This Harrison thing sprang to mind recently as I watched, for the first time, the Jonathan Demme performance flick Storefront Hitchcock. I strongly reccommend this DVD for anyone that is a Robyn Hitchcock fan. Whereas the songs he plays aren’t, for the most part, favorites of mine, the unusual setting, minimal instrumentation and Hitchcock’s particular rantings are all an idiosyncratic delight. But I digress.
To the point here is the song, Airscape, which originally appeared on the 1986 Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians release Element of Light. I love this album and especially love this song. Here it is as originally released.
At about the 3:25 mark, Robyn sings,
And in the element of laughter
The quick explosion and the slow
Release of heat, you
Not sure abou that “you” at the end but, again, half-assed Googling seems to claim it is there.
However…he cha, cha, changes this in the stark and beautiful version he does in Storefront Hitchcock.
There’s Lennon not being able to decide if he’s out or in the Revolution, but singled the “out” version.
The first instances that come to mind are songs in which lyrics were removed. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” lost an entire verse from its demo…for the better. “Sweet Jane” lost that “heavenly wine and roses” break in the studio version (the REAL studio version)…I think for the better. That break isn’t bad, but I don’t think it adds anything to the song. It’s an “I’ll show them how clever I am” break, in my opinion.
I think there’s an extended studio version of “It’s All Too Much” that has an extra verse or extra improvised asides. I like hearing the extra stuff because it gives me a few more seconds to meditate on Paul’s killer bass playing. I could stand 300 additional verses to that song.
Oh, and I MUCH prefer the 45 version of “Revolution” with the “count me out” and no “in” thrown in, like the White Album version does.
Have you heard this extended version of It’s All Too Much? That’s one of my faves and I’d love to hear that. On the Anthology release maybe?
It may be posted here, if memory serves. Townsman Tvox gave it to me. I’ll see that you hear it soon enough.
FOUND IT! Check this bad boy out:
https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/rock-n-roll-holy-grails-the-search-for-the-complete-version-of-helter-skelter-continues
The Replacements were famous for screwing around with their lyrics live.
Mats fans like to debate the relative merits of two versions of Can’t Harldy Wait, which was on Pleased to Meet Me.
http://youtu.be/W7LQiDjsde8
An early demo of Can’t Hardly Wait surfaced later and is known as the “Tim Version”
http://youtu.be/8M7q5Mn3-oM
The lyrics are different throughout, and the Tim Version is rougher, with no horns.
Good one. I like musical version on Tim much more but like the lyrics on the Pleased version. So lyrically speaking, I’d say “better” as Pleased was recorded later.
One of my favorite 70s obscurity is “Orbit” by the Canadian band Thundermug. I’d known it for years from the 45. I finally found the original Canadian LP and saw that the album version was a whole minute longer. I was excited to find out what was missing…until I found out it was a minute of godawful showoffy guitar wank, right in the middle of the song. This most certainly isn’t the only example of a song whose shorter 45 version of a song actually improves a dubious longer LP version, but to me it’s the most extreme example…the original is absolutely unlistenable to my ears. I’m not sure if this is what you’re aiming for, but it’s certainly another version of change. I can’t think of any offhand but there must be songs where a cover version changed lyrics for the better, no?
WoW! That IS some obscure shit!
Robert Pollard does this a lot. The most obvious example is the song Crocker’s Favorite Song that began as a muted acoustic tune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAKpCP2u5a8
…which got slightly different lyrics as Class Clown Spots a UFO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_MS4ghZcxI
…which finally got revved up and became one of their better tunes from last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVF_q1ZbU-4
As the kids say, OMG. It’s hard, in my mind, to make that song “better” but that is so kewl. You wrote “I’d be happy hearing if it went on for 3 hours.” I concur.
Where did this come from? Mod? Tvox?
This gets my vote for “Comment of the month”.
There’s info on this in “Different Versions” section here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_All_Too_Much.
Unfortunately the info also mentions a “heavily rewritten (cover) version” by Journey.
Even more unfortunately I was compelled to YouTube it.
Most unfortunately…here it is…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp4FYru7uO4
Complete agreement. The Tim version plays the riff on guitar, not horns, much more Replacements style. But on Tim, Westerberg adds “till it’s over” to the chorus. Unnecessary, and correctly deleted on the later album cut.
I vastly prefer the live Wide Awake in America version of “A Sort of Homecoming”. On the studio version, Bono’s voice gets too high too early. On the live version, he backs it down on the line “on boarderlands we run” and lets the song build more naturally.
Shammy – the Harrison quote you quoted is actually from the liner notes of the George Harrison – ‘Live in Japan’ set – which is probably why you can’t find other versions with the changed lyrics. Harrison had quit touring after ‘Dark Horse’, but Clapton talked him into doing the Japanese tour with Clapton’s head cutting band backing him.
You seem down on that combination. I think that Clapton’s touring band may be the greatest live ensemble ever – not only the Live in Japan, but the One More Car One More Rider live sets are some of the bestest and heartfelt jams ever put on bits. Clapton, NATHAN EAST, Billy Preston, Greg Philleganes, Andy Fairweather-Low, and of course Steve Gadd.
“Liner notes”. R.I.P.
I’m personally down on Clapton in general. He is clearly a great guitar player technically but I find his playing devoid of emotion.
Counter-Point: Whereas Ron Asheton wasn’t a great technical player (shit, if I can play most of what he played then clearly he was no “slow hand”) but when he played he PLAYED it. It doesn’t just move me it throws-me-against-the-wall and grooves me.
In the I Want To Tell clip above, I hear nor feel any emotion. To be fair, I haven’t listened to anything else from that Japan show and I will tiptoe thru some of it with my Clapton-Blinders on.
The song that immediately sprang to mind was the 2 version of “Help Me, Rhonda” or “Help Me, Ronda”.
The first version, which is sub-par, appears on Today chugs at a slower pace, has lackluster background harmonies, uninspired harmonica playing and features lame fade ins and fade outs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A5qRajcUVQ
The second and better version, released as single and on the album Summer Days and Summer Nights, has Al Jardine gleefully jumping in at the beginning ” Well since she put me down I’ve been out doin in my head”. The song is faster, has a short but decent guitar solo (Glen Campbell I suspect) and has spirited background vocals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tk3PSg6ZfM
The one I was saving is via X. In the song The World’s A Mess, It’s In My Kiss. Exene and John sing “There are no angels, There are devils in many ways”.
How-evah…On the fine, mostly acoustic release Unclogged, they sing the same the first time buuuut, the second time they sing, “There are no devils, There are angels in many ways”.
Yin Yang.
Take it like a man.