What is your favorite live version of Sara? - Page 2

James89 · #16 07-26-2015, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musicman408

The guitar solo at 6:25 - hands down!!!

Wow! Thanks for posting that. I didn't know Stevie wore red in 2004 and I also didn't know she ever wore her hair like that. She looks great!

louielouie2000 · #17 07-26-2015, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David

I like the album track the best. It's a major orchestrative win for the band. It's like one of those giant landscape paintings from the eighteenth century that you can gaze at for hours. The abstract hum of the vocals is more important to the song's meaning than the content of the lyrics. Stevie's singing is her most mature studio vocal—it's a Thomas Hardy vocal.

I completely agree. To me, Sara is one of the songs that showcases FM's studio mastery at its finest. It's just so baroquely lush. In my opinion, Sara's transfer to stage was never particularly flattering towards this gorgeous song. There is just a dreamy atmosphere in the original that can never be duplicated onstage.

However, I do have one favorite live version of the song, and that is Stevie's Soundstage rendition. In my opinion, that version completely fixed the pacing issues the song had long suffered from in a live format. To my ear, the live versions of this song just meandered and seemed anticlimactic. Oddly enough, I think Stevie's vocal here is way better than any other live version of Sara, too. Whereas old versions of the song Stevie sounded shaky and overly billy goaty, the Soundstage version just completely nailed it. Somehow it ended up being the closest to the Tusk album version, too.

sorcerer999 · #18 07-26-2015, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

Stevie sounded shaky and overly billy goaty...

I love it! I'm going to use "Overly Billy Goaty" as a future screen name!

Frankenstein · #19 07-26-2015, 10:35 PM

I'd say the HBO special version from 1981 is my favorite, followed by the Soundstage performance.

stevierocks87 · #20 07-27-2015, 06:14 AM

This has been my favorite version for a while- the ending wail is great here too. Live 1980 is probably the closest version to my heart, though-the one me and my mom loved.

welcomechris · #21 07-27-2015, 06:23 AM

As Stevie has said many times, Sara doesn't transfer or sound as great on stage. It's better as an album track.

Also, did you know Stevie played piano on this song?

nicole21290 · #22 07-27-2015, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James89

Wow! Thanks for posting that. I didn't know Stevie wore red in 2004 and I also didn't know she ever wore her hair like that. She looks great!

There's a few videos of Sara from that tour online, and I hope to eventually post some more. I love the red.

May 8th, 2004 - Madison, WI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA9fT32OCpI

May 9th, 2004 - Champaign, IL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30N66WktLsA

May 12th, 2004 - Green Bay, WI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAXUrrjiKVg

June 6th, 2004 - Wantagh, NY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NngpUXNImCw

June 20th, 2004 - Irvine, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlPBrEDdnMo

June 22nd, 2004 - Chula Vista, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpli6ZVi0pI

June 26th, 2004 - Marysville, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8N2a2QfyEI

A few pictures (those from Sara with S AND L, not just L) are at the bottom of this page:
http://www.buckinghamnicks.info/02-04-onstage-1

And at the top of this one:
http://www.buckinghamnicks.info/02-04-onstage-2

bombaysaffires · #23 07-27-2015, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I completely agree. To me, Sara is one of the songs that showcases FM's studio mastery at its finest. It's just so baroquely lush. In my opinion, Sara's transfer to stage was never particularly flattering towards this gorgeous song. There is just a dreamy atmosphere in the original that can never be duplicated onstage.

That's Lindsey. I'm trying to recall which interview (audio) it is where he details his approach to it-- can't recall if it was that guy's podcast or ...maybe elle in her infinite wisdom can remind us which interview it is. But he talks about wanting to blur the edges of the song. And his production of the background vocals is magic... they slowly, slowly build to a big crescendo, then fall totally away, then build again to give the song an ebb and flow it doesn't have in her original. But the riff is hers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

However, I do have one favorite live version of the song, and that is Stevie's Soundstage rendition. In my opinion, that version completely fixed the pacing issues the song had long suffered from in a live format. To my ear, the live versions of this song just meandered and seemed anticlimactic. Oddly enough, I think Stevie's vocal here is way better than any other live version of Sara, too. Whereas old versions of the song Stevie sounded shaky and overly billy goaty, the Soundstage version just completely nailed it. Somehow it ended up being the closest to the Tusk album version, too.

Have to disagree re: Soundstage. Her voice on that is just too far gone for me. The Live version, and most versions from the Tusk tour are the best, for me. When they go from the acoustic piano to electronic keyboards of any kind it just totally loses its magic for me.

stevierocks87 · #24 07-27-2015, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Have to disagree re: Soundstage. Her voice on that is just too far gone for me. The Live version, and most versions from the Tusk tour are the best, for me. When they go from the acoustic piano to electronic keyboards of any kind it just totally loses its magic for me.

YES to the real piano!

SpyNote · #25 07-27-2015, 05:12 PM

Sara from the WWD tour. Great voice, great emotion, great band

Frankenstein · #26 07-28-2015, 03:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevierocks87

This has been my favorite version for a while- the ending wail is great here too. Live 1980 is probably the closest version to my heart, though-the one me and my mom loved.

Never heard this one before. I love it!

rubylounge · #27 07-30-2015, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UndoingTheLaces

Sara is one of my favorite Stevie/Fleetwood Mac songs. My favorite all time live performance is Melbourne 1980. I love that she threw in lyrics from the infamous "Cleaning Lady" version and the way she sing the ending always gives me goosebumps. It's just so beautiful. I also like St. Louis from the Tusk tour as well because it's the unedited soundboard of the performance from the Tusk documentary.

What is your favorite live version and why? Are there any live versions that you've heard where the lyrics were really different or sung in an exceptional way? I'm interested to hear what you all think.

I always liked this one too. I love her hair and the outfit and the end with her changing the microphone.

**SisterNightroad** · #28 08-07-2015, 07:21 AM

I am one of those that prefer the album version of Sara to the Live one, however since the thread asked specifically about our "favorite live version of Sara" I thought it wasn't fitting citing the album adaptation on the song.

However I just remembered how much I love the Tusk rehearsals version, so delicate and still similar to the original album version: http://www.mediafire.com/view/l87fyf...-14%20Sara.mp3

UndoingTheLaces · #29 08-07-2015, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SisterNightroad

I am one of those that prefer the album version of Sara to the Live one, however since the thread asked specifically about our "favorite live version of Sara" I thought it wasn't fitting citing the album adaptation on the song.

However I just remembered how much I love the Tusk rehearsals version, so delicate and still similar to the original album version: http://www.mediafire.com/view/l87fyf...-14%20Sara.mp3

It's okay, you can like whichever version you like. I should have just called this thread "your favorite version of Sara"