Metamatic Forums John Foxx Ultravox He's A Liquid '79

Uh-oh .......

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=WHl8rq4Np30

?

Now instead of the Ure-vox pic there's one of JF ..circa 1982 ???

Looks like theres some re-purpose going on.

Is that The One That Goes Like This...?
The (??) bits have passed me by. This is from a transcript I did of the Marquee gig (26th Dec) in which there is definitely at least one 'impossible' line.
I haven't listened to the Lyceum one (10th Dec) for ages, but the version I have of it is appalling quality. Very slow.
I have noticed though that the last verse of this Marquee version is the first verse of that earlier one.

Ken, I'd love to see your transcript of the earlier (first??) performance.

Or get a better quality copy than I currently have...

He’s an angle
She’s a tangent
He’s a broken heart in flood (??)
He’s a watcher
She’s a mistake
He’s a liquid

He’s a take up
She’s a take down
He turns a smile she turns around
He’s says: “hey what’s up
???
He’s a liquid

He’s unnatural
He‘s afraid to talk (???)
She’s a chance
He’s a glance
He’s a liquid

She’s one step ahead
He’s two steps back
She's a smile that could give you a heart attack (???)
She looks around every corner
He’s a liquid

He’s an angle
She’s a tangent
He’s a frequency
She’s a radiance
He takes it all
He feels small
He’s a liquid

He dresses up
She dresses down
She takes in all the figures and sounds
He chases her all over town
He’s a liquid

Yeah, but at least they got the right 'Vox frontman.

Thats the one Martin, but typical of bootlegs, i have it listed as just london '78. My london '78 dec, is not the one youv'e transcriped here. And it still looks different to mine, even though its the same gig.

Perhaps you could post your transcript here, and we can see where the confusion is? It could be that its NOT the same gig, or it could be that my transcript is hopelessly wrong.

As far as I'm aware there are only two bootlegs with this song on from London. They are either Lyceum (10th) or Marquee (26th) Dec 1978.
There are then (at least) four US recordings of the same - although doubtless there were more performances on that tour.

At the very least, it would be interesting to see where we differ on the transcript.

It does seem to me that your 'london 78 dec' is the Lyceum gig. I'd love a copy of this that was actually intelligible...

I recently got hold of a fantastic quality FLAC version of the Philadelphia - Hot Club gig from 23 February 1979 - containing yet another alternative vocal.

Before anyone queries this transcript...

1) I know the Metamatic version is "watch hand glows" but this is definitely "watch hands glow".

2) I've put the hyphens in verse 4 to emphasise John's staccato style of narration at this point of the track.

3) I'll get me anorak!

This version of He's a Liquid '79 transcribes as follows...

He’s an angle
She’s a tangent
He’s a sticky white shirt and tie
In those viscose clothes his watch hands glow, he’s a liquid

He suggests
She’s impressed
He takes the lead, she follows through
And all the time their checking numbers, he’s a liquid

Ohhhhhh

He’s adhesive
She’s elusive
They’d read The Bible about The Flood
He takes a chance, she says “let’s take a dance”, he’s a liquid

He looks around once or twice
He re-fu-ses to take any kind of ad-vice
He says “what’s your name?”
She says “what’s your game?” He says “I’m a liquid”

Ahhhhhh

(long instrumental piece at this point with lots of Billy viola)


He’s an angle
She’s a tangent
Reads The Bible about The Flood
He wears viscose clothes and his watch hands glow, he’s a liquid.

He checks her up
She says “no no go down”
He says “Well, I’m not made that way. I can’t turn round, all my faces face the wrong way. I’m a liquid”

Ahhhhhhh

Ahhhhhhh

I hadn't realised NewVox had also posted these on Torque Point. (Note to self "Must read whole thread next time). That said, I think that as we have independently come up with exactly the same that the Philly lyrics can be considered 100% accurate (punctuation excepted).