Talk:Room to Live

The exact personnel for each track on this album has been the subject of some speculation due to Smith's comments regarding the recording. This is my opinion based on a close examination of the album. It presumes that the speedy recording left little time for overdubbing.


 * Joker Hysterical Face - MES - voice, CS - guitar, MR -guitar, SH - bass, KB - drums, PH - drums
 * Marquis Cha-Cha - MES - voice, CS - guitar, SH - bass, KB - drums, percussion (possibly PH - drums but to these ears, it sounds more like a double tracked Burns)
 * Hard Life In Country - MES - voice, CS - guitar, MR - guitar, KB - guitar, Arthur Kadmon - guitar, SH - bass, PH - kick drum, cymbals
 * Room To Live - MES - voice, CS - guitar, MR - guitar, SH - bass, Adrian Niman - sax, PH - drums. (only appears to be one drummer on this track and the style is much more of PH than KB)
 * Detective Instinct - MES - voice, SH - bass (on grounds of probability - doesn't really sound like him but as he is co-writer, it would be likely he would assume his usual role), CS - guitar, KB - guitar, MR - guitar (probably - there certainly appear to be 3 guitars on the track), PH - drums
 * Solicitor In Studio - MES - voice, CS - guitar, MR - keyboard, KB - lead bass, feedback SH - bass, PH - drums (film footage exists of the group performing this song and it confims this line-up)
 * Papal Visit - MES - voice, violin, (tapes?) KB - guitar, drums, (percussion?)

Any advance? Ac@osr 09:40, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
 * I've not listened to this record for a while. Do you know of any reliable sources that back up your theory? Either way, we can't put our own speculation in the article (see No original research); we're only here to report what other people say. Flowerparty ☀ 23:18, 26 April 2006 (UTC)


 * MES made various contemporaneous remarks in the press regarding the recording of this album, the salient points being quoted by either Daryl Easlea in his 2005 reissue sleevenote, or by Simon Ford in "Hip Priest" whilst Mick Middles details Arthur Kadmon's brief spell in the group in his book w/MES. As a result of these remarks (and the presumption that, being contemporaneous, MES is reliable - if he'd made the comments any more than a couple of years later, I'd discount them), there has been some speculation over the years as to who plays what on which track. As speculation doesn't belong in the article itself, I though it might be worthwhile to put up an opinion (which is based on a close examination of the record) and see if anyone had a different or more informed answer. If it's not appropriate for the "Talk" page either, I'll remove it. Ac@osr 08:25, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

Re: Arthur Kadmon's Fall tenure, in his book The Big Midweek (published 2014) Steve Hanley gives an account of the session for "Hard Life In Country" which suggests that he played at least a complete take:

''"Just get on with it, Steve. What are you being so precious about? It's only one song." And off she goes. Well, this is going to look great when Marc and Craig turn up. Me, treacherous bastard, playing bass with some new age numpty.

''It's not as if he uses the opportunity to do anything interesting with a guitar. It's just his bit of sideways funk, Karl and Paul playing the odd game of cymbal-tennis and Mark ranting. The song's sounding shite. There's nothing on it that anybody couldn't do.

''When Marc and Craig arrive it's nearly finished. I stand there looking embarrassed, with what I'm hoping is a "What-the-hell-was-I-supposed-to-do?" look on my face.

''It's not long before Kadmon gets hustled out by Kay. While she's removing him, Craig and Marc are demanding to know what's happened.''

He also says that "Marquis Cha Cha" featured just himself, MES and Karl Burns. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.104.45.235 (talk) 21:24, 19 August 2014 (UTC)