James wrote:

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In what way was The Fear reworked?
I'd assumed the C&UBDV was the 'original' & it had just been trimmed down in the studio for TIH. Perhaps I missed something?

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I'm not able to check right now but during 1998, they performed the "extended" version then during 2000/2001 they performed the "album" version only it was noticeably faster (and a good 30 seconds or so shorter). Granted, the changes weren't as obvious as "Common People" or "FEELINGCALLEDLOVE" but I still think of it as a rework. I think that the performance from Reading 2000 which was on TV is on YouTube so comparing that to the album version may be a good idea.

And yes, I think you may be right about them trimming it down for the album, perhaps someone decided that having 2 songs at around 8 minutes each wasn't a good idea (the other being "Seductive Barry"). The "extended" version was performed on Jools Holland which aired just after the album was released if I remember rightly so it existed a couple of months before the tour commenced.

Oh, and completists may wish to note - there are two other versions of "The Fear" on the US promo. Don't get excited though, one is a radio edit which is the same as the album version except it fades out early and the other is a "Research Hook" (which was sometimes misinterpreted as a new b-side) and that is simply a 10 second sample of the chorus. I have got this promo somewhere so I will upload the tracks if anyone is interested (though you could do homemade versions of both).