I fell in love with the Scaffolder's Wife...

[Love Expresso]

...again!

Somehow, this tour (mysterically) inspired me to listen to Kill To Get Crimson again - for the first time after at least 18 months or so... and it struck me what a damn fine song "The Scaffolder's Wife" is! Would fit perfectly well into the current tour set - it could even replace Hill Farmer's Blues.. just saying. But it is the album that is totally ignored until now on the 2013 tour...

The album itself is not THAT bad. I still would say it is the weakest one of all his solo efforts, but what does that mean in these dimensions? it still is a fine album. My favourites apart from the lady with the stiletto boots: Fizzy/Still, We Can Get Wild, Secondary Waltz, The Fish and the Bird, Mme Geneva and  In The Sky - blimey, it is almost half of the album... and it's the only solo album without Richard on it... still wonder what was Mark's idea behind this... and when I start to think about the lyrics of In The Sky, I am still at the same point as two years ago when I opened a thread about the lyrics of this song: I still haven't got a clue and still search for the key to crack the code...

I have no idea how this works - listening to live recordings from this splendid tour day after day, and suddenly having the idea of putting on an older album again.. Has anybody else had such strange moments? Inspiring!

LE

[dmg]

I have no idea what prompts this strange phenomenon known as oldalbumitis, but the among the most common cures is to grab the nearest MK/DS albums and turn it up!

Most of the time, for me anyway, it involves the same few albums, those being:  1st one, OES and STP.  For songs from the other great albums I prefer to listen to the bootlegs most of the time.

I'll need to give Scaffolder's another listen as I must admit it's been a while since I've heard it.

[Justme]

This happens quite a lot to me. Mostly I do listen to selected tracks, but sometimes I like to play the "underdogs", f.e. "Communique", "Les Boys", etc.... These underdogs make a great compilation by the way, especially when refined with certain b-sides, like Badge(r)s, Poster, Stickers and T-Shirts and so on.

Regarding KTGC, you should try "Heart Full Of Holes" next! Maybe then it is time to proceed to "Hard Shoulder" from GL.

[herlock]

I have no idea what prompts this strange phenomenon known as oldalbumitis, but the among the most common cures is to grab the nearest MK/DS albums and turn it up!

Most of the time, for me anyway, it involves the same few albums, those being:  1st one, OES and STP.  For songs from the other great albums I prefer to listen to the bootlegs most of the time.

I'll need to give Scaffolder's another listen as I must admit it's been a while since I've heard it.

Agreed that live is better than studio in a lot of cases. Still, the following studio versions are hard to beat IMHO:
MFN (especially for the intro), YLT, CE, OES, WII, STP, PTTE (I always feel for that last one that live the guitar end solo is not as powerful than studio).
And the studio versions of SOS, TOL, TR, BIA, and SAN are different from live but have their own merits...

[dmg]

I have no idea what prompts this strange phenomenon known as oldalbumitis, but the among the most common cures is to grab the nearest MK/DS albums and turn it up!

Most of the time, for me anyway, it involves the same few albums, those being:  1st one, OES and STP.  For songs from the other great albums I prefer to listen to the bootlegs most of the time.

I'll need to give Scaffolder's another listen as I must admit it's been a while since I've heard it.

Agreed that live is better than studio in a lot of cases. Still, the following studio versions are hard to beat IMHO:
MFN (especially for the intro), YLT, CE, OES, WII, STP, PTTE (I always feel for that last one that live the guitar end solo is not as powerful than studio).
And the studio versions of SOS, TOL, TR, BIA, and SAN are different from live but have their own merits...

True.  Speaking of which, the studio version of TR has, during the playout, Mark's solo, then Alan playing a piece on piano, then it goes back to Mark again.  Perhaps they could try this again and it would address the problem of the "shortish" end solo this tour;  Mark would take a wee break then come back after Jimbo's solo and play for another minute or so!

[sweetsurrender]

I have no idea what prompts this strange phenomenon known as oldalbumitis, but the among the most common cures is to grab the nearest MK/DS albums and turn it up!

Most of the time, for me anyway, it involves the same few albums, those being:  1st one, OES and STP.  For songs from the other great albums I prefer to listen to the bootlegs most of the time.

I'll need to give Scaffolder's another listen as I must admit it's been a while since I've heard it.

I think this strange phenomenon has gotten contagious. Yesterday I put on ATRR and has to say that it's an album with some really great songs.  My favorite is no doubt IDUAD.  I really love the live version from this tour just with Mark.  ( I know dmg  ) 

KTGC is an underrated album IMO.  Love almost all except : TLWNF, The fizzy and the still, the fish and the bird.  And yes, Scaffolder's wife is a beauitful  song.  As  a matter of fact, it is queuing up to be played.

[Lis]

Thanks for this post LE.  I love "true confessions" time... 

I also LOVE "The Scaffolder's Wife"!!  The lyrics are clever and biting...  MK paints an amazing picture of her and her world... I have a huge appreciation for this song. 

I also love Heart Full of Holes, We Can Get Wild, Secondary Waltz, Let it All Go, Behind With The Rent, Madame Geneva and In the Sky.  KTGC is an amazing album... IMO.

And yes, I have been getting oldalbumitis a lot lately, (although, admittedly, this is a rather persisting illness for me)... I am now working my way through OES, and finding it a real treasure.  Oddly enough, My Parties is giving me plenty to smile about... another biting sketch of human folly.   

[dmg]

Thanks for this post LE.  I love "true confessions" time... 

I also LOVE "The Scaffolder's Wife"!!  The lyrics are clever and biting...  MK paints an amazing picture of her and her world... I have a huge appreciation for this song. 

I also love Heart Full of Holes, We Can Get Wild, Secondary Waltz, Let it All Go, Behind With The Rent, Madame Geneva and In the Sky.  KTGC is an amazing album... IMO.

And yes, I have been getting oldalbumitis a lot lately, (although, admittedly, this is a rather persisting illness for me)... I am now working my way through OES, and finding it a real treasure.  Oddly enough, My Parties is giving me plenty to smile about... another biting sketch of human folly.

Yes, Let It All Go.  Love that one!  Played live on the promo tour showcases too!

[JF]

Yes, Let It All Go.  Love that one!  Played live on the promo tour showcases too!

yes on the white strat, in dropped D tuning, with a pick

[JF]

I love Scaffolder's Wife too
the flute reminds me of old Genesis tunes

I love too : in the sky, the fish and the bird
And I must admit I like TLWNF....more than secondray waltz for example (my less favorite on the album)

the KTGC album is one of few album featuring the national on several songs (others are 1st album, Golden heart and Privatering)
all other albums have only one (or noone) song on national

what disappointed me at first listen on this album is that Mark being the only one guitarist, I expected more typical rhythm parts, and I thinks it's the album with less fingertsyle from all ! too much pick IMHO
this Marvin sound is nice, but if I want to hear it, I listen to a shadow record, not a MK One....

the strange thing (that I never understood) is that when marks want to play more typical rhythm parts, I mean in his tyical style, like e.g. on many songs from the Getlucky album, then he asks Richard to play on the record ! And on the only one he decides to play alone, he doesn't play much rhythm fingerstyle parts....I don't get it.

Nice album though, even if it's not the best IMHO (my fav is style STP for now)

[JF]

Agreed that live is better than studio in a lot of cases

it depends on what criteria you think it's "better"
ok, most of time you can have more solo (not always, e.g. Love over gold), more energy, etc...
but on theother hand you have less produvction, less instrumentation, less guitars parts, etc...and mainly, an overall sound less "developped", less "rich" (e.g. for TR)

what I like in studio versions (and I miss live) are the sevral guitars parts payed by Mark, you know thelittle licks here and there that brings "fineness" to the song.
examples :
- almost entire 2first albums : rhythm parts on In the gallery, Lions, News, single handed sailor... that can't obviously be reproduced live
- the 2 guitars harmonising on  expresso love (played this just one time : on letterman show wo=ith the guitarist form the show)
- the subtleness of all guitars on TR or It never rains, that lacks on live versions
- the synth/strings/hurricane/landscape atmosphere in TR or BIA
- the  2 guitars "duelling" at the end of RATR
- the  2 guitars "duelling"  on MFN
- the national + the pensa on when it comes to you
- the strat on Done with Bonaparte (on live version, I always wait for these licks between lyrics, and they don't come....)
- guitar tone on WII and STP
- Boom like that is great live, but all these guitars on studio version, and this Malibu sound is just GREAT too
- 5.15 am work better studio IMHO
- the strat on this is us (live, Richard does what he can with the acoustic, but errr....)
- the tone on ATTR, better than live (weaker iMHO)
- fish and the bird more "emotional" on studio version
...

I could go on and on

and I think that it could be a reason why Mark doesn't want to perform songs like so far from the clyde, Submariner or Radio city serenade, and the reason why he felt Silvertown blues didn't work at soundcheck 2001.

Songs are "made" for live, other are made for studio, and "not" for live, at least in their original form.

Or, if you want perform certain songs live, you must rearrange them radically, like Cream or Hendrix did for example.

[dmg]

Yes, Let It All Go.  Love that one!  Played live on the promo tour showcases too!

yes on the white strat, in dropped D tuning, with a pick

Just what I was going to say!

But wasn't it made by John Suhr with Fender Strat neck/head and Seymour Duncan pick-ups or something?  Used on BIA tour.  A mongrel guitar in other words!  His white Strat is from 60s and now used on Gator Blood.

[dmg]

A lot of very interesting points above there JF.  You've got me thinking now and now doubt I'll be listening to a few of these too!

[JF]

Yes, Let It All Go.  Love that one!  Played live on the promo tour showcases too!

yes on the white strat, in dropped D tuning, with a pick

Just what I was going to say!

But wasn't it made by John Suhr with Fender Strat neck/head and Seymour Duncan pick-ups or something?  Used on BIA tour.  A mongrel guitar in other words!  His white Strat is from 60s and now used on Gator Blood.

yes of course, when I said the white strat, I meant the shur schecter/fender strat (the one for the bug, and sultans /going home on sydney 86), not the white pre-cbs strat used on STP and GB 

it's indeed a "mongrel"  guitar.
from Ingo's old site :

"In 1985 he got this guitar, which was assembled by John Suhr.
Neck and body are Schecter, the bridge is Fender.
It is equipped with Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro pick ups.
The frets are Dunlop 6110.
Note: the decal on the headstock says Fender, but it isn't."

http://ds.mk-guitar.com/schecter-2.htm