Aug 252008
Name an obvious mistake/flubbed note/missed beat/clam that made it into the final mix. Using your best judgement, please try to weed out intentional “mistakes” like the false start in the beginning of “Milkcow Blues” by Elvis.
I’ll start with Charlie’s missed beat in the third chorus of “I’m Free”.
On the Live/Dead album, right at the point when Dark Star unfolds into St. Stephen, there’s a second or two of honking feedback that comes out of nowhere (I think it’s Phil’s bass).
In the “Jailhouse Rock” live medley on Side 2 of “Fandango!”, Billy Gibbons comes crunching down on a power chord at the start of the chorus that’s a full half-step sharp.
In “Can’t Say No” off of Jimmie Vaughan’s “Out There” album, the verse builds up to the dramatic entrance for Jimmie’s hairy lead, and… he totally flubs it, coming in a full half-step sharp. You can hear him going “aaargh!” in frustration in the room mic, but they left it in. It’s one of my favorite audible flubs, and proof that leaving the hair on usually makes for a warmer hat.
Just listened to the “Jailhouse Rock” flub, and it ain’t no half-step. Billy comes in two *whole notes* sharp. Now that’s rock and roll, people!
On I Want You Dylan clearly starts to sing the wrong line but catches himself and gets out “because time was on his side and because I…” just in time.
Isn’t there a flub on The Beatles’ “Please Please Me”, or is it another one of the big, early hits?
Paul’s voice audibly cracks on “If I Fell.”
Well, if you want to get into Beatles flubs…
http://www.stevesbeatles.com/wgo/list.asp
First thing I thought of was that “now you’ve got a boy(girl)friend” part in Slow Down.
Bo Diddley – Can’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover
Big swing and a miss for Bo on the third chord in the last chorus.
No, that’s the one. Paul and John sing different lines on the last verse and John cracks up on next line.
My favorite: the barely audible “fuck” in “Louie Louie.” My second favorite: the singer coming in too early on the last verse in “Louie Louie.”
Hah, separating the flubs from the intentional in The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” is an exercise worthy of a grant.
cdm, I felt sure you’d insert something like this into the A/V mix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnk7BHTeq0g&feature=related
Then again, perhaps this one would be preferable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu0pBRqRAOc
OK. I had “Can’t Judge a Book By It’s Cover” by John Lee Hooker or somebody else, where the bass goes to the four chord early. Is that Bo? It’s real honkin’ obvious. Also, not a clam, per se, but the frizzed guitar chord in Chuck Berry’s “Come On.”
The bass intro to Last Splash by The Breeders is all fucked up with wrong notes.
During the rooftop performance in Let It Be, Lennon blows a whole sentence of Don’t Bring Me Down just saying a bunch of bloonoo nonsense.
Oh, and the last bit of the guitar opening by Dave Davies in I’ll Remember is way off key in a most cool manner.
I think it’s strange that people couldn’t name any more clams than this. The only ones I could come up with after wracking my brains just seemed so trivial as to be hardly worth mentioning. For example, on Yesterday’s Papers from Between the Buttons there’s a clunk on the xylophone or whatever Brian is playing at about 1:35. But it seems picky to point it out because, you know, it’s probably the only time he’d ever played the xylophone .
Good point, BigSteve. I wonder, in the post-punk/indie rock/DIY age, whether we’re clams are even considered clams anymore – or is this how it was with real clams, which initially seem disgusting and later in life might e considered a delicacy? Do we expect a clam now or then, or do we treasure it?
Mr. Mod your assignment is to go back and listen to all your Sonic Youth records and get back to us with a clam detection report.
Speaking of the indie ethos, SY is reportedly going to sign with an indie label now that their Geffen contract has run its course. Thurston Moore told Pitchfork, “The last four or five records we did were just so compromised by that [major label] situation. But that’s the way it goes.” I love SY’s music, but didn’t realize it was compromised. I wonder who lost more money on those last 4 or 5 records, the band or the label?
I thought there would be more clams as well.
I agree with the Mod that we’ve been saturated with post punk clams that are intentional, or at least not unintentional, and that has diminished the impact of listening to a song and hearing something that was left in because the overall take was good enough or there just wasn’t enough time or money to do it again. It used to be an Easter egg and now it’s just wallpaper.
That being said, Bo Diddley – “Cadillac” Second verse, the guy who’s singing background neglects to sing his bit and leave the female singer to go it alone.
XTC’s “Earn Enough For Us” has a bad clunker in the instrumental hook. Where is that, before the third verse? You’ve all heard it, I’m sure…