Jerry Harrison says TDTH had too many songs, big mistake "The Distance" wasn't a single. Options

[Fool_By_The_River]

Jerry Harrison has something to say about TDTH.
Taken from a recent interview.


Full Interview Here, although this (above) is all he says about LIVE:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/sounddieg...-393312171.html

This post has been edited by Fool_By_The_River: Nov 5 2016, 11:45 pm

[SJN1279]

Jerry Harrison has something to say about TDTH.
Taken from a recent interview.


Full Interview Here, although this all he says about LIVE:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/blogs/sounddieg...-393312171.html

Love the distance, but not sure if it had hit single potential.

This post has been edited by SJN1279: Nov 5 2016, 11:30 pm

[Fool_By_The_River]

Love the distance, but not sure if it had hit single potential.

Worst song on TDTH, definetely not single material.

[Wambangalang]

I remember hearing it on the radio a few times back in 99, not sure if it was a single here though. I would have thought the song is a bit too abstract to be a hit though...but who am I to challenge JH!! I think it's a fantastic tune anyways

[vivapokey]

Pretty sure I remember Ed campaigned for The Distance to be a single. Not sure about lead single, but a single. Not sure about its weight as a single. But it's one of my favourite songs on TDTH.

[Bremang]

amazing track

casuals wouldn't understand

cake put out "the distance" in 1996

also a tough song to perform well

This post has been edited by Bremang: Nov 6 2016, 3:35 am

[vivapokey]

Yeah Ed's voice often didn't cope with it well live. And also it was butchered a bit when it went too keyboard heavy and Ed piled on the sappy love vibe to extremes.
But the studio version and even the demo are fantastic.

Also, going off memory here, it had a cool story behind the "I saw that" line. I can't remember who it was, but apparently someone flipped Ed off or something in the studio, mucking around trying to distract him and he rolled with it and just added in "I saw that" and it just sort of stuck and became part of the song in the eventual demo and album versions

[Fool_By_The_River]

casuals wouldn't understand

Please explain.

[alexou]

Great song! Very different for Live at the time. Hit single? Don't think so. Ed liked it alot during the tour and the extended version gave some cool bass jams.

[Gertjan]

I don't think he's saying that the album has too many songs, but rather that they had so many material to choose from, it has hard to build an album with a recognisable 'character' like TC.

On the single choices; I've never quite understood the choices Live record company has made.

[Fool_By_The_River]

I don't think he's saying that the album has too many songs, but rather that they had so many material to choose from

Yep, exactly what he meant, i just tried to quote him word for word when i made the topic.

[mfitz804]

Love the distance, but not sure if it had hit single potential.

I agree. 1) It has weird lyrics that nobody can relate to, 2) Ed has never had a strong falsetto and that song highlights how weak it is, 3) look at the singles charts for 1999, Live's music was not going to be a hit. The top song like two weeks before was friggin' Mambo #5.

[SJN1279]

I agree. 1) It has weird lyrics that nobody can relate to, 2) Ed has never had a strong falsetto and that song highlights how weak it is, 3) look at the singles charts for 1999, Live's music was not going to be a hit. The top song like two weeks before was friggin' Mambo #5.

Actually at my first Live concert in Hershey in 2000, Live explained that he wrote the Distance while on a tour bus in the desert. He was surrounded by nothingness, and the song just fit.

The Distance not being doable, I feel is very relatable. In Ed's case in the desert, and in many cases in my own life.

Still not sure it is a hit, but I always loved the song.

[Bremang]

Please explain.

Live's fan base were largely teenagers into edgy alt rock. Coming off SS, track 2 - The Distance was a departure from Live's earlier tracks, poppy. I think now that the song is about finding things via meditation, something most of these teens in the 90's knew little about.

[vivapokey]

Funny that in my head, like a few other songs on TDTH I think The Distance is one which could have been reworked with a darker vibe to fit SS more. A little like how they reworked Operation Spirit on the SS tour