The Chain (demo) [Archive]

ontology_79

01-26-2013, 07:56 PM

britt0308

01-26-2013, 08:04 PM

So, here’s a clip of "The Chain" demo from the upcoming Rumours reissue. Yes, a full standalone Stevie song with mostly all-new lyrics. Awesomeness! I had never heard this version...

http://depositfiles.com/files/xb9wtvqsn

Wow! Thanks so much for posting.

This is truly about the only thing I was looking forward to hearing on the reissue. Audio wise at least. Can't wait to hear the full version. :thumbsup:

I really like this..anyone else have thoughts? Yay/nay? Edited because I'm literally sitting here listening with headphones and a big smile on my face.

David

01-26-2013, 08:14 PM

Neato! so Madame Stevie wrote those chorus lyrics for another song. It backs up what she said in a 1981 radio interview:

"I wrote the If you don't love me now part. That was my chain idea. This was a definite chain, and there was a reason why the links in this chain would not be broken."

Does the new reissue give a title for this? Did Stevie call it The Chain? or is it just called a Chain demo after the fact?

drzubritsky

01-26-2013, 08:58 PM

On Ice

01-27-2013, 08:34 AM

Wow! Wow! and friggin Wow! That's worth the price of the box set alone. Amazing. The rest could be one killer song on it's own. The voice during this period could not be matched by anyone.

Keith

01-27-2013, 09:03 AM

"stepped into the canyons of my loneliness..and I went about as far as I could go"

this is not "The Chain" - this is a very beautiful song from Stevie who sounds amazing.

"if you meant what you said.. you'd of been here yesterday.."

Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:

Jondalar

01-27-2013, 10:12 AM

Thank you!

I really like this. The song is a good demo and could of been killer song for her alone. I love her voice during this period. How interesting!

On Ice

01-27-2013, 11:33 AM

"stepped into the canyons of my loneliness..and I went about as far as I could go"

Oh my, how could a lyric this good stay in the vaults all this time? But what a treasure to have it frozen in time with those perfect vocals.

britt0308

01-27-2013, 11:37 AM

Oh my, how could a lyric this good stay in the vaults all this time? But what a treasure to have it frozen in time with those perfect vocals.

This ^ :shrug::thumbsup: how have we never heard this?!

I'm truly very taken still with this demo! Do we think Stevie is playing the guitar as well? I feel like it's simple enough that it would be her. But I have no idea!

CADreaming

01-27-2013, 11:46 AM

Awesome! I hear some of the GDW demo in this.

WildHearted

01-27-2013, 12:32 PM

Awesome! I hear some of the GDW demo in this.

Yeah, me too. Well actually, it reminded me of If You Ever Did Believe, but they all kind of tie in - they all have that similar Ooooo part at the end.

Jondalar

01-27-2013, 12:36 PM

for some reason, this sounds like a 60s song to me... little bit of Season of Witch or something... I can't understand the first line... Slipped into the velvet ?????

britt0308

01-27-2013, 01:48 PM

Yeah, me too. Well actually, it reminded me of If You Ever Did Believe, but they all kind of tie in - they all have that similar Ooooo part at the end.

Just found the full version, and YOU mam are right on point! Good ear. The "I'm down on my knees, begging you to please, baby don't leave me" is the ending of the demo and IYEDB. Same tempo, ooohs, etc.

Artemis

01-27-2013, 02:19 PM

Just got the full version, and wow! Who would have guessed such a treasure would still be left in the vaults. Her voice used to be a thing of pure beauty.

michelej1

01-27-2013, 02:42 PM

Wow, quite a treat. When new treasures like this are unearthed, I'm always amazed at how alluring Stevie's voice was back in those days.

It's too bad she didn't rework the unused verses into some other song; based on this clip it sounds like those discarded elements could have formed the basis of a good song.

That reminds me of Stevie saying that when Lindsey raided her song's chorus for The Chain, he left her with nothing, 'and of course he didn't care about that.'

Sometimes she says she gave them the song graciously in her retelling and sometimes it was stripped from her.

Michele

The Catdancer

01-27-2013, 03:28 PM

WOW! What a gem! Why they never recorded this is beyond me. The vocals are perfect, the lyrics are excellent. This.Is.Awesome :thumbsup:

WildHearted

01-27-2013, 03:37 PM

The lyrics for anyone interested:

Slipped into the ___ (downstairs? velvet?) of my emptiness
I let teardrops fall, I let 'em go
Stepped into the canyons of my loneliness
And I went about as far as I could go

Even as I searched for you, I knew
Even if I found you you'd be so cold
Even when I found you now baby I knew
That I had gone about as far as I could go

And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain
I can still hear you saying
That if you don't love me now
Oh, you won't love me again

I don't mean to beg
But I don't know what else to say
If you meant what you said
You'd have been here yesterday
I won't watch you go
I won't even try
There you go down the road
But don't look to me to say goodbye

And if you don't love me now
You will never love me again
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain
I can still hear you saying
You would never break the chain
And if you don't love me now
Oh, you won't love me again
You won't love me again

You won't love me again

I think it's probably Stevie playing the guitar. I can't imagine Lindsey taking time out of his day to record that :lol: Whoever it is is just strumming basic C, G, Am, D, F in various orders for the verse and chorus and picking variations of F, G and Am for the bridge-type thing. So I'd say most likely Stevie.

TerraRhiannon

01-27-2013, 11:13 PM

This is so pure and beautiful. She sounds perfect here! In love with it!

sleepless child

01-28-2013, 07:12 AM

I love it too. I can't believe this wasn't considered for Rumours and that she gave the lyrics for a song that basically just had the bass line.

vivfox

01-28-2013, 08:00 AM

I love it too. I can't believe this wasn't considered for Rumours and that she gave the lyrics for a song that basically just had the bass line.

She didn't give the lyrics. Lindsey stole them and when she heard what he had morphed them in to, she was very pleased.

kak125

01-28-2013, 11:42 AM

wow this demo is amazing! stevie's voice sounds so good! i have goosebumps now.

michelej1

01-28-2013, 02:47 PM

She didn't give the lyrics. Lindsey stole them and when she heard what he had morphed them in to, she was very pleased.

Sometimes, she valiantly gave it to them. It depends on her mood.

“Well The Chain, about nine months into the album, they only had the solo, the part, I always call it “when the monsters come” when it goes dun, dun, dun, it's really creepy. They only had from that part out and Christine and Lindsey were really writing it and finally after about nine months they said can you help us with this because we need this rock and roll song on this record and so I valiantly said alright. And so I dug out an old song I had written called “The Chain” a long time before and I thought that melody-wise it would work and it did. Lindsey wrote the words “listen to the wind blow” and I wrote all the other words and the melody even the singing melody. I even wrote the “running through the shadows” at the end and Lindsey actually, in one of the few times he’s ever done that, sang exactly what I told him to sing cause I went out and did it and then he went out with me and then we just took my voice off. Then I just said that The Chain should belong to everybody because for nine months its been this solo that we have all been listening to and its just been great and so it should belong to everybody.”

bombaysaffires

01-28-2013, 04:37 PM

Yes, back in the early 80s she said that she had written "the 'if you don't love me now' part and Lindsey said "can we use it?" and I said, "you realize you are ripping the chorus out of my song?" and he didn't care that much.. so *I* was the one who said 'there is a definite chain going on here, there is a reason the links in this chain are holding together"

KarmaContestant

01-28-2013, 06:42 PM

What a gem! I'll be (hopefully) buying my copy tomorrow, but the snow is conspiring to make tomorrow a no-driving day.

StevieNicksfann

01-28-2013, 07:13 PM

So if I already bought the expanded Rumours previously released, do I only need the 3 disc version of this new re-issue?

KarmaContestant

01-28-2013, 07:24 PM

So if I already bought the expanded Rumours previously released, do I only need the 3 disc version of this new re-issue?

Unless you want the DVD of Rosebud, yes.

Jondalar

01-28-2013, 07:25 PM

Unless you want the DVD of Rosebud, yes.

is Rosebud any good?

KarmaContestant

01-28-2013, 07:28 PM

is Rosebud any good?

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fleetwood+mac+rosebud&oq=fleetwood+mac+rosebud&gs_l=youtube.3..0l3.1890.5633.0.5907.21.9.0.12.12.0.79.603.9.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.rc-U590N9GI

There are some great performances, but you've likely seen them over the years.

SandyMac

01-28-2013, 11:19 PM

wow this demo is amazing! stevie's voice sounds so good! i have goosebumps now.

I got goosebumps too. This is beyond AMAZING! :blob2::]

Dreamz19

02-01-2013, 01:34 AM

I adore this demo. I kept playing it over and over last night.

BlueLantern

11-30-2016, 12:29 PM

Agreed, this is one of Stevie's purest and best vocal takes ever. Especially those haunting two verses at the start, and the chorus. I've been fiddling around with Ableton and am longing to make a good remix of this, if I can get my skill level up a bit more...

Nice catch, whoever above noticed that the back end of the demo got recycled/refashioned for If You Ever Did Believe.