Chris M wrote:Man, the Philly Sea and Sand is one of my favorite Who performances ever. I love how Pete spits out the "jacket's gonna be cut slim and..". Goosebumps. I'm One is just as good. Drowned and Punk are solid.
We didn't have anything from Largo/DC until a few months ago when Wolfgang's Vault started straming some and then eventually all of the show.
I think Philly is a much better performance. I've only listened to Largo twice but IIRC Pete was having some serious gear problems and Keith was having an off night. I think KGFH picked the best night. The start of Largo/DC The Real Me is better though. I guess that is what Astley was alking about when he mentioned patching in bits of LArgo into Phlly (Philly was nearly released in the late 90's).
I just listened to both Sea and Sands (Large & Philly) back to back. In Largo Pete's guitar sounds a tad better, and Roger's vocal is falling a bit behind on the beat. Philly Roger sounds better and more on.
The both are pretty fantastic. Listen to how in tune Pete's guitar is, and when the line "The girl I Love, Is a Perfect Dresser". See Pete is playing an arpeggio style on that chord making it sound like a fucking music box. Same type of picking on
I've Had Enough, it's almost like Bluegrass on the studio album. But anyway, back to
Sea and Sand. The arpeggio and then a power chord on top of it is pure British rock of the highest class. Like folk elements, and then the hard rock power chord on top of it. Badfinger's
Baby Blue is one of the finer examples of this as a hit single, but there it begins with the power chords, and then settles into what I call the arpeggio. I was producing a band once in the 80's and tried to get the guitarist/writer to try doing a lead / rhythm combo based on arpegio'd chord with the power chord resolve. He could not get, and could not even understand what I was getting at. I even wrote the chord out on a chart which he plated well, but could not toss a power chord down like I'd hoped. If you listen to the background of
Dead Flowers, Keith is doing the same on acoustic in an sucessful effort to give the rhythm some sparkle. Real easy stuff if you got it in you. If you don't have it in you - well - then you can still play bars for free beers.
I found out a couple of years later that this is compositional talent that you either have or you do not have. I hear it used in
"I Want You" on Abbey Road (later half of song), as well as Roger Waters "
Sexual Revolution" on Pros and Cons. It seems that the great British rock masters understand this, and the average hack has no clue of it, or why you would even try it.
Anyway, sorry for rambling on again. But listen to that part in Sea and Sand on Largo at WG's, and hear how Pete is doing it and how dead on in tune the guitar is. Such a nice tone, it does give one goose bumps. And to think that this is all over and done. They don't write em like this anymore.
Pete had the same guitar tech for many years - I think it was Alan Rogan who kept Pete's guitars ringing like a bell. He may have even come back to the fold in recent years. I know some of the crew has been around PT/Who for 39 years on and off.