Live At The Paris Olympia Albums

[bob t]

Following on from the Live At Sankei Hall Thread there have now been 3 versions of the Paris Olympia concert issued

1. The Original Vinyl version

2. The EMI reissue in 1992 listed as Full Concert Version minus the talking
But of course we found out later it was not

3. The Magic Records Full Concert version with all introductions etc
but with 2 studio recordings to replace 2 live tracks that were not considered good enough for release
From memory I think the 2 tracks are "Black Eyes" & "Silvery Rain"

The Magic Records live at the Paris Olympia CD does include all the talk/ introductions etc as well, although the quality is not very good, which I believe was taken from another source which seems strange as at least some of the talking was available on the original vinyl release. There also seems to be some repeats in the talking i.e. the same bit has been used more than once.
Also for a live album it is very irritating that there are gaps between songs, not very conducive to a live album

What I would like to see is a full concert version including all the chat etc with no gaps between tracks and the proper live versions of the studio songs even if they are not the best quality

Thoughts anyone ?

Bob T

[drakula63]

My mum bought me the original Live at the Paris Olympia LP from Boots record department in 1978. I remember this well, as she told me that as she was buying it, the man serving her said "That's the best album they've ever made." Thirty one years on, it is a statement that I find hard to dispute.

I love this album and it would be impossible to count the number of times I have played it since then. Many of the tunes played on the album were tunes/songs that I was hearing there for the first time. All of the Marvin, Welch & Farrar stuff, for example, and Brian's updated Little B. Of all the versions of this album, it's the original LP that means the most to me, even though it is woefully short and the songs are in a much altered running order. Somehow, The Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt seems like a much better opener than Shazam and I have always loved the way Nivram segues into a truly explosive version of Honourable Puff-Puff. When the first CD version came out in 1992, I rushed out and bought it and it got played virtually to death, until it was stolen in a burglary a few years later. I also bought the Magic Records CD version, mainly for the tracks missing from the other releases. Although the most complete so far, I am not keen on the added dialogue between songs, as it is obviously taken from an inferior source and it really jarrs when listening to the CD, especially at any kind of volume! Mind you, the live photos on the gatefold are great!

It would be great if EMI could be bothered to dig out all the master tapes (which they must still have) and give us the final, definitive version on CD. I am also aware that there is some live footage floating around out there (I have seen very dodgy black and white versions of three numbers) and this is also cause for some optimism. Does the whole concert exist somewhere in visual form?

In short, with its beautifully designed cover (minimalistic as far as photos go) and greatly reduced running time, The Shadows Live at the Paris Olympia is definitely a favourite of mine and I dread the day when the needle finally wears a hole through the vinyl. Until then, I'm gonna keep playing it. Nice and loud.

[bob t]

Hi Chris

I've often thought about Copying the original vinyl album to my computer and then seeing what I could do to integrate it with the CD versions mainly for the chat between numbers
Why don't you do the same with yours then you won't wear the vinyl out

Bob T

[Didier]

The Magic Records live at the Paris Olympia CD does include all the talk/ introductions etc as well, although the quality is not very good, which I believe was taken from another source which seems strange as at least some of the talking was available on the original vinyl release.

On this release the talk/introductions comes from amateur unofficial redording. Magic Records tried to restore the concert as completly as possible. For the same reason, "Black eyes" and Silvery rain" which were played at these concerts were added from studio tracks, as the live recordings were defectives.
I am not totally convinced by the overall result...

Didier

[Risky]

Vive la différence

We all see things differently. I have always found Live At The Paris Olympia to be the worst thing the Shadows ever produced. I have a copy but it has been buried in the loft for many years now, and there is absolutely no prospect of it being brought out any day now.

[Didier]

Vive la différence

We all see things differently. I have always found Live At The Paris Olympia to be the worst thing the Shadows ever produced. I have a copy but it has been buried in the loft for many years now, and there is absolutely no prospect of it being brought out any day now.

I am not very found of Hank's sound on "Live at the Paris Olympia", but there is far worst : the "Live in Japan" (at Sankei Hall) which is featured as a bonus on the Magic Records release of "Live at the Paris Olympia" !

Didier.

[drakula63]

Live at the Paris Olympia features one of my favourite Shadows sounds. I love the fact that Hank's sound is slightly heavier (he is using different pick ups, I believe) and the addition of John Farrar (an extra lead guitar) on most tracks makes a huge difference. Tarney is the best bass player they had, after John Rostill, and Brian's sound, especially on Honourable Puff-Puff, is ten times more powerful than on any of the original records. A shame that Bruce's featured vocals (Let Me Be The One and Faithful) were ommitted from the original LP. To put my finger on just one highlight (OK, two): the middle section in Man of Mystery and the unusual all electric arrangement of Guitar Tango. This is an album I can listen to again and again and probably will. The wildly enthusiastic and appreciative crowd add much to the atmosphere too. If I was to make a CD copy of the LP, then I think I'd leave it as it is and not add anything to it from the CD releases. But it's a good idea, as I don't know what I'd do if the LP got damaged. Buy another one off eBay, probably!!!

Keep on Rockin'

[bob t]

I rank this album as one of the best live concert albums I have ever heard.
The original vinyl LP was brilliant and I think the subsequent CD isues tended to not live up to this album

Bob T

[dave robinson]

I bought the original when it was released and played it to bits - a great live show.

[StuartD]

[quote="drakula63"]Live at the Paris Olympia features one of my favourite Shadows sounds. I love the fact that Hank's sound is slightly heavier (he is using different pick ups, I believe) and the addition of John Farrar (an extra lead guitar) on most tracks makes a huge difference. Tarney is the best bass player they had, after John Rostill, and Brian's sound, especially on Honourable Puff-Puff, is ten times more powerful than on any of the original records. A shame that Bruce's featured vocals (Let Me Be The One and Faithful) were ommitted from the original LP. To put my finger on just one highlight (OK, two): the middle section in Man of Mystery and the unusual all electric arrangement of Guitar Tango. This is an album I can listen to again and again and probably will. The wildly enthusiastic and appreciative crowd add much to the atmosphere too. If I was to make a CD copy of the LP, then I think I'd leave it as it is and not add anything to it from the CD releases. But it's a good idea, as I don't know what I'd do if the LP got damaged. Buy another one off eBay, probably!!!

Keep on Rockin'

Hi

The Electric version of Guitar Tango is by far the best version of this tune i have ever heard. The solos are tremendous and the twin leads work too. As everyone has said; It's a great album. I was lucky enough to see the shows at the Lakeside and Southport with this line up and they were fantastic.

Regards

Stuart