Essential demos, alternative takes, original versions, and peel sessions of CLASSIC songs...

Certainly the demo of "God Only Knows" w Brian on lead and the a cappella coda has to be considered here, much like the Stephen Desper instrumental mix of "Til I Die."

Where can I get the Desper mix of Til I Die? Is it on that Endless Harmony thing?

I think that's the version that's on the Landlocked bootleg. (I don't think its all that great personally, its basically just an extended paste-up of the released version)

ah, OK, I've got Landlocked. since we're talking Beach Boys, the solo demo of "Surf's Up" oughtta be mentioned here.

oh, yo la tengo's acoustic Tom Courtenay is definitely essential.

Modern Lovers' early version of "She Cracked" on that Original Modern Lovers album seriously stomps the regular version.

yes, the "God Only Knows" with the a capella coda is SO good, it makes my crazy impulsive purchase of that behemoth box worth it.

peel session of "pinky blue" by altered images trumps the original.. the "where areeee yooooou where areeee youuuusss" are so much more spine-tinglingly breathtaking

beatles: "tomorrow never knows take 1" is not as godhead as the album version, but majorly creepy and awesome
the "got to get you into my life" on anthology trumps the album version; wonderful minimal arrangement and the hooks come through clearer without the horns (though that may be due to overexposure to the album version)

will definitely have to seek out those "hissing of summer lawns" demos

dylan's tell-tale signs is like a 10/10 in terms of this..

Solo demo of "Surf's Up" is the definitive version, IMO.

solo version is without the coda right? that pretty much defeats the point of listening to it for me

4 people haven't heard the dream factory bootlegs I guess

err I totally wrote that in the wrong ilm window

solo version is without the coda right? that pretty much defeats the point of listening to it for me

Even without the coda, it's perhaps the single greatest post-war pop song.

I really like the "Prize" demo on the KOD's The 3rd Time We Opened The Capsule ep.

The Peel session version of Lora Logic's "Martian Man" is sublime - funkier and funnier than the "Pedigree Charm" version.
The Peel session of the Mekons doing the Three Johns song "Pink-Headed Bug" (though it was obviously a Mekons song at that point) is fab-u-lous.
The unreleased (officially) version of the Beach Boys' "Big Sur" is 1000 times better than the released one.
The Blue Orchids' demo version of "Thirst" on a Pleasantly Surprised cassette compilation is much better than the "released" one.
Ditto Dislocation Dance's earlier version of "Mr Zak" on the same cassette comp.

I loveeee that version of big sur, would be on my beach boys pox

another beach boys demo that would be on that pox: 70s version of 'santa ana winds'

I misunderstood the question when I answered earlier..

"Motion Picture Soundtrack" acoustic version.. I always liked it better than the version on Kid A.. and it includes that bonus verse at the end.

Alt version of Can's 'Thief' from a 1970 compilation with an extra verse that's about a minute longer than the version on Delay. One of the Mooney era's best:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAiYRCpvC2c

whoa, good find!

The Cure 80s peel sessions are super essential. Some cool alternate versions of early album tracks w new lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbtOAa7taMs

A Session With The Remains is one of my gold standards as far as 60's stuff goes. the band letting loose in a studio late one night after a gig. i love their one and only album but this is the album you need if you want to know what they were capable of live. when i first heard this version of "I'm A Man" i just laughed hysterically and played it as loud as i possibly could over and over again. YOW!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-bD82R_stY

I much prefer the Spiritualized "Shine A Light (Unreleased mix) to the album version. Play this at my funeral.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCJd90kOEug

I guess there's the potential for a lot of Fall answers

gone through a few periods of my life in which all i listened to (cd listen to, wanted to listen to) was the fall peel sessions box set consecutively over & over

I much prefer the version of "Racing in the Street" on The Promise to the one that made it onto Darkness on the Edge of Town.

The BBC versions of "No Thugs in Our House" and "Life Begins at the Hop" on XTC's Transistor Blast box set kill the studio versions.

Moose - The live version of "This River Never Will Run Dry" tacked onto the end of the CD version of ...XYZ. Heavier, dreamier, and (I'd argue) better than the studio cut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtjW9biBSEU

you know, that Peel sessions "Natural's Not In It" is amazing, the guitar sound!! "Entertainment", which I only heard after the Peel Sessions, has always disappointed me......

I'll add the live 3-minute acoustic "Down by The River" that emerged at whatever stage of Neil Young's endless 21st century stream of retrospection.....not sure I like it BETTER, but it seems just as fundamental as the Crazy Horse recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKIC_Kza4Ek

that is a fantastic demo!

somebody once tried to convince me that Stevie was only good bcz of Lindsey, so rong...

Always loved this...Michael's home demo of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2IzJihXPEM

On the Stevie Nicks tip, kind of a demo or alternate take but amazing nonetheless:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPEhIoKeTg0

This thread is the best!

Shades Of Scarlett Conquering by Joni Mitchell, in it's demo form is a warmer prospect than the album version.

Some chords seem different without the additional instrumentation, and a few lyric changes too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqOYcSpxj3g