Demos vs. New Songs

[welcomechris]

What Would You Rather Have? Old Demos or Fresh Stevie Songs?

I like both so don't ask for my opinion

[PoetofRhiannon]

While my initial, instinctual response would be: NEW songs all the way!....

I am very interested to hear what older, wiser Stevie does with her songs that she wrote years ago that probably still have meaning to her. Considering that we've heard the demos, what will she do differently?

So, I see the value in both.

Cop-out answer

[Tango]

I want it all: old, new, and Fleetwood Mac songs.

[PenguinHead]

Aren't demos inherently new songs? Historically, in ancient, less technological times, we would have very little if any knowledge of this material. I consider any familiar demo that she reclaims, re-records and officially releases as a new song. I wish she would mine more of her past work. She has some material lying around that is full of potential.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

I wish she would mine more of her past work. She has some material lying around that is full of potential.

Weren't you just complaining in another thread that she should leave those songs alone?

[saintbernard]

I'm the lone voter for new material!

I'm actually not excited at all about this new project and am quite disappointed that it is a record of re-recorded demos. From someone who constantly goes on and on about how she writes so much she had more material than she can ever use with Fleetwood Mac I wish she had chosen to record some of that new writing. I'm much rather have a record with 12 brand new songs that have never been recorded before than one with 17 (or however many) songs that were left "on the cutting room floor" before.

Originally Posted by vivfox

Weren't you just complaining in another thread that she should leave those songs alone?

I understand what was meant in the other thread and I am in agreement with that sentiment. If Stevie is going to release old songs like "Julia", "Sanctuary" and "The Dealer", I'd much rather her release them as they are rather than re-record them and risk ruining them. Those songs are finished already. There are more than enough versions of them for her to pick and choose between to find one that would satisfy her for a new release. Songs like "Forest of the Black Roses", "Love Don't Fail Me Now" and "Mix Down" can still be worked with. They aren't in a finished state, I don't think, so there is room for her to tinker with them.

[Dex]

Where's the "don't mind" option? I want whatever the best songs are. She's always had a mix of "vault" and more recent songwriting in her work both in and out of FM and I've never really bothered to distinguish songs based on the length of time they've sat around unfinished. I like Moonlight, POTU, YMBTO and TISL all about as much as each other. When they came from doesn't really factor in. I'm excited by the prospect of a "vault" album simply because it's a new Stevie album. My main concern is whether it's good or not.

That said I've never been a huge unreleased demo-based Stevie fan. I listen to them sometimes but with few exceptions they do sound like unfinished ideas to my ears. I'm actually more interested in demos of songs which havebeen released. And likewise, am really excited to see what treatment some of these songs will get when they're finally officially given a home.

I don't think, when we first heard the final version of Secret Love, anyone really went "Aw man! I've heard this before!"

[WatchChain]

I LOVE the stolen demos, they are among the best pieces that Stevie's ever written. Moreover, I think they are better than the stuff Stevie's writing today.

[louielouie2000]

It's far more important to me that Stevie bring new material to Fleetwood Mac. If she brought old material to the new Fleetwood Mac album, I wouldn't be happy. But something about this solo album of all old material is an interesting concept to me. I'm very curious how it will turn out, and what sort of approach she will take to these songs. Plus, I rather like the idea of keeping all the old songs together as a group, it just seems appropriate. And hopefully it will pave the way for more new Stevie songs in the future, now that she's clearing out her back catalogue. So I kinda dig the idea of all these classic demos on one album. Would I want her to follow up this album with another one filled with all 0ld stuff? No. But this one time, it's certainly intriguing.