As for Let Me Live. Did anyone ever see or hear confirmation that it was tried in 1983 with Rod Stewart.
I know they recorded together (there's evidence in the form of pictures). But I never heard confirmation that it was Let me Live they recorded. It could be that someone has been telling porkies a long time ago, and everyone accepted it as the truth. (Like Play the Game with Andrew Gibb)
paulosham · Member since
the original version of Piece Of My Heart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAErTuWXG6U
rhyeking · Member since
Interesting. I knew it was Erma Franklin (Aretha's sister, I believe), but I'd never bothered to track down the original. I still prefer Janis's vocal on the BB&THC version. She sings as if her soul depends on it, with such heartbreak and pain, where Franklin's vocal seems to be about how strong she is without her man, despite the pain. Frankly (no pun intended), I can relate more to the pain of hearbreak than the triumph of will. Sometimes you just gotta sing the blues!
Also, I'm not entirely convinced Queen took the vocal out because of it's similarity (unless there's a statement to that effect from someone in Queen or QP) to the BB&THC version, because saying the performance of a line, in a song unrelated to the song another band covered, sounds like a line in said covered song, seems a pretty thin bit of reasoning. Add to that the fact that I don't think you can copyright a *performance* (such as HOW one sings a song...you obviously CAN copyright a recording of a performance), what could Queen have been afraid of in including that vocal track?
Reprisals from the original writers?
Again, I'm not so sure. Consider how many lines in songs sound like lines in other songs. I know I hear plenty in a given day. Narrowing it to Queen, well heck, here are a few from Roger:
"Cos when you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are..." Disney: "When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are..." (If anyone had the audacity to go after someone making money off The Mouse (or in this case Jiminey Cricket), it's freakin' Disney...they go after daycares for painting their characters on the wall without shelling out some $, they'd have no qualms about going after a rich rock star!)
So, why take it out? Maybe the lawyers told them to play it safe...or they themselves didn't want the similarities to take away from their song, not worrying about any legal reason, but looking at artistic ones.
Sebastian · Member since
Regarding Let Me Live: AFAIK, it was confirmed by Phoebe.
Regarding Play the Game: One of the fan club mags from that era specifically mentions Andy having recorded (backing) vocals on a (n at the moment) untitled song by Freddie. Based on that information only, it could've been PTG or DTS (CLTCL had been done over six months earlier and the cited info's about early 1980 sessions) or a song that didn't make it to the album.
rhyeking · Member since
Seb, on your site you note that The Works was planned to have a different track listing, including "Man Of Fire" and "Man-Made Paradise" Do you have the exact alternate listing? I'd love to know track by track what the order was going to be. Also, where did you find out this info, was it discussed at a convention by QP?
joesilvey · Member since
I thought someone (Peter Freestone, maybe?) had found a cassette jacket - no tape - in a shoebox that had the alternate track listing on it. pretty sure it was on a thread here somewhere...
Sebastian · Member since
IIRC, the tracklist was on Ratty's gallery.
rhyeking · Member since
Do we know what the full list was? Can you list it here?
Tear It Up Whipping Boy (early working name for I Go Crazy?") I Want To Break Free Machine Man On Fire Take Another Little Piece of My Heart It's a Hard Life Your Heart Again Man On The Prowl Radio Caca (yes that's how it was written) Hammer to Fall Kepp Passing the Open windows Man Made Paradise
Benn · Member since
And that version of "The Works" would have been F A R more preferable to the poppy shite we were eventually burdened with - heavier and more exciting a listen in the way that any rock band's "comeback" album should be.
beautifulsoup · Member since
Zebonka12 wrote: It's been said (or implied?) that Brian was unhappy with the progress that they'd made without him, and basically they started it from scratch?
***********************************
Heh. I wouldn't be surprised!
*goodco* · Member since
When rhyeking and others discuss different track listings, it gets interesting (Jazz, Hot Space, etc...) This, I found, FASCINATING (and close to what I made 'The Works' in to)
