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Thanks Chris for posting. Though I wasn't that fond of the "Hush" version, Karen's far more nuanced vocal here really sells it. Either she was just more familiar and comfortable with the song by this time, or their studio "perfection" sometimes boxed her in a bit vocally. Either way, I like this version a lot (love the little guitar riff prefacing the 2nd to last chorus, and the obliteration of the chorale group too).
I agree. She is really "acting out" the song, which is quite nice. She does purposely "lag" behind the notes (or timing) quite a bit (almost as long as possible), but she knows what she's doing and is in complete control. The lack of a choir gives it the same intimacy "Make Believe It's Your First Time" had before Richard rearranged it. Forgive me if already discussed, but wasn't "I Believe You" their "current" single around this time? I know how much she loved "I Need To Be...", but I'm wondering why she (or Richard) wouldn't have wanted to "plug" their latest single; instead of their modest-hit single from 2 years prior?
So Christmas Portrait would have been recorded by Karen about 6 months prior to this, in Summer of 78, correct?
It's a great performance of the song, far better than the album version - she sounds more connected to the lyrics in this, plus the omission of the awful Chorale backing vocals that blighted the studio version is a great blessing. It's sad to see her looking so fragile though.
This live rendition makes "I Need to Be In Love" appear like it could have pulled a whole different sound (a la late-70s power ballad). I love the way she holds out some of the notes. The added guitar riff is cool, too.