"Thank You Very Much" album and video: overdubbing?

[iefje]

In the Cliff Richard book "The Complete Recording Sessions 1958-1990" on page 116, it says that Bruce conducted a string of overdubbing and mixing sessions at Abbey Road Studios through December 1978, to make the resulting album "Thank You Very Much" a very impressive item. Does anyone know which recordings of the album and/or video have overdubs? Only vocal repairs, or maybe also instrumental?

[MikeAB]

I seem to recall a really flat vocal note near the end of the video - not there on the album track.

[iefje]

Does anyone have more information? JimN or Arpeggio or UlrichS maybe?

[JimN]

I was at one of the Palladium concerts (the one on 2nd March 1978) but certainly don't remember any flaws in the performance. However, that wasn't one of the nights used for the making of the one-hour video (at least, I'm sure I don't recall cameras), though it may have been audio-recorded off the board.

It is now normal for the multi-track of a live performance to be subject to small amendments and overdubs for repair of minor mistakes, whether of choice of note or execution. Even back in 1976, the original "Chester & Lester" LP (not live, but "live in the studio") was subjected to a couple of minor overdubs, though the sleeve-notes said otherwise...

[humdrum]

In the Cliff Richard book "The Complete Recording Sessions 1958-1990" on page 116, it says that Bruce conducted a string of overdubbing and mixing sessions at Abbey Road Studios through December 1978, to make the resulting album "Thank You Very Much" a very impressive item. Does anyone know which recordings of the album and/or video have overdubs? Only vocal repairs, or maybe also instrumental?

Overdubbing a live album sounds like cheating to me. it should be released as the audience heard it. I went to one of these shows at the Palladium & it was superb, any bum notes etc should be left in. Leave the perfection for the studio albums.

[Stratpicker]

In the Cliff Richard book "The Complete Recording Sessions 1958-1990" on page 116, it says that Bruce conducted a string of overdubbing and mixing sessions at Abbey Road Studios through December 1978, to make the resulting album "Thank You Very Much" a very impressive item. Does anyone know which recordings of the album and/or video have overdubs? Only vocal repairs, or maybe also instrumental?

Overdubbing a live album sounds like cheating to me. it should be released as the audience heard it. I went to one of these shows at the Palladium & it was superb, any bum notes etc should be left in. Leave the perfection for the studio albums.

Maybe that's why I still enjoy my old "Final Tour" DVD - rubbish sound in the first half from Hanks amp et al.
Warts and all. loivedvit!
Cheers
Ian

[howarddobson]

Although Brian talked of some fixes in his tour diary - still online I think.

[dave robinson]

I heard that all the 2004 DVD had been through the process of repair where needed.

[RayL]

Overdubbing a live album sounds like cheating to me. it should be released as the audience heard it.

As a frequent 'repairer' of fluffs in concert recordings I see things rather differently. If a recording is going to be released to the public then a guitarist's wrong note or a singer going flat on a top note are going to (possibly) haunt them forever. It's not just the sales of the packaged recording on CD or DVD - think what happens if a Youtube clip goes viral.

My repairs and overdubs are done for the sake of the artist. The buyer benefits, too, because their listening experience is consistant, rather than being disturbed by 'that awful clanger that sticks out like a sore thumb on track 5'.

There are exceptions, of course. Sometimes I am asked to make 'archive recordings', usually of plays or musicals. In those cases the result will not be issued to the public. They are made so that the producer or the management company can review the production and then they obviously want to see it 'warts and all'.

Ray

[Didier]

I heard that all the 2004 DVD had been through the process of repair where needed.

Not much for Hank's sound problems during the first part...

Didier