Love it To Death without Bob

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Babysquid
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Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Babysquid » Tue Oct 19, 2021 4:13 pm

I’m just listening to the Chicago underground gig from July 1970 and it’s interesting to hear the 3 LITD numbers before Bob Enron came on the scene. Now I’m not for the life of me suggesting the album would have been better without Bob, in fact , if it got made at all, it probably wouldn’t have been as successful and we wouldn’t all be posting on this forum today!
The most obvious change is Eighteen and I’m surprised how similar Is It My Body is already to the album version.
My guess is that these two would have probably been the “epic” songs on the LP ,we would have lost Second Coming :( and perhaps Sun Arise would have been the opening number. Black Ju ju in some form too as this gets jammed out in Lay Down and Die. I’d also imagine it would be a safe bet that the album would have a looser less focused edge to it.
I’m only speculating, this isn’t something I’d have preferred to have happened, Love it to Death is great as it is.

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by padre_sliprat » Sat Oct 23, 2021 2:41 am

Agreed.
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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Ted Sallis » Sat Oct 23, 2021 2:57 pm

An interesting hypothesis...I would be curious to hear how an extended I'm Eighteen as it was performed on Beat Club in 1972 would sound in the studio, as that BC version was also an extended jam 'inspired by' the original version of the song. Dennis stated in his book that the ACG agreed to record Bob's condensed, concise version for LITD and (continue to) perform their original version live.

IIMB would be good to hear with the live 'Going to the Graveyard' (known as 'My Very Own' on various bootlegs) section added in the studio, as the only studio version of this extended performance I know of is the Detroit Tube Works rendition.

Also, it would be good to hear how a final studio version of a rehash of Fields of Regret would have sounded, as FOR was demoed for the LITD album but left at that.

Ted

P.S. Dennis also stated in his book that 2 live takes of BJ were recorded in the studio and one of those was chosen for the album. I'd like to hear the other take included (if it still exists) in a LITD reissue as a bonus track.

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Lucius Morthem » Sun Oct 24, 2021 12:15 am

IIMB with My Very Own part would be a dream to hear in studio form or a nice live version at least.

Hopefully.. someday... somehow

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Toronto Bob » Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:30 am

Lucius Morthem wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 12:15 am
IIMB with My Very Own part would be a dream to hear in studio form or a nice live version at least.

Hopefully.. someday... somehow
I believe the circulating demos from LITD have the "My Very Own" section included.

I've theorized in another thread that it may have been a late decision to cut the 7 minute IIMB/MyVery Own and go with the shorter version and the song list on the back cover reflects an original Side 1/Side 2 running order of

Side 1
Caught in a Dream
I'm Eighteen
Hallowed Be My Name
Long Way to Go
Back Juju

Side 2
Is It My Body (extended version)
Second Coming
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Sun Arise

giving both sides a roughly equal running time of 20-21 minutes each

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Dannorama » Sun Oct 24, 2021 2:14 pm

I have never considered this idea, and I've been ruminating on it. The conclusion that I have come to is that LITD without Ezrin would be like cereal without milk. You would get the idea, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as good. That's all I have to say about that.
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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Ted Sallis » Sun Oct 24, 2021 4:56 pm

Toronto Bob wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:30 am
I believe the circulating demos from LITD have the "My Very Own" section included.

I've theorized in another thread that it may have been a late decision to cut the 7 minute IIMB/MyVery Own and go with the shorter version and the song list on the back cover reflects an original Side 1/Side 2 running order of

Side 1
Caught in a Dream
I'm Eighteen
Hallowed Be My Name
Long Way to Go
Back Juju

Side 2
Is It My Body (extended version)
Second Coming
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Sun Arise

giving both sides a roughly equal running time of 20-21 minutes each
I don't believe I've heard the demo for IIMB; I have heard demos for other songs on the album. For a long time I noted how the song order on the back cover of LITD has only 1 'misplaced' song; if TB's theory is correct, the late decision to cut down the extended version of 'Body' may have come too late for the album cover to be changed.

Ted

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Ted Sallis » Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:25 pm

Ted Sallis wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 4:56 pm
Toronto Bob wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:30 am
I believe the circulating demos from LITD have the "My Very Own" section included.

I've theorized in another thread that it may have been a late decision to cut the 7 minute IIMB/MyVery Own and go with the shorter version and the song list on the back cover reflects an original Side 1/Side 2 running order of

Side 1
Caught in a Dream
I'm Eighteen
Hallowed Be My Name
Long Way to Go
Back Juju

Side 2
Is It My Body (extended version)
Second Coming
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Sun Arise

giving both sides a roughly equal running time of 20-21 minutes each
I don't believe I've heard the demo for IIMB; I have heard demos for other songs on the album. For a long time I noted how the song order on the back cover of LITD has only 1 'misplaced' song; if TB's theory is correct, the late decision to cut down the extended version of 'Body' may have come too late for the album cover to be changed.
Also, Dennis posted in his Forum here that the Love It To Death album cover was dark on the front and white on the back because the initial concept was to have one side of positive songs and one side of dark songs. "Bring Up The Light", the positive song that Dennis wrote to counter Black Juju (his dark song on the album) was never recorded, so that would be another welcome addition to an alternate LITD.

Ted

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Babysquid » Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:38 am

Dannorama wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 2:14 pm
LITD without Ezrin would be like cereal without milk. You would get the idea, but it wouldn't be anywhere near as good.
I get that, but I did find it interesting how far along some of the arrangements already were and how different they were to the Pretties and Easy Action stuff.

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Dannorama » Tue Oct 26, 2021 11:58 am

Babysquid wrote:
Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:38 am
I get that, but I did find it interesting how far along some of the arrangements already were and how different they were to the Pretties and Easy Action stuff.
I agree. It's a thought that I had never considered. I like your idea. :drink:

PS: Ezrin rules.
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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Rock10 » Sat Oct 30, 2021 1:15 am

Didn't Alice say on the commentary to "Good to See You Again Alice Cooper" that the band wrote "My Stars" before they were with Ezrin? I don't think the band would have been as good without Ezrin.

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Re: Love it To Death without Bob

Post by Babysquid » Sat Oct 30, 2021 6:37 am

Rock10 wrote:
Sat Oct 30, 2021 1:15 am
I don't think the band would have been as good without Ezrin.
Oh gosh no! I’m not suggesting that for a minute. My initial post was merely based on the question of what might have happened had he not been involved. It was purely based on hearing some of the songs in their earlier forms.

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