Demos/alt. versions better?

[skcin]

As I write this, I honestly can't think of an example. But many of you have commented in the past "oh, I like the demo so much better" so I'll give you the subject & you can discuss it amongst yourselves, ala' Linda Richman. :D I'm getting a little verklempt.

Are there songs that Stevie has released that you prefer the demo or alternate version of?

I just tried to word that 5 different ways & none make sense. You're a bunch of smart kids, I'm sure you can figure out what the hell I'm trying to ask.

[amber]

I predict everyone will say "Smile At You", "Thrown Down", and "The Tower".


whatever Stevie was singing in that "wild heart dressing room" clip that was played awhile back, I like it a lot better than how the song "Wild Heart" turned out.

amber "psychic" g.

[dissention]

-Love Is, the demo, is much, much better than the maudlin sludge that's on TISL.
-The "Wall of Sound" version of Thrown Down is infinitely superior to the one on SYW.
-The eighties outtake of Running Through the Garden is better than the SYW version, too, because it has those rocking dueling vocals.
-I adore the Planets demo on the Rumours reissue, it lays waste to her solo version on TISL.

[skcin]

-The eighties outtake of Running Through the Garden is better than the SYW version, too, because it has those rocking dueling vocals.
-I adore the Planets demo on the Rumours reissue, it lays waste to her solo version on TISL.


Point taken on RTTG. And I agree with your POTU comment, although I still like the TISL version too.

Amber - you're right. I'll agree with The Tower - demo is better. Smile at You - I like both. TD - I really, really, really like the album version. Demo's good, but I'm one of the few who prefers the album version.

[KarmaContestant]

-Love Is, the demo, is much, much better than the maudlin sludge that's on TISL.
-The "Wall of Sound" version of Thrown Down is infinitely superior to the one on SYW.
-The eighties outtake of Running Through the Garden is better than the SYW version, too, because it has those rocking dueling vocals.
-I adore the Planets demo on the Rumours reissue, it lays waste to her solo version on TISL.

I agree with all of these, and will add:

I Sing For The Things. The outtake from RAL rocks my socks. Love the piano, love the drums, love, love, LOVE Stevie's balls-out vocal. The LP version, while quaint and delicate, is a snoozer for me.

Love Is Like A River. While the RAL demo is eternally dated, it's got a moodiness and tension to it that the version on Street Angel lacks.

Think About It. Truth be told, I love all versions of this song, but the Rumours outtake is by far the best version for me. Better instrumentation, and a better vocal performance from Stevie.

And Amber was right, Smile At You and The Tower. :nod: Both songs were better to me they way they were first recorded. The simplicity of The Tower makes it beautiful and intriguing - whereas the SYW version sounds like sleepy carousel music, therefore boring and monotonous. Smile At You....as if I even need to say anything. :rolleyes:

[amber]

Point taken on RTTG. And I agree with your POTU comment, although I still like the TISL version too.

Amber - you're right. I'll agree with The Tower - demo is better. Smile at You - I like both. TD - I really, really, really like the album version. Demo's good, but I'm one of the few who prefers the album version.
That's exactly how I feel about all those songs! We must be right! :laugh:

[skcin]

That's exactly how I feel about all those songs! We must be right! :laugh:


Of course we're right. As usual.

[amber]

Ohhhh, as Karma said, Think About It is a big, big one for me. I think the Rumours outtake is waaaaay better. I like the ISFTT Demo better, too, the one that also has a gypsy demo on it. Very spare, much more beautiful.

[RavenOfRhiannon]

I like 'Goodbye Baby.' It's just as good as the demo IMO.
All of the versions of POTU have meaning for me, depending on my mood.

Smile at You is a far cry better in demo form.

So my contribution will be the Mac version of 'Juliet' if that counts.

[skcin]

I like 'Goodbye Baby.' It's just as good as the demo IMO.
All of the versions of POTU have meaning for me, depending on my mood.

Smile at You is a far cry better in demo form.

So my contribution will be the Mac version of 'Juliet' if that counts.


Of course it counts!

Running to find if I have that version anywhere.

[KarmaContestant]

So my contribution will be the Mac version of 'Juliet' if that counts.


Yes, yes, excellent choice! I totally forgot about that one. She really rocks it out. :thumbsup:

I have to wonder, what happens to Stevie in the process of recording her songs....what is it that gives her the inclination to reconsider a rockin' vocal performance, like for instance, on the FM Juliet, and decide that it isn't good enough in it's current state? I have to wonder how in the world Juliet became the odd song that it is on TOSOTM.

[KarmaContestant]

Running to find if I have that version anywhere.

Speak up if you don't, I'd be happy to hook you up! :)

[LiquidBlue5000]

"The Nightmare"... the piano demo of this song is amazing.... a totally different feel, but i like it slightly better than the released version.. same can be said for "How Still My Love".. love it live, but i like the piano demo version better than what was on Bella Donna...

[skcin]

Speak up if you don't, I'd be happy to hook you up! :)


Still searching - what era was the Mac version from?

[EnchantedSLN]

Smile At You
Think About It (Rumours outtake <3)
Running Through The Garden
Love Is
Thrown Down "Wall of Sound" version (but it should include the extra lyrics on the album version to be truly perfect)
Bella Donna (alt. version from one of the master reels)
Beauty & the Beast (alt. version from master reels)
Planets of the Universe (extended version from TISL with the lyrics cut from the album take)
Nomad/Candlebright

[KarmaContestant]

Still searching - what era was the Mac version from?


Tango Era...it's on most of the Tango demo/alternates discs. :)

[KarmaContestant]

Planets of the Universe (extended version from TISL with the lyrics cut from the album take)



I think it's odd she cut those lyrics from the album version. She had 20 minutes of room to spare on the album. :shrug:

[gldstwmn]

Are there songs that Stevie has released that you prefer the demo or alternate version of?


Love Is. I'm sure there are more but that one immediately springs to mind.

[EnchantedSLN]

Oh, duh... Bombay Sapphires alt version!

[gldstwmn]

I think it's odd she cut those lyrics from the album version. She had 20 minutes of room to spare on the album. :shrug:

Someone probably convinced her that it was too long to be a single. The last verse is the most powerful and defines the song, IMO so that was a mistake.

[skcin]

Tango Era...it's on most of the Tango demo/alternates discs. :)


Not on the 2 I have, of course. :rolleyes: Can you do yousendit or something? To [email protected] please & thank you.

[golden braid]

I agree with everything that has been said so far. To add to the list, I prefer the extended version of The Nightmare to the album version.

I think everyone will agree that the demo versions of Gyspy from the Belladonna days aren't good at all and the album version is 100 times better.

I love all versions of That's Alright but I really love the BN version the best.

I prefer the the alternate take of Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind.

I also prefer an alternate take/earlier version of Jane.

[GateandGarden]

I prefer the demos of "Juliet," "Unconditional Love," and "Bombay Sapphires" to the ones that made it onto the albums.

It's a tough choice but sometime I prefer "Designs of Love" to "That's Alright" as well.

[catinthedark]

Nomad
Planets of the Universe (No Light)
Designs of Love

[Miss Vicky]

-I adore the Planets demo on the Rumours reissue, it lays waste to her solo version on TISL.


Any Planets demo lays waste to that P.O.S. that is the TISL version.

[DavidMn]

I've never really been much of a demo guy for the most part, so I'd have to say that I prefer released material.

[Wild_Heart03]

So my contribution will be the Mac version of 'Juliet' if that counts.

On that note, would "Book of Miracles" count since it's the instrumental of "Juliet"? I listen to it all the time, it's got a magic that just surpasses the original by miles for me. ;)

[paleshadow]

Oh, duh... Bombay Sapphires alt version!

Amen! "But that's my dream, or so it seems...Still see dreams but there are not". Never was a fan of the album version, but I love this one!

[tynan88]

I really love the unreleased version of GDW on the Rumours Re-issue.

[Hippocampus]

I'm probably missing a few but here goes.

Candlebright - The demo is so beautiful

Sorcerer - The Buckingham Nicks demo is a classic

After The Glitter Fades - I love one of the master reel alternates in which there are extra "ooohs" during the musical bridge

Love Is Like A River - I prefer the so-called RAL outtake version

Thousand Days - I'll take the RAL outtakes before the B-side version even if they're not exactly masterpieces themselves

Running Through The Garden - I agree the old outtake is better than the SYW version

Smile At You - The SYW version is the calm inside the storm

I think many of the piano demos are gems in their own right (Goodbye Baby, Planets Of The Universe, Bella Donna, After The Glitter Fades, Kind Of Woman, Sisters Of The Moon...) and while I wouldn't trade them for the album versions, I feel privileged to be able to listen to them at my leisure. :)

[ontheEdgeof17]

Oh, duh... Bombay Sapphires alt version!


100 times better than the album cut. :thumbsup:

Others I like better:

-Love Is Demo

-Sable on Blond (too bad it's cut)

-POTU (Rumours Reissue)

-Bella Donna Piano Master Reel

-Sara "Cleaning Lady" Outtake

[Kelly]

Love Is...piano demo blows the album cut out of this world.

GDW...alternate version on Rumours reissue.

Sorcerer...the Buckingham Nicks version will always be ultimate for me. Same goes for Candlebright and Designs of Love.

Think About It...OMG..the Fleetwood Mac version is so much better. It has a more committed vocal, the music is rockier with a stronger beat. Ugh, the Belladonna version seems so plodding when I compare the two. If I had never heard the Mac version, I am sure I would like the solo version just fine though.

Bombay Sapphires.....Why she dropped those few "dreams" lyrics is a mystery to me. They add sooo much. "It's my dream or so it seems...."


I love the SYW version of Goodbye Baby. Personally, I think LB did a wonderful job with a song that probably has deep meaning for Stevie. He obviously kept the song simple, gentle and soothing for a reason. I love how he arranged it and the calming feeling of it reminds me of a lullabye. Not to mention the vocal that he coaxed out of Stevie...it may be hushed and whispered as someone described above but that was intentional. You can feel the emotion in every single word she sings starting with the very first "Don't". That is pretty powerful, imho. Comparing it to The Tower is difficult because TT is just a simple piano demo and we would never get something like that as a finished album cut. I do like the original lyrics better and wish she would have kept them. I am not really sure why I think she changed the lyrics for GB. At first I thought it was to compliment Linds' SG...it was a sweet way to end the album, with goodbye songs to each other. Since TT or GB is not really a goodbye song to LB, I felt like that reasoning was pretty disingenuous, if it was the case. It is more likely, IMHO, that she changed the lyrics for other reasons, perhaps to make them less personal. It certainly avoids questions if it sounds like just another goodbye song to Lindsey, doesn't it?
Whether you believe the song is about the loss of a child, either Rhiannon's (Jason) or Stevie's or not, the lyrics are pretty powerful and always overwhelm me with emotion. Especially live. Stevie cited this as one of the three songs that was the most emotional to sing everynight. (further confirmation in my mind that this is not a song about the Rhiannon myth....that is a good cover for her though)

[GateandGarden]

-Sara "Cleaning Lady" OuttakeI don't know why I didn't mention that before. I much prefer that one! :nod:

[TheBlueLamp]

Greta - I love the version that ended up on SA, but really would have preferred something more akin to this upbeat 80s demo

Fall From Grace - The demo version doesn't rock as hard as the released version but I think it's darker and I like the extra verse. I prefer this a whole lot more than the version that made TISL

She/I Calls You Missing - I'm not sure what the sound of this is --Middle Eastern? Whatever it is I think it's a heap more interesting than Love Is LIke A River. I'm actually not sure whether to include this one but I think it has enough LILAR lyrics to warrant a mention.

RTTG - Duelling vocals. Say no more.

[AliceLover]

Speak up if you don't, I'd be happy to hook you up! :)

Ive always wanted to hear this too!

[Serendipity]

I've never been much of a demo person, since I only just got broadband and can finally download things! Where can I find the FM version of "Think About It"? I'd really like to hear that one.

~Nicki

[amber]

I've never been much of a demo person, since I only just got broadband and can finally download things! Where can I find the FM version of "Think About It"? I'd really like to hear that one.

~Nicki
You can find it on the reissued Rumours CD.

[gldstwmn]

I prefer the the alternate take of Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind.



So do I. The vocal is better, the backing vocals are better and the song just seems so much more happy.

[Serendipity]

You can find it on the reissued Rumours CD.

Thanks, I keep meaning to buy that. Such a bad fan....still havent gotten around to it! :)

~Nicki

[michelle2677]

o.k..I am SUCH a wierd person. (Just thought I'd throw that out there since you guys probably don't know that yet...well..unless you read the OCD thread*L*)

anywhoo...I just recently started listening to demos, so most of the songs I had already heard the album version first. And I'm usually one of those-the first way I hear it, and get used to it that way, I'm gonna like that version the best. Hence-not liking remakes. I realize that the demos were the "First" but it wasn't the first way I heard it. the only one I can think of where I listened to the demo and was totally blown away and said. "holy ****...this blows the album out of the water" is Smile at you..but someone already mentioned that :)

[Dealer]

Agree with most of the other comments.

Juliet - the FM version
Sara - "Cleaning Lady"
Also love one of the Gypsy piano versions that's really long and just stevie on vocals.
and esp FFG demo - As goofy as it may seem out of context, I love the extra lyrics of "Fallin down in a crystal ball, into crystal stairs...."

[SapphireSister]

I'm not going to repeat myself over and over about my take on demos...

Ok you guys how could I have just now discovered the Love Is Demo! OMG I'm in love. I've had those TISL sessions for 3 years now but I think when I first listened to them I wasn't as in love with Love Is as I have become so when someobody commented on this thread I had to go back and listen. Wow, what an incredibly beautiful song. I would not say I love it more than the album version (which is true in most cases with me) but still great to hear another version of a song I adore so much.
Do you guys think she is playing the piano on the Love Is demo? I could just see her sitting down and singing that. Wow...
I wonder of all of these demos going around how many of them is it actually Stevie playing the piano??

[The Tower]

Do you guys think she is playing the piano on the Love Is demo?
Not a chance. She's not that good of a piano player.

The "Love Is" demo is fast moving into my Stevie top 10. It has such a 70's feel to it. I love the "whoooo-hooooo" way up high in her falsetto register at the beginning of the song.

"Do not call or come around here-
Do not tell...
You know that I loved you then
Ohhhhhh, well....."

And, yeah- what the hell was that all about cutting the best part of "Planets of the Universe" for the version that made the album??? That was really stupid.

"And dooon't condescend to me!
Take your leave- take your leave- take your leave of me now
Disappear... into the air-
Well, I wish you gone and I don't care!!!"

[SapphireSister]

Not a chance. She's not that good of a piano player.



Awww bummer. It was a nice thought though :).

[stormy]

Where can I find all of these demos? I would really like to hear the Love Is demo.

[catinthedark]

Not a chance. She's not that good of a piano player.

The "Love Is" demo is fast moving into my Stevie top 10. It has such a 70's feel to it. I love the "whoooo-hooooo" way up high in her falsetto register at the beginning of the song.

"Do not call or come around here-
Do not tell...
You know that I loved you then
Ohhhhhh, well....."

And, yeah- what the hell was that all about cutting the best part of "Planets of the Universe" for the version that made the album??? That was really stupid.

"And dooon't condescend to me!
Take your leave- take your leave- take your leave of me now
Disappear... into the air-
Well, I wish you gone and I don't care!!!"

Yup - having my own forehead-slap moment. Those two are definitely on my list, too, and those parts of the song you quoted are the primary reasons why. :nod:

[tynan88]

I also forgot to mention I love the European mix of I Miss You...Sooooo much better than the album cut.

[SapphireSister]

Unconditional Love demo! Trust me I don't like the album version much either but the verses on the demo version are gorgeous. Can't say too much about the chorus or bridge though...If you haven't heard it give it a try. You might like it :).

[Wild_Heart03]

-POTU (Rumours Reissue)

-Bella Donna Piano Master Reel

-Sara "Cleaning Lady" Outtake

Oh, totally agreed with every one of those. I especially love the "cleaning lady" version of Sara, I always laugh when I hear Stevie saying "I wanna be a star.... I don't wanna be a cleaning lady!" :laugh:

[Glittermoondust]

I also forgot to mention I love the European mix of I Miss You...Sooooo much better than the album cut.

I've seen this mentioned a few times now in other threads........ I don't think I have this version--where do you get it?? Was it a bonus on something that was released??

[skcin]

^No clue - not sure if I have it either.

I hate that stuff is mislabeled so much. Or labeled but not specific enough. I have so much stuff & probably have no clue what it actually is. :laugh:

[reebokandlace]

Doing the Best I Can - Alt/piano
Kind of Woman - a capella

[KarmaContestant]

I've seen this mentioned a few times now in other threads........ I don't think I have this version--where do you get it?? Was it a bonus on something that was released??

I too have wondered about the source for this. I have searched and searched for some kind of promo CD that it may have come from, but to no avail. I sort of doubt it's 'officialness'. Is that a word?

[UndoingTheLaces]

It's odd that the verses cut from the long version of Planets are all from the original "No Light" demo, leaving very little of the original in the finished song. Unless that was intentional. She did say somewhere that she added the chorous to soften the song up a bit. I think it's a very dark song and I love that, and the club mix made it all the more darker. Especially how she hits that low, gut punching line of "I will die a slow death" and it's really allowed to hit hard with the music pulling back a bit at that moment. Very cool.

I'm a big fan of demos. I've gone on and on about Castaway. I think had there been a studio version I would still not like it as much as the original Uncirculated Rumors version 1. It is to my great sadness that there doesn't seem to be a better copy of that one. Her double tracked vocals playing with each other. I think it's just wonderful.

The Cleaning Lady version of Sara, of course, who knew the real highlight of the song happens two minutes after the album fades out with "...and the wind became... craaaaaaazy". That still chokes me up when I hear it.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Garbo. I must admit I didn't care for it when I heard the b-side (what was it, Talk To Me?), but when I heard that exquisite steel guitar of the You Could Forget demo, with it's lilting melody, I just picture Stevie on a plantation somewhere, sitting in a gazebo on a swing. It just adds such an elegance to the song, I think.

[vermicious knid]

the You Could Forget demo, with it's lilting melody, I just picture Stevie on a plantation somewhere, sitting in a gazebo on a swing. It just adds such an elegance to the song, I think.
I had to listen to it agian after reading your description. It does sound totally different.

[tynan88]

If anyone would like the copy of The European I Miss You just PM and I will send it to you.

[UndoingTheLaces]

I had to listen to it agian after reading your description. It does sound totally different.

Isn't it wonderful. I'm glad I could bring it out into the light again for you. :)

[SapphireSister]

Oooh I just listened to The Cathouse Blues master recording. What voice? This may be one of the best vocals I've ever heard by our girl. She really excells at country/blues type music. She could have definitely made it as a country star (but I'm glad she chose R&R). I don't even like country music but this blew me away! The quality of the recording is great and the lyrics are so cute. Anybody have any idea what year this was from or the story behind it?