Rolling Stone once described Courtney Love as the ‘most controversial woman in the history of rock’.
Though she’s made headlines recently for ‘solving’ the mysteries of missing aeroplanes, or making amends with Dave Grohl at Nirvana’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, Love is known beyond her public perception for her uncompromising music that’s left an indelible lipstick-shaped mark on her generation.
But far from everyone is a fan, in particular New York City videographer J.M. Ladd who was hired to film a Hole concert but never got paid for his efforts.
But Ladd has got the last laugh, seeking his revenge by posting some of the footage on Youtube with isolated vocal and guitar tracks for Courtney, and they’re not pretty.
Explains Ladd to Stereogum:
Of course, while you can see the whole band playing, the only person you can hear is Love, whose guitar and vocal tracks are isolated in the mix. Explains Hill:
I was hired through the venue to record this show (including many others throughout that week) and was then left standing with a hard drive and an invoice no one seemed to want. Four years later I still have the files and not really any idea what to do with them. But I like to share. So here we are.
What you are hearing are just Courtney’s isolated vocal and guitar mics (with the obvious bleed from the rest of the band). I’ve muted everything else. This video I’ve borrowed from elsewhere on youtube and in trying to sync up my own audio I realized they were a little sloppy with their edit. But you get the idea.
To address the most obvious, inevitable question that I will be asked…this is not fake. Whether you think she’s the worst or this just makes her all the more “punk rock” is for you to decide. I’m merely presenting the facts as they are. Make of them what you will.
If you can stand more than 5 seconds of the video, you’re doing better than most. You’ll also notice that Love is barely even playing the guitar, instead leaning on her band to do the heavy lifting. In fact, it’s a wonder they even bother to have her guitar plugged in. That being said, her vocals actually sound better than expected.
You can compare the isolated-mic footage with the full-performance footage of the same song below.
And take note, always pay the video guy.
