Quote:
Originally Posted by UndoingTheLaces
The thing I love about Hold Me is that the album track is a testament to 80's music done right. It's got that perfect blend of harmony, melody and quirkiness that made a lot of 80's music so wonderful, with that timeless quality that Fleetwood Mac's music often has. But if you listen to any of the live recordings from when they did it live, it has a distinctive 70's sound. Without all layers and layers of studio trickery that Lindsey has always been so fond of, the stripped down version is denim shorts, feathered hair and halter tops all the way. And I love that live they didn't try to replicate the sound from the album because that could have just been a mess. Live it's actually a lot like the demo, which also has that great 70's feel. I always thought the demo of Hold Me sounds like it could have been on Tusk, except it was a little too happy. LOL.
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Everything you said is spot on!
I recall my anticipation when I was going to see them for the first time, on the Mirage tour. Having collected numerous live cassette bootlegs, I had great interest in how their studio creations were recreated on stage. So I was particularly interested how they were going to approach Hold Me, since there was no way they could replicate the polish of the record. (With all the support players they tour with now, they could get close.)
I was thrilled with how they translated it with a bit more aggression. Without the polish, it had more of a gritty character, sort of like a Tusk song (as you referenced). The "hold meeees" became "hold me yeah!"
Fleetwood Mac is a studio band as much as they are a live performance band.
The added patches, musicians and singers add more power, nuance and solidity to their performances, allowing the songs to sound more like the records. But I still appreciate the earlier, more simple pre-tech days when it was just the five of them.