It's Been A Blue Day - "Extra" note

[Teflon]

So today I decided to have a bash (if you heard m playing, you'd know that's the right term!) at learning "Its Been A Blue Day". I fired up The Shads version to have a good listen on headphones and was both horrified and yet strangely pleased to hear a mistake from Hank (it seems he is human after all).

At around the 1m 15 second point, just after the last three notes of what I call "the middle, twiddly bit", you can distinctly hear an extra note, which is abruptly cut off. It sounds as if he was intending to play on, and perhaps go straight to the next verse.

I dare say this is old news to most members, but I thought I'd share my discovery nonetheless, as it made me feel a little less critical of my own efforts. Just goes to show, we can all make mistakes at times

Cliff

[Tone]

Hi Cliff

I play this tune regularly but I hadn't listened to the original for ages.

In view of your comment, I've just had another listen and, yes, you're quite right so well spotted! Strange that I'd never noticed it,

Of course, there were mistakes and fluffs on other recordings, the most well known probably being Hank's mistake in the middle of Kok-Tiki and I'm sure someone on this forum will have a comprehensive list which will shortly be forthcoming!

Cheers.

Tony

[Teflon]

I wasn't aware of the mistake in Kon Tiki - I'll have to have a good listen. On the same subject, I've often seen Hank refer to a fluffed note in the middle of Man of Mystery, but I have to confess I've never been able to spot it myself. There is also the sound of someone (perhaps Cliff?) coughing during the guitar break of "On The Beach" that can be heard via headphones.

As you say, there are probably lots more - would be interesting to hear what others have spotted.

Cliff

[drakula63]

As you say, there are probably lots more - would be interesting to hear what others have spotted.

Cliff

I'm sure that on 'I Want You To Want Me' someone hums just as the song is going into the guitar solo. It's buried in the mix and so I don't think it was intended to be heard.

[iefje]

There is also the sound of someone (perhaps Cliff?) coughing during the guitar break of "On The Beach" that can be heard via headphones.

That's indeed Cliff coughing. For the "At The Movies 1959-1974" double CD set from 1996, the cough was removed from the recording. I think this was done by dialing down the stereo channel which contains the coughing during the guitar solo and dialing it back up again afterwards, because this channel also contains the vocals. Both channels were then combined to create a stereo-to-mono sound mix. Bruce's count-in was also included. If you listen to the 2005 stereo mix on the remastered edition of the "Wonderful Life" album, you can hear the sound of the channel with the cough switched off during the guitar solo.

[anniv 63]

Yes you can just imagine Jet lighting a ciggy, coughing and Norrie Paramor saying we now
have a sound balance. !!! Cliff of course does not smoke.

Mike

[Iain Purdon]

There are minor mistakes all over the earlier recordings. There will have been numerous constraints in studio time, equipment and expertise. The aim was to deliver magic rather than perfection.
The Polydor remakes of the old EMI hits benefit from more advanced recording techniques and I have not spotted any mistakes. However, to my ears, they are not necessarily “better” because the original energy wasn’t always recreated.

[GoldenStreet]

The Polydor remakes of the old EMI hits benefit from more advanced recording techniques and I have not spotted any mistakes. However, to my ears, they are not necessarily “better” because the original energy wasn’t always recreated.

Couldn't agree more!

A great early favourite of mine, particularly from the rhythm guitar aspect, is Theme from Giant.

However, it has always seemed to me that Bruce and Jet get in a mild tangle just towards the end of the middle eight section (in D), at about 1.15 to 1.22.

Then when it returns to the main tune (in A), Bruce seems to stay on A maj instead of progressing to F# min, as he does virtually throughout the rest of the piece. Maybe, he just chose to do that, but it in no way detracts from the power and energy of a classic example of the original sound. In many ways, I am glad they never attempted to re-record it, but then it wasn't one of the greatest hits.

That's probably enough from me!

Bill

[Moderne]

The stereo take of I Want You To Know (from Listen to Cliff LP) contains the most obvious mistakes (to me). I'm surprised it was issued... There are numerous other little 'slips' - mostly audible only through headphones - and none of which detract from the brilliance of the recording...IMHO.

[MikeAB]

Not really a mistake but I always hear a slight ugly miss-picking on the 10th note (I think) of the second damped stanza of Wonderful Land. These days they'd drop in a copy of the first damped section I suppose.