Wednesday, June 6, 2007

A future box set?


Do I think that the Tall Sessions (as a whole) might get released at some point?

Short answer, no. I would hope that some of the demos and solid alternate takes would someday be released, but there's no reason to release most of it. The August 12, 1993 DAT that was leaked is decieving; its a one off session, but the songs like Title Song, BBY, SGGS, and Tied Up And Swallowed were clearly worked on and ready to go. They smoke. In particular, BBY, TS, and TUAS would be on my list of songs to release - ironic since they circulate, but they are all first rate performances and two of those songs are still not known to have been recorded elsewhere.

The "Tall Sessions/Rehearsal" from late 1993 are mostly run throughs and slop until the final arrangements gets worked out. One of the DATs was labeled "TBC roughs" and had the "best of" from the rehearsals. Maybe something like that would be the starting point for a Tall/Amorica sessions release. Maybe the songs like Painkiller and Wind & Wood Heart that don't circulate (yes, a really bad version of Painkiller circulates), but again, what's to prevent the band from revisiting those songs and releasing them later? The Rolling Stones sometimes released songs 20 years after first working on them - its a reference point. I'm not sure what market there is for alternate versions of songs.

There's a handful of people who salivate over that stuff - heck I salivate over versions of songs that are not overbloated with loudness problems - but I think most people don't care. Take "Band" for instance. I've yet to see or read any discussion about the different takes on the official release as compared to the bootleg of the 1997 version. About half of the tracks are different takes but nobody seems to care. I think releasing a funkier version of P. 25 London would just be a waste for most fans. From that era, I'd stick entirely with really fantastic and different alternate takes and completely unreleased songs (officially unreleased).Other stuff, like Pastoral, Nothing Love Everything, Spider, Unlikely Morning, Out West, Tickle Tickle and the rest of the 1996-1998 unreleased catalogue would be more interesting to me. Those years were actually the most productive in the Crowes writing and contain the greatest amount of unreleased gems - almost all of which do not circulate. You could do 2 or 3 albums of unreleased songs that were demo quality from that time period and just call it "Lost Crowes 2".

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, being the completist that I am, and one who enjoys false start sessions, studio banter, and rough early versions of songs, I can only hope that more sessions make their way to my ears. But then, that's just me being greedy.

Frayed said...

I think in a perfect world the band would find some way to release everything. I'm not sure that's actually possible though - contractual stuff and copyright stuff might get in the way?

I think if they could do it, to charge a buck a song for FLAC downloads - release 1 per week. Some would be gems, others would be cut short stuff that has novelty and completist value. Completists would probably get everything and the band could make some cash off their fans.

It'd be a really interesting view for fans to see the band work out songs from start to finish.

Anonymous said...

it's very similar, but to a lesser degree, to The Beach Boys. Especially pertaining to Smile sessions.

Actually, both Pet Sounds AND Smile have been rumoured, one time or another, to be released as boxed sets. THAT'S the way to do it.

Sadly, the more realistic way this stuff gets out is bootlegged, (See Smile Sessions box set), or bits and pieces being released on a boxed set (See GOOD VIBRATIONS BOXED SET).

That being said, the crowes are NOT the beach boys, and demand probably does not warrant a) a boxed set b) the release of unreleased material.

You're best hope is for "leakage".

Anonymous said...

I never really thought I'd be in a position where actually hoping for any sort of leakage would be a good thing, but I know what you mean.