the obsKuiTies tape

[Michael Portuesi <mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu>]

well, now that my taping duties are over, I feel allowed to comment on
the obsKuriTies tape.

"Passing Through Air" is a very beautiful song...probably my favorite
song on the tape.  It is a shame that Kate didn't re-record this song
for TKI...I would have loved to have seen it in place of "James and
the Cold Gun" and had JatCG reduced to bootleg-demo track status.

Given that I'm not a fan of JatCG, it's not surprising that I didn't
like her rendition of it on the Hammersmith video either.  It's too
much of a "rocker" song for my tastes, and I think the live version on
the Hammersmith tape just drags on for ever and ever.

Anyway, I prefer the album version of TKI over the _Cathy_Demos_
version.  Kate's signing improved noticeably between the demo tracks
and the album, and it is really her singing that makes the song.

Out of the three versions of "Hammer Horror" (_Cathy_Demos_,
Hammersmith video and album version) that I've heard, I like the
Hammersmith version best, followed by the demo and lastly the album.
The album has too many effects and studio production touches for my
tastes.  The demo version is notable for being a piano-only piece, but
I still like the live version best overall.

The two non-album _Cathy_Demos_ were okay, but not truly spectacular.
I liked "Maybe" and PTA much better.

Other songs on the Hammersmith tape that I liked better than their
album counterparts were "Them Heavy People" (with a slightly different
arrangement that I like better than the album) and "Kite" (which is a
beautiful song on both, but I think the live version is a bit fresher
and more enjoyable).

I got an audio copy of the Hammersmith concert by renting the video
and dubbing the soundtrack onto a cassette.  For those who are about
to flame me for being doing something unethical, I am planning to buy
a bona-fide copy of the video in the near future.  But for those
people with a Hi-Fi VCR, this is a much less expensive alternative to
purchasing a bootleg CD of the concert.

				--M

--
Michael Portuesi * Carnegie Mellon University
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