there's one thing (well not only one) that has always disturbed me.
I know it's a detail, but I love this kind of things :
1) on TOL album version, Mark wanted 2 keyboard parts : organ and piano. Roy Bittan played both. OK
2) on tour in 80/81, there was only one keyboard player (Alan) who had to play all parts. That's why Mark introduced him as "he plays with his arms, with his legs, withs his nose, he does the orchestrta, you know...". In the oldfield book, it's even mentionned that "the band needed one,
maybe 2, keyboard player for the tour" so we can think that the idea to have 2 keyboards players had already been evoked by Mark in 1980. Finally they decided to go with only one, and Mark played the organ part (the merry-go-round music) and Alan joined him, dueting on piano. And Ron eve hold the note until the drum starts.
3) later, in 85/86 and in 90/91. the 2 keyboards players played each part : Guy the organ part (the merry-go-ound intro), and Alan joined him on piano. That was the "normal" way, the "logic" way to play it live : 2 keyboards players, playing the 2 original studio parts.
BUT :
in 82/83, while they were 2 keyboards players, the intro was arranged slightly differently :
Alan plays the organ intro 2 times on a synth (doesn't look like an organ), no piano dueting on the 2nd time, and then jumped on piano to start the song.
WHY ? why didn't Tommy Mandel play the organ part ? like in 85/86 an 91/92 ? Why Alan is playing "all" parts, and TM playing what ?
I don't understand that. It's a little bit like if Alan wanted to say :" I am THE keyboard player of the band, I play all recognized parts, and you do only the fill in things..."
a little bit like Mark playing all "interesting" parts, and let the 2nd guitartist only crumbs...if you get what I mean
in the same vein, and on the same song, there's another detail which disturbs me (yes I know I'm mad, but aren't we all ?) :
you know in the TOL intro, just before the song "really"strats, there's a "glissando" on guitar.
1) on studio version, it's played by the rhythm guitar, so by mark
2) in 80/81, it's played by Hal (e.g. dortmund). "logic", it's the rhythm guitar part.
3) BUT in 82/83, 85/86 and 91/92 it's played by Mark again, as if he wanted to "take back" this lick, like to say "no it's up to me to play that lick, not you, you are just the ryhtm guitar player, you don't have to be in the light, it's me"
Well I exagerate, but you get the idea.
I know it's only details, but I always think in "logic" terms. And I cant' see logic in theses cases :
1) in 80/81 they were limited by only one keyboard player, so they have to these strange thing with Mark/Ron/Alan, and on the next tour an additional keyboard player, but not used to solve this limitation paryiculary on this part !
2) letting the 2nd guitarist play particular lick on a tour, but not after..
this is maybe because I want to theorize that does not need to be...
