Joe Jackson's Big World

[John M Sellens <jmsellens%watdragon.waterloo.edu@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>]

In article <8609252035.AA01456@THESEUS> henry@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Henry Mensch) writes:
>
>>> The way I heard it, all shows were done in New York.  Several rehearsals
>>> were done to get the mixes down before the shows were put before a live
>>> audience.  When the people came into the auditorium for the show, they
>>> were handed a handwritten note (or copies) asking them to keep absolutely
>>> quiet until each song was completely finished.  All songs, if I remember
>>> rightly, except for "Man in the Street" which was recorded during a
>>> rehearsal session, went straight from the stage onto the master digital
>>> recording, and I believe no mixing took place after the shows.
>
>None of this is true; he held some of these shows in Southern New
>Jersey (for Philadelphia fans), in Boston, and in other places.  As
>part of one of his New York audiences, I can say that we didn't know a
>THING about the fact that he was taping his music live.  
>
>I don't think a performer has a right to inflict such bullshit on an
>audience; if he wanted to have quiet he should record in a studio.
>
>-- Henry / <henry@athena.mit.edu>

Far be it from me to contradict you, Henry, but I looked at the liner of
the album (Big World) and it said (paraphrased):
- all tracks recorded live in New York Jan 23, 24 & 25 1986
- except "Man in the Street" recorded in rehersal Jan 22
- all mixing was rehersed
- recorded live to two track digital
- the audience was asked to remain quiet during the songs, and to hold
  applause until after the songs had completely finished

It could be that there were other New York shows that weren't taped and
you were at one of those.  As to whether he should have been recording
live if he wanted quiet, the liner notes assert that the performance
was better because they were performing.  To me, the album seems
enhanced by the feeling of the audience, or maybe it's just the hall
or something, but it someone seems to feel better than a typical
studio recording.  Of course I could be imagining all this.

Joe Jackson has long had a reputation of not putting up with any of
the typical live antics of an audience.  He's a little bit weird, but
I think his music makes up for it.  After all, he did write the perfect
.signature file quote (see below).

John Sellens
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"Of all the stupid things I could have thought, this was the worst"
- Joe Jackson