Spitball Army

We, the public, were probably never supposed to hear demos, those unpolished, unfinished early rough takes of songs.  We were meant to hear and consume the “best” version of a song, the one that gets sent to radio, that got pressed as a 45 or a cassingle, that occupies the half-inch of space right after the first track on side one.

But, at some point along the route between the birth of the compact disc and the rise of digital delivery, it was decided that the inclusion of extra tracks (unreleased songs, demos and outtakes) would enhance the sellability of the music product.  Thus, today you can buy a disc containing one of your favorite albums with songs tacked onto the end where, previously, there had been a play-out groove or just silence.  It’s not what was originally intended; it’s, using the parlance of the biz, “added value.”

The demos in this playlist come from these circumstances, for the most part, and they run the gamut from earliest performed sketches to nearly complete versions of the songs.  None of these are the versions as released on the albums proper, but some, like Los Lobos’ “Peace,” The Replacements’ “Kick It In” and Iron & Wine’s “Free Until They Cut Me Down” sound as if they’d fit in perfectly with those artists’ finished recording styles.  Alternately, the majority of these tracks reveal nuance and creative depth in their bareness that a full-production gloss easily hides.

Approximate playing time: 71 minutes.

1. Paul Simon  “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” acoustic guitar demo  (1973)
2. Buffalo Springfield  “Can’t Keep Me Down” acoustic guitar demo  (1966)
3. Cat Stevens  “Rubylove” acoustic guitar demo  (1971)
4. Los Lobos  “Peace” full-band demo  (1992)
5. The Beatles  “No Reply” full-band rehearsal, “Your Face” version  (1964)
6. The Replacements  “Kick It In” full-band studio demo  (1987)
7. Bob Dylan  “Dignity” acoustic piano demo  (1989)
8. Ryan Adams  “Halloween” stripped performance from the Demo EP  (2000)
9. Josh Ritter  “In the Dark” acoustic guitar demo  (2006)
10. Billy Joel  “Miami 2017” acoustic piano demo  (1975)
11. Simon & Garfunkel  “Bridge Over Troubled Water” acoustic piano demo with hand taps and humming, take 6  (1970)
12. Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey  “Angels” full-band original demo  (1990)
13. The Doors  “Moonlight Drive” early full-band demo with harmonica  (1965)
14. Donovan  “Museum” acoustic guitar demo  (1967)
15. Elvis Costello  “Suffering Face” acoustic guitar demo  (1986)
16. Billy Bragg  “Cindy of a Thousand Lives” solo electric guitar demo  (1990)
17. Son Volt  “Highways and Cigarettes” acoustic guitar demo  (2007)
18. Lucinda Williams  “Everything Has Changed” acoustic guitar and mandolin demo  (2007)
19. Iron & Wine  “Free Until They Cut Me Down” acoustic guitar and banjo demo  (2004)
20. Elton John  “The King Must Die” acoustic piano demo  (1970)

[audio:Fred_FM_playlist_081510.mp3]
Fred FM playlist (15 August 2010)

Some notes on the songs:

• The Beatles’ version of “No Reply” featured here I refer to as the “Your Face” demo version.  Paul is having a grand time with that little phrase, which really does have a habit of sticking in the brain.  I can attest to this, as I used to sing the song in much the same way when I was a kid.
• I recently watched TWO film documentaries about The Doors (Classic Albums: The Doors and When You’re Strange) and they both recount the transforming moment when Jim Morrison sang “Moonlight Drive” to Ray Manzarek, convincing Manzarek that Mr. Mojo Risin was the man to lead the band.  Funny thing is, Morrison’s vocals on this early demo hardly sound like the charismatic frontman that we have come to know from the band’s recordings and live concert films.  And then there’s that harmonica, which was replaced by a slide guitar on the Strange Days album version.
• Isn’t it a shame that Elton John had to go and get old?  I’d love to hear him singing new material as he does on this demo of “The King Must Die.”  I guess I’m just stuck spinning the early – and terrific – EJ albums for the rest of my life.  But, man, they are truly great.