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Stop getting your own songs wrong....

Started by Jockice, November 13, 2018, 07:13:25 PM

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Jockice

I've always had a lot of time and respect for Paul Heaton, although I haven't bought any of his recent material. But then I haven't bought any of anybody's recent material. Anyway yesterday I read of a career-spanning compilation and tour to accompany it, during which he and Jacqui Abbott will perform the album in full.

I was always under the impression that he had refused to do Housemartins songs when he was in the Beautiful South (who I saw several times and they didn't) and since going solo had never done any Beautiful South songs, so I decided to look on youtube and discovered that he and Abbott had being doing oldies for at least a year. Like this version of Happy Hour on Jools Holland's Smug Show last year.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYEsHoIfIy8

It's good. A faithful version of a classic pop song....until the third chorus, which on the single is slightly different from the previous two in that Heaton goes 'cos they speak a different language and it's never really happened to me', without the 'happy hour again' bit. But Abbott sings it! I may be being a bit sensitive about this but for me it spoils the whole song. I've gone off him now.

Any others?

New Jack

Morrissey does old Smiths songs with a non-musical backing band. Absolutely baffling.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Jockice on November 13, 2018, 07:13:25 PM
I've always had a lot of time and respect for Paul Heaton, although I haven't bought any of his recent material. But then I haven't bought any of anybody's recent material. Anyway yesterday I read of a career-spanning compilation and tour to accompany it, during which he and Jacqui Abbott will perform the album in full.

I was always under the impression that he had refused to do Housemartins songs when he was in the Beautiful South (who I saw several times and they didn't) and since going solo had never done any Beautiful South songs, so I decided to look on youtube and discovered that he and Abbott had being doing oldies for at least a year. Like this version of Happy Hour on Jools Holland's Smug Show last year.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYEsHoIfIy8

It's good. A faithful version of a classic pop song....until the third chorus, which on the single is slightly different from the previous two in that Heaton goes 'cos they speak a different language and it's never really happened to me', without the 'happy hour again' bit. But Abbott sings it! I may be being a bit sensitive about this but for me it spoils the whole song. I've gone off him now.

Any others?

I thought that was alright actually. Heaton's voice was in fine fettle but you'd think he wouldn't need to crib from his autocue quite so much as he does here; especually as they probably only get to perform two or three songs on Smug Show anyway. Christ, he must've sung Happy Hour thousands of times. Sort it, Paulo.


DrGreggles

Quote from: Jockice on November 13, 2018, 07:13:25 PM
I've always had a lot of time and respect for Paul Heaton, although I haven't bought any of his recent material.

I'm a big fan of the bloke - despite the apparent Happy Hour lyrics debacle.
If you ever want to chance your arm with any of his solo stuff, I'd recommend this:


Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: New Jack on November 13, 2018, 07:15:48 PM
Morrissey does old Smiths songs with a non-musical backing band. Absolutely baffling.

Johnny Marr does as well and it's not right without Moz.

studpuppet

My pet hate is when Steve Morris plays this keyboard bit wrong in the Perfect Kiss video - at least it's wrong compared to the released version and it really jars my ears whenever I hear it. Was it done deliberately to show they were playing it live?

https://youtu.be/x3XW6NLILqo?t=281

New Jack

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on November 13, 2018, 10:19:06 PM
Johnny Marr does as well and it's not right without Moz.

He's the opposite. Music spot on, but he can't sing... much. Think he is better at singing than Moz's band are at Smiths songs. Their "This Charming Man", shudder... Marr's "There is a Light" is also pubrock quality, but not actively offensive

Need an instrumental Marr soundboard recording with an a capella Moz soundboard recording and soooooooorted

Golden E. Pump

As much as I love a lot of Paul Heaton's work in The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, and he and Jacqui Abbott have great voices, that looks like the most underwhelming gig ever.

buzby

Quote from: studpuppet on November 13, 2018, 11:41:40 PM
My pet hate is when Steve Morris plays this keyboard bit wrong in the Perfect Kiss video - at least it's wrong compared to the released version and it really jars my ears whenever I hear it. Was it done deliberately to show they were playing it live?

https://youtu.be/x3XW6NLILqo?t=281

If you look up videos of them playing it live in that time period, that is how he used to play it most of the time. It would have been played live when recording it too (I don't think they had the Emulators connected to a sequencer), but it wouldn't necessarily have been him playing that line in the studio (probably either Bernard or Gillian). It was also written, recorded and mixed in a rushed 72-hour session with no sleep before they left to tour Australia. Morris plays that line live because there's no live drums on it, so he's an extra pair of hands for a synth-heavy song.

Deyv

Quote from: DrGreggles on November 13, 2018, 07:29:07 PM
I'm a big fan of the bloke - despite the apparent Happy Hour lyrics debacle.
If you ever want to chance your arm with any of his solo stuff, I'd recommend this:



Love everything on that album except the title track, which is kind of ambitious but overlong. Best track is either Young Man's Game or Cold One in the Fridge. I doubt he'll ever perform anything from this album again though, or his previous one, the Cross Eyed Rambler, which featured a different backing band who he fired for being middle class or something. He posted a bitter message on myspace about it.

I like it when bands fuck their songs up, though. At least, I do when it's live and I'm there. If it's being recorded or anything, yeah, I can see how that would make a person's world a little darker.

famethrowa

I'm just distressed at how much "The Boss" has to look down at the autocue during his most famous song. He's done it at every show since 1973, come on Bruce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slhydQjJQsk

JesusAndYourBush

A couple of years ago Hazel O'Connor did an anniversary tour for her album Breaking Glass but she didn't play the songs in the original arrangements.  I mean, she's been playing various songs from that album as different arrangements at her gigs for years - as is her right - they're her songs and she can do what she likes with them - but if you're doing an actual anniversary tour for the album I want you to go to the extra effort of playing them so they sound close to how they sounded on the album, not just playing the same crappy different arrangements you've been doing for years.

Jockice

Quote from: Deyv on November 14, 2018, 01:57:06 AM

I like it when bands fuck their songs up, though. At least, I do when it's live and I'm there. If it's being recorded or anything, yeah, I can see how that would make a person's world a little darker.

I saw PIL live a few years ago. Flowers Of Romance is probably my favourite song by them. Their live version started off well but just went on and on and on. And on.  At the end I was literally praying for it to stop. Mind you, I bumped into an acquaintance of mine a few weeks later who had also been there and said it was the best live thing he'd ever seen. Which just goes to show. Something. Different strokes etc.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: famethrowa on November 14, 2018, 02:28:09 AM
I'm just distressed at how much "The Boss" has to look down at the autocue during his most famous song. He's done it at every show since 1973, come on Bruce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slhydQjJQsk

I remember thinking something similar watching a CH4 filmed gig of New Order in the 2000's as the camera panned round the stage it showed Sumner using the autocue on Blue Monday. There's probably as-yet undiscovered amazonian tribes that know the words to that one.

lipsink

Recorded version of Wonderwall goes:

"Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me"

Live version sung by Noel always goes:

"I said Maybe, Are you gonna be the one that saves me?"

The lyrics on the sleeve for What's The Story seem to show the latter. Did Liam just refuse to sing it the way Noel wrote it?

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on November 14, 2018, 03:04:44 PM
I remember thinking something similar watching a CH4 filmed gig of New Order in the 2000's as the camera panned round the stage it showed Sumner using the autocue on Blue Monday. There's probably as-yet undiscovered amazonian tribes that know the words to that one.

He's used an autocue ever since they came back in '98. He repeatedly misses his cues as well for some reason, especially on Temptation. The rest of the band tend to work around it, but the hard-programmed synth and drum machine bits go off whether he's on-board or not.

He's not a natural singer is Bernard.

lipsink


New Jack

Bernard Sumner is shite. No idea how he's ever had a hit with his voice, his lack of timing, his lyrics are fucking terrible ("I've been walking in the rain just to get wet on purpose?")

I'm a Hooky man!

buzby

Quote from: Huxleys Babkins on November 14, 2018, 04:02:39 PM
He's used an autocue ever since they came back in '98. He repeatedly misses his cues as well for some reason, especially on Temptation. The rest of the band tend to work around it, but the hard-programmed synth and drum machine bits go off whether he's on-board or not.

He's not a natural singer is Bernard.
He very rarely ever got the words right for most of their songs before the first hiatus too, mostly due to being shitfaced/high/both. By 98 the years of booze and drugs had really taken their toll on him (not helped by the influence of Keith Allen and the Groucho club set). He was also on Prozac around that time too which didn't help either. Hook used to wander over and block his view of it to piss him off.

Regarding Blue Monday in particular, the band have regarded it as a bit of an albatross for years, and quite often Bernard in particular seems to wilfully sabotage live performances of it.

buzby

Quote from: New Jack on November 14, 2018, 06:23:01 PM
Bernard Sumner is shite. No idea how he's ever had a hit with his voice, his lack of timing, his lyrics are fucking terrible ("I've been walking in the rain just to get wet on purpose?")

I'm a Hooky man!
If only Hook could actually write songs or sing (in Monaco he had to rely on Dave Potts instead of Bernard)