i am kind of fanatical about this for a few bands. having:
a) live versions that are different then the album version [this is very hard with a few bands. mars volta... jesus, every tour the songs sound completely different]
b) having just insanely good versions of live songs, even if they're similar to the album versions
for joanna, the biggest changes i focus on are the backing bands, since the songs aren't often structured all that differently. for Y's, she played the songs solo, played with more of a string band kind of, and played with an orchestra. i jumped between them a lot for a while, but my most frequently listened to from
ys are the solo performances:
1: a solo version of "only skin"
2: this solo version of cosmia (i miss, i miss, i miss...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol7DV-w9FUE3: and a new addition; THIS version of sawdust and diamonds. fucking. incredible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS3Z_hU4GL44: solo version of emily where she states "i just finished writing this one like 3 nights ago, so sorry if i mess up".
5: i also like the band versions of emily, mostly because of the power in the last course. everything just comes in like BOOM. so yeah, i skip to that part a lot hahah
6: then i have a good version of "monkey and bear", with full band. i think from the sixth and I synagogue show, i dunno
7: colleen, full band, good quality, dunno from where
8: only skin, piano, unfinished
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5nIuS8-xC09: be a woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga8nVlXy_loif you just want a show to watch, the first unitarian church show is a great listen. it's the version of
1: ca the yowes to the knowes that i have in my live mix's as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugB-CgoIfdUfor
milk eyed mender, i have two sets of songs basically. the first, is her most recent versions of the songs, with full bands. i've got good quality, full band versions of:
1: inflammatory writ
2: bridges and balloons
3: book of right on
4: peach plum pear
outside of those, i have older recordings:
1: a older version of three little babes that i love
2: this side of the blue, i think it's on piano... and has flute on it. not a fan of this song in general, but love this version. it's the only time i listen to the song
3: sprout and the bean, pretty sure this is on piano. beautiful
4: what we have known, with flute over it. i think these 4 are from the same show
i also have the videos from birmingham 11 2004, i watch that show through sometimes when i'm in the mood. i can't stress it enough, it's great. i saved it years ago, before y's came out from the website that was streaming it... the versions on youtube seem to be lower in quality, i dunno. i'm glad i have them lol
she plays the whole MEM album except bridges and balloons, sprout and the bean, and 3 little babes (at least these 3 aren't recorded or uploaded). i remember seeing this peach plum pear the first time, i almost died when she sang the "i was blue and unwell". she looks like she's gonna die.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awlLg3PbYaw (just watched this, good GOD youtube really killed the quality of this show, especially the audio. my version is wayyyyy betterrrr. like in youtube, it's horrible, i can't even listen to it. my speakers want to die. it's crystal clear in my version. i think i have to upload it for everyone. *new thread*
UPDATE: i did a long time ago apparently, it has 55 downloads lol. here it is:
http://www.mediafire.com/?097e0rz3z1evwqf)
next we have
have one on me. solo versions first!
1: in california, i listen to the solo version from the show with... neil young i think? i dunno, sick kids thing or something, i forget, she did like 5 songs, but i love this version of in california. the "coo coo!" part is less annoying when it's solo, and the rest of the song... i dunno. i just like this naked version of it
2: on a good day, solo version with the extended middle, from letterman. great quality, and she nails it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vmHaYZ2mEE3: solo version baby birch; the old one she did on piano. shitty quality, but the performance is a lot different, and i really like it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpAcE0zknX04: ribbon bows, solo, and on piano. the older version. the one that reminds of me some old western bar
the rest have been full band, and fairly similar to the album versions. so why do i have them? amazing performances.
1: HAVE ONE ON ME - ann is not kidding. syndey opera house version FTW. i messed with the levels a bit since its really quiet/loud on changes, but other then that, amazing performance. i find myself watching a lot of other versions though, just for the last minute of the song. i love how she says "the black guard, sat HARD" in her recent performances... if she did that in this version, it would be 100%. actually, what am i saying, it's still 100% anyway
2: KINGFISHER, sixth and I synagogue i think. whichever one was streamed over the radio, from washington i think. anyway, kingfisher and have one of me are 2 of my favorite joanna songs. these live versions are so good, that i hardly ever listen to the album versions of them anymore.
3: soft chalk, love the tv version. i hate that the song is shortened, like the middle is cut out, but the performance is great
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbdAVoIJzIk4: this baby birch, intenseeeeee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCdivfPh0SMthen i just got some good quality versions of these kickin around:
1: easy
2: ribbon bows
3: you and me bess
4: 81
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb5Jp_duKNM (love 81, but the album version is perfect)
5: jackrabbits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMJl-HCO7Auhhhh then the rest of them i usually just watch on youtube. that esme video posted earlier is good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0T1yUYkbs but generally for all the other songs from this album, i just listen to different versions each time. none of them have jumped out enough for me to save them. if anyone has any recommendations, let me know!!!
last, i've got
y's street band ep obviously, those versions... kind of consider them live
andddd... then
covers n shit:
1: man's road
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zu8vuNiCww2: little wing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeF6EqeWVOM3: angel
4: same old man
5: ring the living bell
6: picture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-lb7orZIv47: another day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4cSyD0x ... e=youtu.bethere. dunno if this is what you're looking for, but i didn't have anything else going on this afternoon lol. hopefully this list helps you out a bit. sorry that i don't have more info about where all the songs are from, it's a bad habit. i'm obsessed with good versions, i just don't keep track. and i've been into her since milk eyed mender, so this has changed over the years. i started downloading her bootlegs with dial up lol. but, this is what i've got right now. good luck on your hunt, have fun