The Last 16 years of FINISHED vault songs

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by BlueLight

I went back and forth on this one, but ultimately chose Moonlight. I LOVE the demo for Lady From The Mountains, but never considered it to be a finished song. Moonlight took it to the next level, and is true perfection in my book. That said, the final version of Planets Of The Universe is magic to my ears, and I LOVE Stevie's vocals on Running Through The Garden.

I chose "Moonlight", and agree wholeheartedly that Stevie took it to the next level with her amazing much needed haunted & STRANGE chorus - which took the song to its apex. Yes, I miss the "go with her" verse, and I always thought they could have incorporated that part as a bridge, after the second chorus, if Stevie hadn't added another new verse - "she's lonely, lost, and disconnected." But "Moonlight" shines above all & feels finished & timeless, while staying very close to the LFTM demo.

Before IYD, I likely would have chosen POTU or IYEDB. However, I don't believe POTU has aged as well. Nowadays, it's more evident how muddied John Shanks' arrangement sounds than it did in 2001. Whereas, "Moonlight" sounds, crisp, classic, & timeless, and as great as Stevies' most enduring songs from her heyday. However, "If You Ever Did Believe" is a close second.

"Without You" qualifies as the worst "vault" release, mostly because of its nails on chalkboard, brassy guitar tone, that is inescapable. L & S clearly didn't put much effort into the mixing or sound engineering on that track! It sounds cheaply produced.

"Smile At You" & "Goodbye Baby" were markedly big disappointments for me when I first heard them. Not that they are ghastly, just not what I would have ever imagined they would've ended up becoming.