Which "Silver Springs" Do You Prefer? Live Or Studio?

[celestenadia]

Which "Silver Springs" do you prefer? Live or studio?

[DownOnRodeo]

Dance version all the way:nod:
Studio outtake has it's charms... but The Dance version packs a punch.

[Cristian]

Live version. Lindsey uses his guitar in a much better way than his "pedal" (?) guitar in the studio version. And the Dance version has the charm of putting Christine's passionate piano to the front of the mix. Way cool, and emotive. :)


Song of the moment - Countdown

[golddustchic]

The live version all the way!! That crazy electricity between Stevie and Lindsey is unbeatable...I especially love the Landover version...wow! what an amazing performance:nod:

[Hawkeye]

Going against the grain here but it's the studio version hands down for me. especially the way it sounds ion TVBOFM. I mean here voice is so much better. And to say it lacks the punch is insane. She gets into this version just as good as she does in the dance.

[DownOnRodeo]

Originally posted by Hawkeye
And to say it lacks the punch is insane. She gets into this version just as good as she does in the dance.

Well I for one wasn't talking about her voice, necessarily. The music, arrangement, production, harmonies - all combine for something more potent IMO. In fact I hadn't even considered her voice in coming to that decision, as I agree it's equally impassioned in the original. But the music of that one is so..I Don't Wanna Know! lol

:wavey:

[Laurrhi]

I've gotta agree with you, Hawkeye... I can hear just as much intensity in the studio versions (I like the outtakes better) as in the Dance version (which is kickass as well), but she's just focusing it differently. I heard someone once talking about how they liked some other song of hers better now that she's older because she's lived through it instead of being in it and I guess that makes sense; people will just like one version better...

[EnchantedStorms]

I actually like them both the same, I think. Although I usually end up listening to the Dance version, for some reason. Silver Springs is an awesome song. Timeless, IMO. To me, it is almost like comparing two different songs. I love the studio version, because she's singing it as she's living it...there is a certain....I don't know....vulnerability? in her voice and in the words that isn't there on the Dance version. She's "hoping" she will haunt him. lol. But I love the Dance version, because of all that's gone on, that she's made it through and lived to tell about. There was a certain amount of truth in the lyrics that was proven with time, and to me, the Dance version shows that she knew that, and got a certain amount of satisfaction from letting everyone else know it, too. lol! Gotta love Stevie when she lets her emotions show onstage. Powerful stuff.

JMO. :D


~Angela~:wavey:

[shackin'up]

Originally posted by EnchantedStorms
I love the studio version, because she's singing it as she's living it...there is a certain....I don't know....vulnerability? in her voice and in the words that isn't there on the Dance version. She's "hoping" she will haunt him. lol. But I love the Dance version, because of all that's gone on, that she's made it through and lived to tell about.

JMO. :D


~Angela~:wavey:


That's perfectly my vision on this matter, well said! So, because I was touched by it (and cried) for the first time in 1978 when I heard Go Your own way's B-side, I voted for the studioversion.

[Nicks Fan]

The Dance version is hands spwn the best. Just watching her as she slowly gets closer to Lindsey on stage and begins singing louder right when she screams the line "Never Getaway Never Getaway Never Get Away!!!!! still gives me chills. her voice and the musical arrangement (Love the Paino) are all marevelous

[SmthngOfADreamr]

I'm an idiot - I just voted for studio but I meant to vote for live. So subtract one vote from studio and add it to live:laugh:

I voted for live because hearing the live version of this song on the radio in 1997 was pretty much my first introduction to FM. The studio version with her little meek voice doesn't really do it for me the same way - although the version on VBOFM is certainly an improvement from the other studio version I've heard.

[golddustwoman77]

I would definitely say live. I mean how can you beat the chemistry between Stevie and Lindsey in the Dance version on Silver Springs. You can hear it in the song, and you can see it in the performance. It just sends chills up and down my spine. The studio version doesn't do that! ;)

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

[FiercestCalmSea]

Ok let me start by saying i used to hate this song::::ducks:::: It was just that i became a fan by watching the Dance and seeing Rhiannon...so that was my fav...and all the kept playing was the SS video...i was like "ugh...this SONG"..i had no idea the signifigance of it being played at the time..anyway...over the last few years it has grown on me...and the live version is the best..all that emotion flowing...it's great(but,i still like Rhiannon better,lol.)

[DrummerDeanna]

Since this was one of the songs that really made me fall in love with this band, I have to say the Live version...the one on the Dance...it's just blow you away good IMO...and I absolutely love it!

[Sorcerer386]

The thing about the voice differences between the studio version and the live version is basically just about Stevie's range. Stevie had no trouble singing some of the notes in '77, but with her lower range she has to push to get them out, thereby leading to the idea she's putting "more" into it. And hey, it works. I love The Dance version much better than the studio version. The only part where it's reversed is near the very end of the studio version (on VBOFM) when she belts "Follow you DOWN till the SOUND of MY VOICE will HAUNT YOU!!!!!!" But NOTHING beats The Dance at the end when she's chanting "Neeeever get away!" I would really have loved to see this song done in 1982 when, I feel, her voice was strongest on stage. Even Stevie admits that by '82 she lost a lot of her inhibitions about thinking she couldn't sing and was just there to back up Lindsey.

[wondergirl9847]

The Dance version is my fave version of the song...it's GREATNESS!! The studio version is nice, but she sounds so great on The Dance!! The way her whole face shivers when she screams "NEVER GET AWAY, NEVER GET AWAY, NEVER GET AWAY!!!!!!" Yeah, it rocks!! :nod::thumbsup:

[EnchantedStorms]

Originally posted by shackin'up
That's perfectly my vision on this matter, well said!


Thank you, shackin'up. :)


~Angela~


:wavey:

[Sleeping Angel]

I know the thread is live v. studio...but I have to mention the demo of Silver Springs. That one also gives me chills..."I cast a spell on you...you won't forget me." Her voice sounds so sweet but her words are so cutting. I love it!

[celestenadia]

Hello Fellow Ledgies,
It's neat that so many of you have shared.
It's tough not to let the live Dance video
influence an opinion on "live" versus "studio"
for "Silver Springs"... I'm coming from a strictly
audio perspective... I find myself popping in
the VBOFM studio version since that's the
newest version we have of the song and
Stevie's vocal outro is mighty cool. When
I want to SEE "Silver Springs" I put in the
video:nod:

[Mac Fan]

I haven't heard the studio version yet, but I love the version from The Dance.

[Sorcerer386]

Actually, while we have a thread about Silver Springs, I might as well ask this. Does anyone find it odd that she says, "Time casts a spell on you, but you won't forget me"? If time IS casting a spell, it would be that he wouldn't forget her, so why "but"? Is it in fact "but" in there? I always say "that" because it makes more sense, unless there's something I'm missing.

[Mad4stevie]

Originally posted by Sorcerer386
Actually, while we have a thread about Silver Springs, I might as well ask this. Does anyone find it odd that she says, "Time casts a spell on you, but you won't forget me"? If time IS casting a spell, it would be that he wouldn't forget her, so why "but"? Is it in fact "but" in there? I always say "that" because it makes more sense, unless there's something I'm missing.


I have always wondered that myself! It is a "but" in the lyrics and it doesn't really make sense that way to me . . . I don't know if the "time" Stevie is referring to is something like their (Stevie and Lindsey) time to be together is up (i.e. a bad spell was cast), "but" even though they are through, he won't forget her - or something like that!!

From a pure audio stance, I have to go with the studio version. I love The Dance version, too, but that is more because of the video that goes with it. Seeing the passion in Stevie's eyes as she sings "Never get away, never get away, never get away" at the end is what first captivated me with Stevie and the Mac. But I think that Stevie's passion in her voice is at least as powerful in the studio version at the end when she sings "Give me just a chance", etc. I also have heard a long outtake version where the chorus just repeats itself and Stevie's voice sounds a little horse. I have also heard the original piano demo, which I would recommend to anyone who has a special place in their heart for this song! :nod:

I have seen references to a "live" version from 1975, but I haven't heard it, so I can't comment on that . . . but the studio version wins my vote!!:wavey:

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by Sorcerer386
I always say "that" because it makes more sense, unless there's something I'm missing. I've wondered the same thing, re: why she sings "but" vs. "that."
"That" makes more sense, and, like you, it's the word I use when I sing-along with Mitch... er, Stevie. :D



Johnny Stew

[Josh2003]

Maybe the "spell" to which Stevie is referring is the natural spell of forgetting that time normally enduces. You know, "time does have a habit of healing"....in that case, the <i>but</i> makes sense...he cannot forget her, even though time is moving on.

[PenguinHead]

Josh, you have succeeded in making sense of Stevie's often perplexing word choices!

I think it's unfair to compare studio and live versions of songs. They are completely different animals! Ever since Go Your Own Way was released as a single, the Silver Springs b-side had been a much-coveted secret gem in group's catalog of songs. Given it's stellar Rumours-era production and Stevie's sweet, impassioned vocals, the studio version just has a magical sparkle to it.

They performed the song on rare occurances in 1976/77. With no backup singers/muscians, this version was more stripped down, with a heavier guitar sound. Stevie's vocals were more raw, but equally impassioned. Notably, she ended the song with the lyric "Even though he tried, even though he tried." (Presumably referring to "He'll never get away."

The Dance version shouldn't be judged against the studio version. The band was 21 years older, and had assistance with background singers and musicians. A great live performance! It certainly served to peak the interest of old and new fans. Still, I consider the definative version of Silver Springs to be the original studio version.

[David]

Originally posted by PenguinHead
Given its stellar Rumours-era production and Stevie's sweet, impassioned vocals, the studio version just has a magical sparkle to it.In my opinion, the studio track is one of the finest put-together tracks not just in Fleetwood Mac's history but in rock history altogether. It's the kind of production that stacks up against the best arrangements of the Beatles, like "We Can Work It Out" & "Ticket to Ride." Every last instrumental element in "Silver Springs" seems designed to transport the poignancy & lyricism Stevie intended directly to the listener's ear, without calling undue attention to itself in isolation. It's a really perfect example of the band's fabled understatement & subtlety as musicians & producers at that time.

If you have a knack & an inclination for that sort of thing, you can spend days or even weeks with the DVD-A of "Silver Springs," picking out piece by piece of acoustic guitar filigree or piano runs or even bass lines, just for the sheer joy of it.

The performance of it for the reunion had its own power, but more of a cumulative power of Stevie's passionate vocals & the very minimalist instrumental performance by the band, which was beautiful in its own way but played far more of a supporting role in the song than the instrumentals did in the original recording.

The song has so many strengths. Has Stevie ever written a more beautiful melody than the one she wrote for the verses? It's this cascading Puccini-like thing that is so gorgeous.

[estranged4life]

the studio version...Obviously...lol...Brian J.

[FiercestCalmSea]

Ok,maybe my perspective is a little off...but i have always understood the "but" part as like:time cast a spell on you,meaning time may have temporarily erased her from his mind..BUT...you won't forget me..EVER,lol...jusy my 2 cents,lol..

[Sorcerer386]

AH! Okay, I understand now. Thank you Josh and Fiercest! :wavey:

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by Josh2003
Maybe the "spell" to which Stevie is referring is the natural spell of forgetting that time normally enduces. You know, "time does have a habit of healing"....in that case, the <i>but</i> makes sense...he cannot forget her, even though time is moving on. Well, dang... her choice of words makes perfect sense now!

I've been listening to this song for 15 years, and all this time I've wondered why she chose to sing "but."

I can be a dunderhead sometimes. :nod:



Johnny Stew

[ERigby818]

The Dance version makes me appreciate the studio version, and the studio version makes me appreciate the Dance one. Both are so intense and gorgeous. But I had to go with the studio version. I like the delicateness and vulnerability in it coupled with the raw emotion and sadness she was feeling after realizing a relationship with the man she loved could never work out. But I love the confidence in the Dance version...and the visual aspect...the way she glares at him while the raw emotion floods her once again, but at the same time she has this reflective wisdom...knowing that her voice HAS haunted him all these years;)
-Sonia

[John]

Without question I prefer the studio version. It just seems to flow better, the Dance version to my ears almost seems to plod along. I also prefer the guitar work on the studio version. But, to each his own, it's nice we have a choice of the two. :nod:

[seteca]

My fav. version is definitely the Dance version. The interaction between the two of them is so damn strong. So powerful. There's nothing like SN and LB screaming at each other!:nod: Also, LB's middle mini-solo is so simple, and yet so perfect. The studio version is good, but too calm for me.

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

[Villavic]

I love the studio version but the DANCE version... I just adore it!! It really touched me that year

[Vianna]

I like the version on The Chain Box Set. The beat is a little faster. Not to say I don't like the Dance version though. I love that piano intro in the Dance version.