Demos

"Definitely, this is the wrong place to be."

I've always liked listening to 'demo' versions, or 'old' versions of songs. I find it interesting to hear how a song started its life musically, and how it developed into the final, or more updated version you'll hear on a main album release. Although some of my friends hate listening to demo versions, and just see them as poorly recorded versions of the songs they love. However you see it, here are just a few thoughts.

I'm a massive Beck fan, and I have a respect for each of his very different albums. About a month ago I started listening a lot more to a song 'Cyanide Breath Mint', from his fourth album: 

'One Foot In The Grave'

One of his more folk rock sounding releases, which is quickly becoming a favourite of mine.

This song is great, I love the way the vocals come in as if Beck is starting the song halfway through a verse, it's quirky, which is why I and many fans love Beck's music. I love the chorus to this track too, it's very upbeat, and even somewhat goofy sounding, but in a good way. That's just how early Beck was, especially lyrically.

Recently, I listened to one of his unofficial releases: 

'Quodlibet' 

Which contains some B-sides, rare live versions, and other stuff. It begins with a re-recorded version of 'Cyanide Breath Mint', and it is really really good. I don't want to say yet that I prefer it to the original 'One Foot In The Grave' version, but I've found myself wanting to play that one more now. I think it's more of an improvement of the original, there is more of a rhythm on this version, with a shaker over the track, some nice electric guitar licks, which sound great and amplify that goofy feeling I mentioned earlier, and just seems more produced, not that I'm saying more professionally produced music is always better, but it gives more space for the other instruments in the song.

Thinking about demo/original versions of songs, there are a few cases where I actually prefer parts of a demo version, as opposed to the final album version. When I was about 13, and getting into a Canadian punk band Sum 41, I would go absolutely crazy internet shopping for all of their albums, and singles, and live albums, and DVD's, anything that existed by them. On the singles there were often demo versions of songs, so I'd listen to those, as well as everything else, all rolled together on my crappy old iPod nano.

They had a song 'All Messed Up' on their technically second album: 

'Does This Look Infected'

(Their third if you count their first release as an album, which I do). But when listening to both the album version and the demo version, I found there were parts of the demo I preferred to the album version. 

The album version:

Mainly intro guitar riff at the start, on the album version it's more distorted and sort of 'normal' sounding, but on the demo it sounds a little more, high pitched, and 'spacey' sounding. This worked better in my opinion. Another thing was the instrumental, after the middle 8, at 1:45 on the demo version (1:42 on the album version). On the demo it's a lot more simplified, with just a roaring guitar, and a cool little drum fill, but I think this works well, it's straightforward, and feels like something you could jump around to. I do like the instrumental on the album version too, especially the drums, and the sort-of bass solo, but they both have a place for me.

The demo version:

So that's all really, demo versions can be cool, don't overlook listening to them if the chance ever arises, you may hear something on them that the artist decided to leave out later on, but you think sounds cool. I personally want to get round to listening to Green Day's 'Demolicious', consisting of demo's from the '¡Uno!', '¡Dos!', '¡Tre!' sessions, in my opinion some of their best work ever.

But that's enough about that for now. Keep your mind open to old things.

Ben

Sugarcult - Don't Ignore Where You Came From

"Everybody's talkin' 'bout blowin' up the neighborhood."

So I'm just sitting down listening to my limited vinyl edition of: 

'Start Static'

by American punk band Sugarcult. It's their third album, and I guess in my opinion, it's a pretty good album, which is why I still listen to it quite a bit. But also in my opinion it's not their best. Don't get me wrong, I do like a lot of it, but it just has quite a few misses here and there.

But I digress, I didn't mean for this to be a review.

For a long time since becoming a Sugarcult fan, reading up on their history, listening to the back catalogue, as well as their latest release, *sigh*, 'Lights Out', I've been somewhat baffled, if that is the correct term, as to why their first two releases: 

                       'Eleven'                                  and                          'Wrap Me Up In Plastic'

the latter probably being my favourite album, are hardly ever mentioned in the band's history, their Wikipedia page, their website or anything. It makes me wonder, what has made them literally disregard their first two albums, to the point of actually pointing out that 'Start Static' is their first album, when in fact it isn't, it's their third.

What confirmed this realisation to me further recently was a tweet I read on the lead guitarist of Sugarcult, Marko DeSantis' twitter page. Something about that day being the day they released their 'second' album,

                                                  'Palm Trees and Power Lines'

which is actually their fourth, after 'Eleven', 'Wrap Me Up In Plastic', and 'Start Static'.

I actually just tried to find the tweet but it isn't there anymore for some reason. Interesting.

But really the band have no reason to disregard their first two albums, they are good albums in my opinion, and they're still listed in their discography on several websites. But it's as if someone is constantly holding them all at gun point saying: “DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR FIRST TWO ALBUMS OR I'LL WASTE YOU.”, or as if the memory of their first two albums has just been completely wiped from their brains, and any mention of 'Eleven' and 'Wrap Me Up In Plastic' to them just causes mass confusion. I really don't know. It could just be the band simply being ashamed of their early work so much they don't care to mention it, but still, I don't see why they would.

One other possibility, and I'm still unsure how possible this could ever be, but it could be a label decision. Maybe labels Fearless and V2 decided “We don't want their fans hearing this sh*tty old music that doesn't sound as 'clean' and 'perfect' as their other albums, let's try and make them cut it out.” I'm unsure as to how much integrity either label have, but I'm just making speculation after speculation here really. 

The only way I'd ever find out the answer would be by personally asking the band, 

“Why does it seem your older music doesn't matter anymore?”, 

And whatever the response should be, as a fan, I will respect it. 

But also as a fan, I will continue to respect their first releases, and where they came from.

Thanks for reading.

Ben