Blind Faith Live

[Tick]

Not sure if this has been discussed but I just don't think James's vocals worked on this one live. The chorus was just not very good. I was watching the Chaos DVD and was thinking, there should have chosen something else.
Thoughts?

[robwebster]

I think there's too much magic in the original recording for it to sound quiiiite right, live. It's a very textured and warm recording. Like the audio equivalent of receiving a big, squishy hug.

Blind Faith, to me, is one of those songs that sounds so ethereal on the record that it does the live version a disservice. It's more than just the sum of its notes, if that makes any sense? Like, you can't just play "D D A D A D C A D A" or whatever and it'll sound right, a lot of the charm is specific to its production. Whereas A Rite of Passage sounds better the heavier and louder it is, it thrives off that rawness.

So yeah, Blind Faith's brilliant inasmuch as it's a song gone horribly right and is one of my favourites, but unfortunate inasmuch as it's too delicately balanced to really work in a live scenario. Shame! Would still like to see it, though.

[Chino]

It's okay though, the extended piano bit makes up for it.

[GuineaPig]

I think there's too much magic in the original recording for it to sound quiiiite right, live. It's a very textured and warm recording. Like the audio equivalent of receiving a big, squishy hug.

Blind Faith, to me, is one of those songs that sounds so ethereal on the record that it does the live version a disservice. It's more than just the sum of its notes, if that makes any sense? Like, you can't just play "D D A D A D C A D A" or whatever and it'll sound right, a lot of the charm is specific to its production. Whereas A Rite of Passage sounds better the heavier and louder it is, it thrives off that rawness.

So yeah, Blind Faith's brilliant inasmuch as it's a song gone horribly right and is one of my favourites, but unfortunate inasmuch as it's too delicately balanced to really work in a live scenario. Shame! Would still like to see it, though.

Or James sucked on it.

Either or.

[robwebster]

Bah, I'd entertain the possibility but I don't think any of the instruments sound quite top notch on it. Sounds a wee bit wrong.

I usually really like it when a live version sounds noticeably different to the studio track, but BF's an exception.

[skydivingninja]

The CD version on CiM actually has a better James performance than the DVD.  Its a top ten song and I'd love to see it live.  I probably wouldn't notice if James messed up.

[Tick]

The CD version on CiM actually has a better James performance than the DVD.  Its a top ten song and I'd love to see it live.  I probably wouldn't notice if James messed up.

Its not that James messes up so much as his range struggles singing, "Blind faith we have in you"
He sings in one register during the song  then goes up an octave for the chorus and it just sounds off. Its not awful but in my opinion its one they should have realized it didn't quite work and did something else.

[ZBomber]

Jame's vibrato on that version is horrible. That song always reminded me of a bad "Homsar" impersonation from Homestar Runner. 

The whole Chaos DVD isn't that good... I'm surprised the band put it out because I know JLB had MUCH better performances on that tour... it seems like they just disregarded his singing and just picked random songs from each performance. To be honest, I heard that DVD before I saw them live and I just assumed that's how his singing is these days. I was pleasantly surprised in 09 when I finally saw them and JLB was kicking ass.

[Tick]

Jame's vibrato on that version is horrible. That song always reminded me of a bad "Homsar" impersonation from Homestar Runner. 

The whole Chaos DVD isn't that good... I'm surprised the band put it out because I know JLB had MUCH better performances on that tour... it seems like they just disregarded his singing and just picked random songs from each performance. To be honest, I heard that DVD before I saw them live and I just assumed that's how his singing is these days. I was pleasantly surprised in 09 when I finally saw them and JLB was kicking ass.

I will never forget the Palladium show. It was like 120 degrees in that balcony. It was like a two hour weight loss program. I think I walked out of that venue 5 pounds lighter.
The band sounded as good as I have ever seen them that night. Glad I didn't pass out and miss anything.

[Perpetual Change]

The thing is, though, it did work live. It just didn't work on camera. I clearly remember people checking in here all the time during that tour just to say how awesome James sounded and so on. James seems to use a lot of reverb and effects now that makes his singing sound killer in a live setting. Unfortunately, when you strip it down and compress it on a DVD (from the soundboard even), any mistake he makes is going to sound way worse. So what would have been a tiny mistake that no-one in the live audience noticed becomes a really obvious flaw that almost ruins the whole performances for the home audience. They should have just fixed it, honestly, or mixed it in better so James wasn't twice as loud as everyone else.

That, by the way, is the reason why I'm not against bands doing a little overdubbing here and there. The point of the live DVD is to bring an experience to the home audience that captures the magic of being at the live show, not to show-off in front of prog nerds that your band can perform songs with complete perfection.

Point in case: there's absolutely no reason to believe that what you hear on a couple of those CiM songs in ANY way reflects the quality of performances people experiences at those CiM shows. James slayed on that tour and everyone had good things to say about his voice. It's been a big mystery why the DVD sounds so bad, and last I checked everyone agreed because the company didn't want to put the money into it that all the other DVDs got.

[Tick]

I saw it live twice on that tour and it didn't work as far as I'm concerned. The DVD is a good representation in my opinion.

[Ħ]

The IaW anniversary should have been the main release, and CiM should have been a bootleg.

[GuineaPig]

The IaW anniversary should have been the main release, and CiM should have been a bootleg.

It wasn't?  Sure had me fooled.

[Ħ]

Nope.  'Twas an official release.

[Tick]

Also want to say to PC, James did sound great on that tour, it was Blind Faith alone I had a problem with.

[RuRoRul]

I think there's too much magic in the original recording for it to sound quiiiite right, live. It's a very textured and warm recording. Like the audio equivalent of receiving a big, squishy hug.

Blind Faith, to me, is one of those songs that sounds so ethereal on the record that it does the live version a disservice.

That's what I think exactly. Because the studio version is so good and not easily replicated, the live version sounds bad.

[Chino]

Jame's vibrato on that version is horrible. That song always reminded me of a bad "Homsar" impersonation from Homestar Runner. 

The whole Chaos DVD isn't that good... I'm surprised the band put it out because I know JLB had MUCH better performances on that tour... it seems like they just disregarded his singing and just picked random songs from each performance. To be honest, I heard that DVD before I saw them live and I just assumed that's how his singing is these days. I was pleasantly surprised in 09 when I finally saw them and JLB was kicking ass.

I will never forget the Palladium show. It was like 120 degrees in that balcony. It was like a two hour weight loss program. I think I walked out of that venue 5 pounds lighter.
The band sounded as good as I have ever seen them that night. Glad I didn't pass out and miss anything.

That balcony was the most uncomfortable setting I have ever been in for a concert.

[atmyne]

I thought it was really good actually. Obviously its not studio quality, but was still very well played, and felt the same "magic" that the studio version has. But yeah james' higher pitched vibrato is a little hard to bare in this one.

Jame's vibrato on that version is horrible. That song always reminded me of a bad "Homsar" impersonation from Homestar Runner. 

wow spot on hahaaha

[YouMakeMeSick]

This may be the lamest first post ever (Hello everyone, I occasionally post on MP's forum with the same username. Been a DT fan since '92), but I've always joked with the fact that in the part after JLB says "Blind faith we have in you", the band replies "Kwyjibo!".

I've seen the band perform the song twice and it sounded pretty good, but I agree that in the DVD version James didn't sound that great.

[Mechanix1911]

...but I've always joked with the fact that in the part after JLB says "Blind faith we have in you", the band replies "Kwyjibo!".

wtf 

[Dublagent66]

I saw Blind Faith live during the SC tour and James kicked ass!  They should've put that on the DVD.

[Perpetual Change]

I saw it live twice on that tour and it didn't work as far as I'm concerned. The DVD is a good representation in my opinion.

Oh, huh. That's strange. Did it really sound THAT bad to you at the show, though? The performance on the DVD is atrocious.

[Tick]

I saw it live twice on that tour and it didn't work as far as I'm concerned. The DVD is a good representation in my opinion.

Oh, huh. That's strange. Did it really sound THAT bad to you at the show, though? The performance on the DVD is atrocious.

No, not that bad. He just sounds goofy trying to raise an octave to sing the chorus. It was a song they should have thought better of performing in my opinion.

[Perpetual Change]

In that case, I think Rich is pretty spot on. The chorus of that song has always seemed like it'd be tough for me. Like it was a "too good to be true" kinda thing.

[Tick]

In that case, I think Rich is pretty spot on. The chorus of that song has always seemed like it'd be tough for me. Like it was a "too good to be true" kinda thing.

I am Rich. Oh you mean another Rich.
I remember hearing it live and when the song started I was like, hell yeah, I love this song! Then they got to the chorus and I was like, ouch, not too good.

[Perpetual Change]

I meant Rob. lol. Not the other rich. Agreeing with the OTHER rich? NEVER.

[Daso]

To be honest, I heard that DVD before I saw them live and I just assumed that's how his singing is these days.

I have not seen them live yet (nope, ever) since they have not come to Panama, but I also assumed that is how he sings now. Youtube prooved me wrong, thanfully 

[ZBomber]

Jame's vibrato on that version is horrible. That song always reminded me of a bad "Homsar" impersonation from Homestar Runner. 

The whole Chaos DVD isn't that good... I'm surprised the band put it out because I know JLB had MUCH better performances on that tour... it seems like they just disregarded his singing and just picked random songs from each performance. To be honest, I heard that DVD before I saw them live and I just assumed that's how his singing is these days. I was pleasantly surprised in 09 when I finally saw them and JLB was kicking ass.

I will never forget the Palladium show. It was like 120 degrees in that balcony. It was like a two hour weight loss program. I think I walked out of that venue 5 pounds lighter.
The band sounded as good as I have ever seen them that night. Glad I didn't pass out and miss anything.

Yes! Even though they picked the hottest day of the year in one of the warmest, tightly quartered venues around here, James had a terrific night, as did the whole band! 

[hefdaddy42]

I heard good versions of this song from that tour.  But the DVD captured a performance that wasn't one of those (as it did with several other songs as well).

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Yup, there were some great live performances of the songs featured in CiM but, well, not the ones found in CiM.

[bobs23]

Without question, this song had up and down performances. I saw it 5 times, and off the top of my head only 2 of them everything came together. It is a tough song to perform.

[ZBomber]

I heard good versions of this song from that tour.  But the DVD captured a performance that wasn't one of those (as it did with several other songs as well).

I really don't understand WHY they released what they did. With all respect due to the band, can't they see that they included quite a few "mediocre" performances (atleast by the high standards they set for themsleves) on the Chaos in Motion DVD? Its not like they just picked one show, they were supposed to hand select the best performances from various shows. I just can't figure out why we got some really subpar versions of songs while others were much better.

[BRGM]

I remember blind faith being awesome whe nI saw it live, though the DVD isn't too good

[The Letter M]

I heard good versions of this song from that tour.  But the DVD captured a performance that wasn't one of those (as it did with several other songs as well).

I really don't understand WHY they released what they did. With all respect due to the band, can't they see that they included quite a few "mediocre" performances (atleast by the high standards they set for themsleves) on the Chaos in Motion DVD? Its not like they just picked one show, they were supposed to hand select the best performances from various shows. I just can't figure out why we got some really subpar versions of songs while others were much better.

Perhaps of the shows they had video of, that was the best version of "Blind Faith" they could put on the DVD? Unless there is proof that, of the shows they have sourced video from (for the CIM DVD set), there is a better performance of "Blind Faith" caught on equal-to-or-better video, than they may have picked that performance because it was the best they could pick from.

At least on the CD, the performance is sourced from a different show, most likely because they had more audio options than video options, so being unsatisfied with their "only choice" of video performance for that song, they decided to make up for it by offering a slightly better performance of the song on the CD set which, unfortunately, is only available on the Limited Edition version of the set.

-Marc.