24kg ~ A "song By Song" Discussion

[sorcerer999]

New thread idea! Now that we know the OFFICIAL track listing, I thought it might be fun to discuss each individual song (since we’ve had the demos in our possession for quite a while now) and give our thoughts and opinions on the demos versus what we hope will end up on the new album. Does that sound like fun? I know I’d be really interested to hear everybody’s opinions.  This is the type of thread that requires a lot of typing (since there’s 13 songs to write about)…so I hope it doesn’t seem too overwhelming.

Obviously, we’ll omit “I Don’t Care”, “Hard Advice” and “Carousel” since it’s probably more than likely we’ve never heard these songs before. If we find out later on down the road that some of these are just re-titles of things we already have, then we can add them in. Also, I’m going to put “Lady” on this list based on the assumption that it’s what we know as “Knocking On Doors”. Again, we can edit if the info is false. I’ll also leave “The Dealer” on this list, even though we’ve heard the finished product and there’s another thread going about it. This will be based on the running order of the Deluxe Edition. I’ll start…

1. “Starshine” – I was really surprised that this made the cut, as it was never a demo that I really enjoyed. I always thought the musical hook sounded too much like Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”. The lyrics were a bit too trite as well. There are too many “I said, he said, she saids” going on here, which is a little grating. I wasn’t too thrilled when I heard Dave Stewart’s video snippit a few months ago, either. Didn’t seem like much had changed. I was impressed with the musicality of it, though ~ especially the banjo. This seems like a weird choice for the first track. Can it hold up to “Wild Heart” or “TISL” I wonder?

2. “If You Were My Love” – ALWAYS one of my favorite PIANO demos. I hope this track isn’t too overproduced on the new album. The Mirage and Street Angel outtakes, sadly, just don’t do it for me. Nothing could ever capture that emotion from the first simple piano/vocal demo. A sparse arrangement with Stevie’s current vocal range could be beautiful.

3. “Mabel Normand” – What to say, what to say? Hmmmm…Well the demo is just a complete hot mess. Cocaine is a hell of a drug! I listen to this demo to laugh more than anything. Writing a book called “Beloved Exile”? WTF, Stevie? I do enjoy the one lyric where she calls out (whoever the hell she’s singing about) about constantly changing sides. I have a feeling this new version will be a complete turnaround from the demo. More structured, more melodic, less “talky”. We can only hope.

4. “Twisted” – The choice to re-record this one still puzzles me, since it’s already in another finished form. I adore her and Lindsey’s version on the Twister soundtrack. It’s perfect! Hell, I even love the demo on Enchanted. The only thing I could see they could improve upon in this new version is maybe making it more like the Live Version from the 1996 tour and Enchanted Tour…with a lot of wailing “you like to be twiiiiiiiiiiiisttttteddddd…by the force…”

5. “24 Karat Gold” - I've been listening to the demo for many years and always thought it was pretty cool, however it was never really one of my favorites. Very dark, witchy and enigmatic. There's a “take” off of the Masters called "23 All Vocals Mix" which basically has the same piano/drum machine like the original demo, but adds a guitar and basically has a "million Stevies" overlapping vocals and harmonies. I LOVE IT!!! There are so many great lyrics added that weren't in the original demo we'd all heard in the years prior to the Master Reels and I'm really hoping some of these crazy lyrics make it on to this new version.

6. “Belle Fleur” – I’ve heard the demo a million times, always in the background of where I was or what I was doing and I never paid it that much attention. Since learning of its inclusion last night, I’ve gone back and listened to it and forced myself to PAY ATTENTION this time, and I’ve got to say, I kind of dig it. Especially the “Sunset Sound Sunrise” lyric that evokes many sessions of recording in L.A. on those late nights/early mornings back in the day. Pretty groovy! I’m more curious about how THIS one is going to turn out more than I am my favorite demos.

7. “All The Beautiful Worlds” – This seems to be a huge favorite amongst a lot of you, but it was always just “meh” to me. I enjoy the lyrics and such, but the music and arrangement of the demo just bores me to tears. The bridge is my favorite part, “You say you’re leavin’…” I feel the new version could benefit from less synth. We’ll see.

8. “Lady” – If we are all assuming that this is “Knocking On Doors”, and it actually turns out to be as such, then I’ll be happy. It used to be a favorite of mine a long time ago, but then I got burnt out on it. Probably because of the repetitive nature of the words, “…and he said, Lady” and the straining high notes. This is yet another example of a song that could benefit from her current voice in a vocal arrangement “change up”. The words and melody were always unique and we can hope that the translation to “real instrumentation” will be successful.

9. “I Don’t Care” - ???

10. “Watch Chain” – My THIRD favorite demo next to “Lady From The Mountain” and “Blue Water”. It’s R&B Stevie! That bass line in the demo is infectious, as is the electric guitar riff between verses and chorus. The best part is the last verse, “be aware of the danger as you cross the great water…” It really doesn’t bode well that it’s been relegated to a “bonus track” (I’m envisioning the dreadful “Not Make Believe” from SYW) but I’m thinking (or at least hoping) that they’ve kept the cool R&B vibe in this new version and maybe it just doesn’t mesh well with the retro pop rock sound of the other tracks. But who knows? Just hoping that three layered harmony in the chorus is still intact.

11. “Hard Advice” - ???

12. “Carousel” - ???

13. “Blue Water” – This demo has been the “be all and end all” with me for decades. I need this song to be EPIC! I need this song to have strings and horns! I need this song to be the BEST song on the whole freakin’ record! Hahaha!!! I need this song to keep that “I wanna take you on a…(pause…wait for it)…slow riiiiide…” I’m going to be biting my fingernails all the way through this one on first listen. Yep. I can’t talk about it anymore. I’m already getting nervous.

14. “Cathouse Blues” – This tune is like a minute and a half long, right? I bet the only thing different from the old demo will be just a key change to accommodate “mama’s current register.” Plus maybe a musical interlude and a repeat of a verse or chorus at the end just to extend it past the two minute mark. Like “Belle Fleur”, this is another one I never paid that much attention to because of its lack of depth…but it’s a fun song, and I think was a good choice. It will definitely lighten the mood between songs.

15. “The Dealer” – Well, since we’ve heard the brand new version, I’ll just go ahead and repeat what I said in the “Dealer” thread ~ I love how it stayed true to the Heartbreakers version from the "Bella Donna" sessions. She's sounding her age...and I LIKE THAT! The harmonies are always flawless and the production is great. Definitely got that "Nashville" sound! That being said, it's a good song but I'm not as excited about it as a lead single (or a single at all) more than I was when "Secret Love" was released. It’s an okay song, but I doubt it’s one I will be listening to over and over again.

16. “She Loves Him Still” ~ I like this demo a lot, minus the talking “so how are you” part. The sentiment is heartbreaking, and I think it might be the PERFECT choice to close out this album, and then make me wanna listen to the whole thing over again! If she can do a gentle vocal on this track the way she did on "Goodbye Baby" then I think it will be a BEAUTIFUL SONG! Those two tracks have always had a soft spot for me...and ironically they share the same lines, "...and the sands of time, like shattering glass, went past me..."