Nah you're right. Also, English Civil War is a great song, but sounds like shit on the record. All in all, it's a mixed bag. Some tracks sound phenomenal, while others have inherent flaws. I have zero complaints or criticisms with the COL sound though.
As I've stated here, the main issues I have with GEER are in songwriting, not mix/production.
What is wrong with the sound on ECW? Sounds ok to me.
Namely the double track Joe vocals. Double track vocals irritate the hell out of me in generally, but are particularly bad for Joe because he had such pitch problems. Also that riff Mick plays over Joe's intro vocal is kinda overkill. Tempo drags relative to live versions too, which is the case for most live Clash, but it really is to the song's detriment. A song like SEH never sounded as good as it did on GEER, ECW always sounded better live (except Terry tour).
No Hoyston this time. If anything double tracking will help pitch problems as it gives an aggregate pitch. Not that I think Joe had any pitch problems in the studio, I think he is usually bang on the money on their recordings. Live was a different matter, Washington Bullets and Corner Soul spring to mind. And that little guitar lick by Mick is fine. Tempo ok too.
Nah you're right. Also, English Civil War is a great song, but sounds like shit on the record. All in all, it's a mixed bag. Some tracks sound phenomenal, while others have inherent flaws. I have zero complaints or criticisms with the COL sound though.
As I've stated here, the main issues I have with GEER are in songwriting, not mix/production.
What is wrong with the sound on ECW? Sounds ok to me.
Namely the double track Joe vocals. Double track vocals irritate the hell out of me in generally, but are particularly bad for Joe because he had such pitch problems. Also that riff Mick plays over Joe's intro vocal is kinda overkill. Tempo drags relative to live versions too, which is the case for most live Clash, but it really is to the song's detriment. A song like SEH never sounded as good as it did on GEER, ECW always sounded better live (except Terry tour).
No Hoyston this time. If anything double tracking will help pitch problems as it gives an aggregate pitch. Not that I think Joe had any pitch problems in the studio, I think he is usually bang on the money on their recordings. Live was a different matter, Washington Bullets and Corner Soul spring to mind. And that little guitar lick by Mick is fine. Tempo ok too.
Nah you're right. Also, English Civil War is a great song, but sounds like shit on the record. All in all, it's a mixed bag. Some tracks sound phenomenal, while others have inherent flaws. I have zero complaints or criticisms with the COL sound though.
As I've stated here, the main issues I have with GEER are in songwriting, not mix/production.
What is wrong with the sound on ECW? Sounds ok to me.
Namely the double track Joe vocals. Double track vocals irritate the hell out of me in generally, but are particularly bad for Joe because he had such pitch problems. Also that riff Mick plays over Joe's intro vocal is kinda overkill. Tempo drags relative to live versions too, which is the case for most live Clash, but it really is to the song's detriment. A song like SEH never sounded as good as it did on GEER, ECW always sounded better live (except Terry tour).
No Hoyston this time. If anything double tracking will help pitch problems as it gives an aggregate pitch. Not that I think Joe had any pitch problems in the studio, I think he is usually bang on the money on their recordings. Live was a different matter, Washington Bullets and Corner Soul spring to mind. And that little guitar lick by Mick is fine. Tempo ok too.
I submit the following:
Doesn't sound too bad to me but we have to remember this was the punk era and great pitch was out of fashion.
What is wrong with the sound on ECW? Sounds ok to me.
Namely the double track Joe vocals. Double track vocals irritate the hell out of me in generally, but are particularly bad for Joe because he had such pitch problems. Also that riff Mick plays over Joe's intro vocal is kinda overkill. Tempo drags relative to live versions too, which is the case for most live Clash, but it really is to the song's detriment. A song like SEH never sounded as good as it did on GEER, ECW always sounded better live (except Terry tour).
No Hoyston this time. If anything double tracking will help pitch problems as it gives an aggregate pitch. Not that I think Joe had any pitch problems in the studio, I think he is usually bang on the money on their recordings. Live was a different matter, Washington Bullets and Corner Soul spring to mind. And that little guitar lick by Mick is fine. Tempo ok too.
I submit the following:
Doesn't sound too bad to me but we have to remember this was the punk era and great pitch was out of fashion.
Just sounds raw and angry to me. Like I say, I don't think pitching was that important to them in 77, but if you analyse Joe's later stuff he never strikes you as someone who sings out of tune like, say, a Dylan or Mark E. Smith. Most producer interviews I have read say Joe usually got a vocal down in one or two takes and gave it 100% every time. Glyn Johns gushes about him in his book and he has been round the block a bit.
Nah you're right. Also, English Civil War is a great song, but sounds like shit on the record. All in all, it's a mixed bag. Some tracks sound phenomenal, while others have inherent flaws. I have zero complaints or criticisms with the COL sound though.
As I've stated here, the main issues I have with GEER are in songwriting, not mix/production.
What is wrong with the sound on ECW? Sounds ok to me.
Namely the double track Joe vocals. Double track vocals irritate the hell out of me in generally, but are particularly bad for Joe because he had such pitch problems. Also that riff Mick plays over Joe's intro vocal is kinda overkill. Tempo drags relative to live versions too, which is the case for most live Clash, but it really is to the song's detriment. A song like SEH never sounded as good as it did on GEER, ECW always sounded better live (except Terry tour).
No Hoyston this time. If anything double tracking will help pitch problems as it gives an aggregate pitch. Not that I think Joe had any pitch problems in the studio, I think he is usually bang on the money on their recordings. Live was a different matter, Washington Bullets and Corner Soul spring to mind. And that little guitar lick by Mick is fine. Tempo ok too.
I'd say a lot of the pitch problems with the Sandinista material live is having nothing to pitch to besides Paul's "bass playing" (sic)- which as Johns rightly said existed in its own non-musical universe- and Mick's rough approximations of the riffs. Coming in cold on Bullets and Corner would throw a Pavarotti off-key since it meant tuning with Paul's dissonant non-Euclidean notes. When they wisely re-arranged Bullets as a rock song with a full intro Joe had much better luck IMO.
The Sandi recorded arrangements were pretty rich, melodically speaking, and offered a limited singer like Joe a lot more to play off of.
