Motley Crue Soundboard Mix Shockingly Clear

Talk to Deadheads, or Phishheads, or 'heads' of any jam band, and they'll tell you that soundboard tapes are the holy grail of recordings. The soundboard is the mixing desk through which all the various onstage lines—microphones, amps, drums... every sound made—travel. The sound person then provides a nice mix for the PA; that is, what the audience hears. Theoretically, board tapes are crystal clear recordings, free of interference and intrusive crowd noise.

However, the soundboard can be a cruel, revealing bitch.

Take for example, this particularly nasty grab from a recent Motley Crue show. The song? "Kickstart My Heart." The crowd? Into it, bro. Vince Neil? Um...  (via donewaiting)





As the audio reveals, Vince replaces the original lyrics with new interpretations. The original words:

When we started this band
All we needed, needed was a laugh
Years gone by...i'd say we've kicked some ass

When i'm enraged
Or hittin' the stage
Adrenalin rushing
Through my veins
And I'd say we're still kickin' ass

The live version:

Wizza wadded veezad
Colin Beehat
Rezooney Rebag
Years gone by, I'd say we've kicked some ass

Commie age
Clean the stage
Tweezers rustling
Through my bed
And I'd say we're still kickin' ass

Several times, Vince prompts the audience to sing along for him. You can't blame him—the crowd does a better job than he does. So, why does the singing suck? Possibilities:

1. He was tired.

2. He forgot the words (but not the important words like 'STILL... KICKING ASS!').

3. His pants were too tight.

4. He was distracted by the, um, guitars and bass and drums, the crowd... just the racket in general.

5. He was worried about how bad he sounded on the soundboard and he froze.


One or some or all of these are possible. We'll never know until Vince gives us the straight story, though there's no guarantee we would understand him (like, actually understand what he's saying) if he told us.

The moral of the story? Sometimes, it's best to have a muddy mix.