Studio vs Live - #1 Squonk

    Which version of Squonk do you prefer? 19

    1. A Trick of the Tail (16) 84%
    2. Seconds Out (3) 16%

    Hello everyone.


    I have been listening to the Tabletop Genesis podcast again recently, and they were reviewing Seconds Out.


    I think it's fascinating the range of opinions we get in this forum, so I wanted to start a new conversation, purely for a bit of fun.


    The idea is obvious - which songs were better live than on the album? Of course, it's an extremely personal choice but it will be interesting to see what people think.


    For the live versions I will probably just use the main live albums, but on occasion I might include specific other live versions (Archive, the odd live recording etc).


    I'm starting it off with Squonk.


    I have my own strong opinion about this one which I'll post later, but let's see what the general consensus is...

    Studio by a wide margin,

    I would have liked a beefier sound on the album (only for this track, I like the rest as it is) a bit like Glyn Johns achieved for the Who on Who’s Next, then it would have justified the working title ‘Bonzo’ for this track. You’d expect live versions to achieve that but they never quite do. I did like Chester’s slightly marching drum motif at the very end of the SO version, but other than that I always pick the studio version. Sometimes I think it’s a verse too long but there’s a story to be told.

    Definitely the studio version. There's a crispness to the guitars and an overall aggression that is fantastic. The live version is much smoother and loses this edge - practically everything on Seconds Out loses this aspect, which is fine for some things and worse for others.

    For me it's the studio version. There's something about the way the drums and bass were recorded that the band couldn't seem to duplicate live. They sounded so lively on the studio version that I love to turn up right after Entangled ends. As for the live version, the 1980 version was better for me than the 1977 version. Still it falls short.

    Quote from Dr. John

    Definitely the studio version. There's a crispness to the guitars and an overall aggression that is fantastic. The live version is much smoother and loses this edge - practically everything on Seconds Out loses this aspect, which is fine for some things and worse for others.

    Agreed. If this series of threads is going to be studio v SO, Studio will win them all for me.

    Ian


    Putting the old-fashioned Staffordshire plate in the dishwasher!

    Quote from Dr. John

    Definitely the studio version. There's a crispness to the guitars and an overall aggression that is fantastic. The live version is much smoother and loses this edge - practically everything on Seconds Out loses this aspect, which is fine for some things and worse for others.


    You can listen SO version remixed by Abbey Road a few years ago. The sound is heavier, yet very dynamic, and the voice much more forward. It's a radical transformation!

    Ok, that's interesting.


    I thought the findings might be a bit closer than they are.


    For what it's worth, I much prefer the studio version. To me, the studio version has a nice groove, and a lovely "jangle" about it, that the live version doesn't have.


    I've always thought the SO version felt rushed, and that the groove was missing to some extent. Having said that I'm still sad I never got to see them do it live - my first show was 1981.


    I got the idea for this because some of the Tabletop Genesis team thought it was a strong opener to the album, and I think exactly the opposite. (love TG by the way, if they're listening!)


    I feel that way about all of side 1, but that's for another day!

    Quote from Ben

    Yes but the Half-speed master changes considerably the sound and dynamics.

    Quote from Ben

    The sound is heavier, yet very dynamic, and the voice much more forward. It's a radical transformation!

    Yeah, right.

    It doesn't bring the voice forward though, does it? That's what a remix is for.

    Quote from Ben

    You can listen SO version remixed by Abbey Road a few years ago. The sound is heavier, yet very dynamic, and the voice much more forward. It's a radical transformation!

    While the overall sound and dynamics may have shifted on the newer version, it is still drawing from a tour where the guitar sounds and drum sounds are different than what occurred in studio on ATOTT. So I am not sure if the new version would sway me.