Re: ICSFM

["Schrade, Scott" <sschrade@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> You could say the same thing about Dreaming from the Waist and Music 
> Must Change, which they played on that 1979 tour.

True.  Good point.  Obviously, I don't have all the answers.  I'm just
trying to formulate theories.  And my main theory is that The Who weren't
comfortable playing that song live because it didn't translate well to 
the stage.  My evidence?  If it was a good live song that worked, they
would've played it more.       

> And the '89 version of ICSFM isn't a sit and zone out song at all.  
> It's one of the more rocking tracks on the album, I think.

Actually, I thought ICSFM was the *best* song on that JOIN TOGETHER album.
At least I did when I last listened to it......about 13 years ago. 

> > They certainly didn't make much of an attempt to play it in '82.
>
> Well, they played it at ten of the 1982 shows.

I stand corrected.  I thought they played it only once in '82.

> > In '89 they could pull it off because there were 32 musicians on stage.
>
> Not sure why that matters.  It's not like there's horns or keyboards 
> in the song or 8 background vocalists.  

More musicians, more safety.  More musicians, more layered sound.  Obvious-
ly it must've mattered to Pete & the "band" because they chose it for that
tour & didn't drop it from the set.  *Something* about the expanded line-up
made them decide to play it.  And keep it.

> But there are loads of Who songs with multiple guitar tracks where Pete 
> has to play a kind of amalgum of them live.

I can't give you any more reasons or theories.  Next time you bump into
Pete you're gonna have to ask *him.*

> I won't buy the assertion that it doesn't make a good live song until 
> I do.

That's admirable.  It's good to be skeptical.  


- SCHRADE in Akron