The Boomtown Rats Tonight The Tube

noelindublin · Loudmouth

The Boomtown Rats Tonight The Tube

Laibach · Someone's Looking At You

Thats the Oxford Road Show performance from 1984, they also performed Drag Me Down, I have it on VHS, its definatly live not mimed.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Laibach, I just presumed it was from The Tube which is lazy of me. I know they did the ORS from Manchester in autumn 1984 but I just thought the Rats from The Tube would be more widely available.

I beg to differ with you (in a friendly way of course!) about it being a live performance. It is exactly like the recorded version, and in the case of the Rats live they do sound quite different live. Geldof normally ad libs and sometimes changes lyrics a little. The tune is too perfect, ' live' the band will approximate the recorded version but it will always sound substantially different, or certainly noticeably different or it will sound plain 'live'.

It is well mimed I must say, and a good performance to watch but I maintain it is not live. It is note for note the recorded version.

Laibach · Someone's Looking At You

Having watched a much better quality version I maintain its a live performance, Geldof is usually pretty hopeless when it comes to miming but if it is mimed hes not out of sync for a second for both songs and he does address the audience at the end of the set, perhaps it was just very polished performance?, I'd be interested if anyone knows for sure whether its live or mimed.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

If it is sung live then it is the most like a recorded version the Rats have ever sounded. Normally I can tell straight away if a song is sung live but in this case it seems too ' perfect' and Geldof hardly ever gives a straight rendition of a song live- he normally embellishes it with loads of his trademark live antics, including normally riding roughshod over the structure of the chorus in live performances of most songs.

I'm not saying I'm right, because almost always there is no dispute about a song being live or mimed. I would think in order to appear more credible the band would have played live. Honestly I find it very hard to tell.

Ian MD · The Elephant's Graveyard

This is a tough one to call. Could it be that BG is miming but the mic is also live?

Go to 2 min 19 on the You Tube clip. Immediately after he sings 'Scratch it Tonight' you hear him sing 'yep'. Now go to the original recording at 2 min 26 (they are not quite in sinc) and the 'yep' is not there.

So if the mic is live he could have added this extra amongst the playback recording.

Unless of course he was asinging along to a promo version of the song, just VERY slightly different to the released version?

Either way i just can't see that BG was singing the whole song live, it's just too close to the original.

-- Edited by Ian MD on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 01:52:01 PM

-- Edited by Ian MD on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 02:21:42 PM

jamieuka · House on Fire

I'm almost certain the music is a backing track as per the single/album version but with the lead vocal removed and sung live on camera.

There are subtle differences e.g. at 0:30 to 0:32: the version on the record has the main vocal singing, "I'd kill" and the backing vocal refrain, "Kiss and kill" but in this version the main vocal very clearly sings both parts as, "I'd kill, I'd kiss and kill" (notice the extra "I'd" in the middle). Then there are nuances in pitch and ad lib vocal parts which are more difficult for me to catalogue!

Mark L · Loudmouth

Im totally with Jamieuka on this. At 1:30, he sings 'I've got the numbers of the papers here and I will, kiss and spill'

The record version is 'YOU'VE got the numbers of the papers here and YOU will, kiss and spill'

I have it on vhs and Drag me Down contains more nuances still. Peter Powell hosted the ORS (always a big fan of theirs) and interviewed Bob before the 2 tracks. A group called the Jones Brothers had been on the show and Powell asks Bob what he made of them. Good, but not as good as their father (jokingly meaning Tom) but Powell misses it completely and Bob looks embarrassed for him. The new tour is discussed with Powell suggesting the venues are small.