Text "STILL LIFE and LOVE YOU LIVE (Maybe it's live...)" (Walter Schäppi)
By comparing bootlegs and tapes with Still life and Love you live to find out the recording dates, I discovered some interesting differencies between tape and Still life resp. Love you live version. This article is only a summary. Try to check it out for yourselves! Assumption: (Nearly) All overdubs made by Mick and Keith. I paid special attention to their singing: in a studio you can re-record anything... Most recordings from the midst of the audience are difficult to assess: does the LP contain overdubs or is just the PA sound not well enough mixed? Additional problem: new backing vocals done in studio if the same microphone was used by, for example, Mick and Keith.
Given are the lengths of the songs on LP and on tape. Timings are only approximative! Songs on live LPs have tendency to run a little faster. "Words" is my term for spoken intros / outros - they aren't included in timings!
Still life
Recording dates as given by Wilfried Stember's Collector's file 2 (1984).
Side 1: 17:58 (music: 16:33). - Side 2: 22:12 (music: 20:25)
| Date: unknown Length on LP: Length on tape: |
Announcement From another Meadowlands show? 1981.11.05, but re-arranged?? Or even re-recorded in studio? |
| Date: 1981.11.05 Length on LP: 03:59 Length on tape: 04:06 |
Under my thumb A well done mixture of live and studio singing. No cuts (?). "Thank yous" from 1981.11.05 |
| Date: 1981.12.18 Length on LP: 03:48 Length on tape: 03:52 |
Let's spend the night together Unbelievable: 100% Stones live! Although Mick's completely breathless, this one escaped censorship. The introducing words are from 1981.12.18. No cuts. |
| Date: 1981.12.18 Length on LP: 04:03 Length on tape: 04:07 |
Shattered Live singing with the exception of a voice which supports Mick before the choir joins in. Feedback smoothed out. Pianos mixed far in the background. No cuts. The word "Shadoobee" at the end is from 1981.12.18. |
| Date: 1981.12.08 Length on LP: 01:45 Length on tape: 01:43 (right speed?) |
Twenty flight rock STILL LIFE-version on a tape dated 1981.12.09 (compare Keith's intro!). No cuts. Live singing? I don't think so (note third verse and last line). Lyrics of the STILL LIFE-version:
Well, I got a girl with a record machine |
| Date: 1981.12.08 Length on LP: 02:58 Length on tape: 03:03 (right speed?) |
Going to a go go Mick's words and the music from the above tape, too. Studio singing by Mick and Keith. Charlie's intro shortened (first verse till the end: same length with speed correction). I never heard the words on the end on tape before. |
| Date: 1981.11.25 Length on LP: 04:53 Length on tape: 07:10 |
Beast of burden Live singing. At least four parts have been shortened: Intro and sax solo abridged, "sugar"-part and part towards the end cut out. The "Thank you" is from 1981.11.25. Short aside: Same songs on STILL LIFE, TIME IS ON OUR SIDE and MISSION LPs, but there are cuts on the bootlegs (last verse). |
| Date: 1981.12.07 Length on LP: 03:29 Length on tape: 04:52 |
Let me go Largo? Guitar solo coincides with version on a tape dated 1981.12.08. Studio singing by Mick. No cuts until Keith's solo. |
| Date: 1981.12.18 Length on LP: 03:36 Length on tape: 03:40 |
Time is on my side "Go ahead"-part may be live singing, perhaps more. Nevertheless most of it is studio singing (what a lovely voice, Keith!). No cuts. The "Thank yous" are from 1981.12.18. |
| Date: 1981.12.19 Length on LP: 05:09 Length on tape: 09:03 (speed correction: +4%) |
Just my imagination (Running away with me) Live singing (backing vocals?) with exception of the last three words. First guitar and sax solo abridged. Most of the second part of the song is cut out. "Thank you": Studio? 1981.11.25? |
| Date: 1981.11.25 Length on LP: 03:58 Length on tape: 04:25 |
Start me up The introducing words "...rock'n'roll?" are from 1981.11.25 (gap on my tape). I don't claim it's all studio singing (beginning may be live). Towards the end two cuts (feedback nearly disappeared). |
| Date: 1981.12.13 Length on LP: 04:13 Length on tape: |
(I can't get no) Satisfaction Cuts. |
Love you live
Check out the differencies in the recording dates to Wilfried Stember's Collector's file 2 (1984)!
Side 1: 21:12 (music: 19:14). - Side 2: 21:02 (music: 20:38). - Side 3: 20:18 (music: 17:12). - Side 4: 19:20 (music: 18:06)
| Date: 1976.06.05 Length on LP: Length on tape: |
Announcement The Intro-tape ("Fanfare for the common man") has already been used in 1975. |
| Date: 1976.06.05 Length on LP: 03:15 Length on tape: 03:33 |
Honky tonk women Keith's intro is a little shorter. I think there are some new backing vocals. Are the tapes of the 5th and 6th June running too slow? |
| Date: 1976.05.27 Length on LP: 04:48 Length on tape: 04:59 |
If you can't rock me ; Get off of my cloud With words. Original! No cuts. |
| Date: 1976.06.05 Length on LP: 02:48 Length on tape: 02:56 |
Happy With words. Keith sings in the studio. Original vocals partly audible. Mick's original vocals? In any case there are overdubs. No cuts. "Never took candy..." - no kidding, Keith? |
| Date: 1976.06.06 Length on LP: 04:23 Length on tape: 04:35 |
Hot stuff The words at the beginning were recorded in the studio. Original vocals, but three or four words have been erased. No cuts. The words at the end are from 1976.06.06. |
| Date: 1976.06.06 Length on LP: 04:00 Length on tape: 04:10 |
Star star With words. Mick has tried once again in the studio. No cuts. |
| Date: 1976.06.07 Length on LP: 03:53 Length on tape: 03:55 |
Tumbling dice All backing vocals by Keith have been re-recorded in the studio. No cuts. The words at the end are from 1976.06.07 |
| Date: 1975.06.17 Length on LP: 05:09 Length on tape: 07:17 |
Fingerprint file Seven places where more or less big chunks have been cut out. Original vocals but treated with echo effects in the studio. The words ath the end were recorded in the studio. |
| Date: 1976.06.05 Length on LP: 04:11 Length on tape: 04:21 |
You gotta move Original! No cuts. |
| Date: 1976.06.07 Length on LP: 07:25 Length on tape: 10:23 |
You can't always get what you want Original vocals. LOVE YOU LIVE version begins a little later. Second verse and chorus "missing" (beginning connected with third verse!). Ronnie's solo shortened by 1/3. The singalong part has been shortened considerably (beginning of fourth chorus is connected with the fifth chorus). The crowd noises after the end of the song have been taken from the end of a show (1976.06.07 ?). |
| Date: 1977.03.04 Length on LP: 05:41 Length on tape: |
Mannish boy Most probably original length. In the version on SUCKING IN THE SEVENTIES (04:20) one verse and two short instrumental parts are missing. |
| Date: 1977.03.05 Length on LP: 04:02 Length on tape: |
Crackin' up No cuts (?). |
| Date: 1977.03.04 or 05 Length on LP: 03:55 Length on tape: 05:35 |
Little red rooster In comparison with the longer bootleg version (05:35) this has been shortened by three instrumental parts (intro, middle and towards the end). |
| Date: 1977.03.04 or 05 Length on LP: 04:02 Length on tape: |
Around and around No cuts (?). |
| Date: 1975.06.17 Length on LP: 04:19 Length on tape: 04:22 |
It's only rock'n roll (But I like it) With words. Keith's wrong beginning has been erased. Mick's original vocals, some new backing vocals by Keith, while Billy's contribution has been pushed back in the mix. |
| Date: 1976.06.06 Length on LP: 03:07 Length on tape: 03:16 |
Brown sugar Mick sings in the studio. In the original, backing vocals are sung by Billy Preston, not by Keith (cf. video). Billy's vocals, which are still there, are minimal. No cuts. |
| Date: 1976.06.06 Length on LP: 03:05 Length on tape: 03:16 |
Jumpin' Jack flash The intro (00:17 against 00:21) has been shortened and vocals after the feedback have been re-recorded in the studio. |
| Date: 1975.07.09 Length on LP: 07:39 Length on tape: 09:40 |
Sympathy for the devil Shortened version. In the third version you can hear Mick's original vocals underneath his studio overdubs. Keyboards way back in the mix. |
Conclusion
Amount of work for Jagger/Richards for a live LP (selection, cutting, overdubbing and mixing the material) must be at least comparable with the work on a studio LP.
Author: Walter Schäppi
This article has been revised in 2000 by Michael Kuhn.
Publication
| 1985.04.16 |  Charlie is good tonight nr. 2
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