song I would occasionally return to. I think it works magnificently in this style. It's also a moment on the album when I love what Dave is playing. The bass is also quite nice, and Ray sounds like his old self again. I'm a sucker for that Jamaican riddem. This is a grand success in my book! "Celluloid Heroes" I found the video to be very touching and enjoyable. I liked seeing the backstage footage mixed with the crowd and the performance. It's a song that I am not as enamored with as many of you, but this was an entertaining video. There is too much Dave on the intro for my taste, but it doesn't bother me as much when I'm watching the footage vs just listening to it. The synthesizer is an odd choice, but I don't mind it. Why was that left off of the video performance? Ray's vocals are strong on both versions. I'm not surprised that it's a highlight for many Kinks fans, but I've always been a bit lukewarm on this song in any version.
"Til The End Of The Day" So we have the Low Budget songs which are played at a faster pace than the album, sounding as though they are in a hurry to catch a train, but now we have this one which seems almost unbearably slower than the original to me - as though they've decided they'll take the scenic route to the station and catch the next train! Didn't grab me at all on first listen, but I'll have a go at it later, plus "Celluloid Heroes".
Till The End Of The Day This took some getting used to and of course the studio cut is the best but I don't mind the boys trying a contemporary twist that some of the newer vital rock band's of the era favoured as they added some urgency, Carribean style!
Last week I listed the tracks that Ray had prepared final mixes for but were ultimately not included on the One For The Road album. This week it’s the tracks performed, recorded, and filmed at the Sep 79 Providence show that were edited out of the One For The Road video cassette release: Sleepwalker Life On The Road Misfits (this Providence performance was included on the album) A Gallon Of Gas Twist And Shout Live Life Between these 6 filmed tracks and the 7 audio only tracks already mixed, there’s more than enough already prepared material sitting in the vaults to justify a deluxe 2 CD/DVD or Blu-Ray set. Remote but we can dream. Interestingly, only 3 performances from this filmed Providence show made the corresponding album. A fourth was reportedly from this show (Low Budget) but this has to be from another show due to the drastic differences I mentioned a few days ago.
Celluloid Heroes Of these two performances i think i prefer the video one over the LP version because of; *Personal Nostalgia. *Dave is less distorted and forceful on the intro. *On LP either i find the tempo too fast or don't fully enjoy Mick's sound. *The feel and linking of each section is more seamless and measured. *Ray is more delicate and melancholic with his vocal delivery. *We have at least one Avid here that was in the video! I don't particularly dislike the synth or LP version and agree it was a grand production that elevated and increased the awareness of how great a song Celluloid Heroes truly is. With all that said it is the studio version that sits tastefully in repose with the cigar!
Yeah, the dates come from Doug Hinman’s books. His research is correct 99.9% of the time which is remarkable given the fact that of the 4 big British Invasion bands, The Kinks are by far the least documented when it comes to this kind of stuff. Over the years I’ve been going over all of this myself, I’ve only found a couple of times where he missed something. His Kinks books are the absolute authority on this type of info. I just realized this fact tonight. I’d have to think about it more but I can only think of two instances of any significance from his books off the top of head that are not accurate. One is this live Low Budget that is from a different show as we’ve discussed. The other is an alternate studio mix that was released on the UK singles that is not documented in his books that I posted about when we went through the song. The studio track? Low Budget! The books are from the mid to late 90s so his info stops there. Everything released since then I’ve tried documenting and cataloging on my own and I’ll say it’s been a Labour (sic) Of Love.
"Celluloid Heroes" I think the video version comes out on top for me, mainly because it doesn't have that synth playing the same four notes all the way through, but also because it sounds like a more natural live performance and Dave's solos seem to fit much better into the song. That synth line sounds like something I'd put onto one of my home recordings, and then a couple of months later I'd listen back and think "why did I do that??" The backstage video clips come uncomfortably close to looking like something out of "This Is Spinal Tap". Personally I would take the Show-Biz version over either of the live versions. I've only really known the song for less than a year, and I'm not ready to have that version supplanted by any other version yet.
That's a very good call on Toy. I think Dave was picking up on that tone and he'd done something similar with a Muscle Shoals vibe on some of Sleepwalker and Misfits. It surprises me but it's cool.
