Various Artists - Rarities Row Vol. 3 (2025)

Just like last time, in Volume 3 of 'Rarities Row' you’ll probably see names you recognize, like Paul Simon, R.E.M and Bruce Springsteen, and one or two less so like Pat Metheny and The Marshal Tucker Band. My leadoff this time is Paul Simon’s 'Sound Of Silence' redone in a beautiful and very different way than the original. It almost ties with Disturb’s version as the best remake I’ve ever heard. It’s unique, yet familiar and haunting, all at the same time. So, let’s just get on with the music. As always, It was a blast putting this volume together, and to know that there are so many more to come. 

Enjoy! 

Michael

Track list and info:

01 The Sound Of Silence (New Unreleased Version) 

Paul Simon - Live At Webster Hall, 2011 

In June 2011, Paul Simon thrilled hometown fans with a special club performance at New York City’s historic Webster Hall. The show was the culmination of a sold-out and triumphant U.S. tour, and the set list was drawn from Simon's legendary career, and included several songs that had not been performed live in many years, including 'Kodachrome', 'Mother And Child Reunion', 'Still Crazy After All These Years', 'Late In The Evening', 'Sounds Of Silence' and 'The Obvious Child'. 

02 Gemini Dream (Live at The Forum) 

The Moody Blues - The Forum, Inglewood, California, 1983 

A live concert radio broadcast recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. on the last night of the North American “Present” Tour, and the third night of their run at The Forum, on December 3, 1983.

03 Losing My Religion (Demo)

R.E.M -1991 

The REM. guitarist, Peter Buck, wrote the main riff and chorus for 'Losing My Religion' on a mandolin. He had recently bought it and was learning how to play, recording as he practiced while watching television. Buck said that "when I listened back to it the next day, there was a bunch of stuff that was really just me learning how to play mandolin, and then there's what became 'Losing My Religion', and then a whole bunch more of me learning to play the mandolin". He said he likely would not have written the chord progression in the same way had he not played it on mandolin. In July 1990, REM. recorded a demo version with the working title 'Sugar Cane' in a studio in Athens, Georgia, featuring the banjo and Hammond organ. Mike Mills wrote a bassline inspired by Fleetwood Mac bassist John McVie. The final version was recorded in September at Bearsville Studio A in Woodstock, New York. Finding the song lacked midrange between the bass and mandolin, R.E.M. enlisted the touring guitarist Peter Holsapple on acoustic guitar. Buck said, "It was really cool: Peter and I would be in our little booth, sweating away, and Bill and Mike would be out there in the other room going at it. It just had a really magical feel." Michael Stipe recorded his vocals in a single take. The strings, arranged by Mark Bingham, were performed by members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Soundscape Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, in October 1990. In the run-up to the 25th anniversary reissue of their 1991 album 'Out Of Time', R.E.M. shared an unheard demo version of 'Losing My Religion'. The lyrics are slightly different—a couple of verses are transposed, and the “choosing my confessions” part is missing. But with fewer words and less studio polish, the song’s world-weary appeal is perhaps even more evident.

04 Rocket Ship (iPhone app demo)

Adrian Belew - Flux 1 2020 

Adrian Belew continues his later age creative renaissance with 'Flux By Belew Volume One'. These are short snippets that range from folky to crunchy guitar to cabaret to a Ventures copy to everything in between. I love music like this and this record has reinforced my belief Adrian Belew belongs on the Mount Rushmore of accessible left field rock weirdness of which his former boss Frank Zappa has the largest bust. Singularly creative and decidedly non-conforming, Belew adds to his incredibly rich musical legacy. Fans of left field idiosyncratic rock will find a ton to like here, and this is a fine place to enter the solo world of a living master. Belew says “FLUX is ‘music which is never the same twice’, and to accommodate the original concept FLUX was released on iTunes as a music app for iPhone and iPad (the only one of its kind, available on iTunes at bit.ly/FLUX_cd). With the app downloaded, you press Play to activate 30 minutes of music, songs, sounds, and visuals which will never happen again in quite the same way, because of some very clever algorithms and a huge amount of content. But it is not feasible to have the same thing occur on a CD, so I ask that you always play the CD in “shuffle” mode. This will give as close an approximation to the way I intend this music to be experienced as can be offered in this format. FLUX is not meant to be listened to in the same running sequence every time, and in order to eventually make all FLUX material available on CD, this will be an ongoing series, updated as needed. My hope is that you will make your own playlist from the content of all the CDs, then put the entire playlist in shuffle and enjoy FLUX: music that is never the same twice!”.

05 Zanzibar (Extended Trumpet Solo)

Billy Joel - My Lives Boxset

'Zanzibar' is a song written by Billy Joel and recorded for his 1978 album '52nd Street.' The song begins with a short slow section, but then moves to a shuffle rhythm. It contains two jazz trumpet solos played by the legendary jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, and the song's bridge begins with a dreamy keyboard section, which leads into the first trumpet solo. According to Phil Ramone, the urgency and sexiness of the trumpet part is enhanced by the ascending and descending line played on bass guitar beneath the solo. The second solo comes at the end of the song and goes into the fade out. Of playing with Hubbard, Joel stated that it "was a special treat for me, because I've always admired and respected jazz players". Joel also recalled that after playing with Hubbard on the song, drummer Liberty DeVitto claimed that "Now I feel like a grown up". Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine considers the melody of 'Zanzibar' to be an homage to Steely Dan's Donald Fagen. 'Zanzibar' was also included on the compilation album 'My Lives'. This version does not fade out the second trumpet solo that ends the song, providing an extra minute and a half of Hubbard's playing. According to producer Phil Ramone, Joel had written the music and had decided he liked the title 'Zanzibar' for the piece, but had not figured out what to say about Zanzibar. Hearing the music conjured up for Ramone images of people watching television in a bar, and as a result Joel decided to make the song about activity in a sports bar named Zanzibar rather than about the island of Zanzibar. The lyrics include a number of contemporary sports references, including to heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali, baseball player Pete Rose, and the baseball team the New York Yankees, who were the World Champions at the time. The lyrics also use a baseball expression as a sexual metaphor when the singer wants to steal second base with a waitress in the bar if the waitress will allow it. 

06 Bright Side Life (Live)

Pat Metheny Group 

Recorded in Boston, MA, on September 21, 1976, this Performance of the title track from Metheny’s debut contains a rare solo by keyboardist Lyle Mays. This recording, which includes Mays, drummer Dan Gottlieb and bass player Eberhard Weber, was the first time 3/4 of the Pat Metheny Group performed together. It would take another year until bassist Mark Egan would join them and they would officially become the Pat Metheny Group. With 3/4 of the players here, and the official Group launch only months away, it is impossible not to regard this as a Pat Metheny Group performance. 

07 Love Comes And Goes (Demo)

Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton - 2021 A&M Release Preview and Almost Famous Über Deluxe Box Set 

Seven demos written for Stillwater, the iconic band in the movie 'Almost Famous'. The LP was  pressed on translucent red vinyl and limited to 6800 copies for a Record Store Day 2021 exclusive. In the movie 'Almost Famous' (2000), the band Stillwater was supposedly an amalgamation of Poco, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin and a few other bands that Cameron Crowe had actually written articles about early in his career with Rolling Stone magazine. One of them leapt off a hotel balcony into a swimming pool. Another almost missed a ride on the tour bus after making a detour to an after-show bash. They met groupies and partook in their share of on-the-road partying, and a newspaper headline declared that the band “runs deep. If you think that sounds like Stillwater, the fictional band from 'Almost Famous', you’d be correct. But those tales also apply to a real-life group of the same name that existed during the same period. The 1973 moustached collective featured in writer/director Cameron Crowe’s film has a legitimate rock pedigree. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready is the real talent behind Russell Hammond, the band’s charismatic lead guitarist (played by Billy Crudup), while ex Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson (Crowe’s wife) plays rhythm guitar for the group. What’s more, ’70s vet Peter Frampton penned several of the Stillwater tunes heard in the movie, and Wilson and Crowe co-wrote the band’s bass driven anthem 'Feverdog', which made the film’s soundtrack. Wilson, who also scored the film, says she recruited talent with classic rock roots (Frampton) and contemporary know-how (McCready), because she knew she wouldn’t create a believable sound otherwise. The goal was to make a band ”that’s really good, but not all the way formed yet,” she tells EW.com. ”An ‘opening for Black Sabbath' kind of sound”. And she also wanted to complement the movie’s satirical if loving take on rock & roll Über egos. ”We had to walk the line between parody and something that sounds legit” says Wilson. The demo nature of it makes it sound like the band is right there with you. Pure unprocessed analog glory. 

08 Havana Daydreaming (Live) 

Jimmy Buffett September 10, 1975 The Boarding House San Francisco, CA 

Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band in their first of three nights at The Boarding House in San Francisco, CA on 9/10/1975. Recorded and broadcast by KSAN 95 FM from San Francisco, CA. 

09 Elected (Early Version)

Alice Cooper - 'Billion Dollar Babies' Expanded 

'Elected' is a song by American rock band Alice Cooper, released in 1972 as the first single off their sixth album 'Billion Dollar Babies'. 'Elected' is a glam rock influenced, hard rock song, and its political theme was inspired by the 1972 United States presidential election. Cooper called the song “total political satire," and added “we hated politics, but the idea of Alice, the scourge of the entire world, being president was just too good”. Both the riff and part of the melody were recycled from 'Reflected', which appeared on their 1969 album 'Pretties For You'. Joey Ramone acknowledged the similarity between 'Elected' and his band's song 'I Wanna Be Sedated' according to Alice Cooper, and the song was a favourite of John Lennon, who called it "a great record", but added that Paul McCartney would've done it better, which Cooper agreed with.

10 Let’s Dance (Live Rehearsal w Stevie Ray Vaughn) 

David Bowie with Stevie Ray Vaughn - Dallas 4-26/27-83 Serious Rehearsals 1983 

David Bowie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, in a broadcast performance in April 1983 just prior to Bowie's Serious Moonlight Tour, to promote his new album 'Let's Dance'. Recorded at the Las Colinas soundstage in Dallas with a small audience, and broadcast on KLBJ FM, Austin, Vaughan was supposed to join Bowie on tour, but the deal was scuttled at the last minute for various reasons. This is the only known broadcast recording of Bowie and Vaughan together, less than two weeks after 'Let's Dance' was released. Vaughan's 'Texas Flood' album with Double Trouble would be released less than two months later, in June that year. To read a piece written by Bowie on his time with Stevie Ray Vaughan, check out the pdf included with the album. 

11 Ring A Ding Ding (Test Recording) 

Frank Sinatra 'Ring A Ding Ding' Dec 19 1960 

'Ring-a-Ding-Ding!' is the twentieth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on May 7 1961.  It was the inaugural record on Sinatra's Reprise label and, as the initial concept was "an album without ballads", it consisted only of up-tempo swing numbers. The title track was written specifically for Sinatra by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. 

12 Saltwater (Spanish Version)

Julian Lennon (Single -1991) 

'Saltwater' by Julian Lennon has a Spanish version titled 'Creo Que Voy A Llorar'. This version was released in Spain and parts of South America as part of the 'Help Yourself' album, and the song's Spanish title translates to 'I Think I Am Going To Cry'.  What is little known is that in Spain as well as in selected South American countries such as Venezuela, the album contained Spanish language versions of three songs: 'Creo Que Voy A Llorar' ('Saltwater'), 'Corazón de Palmera' ('Take Me Home') and 'Es Tarde Ya' ('Maybe I Was Wrong'). Although the Spanish version of 'Saltwater' was also released in the UK and Europe on the 12" and CD single versions of that song, the two others are exclusive to the Spanish/South American pressings of the 'Help Yourself' album. Those are actually so rare that they are hardly – if ever – mentioned in Julian Lennon discographies. 

13 This Ol’ Cowboy (Live) 

The Marshall Tucker Band - Stompin’ Room Only: Greatest Hits Live 1974–76 

The jams on 'Stompin Room Only' are some of the best ever recorded by the band, and the record is the long rumored and highly anticipated album of live material recorded between 1974 and 1976. Recorded in London, Manchester (during their only European tour), in Milwaukee, and at Charlie Daniels annual "Volunteer Jam" in Murfreesboro during the years 1974-1976, the album was originally prepared for release in 1977 by producer Paul Hornsby and included the original line-up. In an unusual series of events, the album's release was first delayed by Capricorn Records and, ultimately, never released, as the master tapes could not be found for more than a quarter of a century. They were recently discovered in pristine condition and that long-awaited album, the virtual "holy grail" of jam band music, is now available. 

14 Jungleland - with violin 

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band -The Prodigal Son meets JEMS at the Main Point (Masters+ Edition) February 5, 1975 

One show, held as a benefit for the ~270-seat coffeehouse, with Springsteen & The E Street Band the sole act on the bill. The show was emceed by DJ Ed Sciaky and began just after 9.00pm. It was broadcast by WMMR-FM, but not as a true simulcast, rather it was broadcast on about a two-hour delay the same night. Interestingly, Springsteen almost backed out of his promise to allow the show to be broadcast, as he wanted to play new songs that were still unfinished - songs that may not be ready for a large radio audience. It took a concentrated effort by Sciaky on the day of the concert to talk Bruce around. An attendee review of the show from 1975 by critic David Fricke states the show took place on February 3, but this appears to be an error by Fricke given detailed interview comments by Sciaky, and the recollections of other attendees. Press reports suggest that Springsteen raised over $1,000 for the Main Point. The complete show was broadcast and the listed 18-song setlist represents the entire concert. Not only is it one of the longest (160 minutes) single-show gigs up to this point, but it's one of the most compelling performances of Springsteen's entire career. There are spellbinding renditions of 'Incident On 57th Street', 'New York City Serenade' and For You' (in the solo piano arrangement), the earliest known performances of 'Mountain Of Love' and 'Thunder Road' (with work-in-progress 'Wings For Wheels' title/lyrics) plus a wild, majestic version of Chuck Berry's 'Back In The U.S.A.'. 'The E Street Shuffle' includes 'Having A Party', while 'Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)' includes a snippet of 'Theme From Shaft' in the midsection. 'A Love So Fine' includes an interlude of 'Shout', and contrary to myth the police siren heard at the conclusion of 'Incident On 57th Street' is an audio prop that had been utilized at a few of Bruce's shows just prior to this one, and was not a real vehicle. Musicians in The E Street Band for this performance were Roy Bittan, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, Max Weinberg, and Suki Lahav on violin. Lahav is an Israeli violinist, vocalist, actress, lyricist, screenwriter, and novelist, and was a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band from October 1974 to March 1975 (when her then-husband Louis was Springsteen’s sound engineer at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, New York), before returning to Israel to find success there. 

There are full notes about how this 'Masters + Edition' remaster came about in Mike's pdf. 

Various Artists - Rarities Row Vol. 2 (2025)

Welcome back to volume 2! For those that missed it the first time around… Recently I was on the hunt for a rare song in my massive collection of fourteen 14 TB hard drives and as I was searching I thought what a shame it is that I have all this cool stuff and only share bits and pieces here and there when needed. So I thought I would start a new series here that doesn’t just focus on one artist at a time… but various artists from my entire collection. Thus was the birth of Rarity Row. Volume 2 features more great (and less known) artists - folks you might be familiar with, like Prince, Talking Heads, Steely Dan, and the Eagles, and those you might not be as familiar with (but should be!) like The Carpenters and Suzanne Vega. And even a few you’ve never heard of (BUT DEFINITELY SHOULD!) like Millard Powers, and his track is so strong, I chose it as my leadoff for this volume. Millard comes from a family tree that sprouts some of my favourite fun type of music…Power Pop. In other volumes of The Row I’ll feature Owsley, The Semantics and Ben Folds, three more from the Power Pop genre that I dig so much, and I know you will too! But for now, let’s just get on with the music. It was a blast putting this volume together...and to know that there are so many more to come. 

Enjoy! 

Michael 

Track list and a bit more info: 

01 She’s So Clean 

Millard Powers - from 'Millard Powers' (Out Of Print) 

Avery Millard Powers III (born December 24, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and student at the Grammy-nominated recording engineer. While at  University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the 1980's, he collaborated with fellow student Ben Folds and with Alabama-based singer songwriter Owsley, both of which he continued to work with as a musician and as a producer for the next several decades. Since 2005, he has played bass guitar in the band Counting Crows. Powers released a self-titled solo album in 2001, playing all instruments (bass, guitar, drums, keyboard), recording, producing, mixing, and engineering the album himself in his apartment in Nashville, Tennessee. No other artists were featured on the album.  

02 Get Up Kate (Demo) 

The Eagles 1972 - Rare and Unreleased (mostly Live) - recorded 1971, unreleased. 

A rocker with a Frey lead vocal, 'Get Up Kate' was cut as a studio track for the debut LP but was never officially released. A live version, featuring harmonies by Linda Ronstadt, appears on one of her compilations, and the band’s studio version can be found online. The story goes that after returning from their London sessions with Glyn Johns, the band went back to the studio with producers Bill Halverson and Wally Heider to record additional tracks, but 'Get Up Kate' (written by Frey), was shelved. High harmonies give the choruses snap and the dual-guitar stuff has spunk. The Eagles recorded a record of unreleased songs, covers and originals, at the famous Wally Haider Studios before their debut album was released in 1972 . 'Get Up Kate' was a song that Frey had occasionally sung with Linda Ronstadt's band, and The Eagles also performed it a few times in 1972. 

03 Dallas - Never on CD 

Steely Dan 6-72 Single and Plus 4’s EP 

'Dallas' is the first single by Steely Dan, sung by drummer Jim Hodder. The song was not on the band's debut album 'Can't Buy A Thrill' but was included on the 1978 Japan-only compilation 'Steely Dan'. It, and its b-side, 'Sail The Waterway', was also included on a 12-inch single version of 'Haitian Divorce' released in the UK. It was recorded by Poco in 1975 on their 'Head Over Heels' album. Personnel:

Donald Fagen – electric piano, piano, backing vocals 

Walter Becker – bass guitar 

Jeff Baxter – pedal steel guitar, guitars 

Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, lead vocals 

David Palmer – backing vocals 

Tim Moore – backing vocals 

04 Left Of Center (Live) 

Suzanne Vega 1983 EP 

'Left of Center' is a song written by Suzanne Vega and Steve Addabbo, which was released as part of the soundtrack to the 1986 film 'Pretty In Pink'. It features Joe Jackson on piano and was released as a single in May 1986, reaching No. 35 in Australia, No. 28 in Ireland, and No. 32 in the United Kingdom. 

05 Live To Tell (Demo) 

Madonna 1986 

 'Live To Tell" is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album, 'True Blue' (1986), and also featured in the crime drama 'At Close Range', starring her then-husband Sean Penn. In mid-1985, after completing the Virgin Tour, Madonna began working with musician and producer Patrick Leonard, who had served as the tour's musical director. The two first collaborated on 'Love Makes The World Go Round', which Madonna performed at the Live Aid benefit concert in July. Around this time, she married actor Sean Penn, whom she had met on the set of her 'Material Girl' music video. Leonard, meanwhile, was aiming to transition into film scoring, and composed an instrumental piece intended for Paramount's 1986 film 'Fire With Fire'. However, the studio rejected the track, feeling it didn't fit the movie's tone. Madonna, intrigued by the composition, offered to write lyrics for it and proposed using the song for 'At Close Range', a crime drama starring Penn. According to author Rikky Rooksby, she wrote the lyrics "on the spot", crafting a melody and bridge inspired by the film’s themes of family secrets and emotional trauma. "Sometimes when I'm writing songs, I'm just channeling", she later said, adding that the lyrics reflected personal pain and yearning, whether autobiographical or fictional. After recording a demo, she played it for director James Foley and Penn, who responded positively. Penn called Leonard, who at the time was working with Michael Jackson on his 1987 album 'Bad', and invited him to meet. When asked who would sing the song, since the lyrics had been written from a male perspective, Leonard insisted Madonna should perform it. He chose to use the demo vocals, feeling they captured a sense of naivety and emotional rawness that suited the piece. "It was so innocent and so shy. It's as naive, as raw as can be, and that’s part of what gave 'Live To Tell' all its charm", Leonard explained. Recording sessions for 'True Blue' took place at Channel Recording Studios in Los Angeles, where the final version of 'Live to Tell' was completed. 

06 Leave It (A Capella Version)

Yes - 1983 B-Side 

'Leave It' is a song by English rock band Yes. It appears on their 1983 album, '90125', and was released as its second single, following 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart'. The song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 [6] and number 3 on the Top Album Rock Tracks chart.  In the UK, the song rose to number 56 in late March 1984, in a run of five weeks on the chart.  

07 My Fair Share (The Love Them From 'One On One') (Out Of Print Soundtrack) 

Seal And Crofts - 1977 'One On One' Soundtrack 

'One On One' is the soundtrack album to the movie of the same title, starring Robby Benson. The music was written entirely by Charles Fox, with lyrics by Paul Williams, and Seals and Crofts provided the vocals. The single 'My Fair Share (Love Theme from 'One On One')' reached #11 AC and #28 Pop in autumn 1977. It was first released on CD in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records, and digitally by Rhino Records (another label of Warner Bros.) in 2008.

08 It's Probably Me (Alternate Version) 

Sting w Eric Clapton 

'It's Probably Me' is a song Sting rerecorded in 1993 for his 'Ten Summoner's Tales' album, without any of the other musicians, and it was originally released in 1992 as a collaboration by Sting featuring Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen, and David Sanborn. Released from the soundtrack to the action comedy film 'Lethal Weapon 3' in June 1992, the song reached number 20 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 12 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It was more successful in Europe, peaking at number one in Italy, number four in France, and number six in the Netherlands. 

09 People On The Streets (Early Alternative Vocal Version of Under Pressure) 

Queen and David Bowie -1981 

A unique mix of 'Under Pressure', which features a very early vocal take from Freddie Mercury, David Bowie (and Brian May!), likely when the song was under the working title 'People On The Streets'. Roger Taylor recalled in 2002: "David came in one night, and we were just playing other people’s songs for fun and David said, ‘This is stupid. Why don’t we just write one?’ It was originally called ‘People On The Streets’, and that was the basis of it, and we took the multi track tapes to New York, and I spent all day there with David and mixed it that night." Driven by Deacon’s incredible bassline, something which deserves all the praise it receives, both Bowie and Mercury battled in the vocal booth fuelled, as Blake suggests, by the two intoxicants of wine and cocaine. Blake describes the scene, beginning with the recollections of Queen’s guitarist: “‘We felt our way through a backing track all together as an ensemble,’ recalled May. ‘When the backing track was done, David said, ‘Okay, let’s each of us go in the vocal booth and sing how we think the melody should go—just off the top of our heads—and we’ll compile a vocal out of that’.” He continues: “And that’s what we did. Some of these improvisations, including Mercury’s memorable introductory scatting vocal, would endure on the finished track. Bowie also insisted that he and Mercury shouldn’t hear what the other had sung, swapping verses blind, which helped give the song its cut-and-paste feel.” 

10 Chicago 1945 (demo)  

Michael Jackson (leaked unreleased song intended for 'Victory' album 1983) 

'Chicago 1945' is an unreleased song written by American singer songwriter Michael Jackson and Steve Pocarro, who also produced it. It was intended for the 'Victory' or 'Bad' albums, and on 27 January 2023, the track leaked online. Pocarro recalls: “Years ago, Michael and I wrote a song called 'Chicago 1945' – I did the music and Michael the lyrics, he recorded the song twice, but never put it on an album… the instruments were played in a constant rhythm in the 16th note, which was called ‘yada’. When I explained this to Michael, he liked it so much he gave me that nickname!.” It was recorded in 1983 during the 'Victory' sessions, and was intended for said album. However, it wasn't in the final cut. 'Chicago 1945' was revisited again by Jackson in the Spring of 1986 during the 'Bad' sessions with new, live drums being added, and although it had a chance to make it on the album, it again didn't make the cut. 

11 Let It Rain (YouTube exclusive Video) 

The Doobie Brothers w/ Peter Frampton 2020 

The Doobie Brothers and Peter Frampton have partnered for a cover of Eric Clapton’s 1970 track, 'Let It Rain'. The song and its accompanying video were recorded virtually, with Frampton and every member of the Doobie Brothers contributing their parts remotely. 'Let It Rain' is a perfect choice for the Doobies and Frampton, who add a little extra instrumental oomph — especially when Frampton and Tom Johnston start trading guitar solos — but they otherwise remain faithful to the original’s cathartic pop-rock charms. Johnston tells Rolling Stone how the collaboration came together, saying: “A couple of months ago, Peter and I were going over various tunes after deciding to do a song or video together. I tossed out ‘Let It Rain’ by Eric Clapton and he loved the idea. He’s a phenomenal guitarist and a fan of Clapton’s, as am I, so it seemed a great idea to take to the rest of the guys. Peter, Pat, and I took verses and solos and John played some cool pedal steel and helped us put that together with Bill Payne on piano, John Cowan on bass, and Ed Toth on drums. Also Rob Arthur who did all the video work played B3. It was a team effort! We really enjoyed working together on this with Peter.” Frampton added: “It was so much fun playing with my friends the Doobie Brothers even virtually! I look forward to a time when we can, hopefully, play together in person.” The Doobie Brothers have dropped a handful of at-home performances this year after they were forced to postpone their 2020 touring plans because of Covid-19. In April, they shared a socially distanced take on 'Black Water', and a few months later they dropped a rendition of 'Listen To The Music'. In July, they got together with Traffic’s Dave Mason to help him re-record 'Feelin’ Alright'. with additional help from Sammy Hagar, Mick Fleetwood, and Michael McDonald. 

12 Carolina In My Mind (Solo Acoustic Demo)  

James Taylor - James Taylor - Original expanded album 

'Carolina In My Mind' is a song originally written and performed by the American singer-songwriter James Taylor, and it was his second single from his 1968 self titled debut album. Taylor wrote 'Carolina In My Mind' while in England recording for the Beatles' label Apple Records, and the song's themes reflect his homesickness at the time. Released as a single in 1969, the song earned critical praise but not commercial success. It was re-recorded for Taylor's 1976 'Greatest Hits' album in the version that is most familiar to listeners, but the original recording of the song was done at London's Trident Studios during the July to October 1968 period, and was produced by Peter Asher. The song's lyric "holy host of others standing around me" makes reference to the Beatles, who were recording 'The Beatles' in the same studio where Taylor was recording his album. Indeed, the recording of 'Carolina In My Mind' includes a credited appearance by Paul McCartney on bass guitar and an uncredited one by  George Harrison on backing vocals. 

13 Tears Dry On Their Own (unofficial remix) 

Amy Winehouse and Eric Clapton

This is a digital version which was originally released in 2007 and was part of an unofficial Russian CDr (CD-ROM) from 2012: 'Amy Winehouse & Duffy - MP3 Collection'. 

14 Oyster Bay (unreleased demo 1973) 

Billy Joel - 'My Lives' box set

Billy Joel says in the liner notes to 'My Lives' that he can understand why some people don't like his music based off the countless hits he's had. This box set in theory was created to show off the multiple facets to Joel as an artist. One purpose definitely seems to have been a cleaning out of the vaults, so to speak. 23 of the songs here have never been released previously, and there are different versions of old standards. Throw in some B-Sides, live performances, and a live DVD, and I suppose you certainly get a glimpse of the versatility of Joel. One would think though more album cuts would have made the list, instead of demos, although 'Oyster Bay' shows us one of those classic Joel character studies while taking its sound from Elton John-era Elton.

15 Get Together (''Your Navy Presents'' Version) 

The Carpenters live 1970 

Unofficial release of the 1970 US Navy Radio Broadcast Show Presented by Sam Riddle. This release has several interesting and unique performances that they recorded live in the studio. Firstly, there's 'Get Together' sung by Karen, but originally sung by Richard on their debut album 'Offering' (later re-released as 'Ticket To Ride'.) This version was also released on 'From The Top' in 1991 and on 'The Essential Collection (1965 - 1997)' in 2002. 'Love Is Surrender' sounds like an early edit with a few instruments missing that were added before being released on the 'Close To You' album. 'Can't Buy Me Love' and 'Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing & All I Can Do' are unique to this broadcast as they've never been released on any other format. The same goes for 'Cinderella Rockerfella' and 'I Fell In Love', although these were also performed in their early concerts up until 1973. 'Flat Baroque' also sounds like an earlier version that was revised and re-recorded using different instruments for the 'A Song For You' album. 

16 Purple Rain (Unedited 19-minute Movie Version)

Prince (Live In Syracuse, March 30, 1985) 

In the semi-darkness of the Carrier Dome indoor stadium in Syracuse, New York, a voice breaks through: "Hello Syracuse and the world. My name is Prince." That was Prince's address to the city and the world on the evening of 30 March 1985, before beginning his concert, which was filmed and transmitted live by satellite in the United States and several other countries. A little later, TV stations in Europe aired the show, including Antenne 2 (now France 2), on 25 May, in the program 'Les Enfants du Rock'. The venue had been decorated in Prince’s signature purple flowers, with a steady stream of dramatic smoke pouring across the stage whilst lasers shone through the mysterious built-up mist. Prince had just released the album that would cement his place in rock’s rich tapestry, 'Purple Rain', though the ensuing tour would make him one of the game’s legends. Drummer Robert Rivkin noted the preshow ritual, saying: “We’d all gather in Prince’s dressing room, in a circle, and either he would speak, or he would point to one of us, and we would speak of the night. I can remember everybody seemed to rise to the occasion and had very inspiring words against the backdrop of twenty thousand screaming people waiting for us”. “There was always that final moment of togetherness before we hit the stage,” Rivkin added. “We didn’t ever just go out there without first connecting to each other and looking in each other’s eyes and Prince checking us out and us checking him out”. As the curtain began to creep up slowly just before the show, a mysterious yet small figure stood entranced in the fog and shadow. Then, out of nowhere, the band got stuck into ‘Let’s Go Crazy‘, and the audience followed suit, some 38,000 of them. The concert had also been one of the first pay-per-view musical events. Lisa Coleman said: “Prince was our conductor. We took our cues from him. He spoke a lot with his face. You had to rely on that a lot. A lot of the time, he can’t control it, so you learned what was pleasing to him and what frustrated him. And then he did like the ugly funky face when you did something he liked. That was always a good high”. Serving as the first of two encores, 'I Would Die 4 U' and 'Baby I'm A Star' were drawn out into an extended jam session. Sheila E. and her band, Apollonia 6 and Eric Leeds were also in this section of the show. The last encore was 'Purple Rain', which Prince played this over 18 minutes, which included a longer intro, with Wendy encouraging the audience to sing the song's post-chorus "ohh ohh" vocals, and lengthy guitar solos on two of Prince's guitars (both seen in the movie and in videos), including the white Cloud guitar.

Billy Joel - All My Life (2014) **UPDATE**

It was mentioned in a comment from Michael P. that there was another track that I could have included here, which was the extended single version of 'Sometimes A Fantasy' from 1980, which not only included a 'Helter Skelter' reference for those in the know, but also has different panning on the guitars, so I've decided to update the post. 

For a man who has only released twelve studio albums spanning 1971-1993, Billy Joel has a large number of rare and alternate tracks out there, from edited promo singles to extended 12"s, duets to rare cover versions. This set gathers together fourteen of the best of them, starting with the edited promo 7" of his 'Piano Man' single from 1973, which might sound odd to fans of the longer version, but the label obviously didn't feel that radio stations wouldn't play a four and a half minute song back then. We then jump forward to 1982 for a rare non-album b-side, followed by extended versions of a couple of his singles, and an alternate take of a collaboration with Steve Winwood. 1993 sees another rare b-side and the original extended version of the title track from his 'River Of Dreams' album, and from the mid 2000's he was duetting with a number of other artists, such as Tony Bennett, Barbara Streisand, Jimmy Webb, Rosie O'Donnell, and Johnny Mathis. In 2007 he released the 'All My Life' single only in Australia, and we end with a couple of covers of Paul McCartney songs, recorded for the 'Art Of McCartney' tribute album in 2014. Hopefully even the most ardent Joel fan should find something of interest here that they might not have heard before. 

Track listing

01 Piano Man (edited promo single 1973) 

02 Sometimes A Fantasy (single edit 1980)
03 Elvis Presley Blvd. (b-side of 'Allentown' 1982)
04 Tell Her About It (extended version 1983) 
05 Keeping The Faith (special extended mix 1983) 
06 Getting Closer (alternate version with Steve Winwood 1986)
07 You Picked A Real Bad Time (b-side of 'All About Soul' 1993) 
08 The River Of Dreams (original extended version 1993) 
09 The Good Life (duet with Tony Bennett 2006)
10 All My Life (single 2007)
11 Wichita Lineman (duet with Jimmy Webb 2010)
12 New York State Of Mind (duet with Barbara Streisand 2014)
13 Maybe I'm Amazed (from 'The Art Of McCartney' tribute album 2014) 
14 Live And Let Die (from 'The Art Of McCartney' tribute album 2014)

Various Artists - The Hitmakers Sing Billy Joel (2023)

In 1976 Billy Joel released his fifth studio album, and fourth for Columbia Records, 'Turnstiles', which sold modestly and peaked low on the US charts, prompting Columbia to consider dropping him if his next release sold as poorly. He wanted the new album to feature his touring band, formed during the production of 'Turnstiles', consisting of drummer Liberty DeVitto, bassist Doug Stegmeyer, and multi-instrumentalist saxophonist/organist Richie Cannata, and so seeking out a new producer he first turned to veteran Beatles producer George Martin, before coming across and settling on Phil Ramone, whose name he had seen on albums by other artists such as Paul Simon. Recording took place over three weeks in July and August 1977, and featured DeVitto, Stegmeyer and Cannata, with other studio musicians filling in on guitar when needed. Four of the songs were released as singles in North America, with the opening song, 'Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)', centered around Anthony, a grocery-store employee from Long Island who "dreams of making it big", receiving pressure from his family to move out and go his own way, while 'Just The Way You Are' was inspired by Joel's love for his wife at the time, Elizabeth Weber, and she also inspired the song 'More Than A Woman'. The seven and a half minute epic 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant', was stitched together from three shorter songs, 'The Italian Restaurant Song', 'Things Are OK In Oyster Bay' and 'The Ballad Of Brenda And Eddie', into one of his best know pieces. When 'The Stranger' was released in September 1977 it spent six weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200, and it is considered Joel's critical and commercial breakthrough record. All four singles that were released in the US became Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, with 'Just The Way You Are' making it to number 3. It remains his best-selling non-compilation album to date, and with so many memorable songs on it, it's no surprise that many of them have been covered over the years, by artists as diverse as Barry White and Umphrey's McGee. 

Track listing

01 Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (Alex Goot 2014)    
02 The Stranger (I_Like_It_Here 2020) 
03 Just The Way You Are (Barry White 1978)
04 Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (Umphrey's McGee 2019)
05 Vienna (Couch 2023)
06 Only The Good Die Young (Taryn Southern 2015)       
07 She's Always A Woman (Lynda Carter 1978)
08 Get It Right The First Time (The Billy Joel Experience 2019)
08 Everybody Has A Dream (The Manhattans 1978)

Leslie West - ...and on guitar (1993) R.I.P.

Leslie Weinstein was born on 22 October 1945 in New York City to Jewish parents, and after his parents divorced, he changed his surname to West. His musical career began in 1966 with The Vagrants, an R&B/blue-eyed soul-rock band influenced by the likes of the Rascals, who had two minor hits in the Eastern United States with 'I Can't Make A Friend' in 1966 and a cover of Otis Redding's 'Respect' the following year. Some of The Vagrants' recordings were co-written and produced by Felix Pappalardi, who was also working with Cream on their album 'Disraeli Gears'. In 1969, West and Pappalardi formed the pioneering hard rock act Mountain, which was also the title of West's debut solo album of that year, and which Rolling Stone described as a band who were a "louder version of Cream". With Steve Knight on keyboards and original drummer N. D. Smart, the band's original incarnation saw West and Pappalardi sharing vocal duties and playing guitar and bass, respectively. New drummer Corky Laing joined the band shortly after their appearance on the second day of the Woodstock festival, and they had success with their single 'Mississippi Queen' in 1970, which reached No. 21 on the Billboard charts and No. 4 in Canada, and later with 'Theme For An Imaginary Western' in 1973, which was written by Cream bassist Jack Bruce. After Pappalardi left Mountain to concentrate on various production projects, West and Laing produced two studio albums and a live release with Jack Bruce under the name West, Bruce and Laing. West and keyboard player Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears recorded with The Who during the March 1971 'Who's Next' sessions laying down a cover of Marvin Gaye's 'Baby Don't You Do It', as well as early versions of 'Love Ain't For Keepin'' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again', as well as adding guitar to albums by Mylon, Bobby Keys and Felix Cavaliere during the early 70's. Mountain reformed in 1973 only to break up again in late 1974, after which West played guitar on 'Bo Diddley Jam' on Bo Diddley's 1976 '20th Anniversary Of Rock 'n' Roll' all-star album. Since 1981, Mountain has continued to reform, tour and record on a regular basis, while in 1991 West teamed up with Deep Purple's Ian Gillan to co-write and play guitar on 'Hang Me Out To Dry' on Gillan's 'ToolBox' album, and in 1993 he played guitar on three tracks from Billy Joel's last studio album 'River Of Dreams'. West suffered a heart attack in his home near Daytona, Florida, on December 20, 2020 and was rushed to hospital in nearby Palm Coast where he never regained consciousness, and died shortly afterwards. He was 75. 

Track listing

01 A Sunny Summer Rain (single by The Vagrants 1967)
02 Hellhound On My Trail (from 'Maverick Child' by David Rea 1969)
03 Gray Afternoon (from 'Home' by Jolliver Arkansaw 1969)
04 Blue Suede Shoes (from 'Over The Influence' by Mylon 1972)
05 Key West (from 'Bobby Keys' by Bobby Keys 1972)
06 Love Ain't For Keeping (recorded 1971, from 'Odds And Sods' reissue by The Who 1999)
07 Hit And Run (from 'Destiny' by Felix Cavaliere 1975)
08 Masquerade (from 'Our Pleasure To Serve You' by Stanky Brown Group 1976)
09 Hey Bo Diddley (from 'The 20th Anniversary Of Rock & Roll' by Bo Diddley 1976)
10 Let Me Out'a Here (from 'Guitar Speak' 1988)
11 Hang Me Out To Dry (from 'ToolBox' by Ian Gillan 1991)
12 No Man's Land (from 'River Of Dreams' by Billy Joel 1993)

Thanks to Fredrick for the suggestion.

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Attila - Attila (1970)

Hard rock and metal were hot in 1970, and spurred by the groundbreaking success of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and a rejuvenated Deep Purple, there were a bunch of heavy new bands that were trying to follow in their success. This included a struggling singer-songwriter from Long Island named Billy Joel, who swapped his classical piano for a Hammond B-3 organ and formed the short-lived proto-metal duo Attila with drummer John Small. The two young musicians had been playing together since 1967 in local psychedelic group the Hassles, but after a pair of unsuccessful albums, Joel and Small reinvented themselves in 1969, overcoming their lack of a metal staple, the electric guitar, by plugging Joel’s organ into a Marshall stack and loading it with distortion. Joel also handled bass and vocals, and they managed to get a record deal with Epic Records to record an album. They picked some of their most forceful songs, such as 'Wonder Woman', 'Revenge is Sweet', and 'Brain Invasion', all boasting frantic keyboard work and histrionic vocals by Joel. They also had less metal songs like 'Rollin' Home', and even an eight-minute jazz-rock-tinged instrumental 'Amplifier Fire', spread over two parts subtitled 'Godzilla' and 'March of the Huns'. The album cover was the final touch, with Joel and Small transformed into barbarian invaders, and this all proved to be too much for some AllMusic critics, who selected 'Attila' as one of the worst rock albums of all time. Joel himself has gone on record as describing the album as 'psychedelic bullshit', but it's very much a record of it's time, and there is some good music to be heard on here, as well as being an interesting diversion for Joel before settling down to the singer/songwriter career that we know him for. Although this album does exist, it's extremely hard to track down, so I'm sharing it here for people who might not have known about this early aberration from one of their favourite artists. 

Track listing

01 Wonder Woman
02 California Flash
03 Revenge Is Sweet
04 Amplifier Fire (Part I: Godzilla/Part II: March Of The Huns)
05 Rollin' Home
06 Tear This Castle Down
07 Holy Moses
08 Brain Invasion