Saturday Stream | Digging Into Demos
By Andy Kahn Jul 25, 2015 • 10:42 am PDT
The influx of deluxe reissues of albums and box sets featuring unreleased rarities and alternative mixes of tracks continues to grow with each release of newly shared material. Just this week Led Zeppelin unearthed a previously unheard rough mix version of “When The Levee Breaks” from the upcoming deluxe version of their album Coda. This week’s Spotify Playlist –Digging Into Demos -explores 25 recordings of songs in their infant stages or in the form of an alternative mix.
[Image via Wikipedia]
The songs are in varying stages of development and it’s intriguing to peak behind the curtain and see how the compositions get worked out in the studio. Take for example Phil Lesh calling out chord changes in an early acoustic version of the Grateful Dead’s “Unbroken Chain” or Umphrey’s McGee guitarist Brendan Bayliss discussing how to shape the ending of “Alex’s House.”
Early editions of classics like CSN’s “Love The One You’re With,” Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You,” Janis Joplin’s “Me And Bobby McGee,” Zepplin’s “Black Dog,” Cat Steven’s “Wild World,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” are prominently featured among more recently released rarities by Pearl Jam, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Mac DeMarco, The Avett Brothers, Yo La Tengo and others. The 25 tracks total one hour and 30 minutes of uncommon and alternative recordings for your listening pleasure.
The songs are in varying stages of development and it’s intriguing to peak behind the curtain and see how the compositions get worked out in the studio. Take for example Phil Lesh calling out chord changes in an early acoustic version of the Grateful Dead’s “Unbroken Chain” or Umphrey’s McGee guitarist Brendan Bayliss discussing how to shape the ending of “Alex’s House.”
Early editions of classics like CSN’s “Love The One You’re With,” Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You,” Janis Joplin’s “Me And Bobby McGee,” Zepplin’s “Black Dog,” Cat Steven’s “Wild World,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” and Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al” are prominently featured among more recently released rarities by Pearl Jam, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Mac DeMarco, The Avett Brothers, Yo La Tengo and others. The 25 tracks total one hour and 30 minutes of uncommon and alternative recordings for your listening pleasure.
