Showing posts with label Kate Bush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kate Bush. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Various Artists - Rarities Row Vol. 1 (2025)

Here is something a bit special from Mike Solof - a trawl through his huge collection of rare music, with something to satisfy all tastes, from heavy rock to jazz, progressive rock to powerpop, and bubblegum pop to classic singer/songwriter. They are mostly tracks that you will have heard before, but not in these versions, and so over to Mike to introduce it.
I’m starting up a new series called Rarity Row and this is volume 1! 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'. Each Volume will contain about an hours worth of cool tunes culled from bootlegs, rare B-sides, box sets, rare singles, live cuts and just plain old out of print very hard to find albums. I already have two more volumes lined up but I thought I would see the reaction to this first before posting more. I also am doing a slightly different type of track list, as I’m going to post the name of the song, the source of the song with a picture of the source I used and maybe a tiny bit more about it if I think it’s necessary. But mostly I’m going to let the music speak for itself. I hope you dig Volume One. It was a blast putting it together!

Michael 



Track listing and brief info: 

01 Crying In The Night (Single Mix) 
Buckingham Nicks (1973) Beginnings 


'Buckingham Nicks' is the only studio album by the duo of American rock guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks, both of whom later joined Fleetwood Mac. Produced by Keith Olsen, the album was released in September 1973 by Polydor Records. The album was a commercial failure on its original release, and despite the duo's subsequent success, it has yet to be commercially remastered or re-released digitally. Recording sessions for 'Buckingham Nicks' took place at Sound City Studios, and Olsen took the opportunity to purchase a large Neve console for the facility, as he owned part of the studio at the time, and 'Crying in the Night', the opening song on 'Buckingham Nicks', was the first song recorded on the device. Various session musicians, including drummer Jim Keltner and guitarist Waddy Wachtel, assisted in recording the album, and Buckingham performed two guitar instrumentals on the album: 'Django' and 'Stephanie'. 'Django' was written by pianist guitarist John Lewis in the 1950s to honour jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, while 'Stephanie' was written by Buckingham as a love song for Nicks, as she was born as Stephanie Lynn Nicks. Buckingham wrote the song in late 1971 or early 1972 while recovering from a bout of mononucleosis that forced him to play while lying flat on his back. It was revealed on 22 July 2025 that the album had been remastered and would be released on CD, vinyl, and streaming on 19 September 2025

02 REO Speedwagon - Don't Let Him Go (Demo) 
REO Speedwagon The Classic Years 1978-1990


'Don't Let Him Go' is a song written by Kevin Cronin, and it was originally released as the opening song for REO Speedwagon's #1 album 'Hi Fidelity', and it was also released as a single, reaching #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. 'Don't Let Him Go' has appeared on several REO Speedwagon greatest hits albums, and Cronin recalls that it was the first song he wrote for 'Hi Infidelity'. Like the #1 single from the album, 'Keep On Loving You', the lyrics of 'Don't Let Him Go' are about breaking up with a longtime girlfriend. 

03 Name Of The Game - 1971 unreleased Al Kooper single mix 
1971 unreleased Al Kooper single 


Badfinger's 1971 'Name Of The Game' is the sixth track from the power pop band's  album, 'Straight Up', and was written by Pete Ham. After the release of their album 'No Dice', Badfinger began work on an untitled follow-up, with Geoff Emerick producing sessions for the songs that were to be on the album, among them being 'Name Of The Game'. It was also intended to be released as the lead single from this album, backed with 'Suitcase', a track written by Joey Molland, but despite efforts from George Harrison (who was impressed greatly by the track) to remix the song, the single, as well as the rest of the album, were cancelled due to input from Phil Spector. This single edit appeared on some reissues of 'Straight Up'. When George Harrison returned to produce a new album for Badfinger, one of the songs that he worked on was 'Name Of The Game', but upon his departure to oversee The Concert for Bangladesh, Todd Rundgren came in to finish the album, and on its completion, the album, now titled 'Straight Up', featured 'Name Of The Game' at the end of side one.

04 Stairway To Heaven #6 (with vocals) 
Led Zeppelin Studio Magik - Sessions 1968-1980 


'Stairway To Heaven' is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 8 November 1971 on the band's untitled fourth studio album (commonly known as 'Led Zeppelin IV'), by Atlantic Records. Composed by the band's guitarist Page with lyrics written by lead singer Jimmy Robert Plant, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time. The initial idea was to have this quite fragile guitar that would open up this piece of music and for something that would accelerate as it went through from beginning to end, but to actually pull this idea off properly was a different story. According to Page "It's all accelerating, it's all moving, but it's not necessarily orchestrating, although it's overdubbing, increasing the texture as it goes through". 

05 Sister Golden Hair (Demo)
America 50th Anniversary The Collection


'Sister Golden Hair' is a song by the band America, written by Gerry Beckley, from their fifth album 'Hearts' in 1975. It was their second single to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, remaining in the top position for one week. Beckley says "There was no actual Sister Gold Hair." The lyrics were largely inspired by the works of Jackson Browne. Beckley commented, "Jackson Browne has a knack, an ability to put words to music, that is much more like the L.A. approach to just genuine observation as opposed to simplifying it down to its bare essentials... I find Jackson can depress me a little bit, but only through his honesty; and it was that style of his which led to a song of mine, 'Sister Golden Hair', which is probably the more L.A. of my lyrics." Beckley adds that 'Sister Golden Hair' "was one of the first times I used 'ain't' in a song, but I wasn't making an effort to. I was just putting myself in that frame of mind and I got those kind of lyrics out of it." 

06 French Song #04 (Alternate Mix, Stereo) 
The Monkees Present US Rhino Box set [2013 Present US Rhino RHM2 535908] 


Musicians
Davy Jones: Lead Vocal
Louie Shelton: Acoustic Guitar
Frank Bugbee: Acoustic Guitar
Michel Rubini: Organ
Max Bennett: Bass
Hal Blaine: Drums
Tim Weisberg: Flute
Emil Richards: Percussion
Producers Davy Jones, Bill Chadwick
Writers: Bill Chadwick 

07 Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow (UK Single)
20 Years of Jethro Tull box Set 


'The Jethro Tull Christmas Album' was much praised on first release, with Rolling Stone noting admiringly: “The originals simmer with eccentric, eclectic, folky energy, rocking ditties threaded through with Celtic stylings, jazzy undercurrents, Ian Anderson’s distinctive flute and wry humour.” Allmusic called it “perhaps the most satisfying Tull releases in 25 years.”  
 
08 Magic Man (Demo) 
Heart - 1975 Strange Euphoria Box Set 


'Magic Man' is a song by the American rock band Heart, released as a single from their debut album 'Dreamboat Annie'. Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by an older man (referred to as a Magic Man), much to the chagrin of her mother, who calls and begs the girl to come home. In an interview, Ann Wilson revealed that 'Magic Man' was about her then boyfriend, band manager Michael Fisher, and that part of the song was an autobiographical tale of the beginnings of their relationship. In the United States, 'Magic Man' received its first release in summer 1976, after the first US single 'Crazy On You' introduced Americans to the group's sound. It became Heart's first top 10 hit, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 6, 1976. 

09 Runnin' With the Devil 
Van Halen - Complete Zero 
Gene Simmons produced Demos (May 1976) 


In 1976, Gene Simmons of KISS was encouraged to see Van Halen as a possible act for his new label. He produced a demo that included many songs the band would eventually record for their early studio albums, including a version of 'Runnin’ With The Devil'. The demo went nowhere, but Van Halen’s momentum finally became impossible to deny. Producer Ted Templeman got them a deal at Warner Bros. after seeing one of their live performances. The first sound that you hear on the band’s debut album is a rising, ominous blare. It was Gene Simmons’ idea to open 'Runnin’ With The Devil', which is credited to all four members of the band, with a car horn. Eddie Van Halen took the idea and ran with it, improvising a device with the horns of the band members’ cars that he could manipulate for the recording. The horn rises, Michael Anthony cranks out a single repeated bass note, a mysterious piano plinks, and then the crunching main groove kicks into gear. It’s interesting upon listening to 'Runnin With The Devil', which is considered a hard rock classic, just how quiet it is in sections, especially in the verses when the music murmurs behind Roth’s pronouncements. Of course, that makes the refrains, when the undeniable rhythm locks back into place, that much more impactful. The track also limits Eddie’s soloing, just a few quick but impressive bursts. But his ability as a rhythm guitarist is on full display, as he gives the song an unforced funkiness in conjunction with the bottom end of Anthony and Alex Van Halen. There is also plenty of room for Roth’s vocal scatting and general wackiness, another key aspect of the band’s engaging nature that was on display right off the bat. These guys were going to rock out and have a blast doing it, which was in contrast to some of their more stone-faced contemporaries of the era. As for the lyrics? No, there’s nothing satanic about them. The devil is just a metaphor for the high-intensity, high-risk life chosen by the narrator. Roth doesn’t pretend there are no consequences for that choice: Yes, I’m livin‘ at a pace that kills, he boasts. That’s the price you pay when you act like there’s no tomorrow. 

10 Any World That I’m Welcome To 
Steely Dan - Steely Dan Four Outtakes 1972 
early version from demo reel, different from circulating demo 


'Katy Lied' was the first album the group made after they stopped touring, as well as their first to feature backing vocals by Michael McDonald. The album was the first one recorded by Steely Dan after guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Jim Hodder left the group as a result of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's decision to stop touring and focus solely on recording with various studio musicians. Guitarist Denny Dias, a founding member of Steely Dan, contributed to the album as a session musician, as did vocalist McDonald and drummer Michael Jeff Porcaro, who were both members of Steely Dan's final touring band. Then only 20 years old, Porcaro played drums on every track on the album except 'Any World (That I'm Welcome To)', which features session drummer Hal Blaine. 

11 Copacabana (Demo) 
Barry Manilow - The Complete Collection and Then some… 1992. 


'Copacabana', also known as 'Copacabana (At the Copa)', is a song recorded by Barry Manilow. Written by Manilow, Jack Feldman, and Bruce Sussman, it was released in 1978 as the third single from Manilow's fifth studio album, 'Even Now ' in1978. The same year, "Copacabana" appeared in the soundtrack album of the film 'Foul Play'. The song was inspired by a conversation between Manilow and Sussman at the Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, when they discussed whether there had ever been a song called "Copacabana". After returning to the U.S., Manilow - who, in the 1960s, had been a regular visitor to the Copacabana nightclub in New York City - suggested that Sussman and Feldman write the lyrics to a story song for him. They did so, and Manilow supplied the music. The song earned Manilow his first and only Grammy Award for Performance in February 1979. 

12 On A Clear Day - Private Concert Best Male Pop Vocal 
Exclusively for My Friends Box Set 1964 


'Exclusively For My Friends' is a series of originally six albums for the label MPS by Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. The album tracks were recorded live by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer for MPS on the occasion of private concerts with a small audience in his home studio. 

13 All kinds Of People (Unreleased)
Sheryl Crow - Lost First Album 1992 



After signing a contract with A&M Records and not wanting to release her own first attempt at a debut record thinking it was unmemorable, Sheryl Crow finally released 'Tuesday Night Music Club' in 1993. It remains her most successful effort to date and one of the best-selling albums of the 1990s, having sold more than ten million copies internationally by the end of the decade.

14 Avalon (Demo) 
The Semantics Demos 1990? 


The Semantics was an American pop rock band from Nashville, Tennessee  formed by Jody Spence (drums), Millard Powers (bass), and Will Owsley (guitars and vocals), Zak Starkey later replaced Spence on drums. The band recorded one album, 'Powerbill', which was released in Japan. After being dropped by their record label shortly after recording the album, the band members at the time (Powers, Owsley, and Starkey) all went on to successful careers in the music industry. Powers has performed as a bassist with Ben Folds and and has worked as a Counting Crows record engineer and producer. Owsley had a successful solo career before his death in 2010. Starkey has served as the drummer for the bands Oasis and The Who. Jody Spence and Owsley began writing songs after a couple of years of touring with Judson Spence, Jody's brother. Jody and Owsley soon got publishing contracts with Sony Music Publishing which were facilitated by Scott Siman 1990. In 1991, Siman attended a show in North Carolina, where a band called Majosha performed, which featured Ben Folds and Millard Powers. Not long after that, Siman brought Folds to Nashville and Powers later followed. Siman furnished a small demo studio that the Spence brothers, Owsley and Folds would often share. Folds would eventually introduce Millard Powers to Jody Spence and Owsley. Within a month of meeting each other, Spence, Powers and Owsley had written and recorded entire albums worth of songs at the Sony Tree studio, seven of which would later end up on the Geffen Records album 'Powerbill'. 

15 Blow Away (Demo)
George Harrison - 1979 iTunes Exclusive Bonus Track to 'George Harrison'  album 


'Blow Away' is a song by English musician George Harrison that was released in February 1979 on his album 'George Harrison'. It was also the lead single from the album. The end of 'Blow Away', written on a rainy day (that's why first verses are about clouds), was included in 'Nuns On The Run' – a comedy film with Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane. In his autobiography, 'I, Me, Mine', Harrison says that the song arose from feelings of frustration and inadequacy resulting from a leaking roof at his Friar Park home. While viewing the downpour from an outbuilding on the property, he realised that, in surrendering to the problem, he was merely exacerbating it. With this realisation, the episode served as a reminder that he, in fact, "loved everybody" and should seek to be more optimistic. Additionally, he notes that, while he initially felt self-conscious about the song, thinking it "so obvious", the track grew on him when he recorded it. His demo of the song was released as an Harrison iTunes-exclusive bonus track on 'George Harrison'.

16 Moving - Studio Outtake 
Kate Bush - Demos 


'Moving' is a song written and recorded in 1978 by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush for her debut album, 'The Kick Inside'. Written by Bush and produced by Andrew Powell, the song is a tribute to Lindsay Kemp, her mime teacher. The finished version of 'Moving' opens with whale song (missing from the demo) sampled from 'Songs Of The Humpback Whale', an LP including recordings of whale vocalisations made by Dr. Roger S. Payne. In an interview with a magazine, Bush commented, "Whales say everything about 'moving'. It's huge and beautiful, intelligent, soft inside a tough body. It weighs a ton and yet it's so light it floats. It's the whole thing about human communication —'moving liquid, yet you are just as water'— what the Chinese say about being the cup the water moves in to. The whales are pure movement and pure sound, calling for something, so lonely and sad …”. Bush signed a contract with EMI Records in her late teens, but between recording demos with Dave Gilmour as producer and releasing her first album, she pursued her studies and gained maturity in her writing. After seeing an advertisement for Lindsay Kemp's Flowers spectacle, she decided to take mime classes with him, and six months later she took modern dance classes with Anthony Van Laast. Bush began recording her debut album, 'The Kick Inside', in 1977, and she wrote 'Moving' the same year as a tribute to Kemp. "He needed a song written to him," she said in an interview. "He opened up my eyes to the meanings of movement. He makes you feel so good. If you've got two left feet it's 'you dance like an angel, darling.' He fills people up, you're an empty glass and glug, glug, glug, he's filled you with champagne." 'Moving' was released on 6 February 1978 as a single solely in Japan, with 'Wuthering Heights' as b-side, in order to promote 'The Kick Inside'. 

17 Supper's Ready - Peter Gabriel on vocals 
recorded by the sound engineer from the soundboard. 
Genesis Live - Live at Leicester/Manchester Feb 1973 - Dutch Test Pressing 


'Genesis Live' is the first live album from the English rock band Genesis, released on 20 July 1973 on Charisma Records. Initially recorded for radio broadcast on the American rock program King Biscuit Flower Hour, but never broadcast, the album was recorded at Montfort Hall, De Leicester, on 25 February 1973, except for 'The Return Of The Giant Hogweed', which was recorded at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, on the previous day. 'Genesis Live' was the band's first album to enter the top 10 in the UK, reaching No. 9, although following its US release in 1974, it only peaked at No. 105. 'Genesis Live' was issued in the US several months after the release of 'Selling England By The Pound', which upset Gabriel as the album included songs from their old live sets, and was quickly recorded with little care given to the quality of the recordings. When Gabriel reluctantly agreed to have the album released, part of the deal was that it would not be issued in the US. The album was recorded by the Pye Mobile Recording Unit, with engineer Alan Perkins, on the tour promoting their recent album 'Foxtrot'. A handful of early radio promotional double-LP test pressings were created which included a 23-minute version of 'Supper's Ready' from the Leicester show. This album's running order was 'Watcher Of The Skies', 'The Musical Box', 'Get 'Em Out By Friday', 'Supper's Ready', 'The Return Of The Giant Hogweed', and 'The Knife', and included between-song patter by Gabriel. 'Supper's Ready' was not included in the officially released version, even though the front cover photograph was taken during a live performance of the song, with Gabriel donning the "Magog" mask.

Do let Mike know what you think of this selection. Is the mix of genres too wide? Are demos and alternate takes OK, or would you prefer new, unreleased songs? I'm sure all suggestions will be welcomed for future volumes. 

Soulseek hint - solof aiwe

  

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Kate Bush - Something Like A Song (1973) **UPGRADE**

Fresh from providing us with the excellent Pink Floyd album 'Bedlam And Breakfast', Geof has sent me some more of his work, which is a complete upgrade of the demos that Kate Bush recorded in 1973. He's remixed them to give the vocals some reverb and presence, as well as trying to make the piano sound better, and with the vocals more upfront they do sound much improved. I've replaced the folder in Soulseek, but have kept the old version in the download pdf just in case anyone wants to get both copies and compare them. 



Track listing

01 It Hurts Me   
02 Come Closer To Me Babe
03 Frightened Eyes 
04 Something Like A Song
05 Rinfy The Gypsy  
06 Where Are The Lionhearts 
07 Oh To Be In Love
08 Camilla   
09 The Gay Farewell  
10 Organic Acid
11 Pick The Rare Flower  
12 On Fire Inside A Snowball 
13 Dali   
14 While Davy Dozed 
15 Stranded At The Moonbase 
16 So Soft  
17 The Disbelieving Angel 
18 Nevertheless You'll Do
19 The Craft Of Life 

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Ian Bairnson - ...and on guitar (1993) R.I.P.

John Bairnson was born on 3 August 1953 in Lerwick in Shetland, and was named John as were all the men in his family, but when he joined Pilot he used the opportunity to change his name to Ian. He grew up in Levenwick, also in Shetland, before his family moved to Edinburgh, Midlothian, when he was nine years old, following the death of his father. He learned how to play the guitar when he was six, but was also proficient on keyboards and saxophone, and following stints with a few bands in his youth, such as East West and Ears, by the early 70's he was earning his living as a session musician. In 1974 he joined former Bay City Rollers musicians David Paton and Billy Lyall to record some tracks for their band Pilot's debut album 'From The Album Of The Same Name', contributing the harmony guitar parts to their hit single 'Magic', and adding his guitar to 'High Into The Sky'. By the time they came to record their follow-up album 'Second Flight', Bairnson was a full-time member of the band, and their hit single 'January' was taken from the album, topping the UK singles charts in 1975. During this time with Pilot, he first collaborated with record producer Alan Parsons on his debut album 'Tales Of Mystery And Imagination - Edgar Allen Poe', and it was this relationship that helped incorporate most of Pilot's members (bassist/lead singer Paton and drummer Stuart Tosh) into the Alan Parsons Project. As a guitarist, he was featured on every Alan Parsons Project album, including the 1984 side project Keats and Eric Woolfson's rock opera 'Freudiana', contributing the distinctive guitar solo on the track 'I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You' on their 'I Robot' album in 1977. 
In 1978 Bairnson played the guitar solo on Kate Bush's hit single 'Wuthering Heights', going on to play on her first four albums, and in 1981 he started a collaboration with Eurovision winners Bucks Fizz, playing guitar on their 1981 eponymous record, and co-writing two of their Top 20 hits, 'If You Can't Stand The Heat' in 1982, and 'Run For Your Life' in 1983. His session work continued after Pilot took a break in 1977, and during this part of his career he played on more than a hundred albums in different styles, for artists such as Yvonne Keeley, Joe Cocker, Jon Anderson, Chris DeBurgh, Mick Fleetwood, and Neil Diamond, as well as playing live with Sting, Eric Clapton, Beverley Craven, and even appearing on Paul McCartney's 'Mull Of Kintyre' single. When anyone from The Project needed a hand, you could be sure that he would help out, and so Andrew Powell called him up for both the 'Ladyhawke' film soundtrack, and also his own 'Best Of The APP' album. When The Alan Parsons Project came to an end and Parsons was looking to start over, Bairnson was instrumental in helping write the next chapter of Parsons' sound, and on the 1993 'Try Anything Once' album, he not only played, but contributed four songs including 'Siren Song', and the live concert favourite 'Turn It Up'. He lived in Spain from 2003 to 2013, where he had a recording studio, and continued working as a session guitarist, but in 2018 his wife Leila announced that he had been diagnosed with a progressive neurological condition that affected his communication skills, so he would no longer play in public. On 7 April 2023 Bairnson passed away at the age of 69, following a long battle with dementia. I've always thought that Pilot were a very under-rated band, and am particularly fond of Bairnson's guitar-work on their 1976 album 'Morin Heights', and so I hope that this collection of his work for other artists throughout his musical career will serve as a fitting tribute to a guitarist who was well known amongst his peers for his fluid guitar style, but who never seemed destined to reach the heights of some of his contemporaries.



Track listing

Disc One
01 High In The Sky (from 'From The Album Of The Same Name' by Pilot 1974)
02 The Raven (from 'Tales Of Mystery And Imagination' by The Alan Parsons Project 1976)
03 Solo Casting (from 'Solo Casting' by William Lyall 1976)
04 95 In The Shade / Daylight (from 'Daylight' by Hudson-Ford 1977)
05 Kite (b-side of 'Wuthering Heights' by Kate Bush 1978)
06 I Wish It Would Rain (from 'Hobo With A Grin' by Steve Harley 1978)
07 Carry On (from 'Crusader' by Chris De Burgh 1979)
08 White Trails (from 'White Trails' by Chris Rainbow 1979)
09 Hear It (from 'Song Of Seven' by Jon Anderson 1980)
10 Maximum Penetration (single by Maximum Penetration 1980)
11 Far Side Of The Bay (from 'Elaine Paige' by Elaine Paige 1981)

Disc Two
01 Cassiopeia Surrender (from 'The Visitor' by Mick Fleetwood 1981)
02 Getting Kinda Lonely (from 'Bucks Fizz' by Bucks Fizz 1981)
03 Dry Ice (from 'Can This Be Paradise' by Panarama 1982)
04 One Way Out (from 'No Mystery' by Rick Cua 1983)
05 Fight To Win (from 'Keats' by Keats 1984)
06 End Titles (from the soundtrack to the film 'Ladyhawke' 1985)
07 Grand Prix (from 'Computer Energy' by Uwe Buschkötter 1986)
08 The Pages Of Your History (from 'Trouble In Paradise' by Anri 1986)
09 Upper Me (from 'Freudiana' by Freudiana 1990)
10 Lost Without You (from 'Love Scenes' by Beverley Craven 1993)

Friday, March 5, 2021

Prince - ...and on guitar (2015)

Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958, the son of jazz singer Mattie Della and pianist and songwriter John Lewis Nelson, and both he and his sister Tyka developed a keen interest in music, which was encouraged by their father, writing his first song 'Funk Machine' on his father's piano when he was seven. When he was 10 his parents divorced, with his mother remarrying to Hayward Baker, with whom she had a son named Omarr. Prince had a fraught relationship with Omarr, to the extent that it caused him to repeatedly switch homes, sometimes living with his father and sometimes with his mother and stepfather. After a brief period of living with his father, who bought him his first guitar, Prince moved into the basement of his neighbours, the Anderson family, after his father kicked him out, and it was there that he befriended the Anderson's son, Andre, who later collaborated with Prince and became known as André Cymone. In 1973 Prince met songwriter and producer Jimmy Jam, and impressed him with his musical talent, early mastery of a wide range of instruments, and work ethic. In 1975, Pepe Willie, the husband of Prince's cousin Shauntel, formed the band 94 East with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry, hiring André Cymone and Prince to record tracks. Willie wrote the songs, and Prince contributed guitar tracks, with Prince and Willie co-writing one song, 'Just Another Sucker'. The band recorded some songs which have since been re-issued as an album many times under different titles, including 'Minneapolis Genius – The Historic 1977 Recordings'. 
In 1976, Prince created a demo tape with producer Chris Moon, but he was unable to secure a recording contract, so Moon brought the tape to Owen Husney, a Minneapolis businessman, who signed the 19 year-old Prince to a management contract, and helped him create a demo at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis, which generated interest from Warner Bros. Records, A&M Records, and Columbia Records. With the help of Husney, Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros, who gave him creative control for three albums, and let him retain his publishing rights. Husney and Prince then left Minneapolis and moved to Sausalito, California, where Prince's first album 'For You' was recorded and released in 1978, with Prince writing, producing, arranging, composing, and playing all 27 instruments on the recording, except for the song 'Soft and Wet', whose lyrics were co-written with Moon. In 1979, Prince created a band with André Cymone on bass, Dez Dickerson on guitar, Gayle Chapman and Doctor Fink on keyboards, and Bobby Z. on drums, and released the 'Prince' album that year, and despite the record company thinking he needed more time to develop, the album hit the top five spot on the Billboard R&B/Black Albums chart, and the single 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' sold over a million copies. 
The same year he made the first of what was to become many guest appearances, although the following decade was to be particularly busy for him, and it was to be 1989 before he really started regularly guesting on other artist's albums. In 1980 he released the album 'Dirty Mind', which contained sexually explicit material, following this the next year with 'Controversy'. In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called The Time, who released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals, and at the same time releasing his own four-million selling album '1999', along with a string of hit singles, being the start of his world-domination over the next two decades. When he was asked to contribute to records by other musicians, it wasn't always by famous artists, and even into the 90's he was adding his guitar to tracks by Eric Leeds and Diamond And Pearl, as well as Kid Creole & The Coconuts and Mavis Staples. Similarly, in the 2000's he was guesting with Common and Rhonda Smith, as well as Stevie Wonder. In 2004 he was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame, playing in the all-star band's version of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', alongside Tom Petty, Stevie Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others, and performing a stunning, un-rehearsed guitar solo at the end of the song. Other guest appearance were fairly sparse after that, with his final one before his death in 2016 being on Judith Hill's 'Back In Time' album. Although it might seem that more music has been released since his death than there was while he was alive, these guest appearance are generally over-looked as they tended not to be with the superstars that he hung out with, but lesser-known artists who would appreciate his contribution to their music. 



Track listing

Disc One
01 Fast Freddie The Roller Disco King (single by The Imperials 1979)
02 Got To Be Something Here (from 'The Lewis Connection' by Lewis Connection 1979)
03 Love Song (from 'Like A Prayer' by Madonna 1989) 
04 The Sex Of It (from 'Private Waters In The Great Divide' by Kid Creole 1990)
05 The Dopamine Rush (from 'Times Squared' by Eric Leeds 1991) 
06 51 Hours (single by Diamond And Pearl 1992)
07 Melody Cool (from 'The Voice' by Mavis Staples 1993)
08 Why Should I Love You (from 'The Red Shoes' by Kate Bush 1993) 

Disc Two
01 Star *69 (PS With Love) (from 'Electric Circus' by Common 2002)
02 Purple House (from 'Power Of Soul: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix' 2004)
03 So What The Fuss (from 'A Time 2 Love' by Stevie Wonder 2005) 
04 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (from Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame induction concert 2004) 
05 Time (from 'RS2' by Rhonda Smith 2006)
06 Raise Up (from 'Raise Up' by Larry Graham & Graham Central Station 2012) 
07 Givin' Em What They Love (from 'The Electric Lady' by Janelle Monáe 2013)
08 All Day, All Night  (from 'Back In Time' by Judith Hill 2015)

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Kate Bush - Something Like A Song (1973)

Paul at Albums That Should Exist has now got his new PC up and running, and has used his Photoshop to touch up the Kate Bush cover that I coloured, giving her hat a bit more punch, so if you prefer this one then grab it now.


Monday, January 4, 2021

Kate Bush - Something Like A Song (1973)

While uploading the albums to Soulseek I found another black & white photo that I'd used which would be nice to colourise, and although the original one didn't come out that great, this one from the same photo-shoot was even better, so as before, here's an upgrade to the cover, with more to follow.



Sunday, December 27, 2020

Dave Gilmour - ...and on guitar (1985)

Dave Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1967, and has been an integral part of the band ever since, appearing on all of their classic albums throughout their long and spectacularly successful career. In between recording and touring with Floyd, he has found time to add his distinctive guitar-work to songs by a number of friends and acquaintances, some that you expect, and some which are something of a surprise. 
In 1973 Unicorn were playing at the wedding reception of Ricky Hopper, who was a friend from Transatlantic days, and Gilmour was also a guest at the wedding. At the end of the evening he got up to Jam with Unicorn, and afterwards expressed an affection for country rock, which came as a considerable surprise to the band. A week later Gilmour invited them to try out his new home studio, and they recorded three songs there, with Gilmour adding guitar to them. He then offered to put up the money to record an album with them, which was recorded at Olympic Studios in London with Gilmour producing and playing electric and slide guitar. This was the beginning of a friendship with the band, which bore fruit later that year when he was given a demo tape of a very young Kathy Bush by Ricky Hopper (from the wedding), and he offered to let her record some of her songs at his studio. He called in Unicorn to act as the backing band, and one of the songs later turned up on the b-side to her 1980 single 'Army Dreamers'. In 1975 he added his guitar to Leo Sayer's friend and collaborator David Courtney's only record 'David Courtney's First Day', and also played pedal steel guitar on Scottish folkies The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver's 'Ain't Too Proud' single. 1976 was a quiet year for Gilmour, but when he offered his services in 1977 it was to the extremely obscure French artist Rachid Bahri, playing on one song on his 'Il Sirvivra' album, alongside Nick Mason on drums. Considering that I had never heard of Bahri before, and the album is impossible to track down, it was astounding to find that it also featured Tim Renwick, Rick Wills, Kenney Jones, Gaspar Lawal, and Stevie Winwood. 
Another two years passed and he was invited to contribute to Paul McCartney's new record, adding guitar to songs destined for the 'Back To The Egg' album, and the following year he appeared on Roy Harper's 'The Unknown Soldier'. Gilmour had known Harper since 1968, and Harper famously sang 'Have A Cigar' on Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' in 1975, and in return Gilmour played on three of Harper's 1970's album, co-writing five songs on 1975's 'HQ'. In 1983 Atomic Rooster were on their third line-up, and for their 'Headline News' album they managed to persuade Gilmour to play on four of the songs, and while it's not really that great an album, 'Hold Your Fire' is an excellent track. Paul McCartney called on Gilmour again in 1984 to add his guitar to a re-recording of the hit single 'No More Lonely Nights', done in a ballad style, which was eventually added to the expanded re-issue of 'Give My Regards To Broad Street', and the following year he appeared on Bryan Ferry's 'Boys And Girls' album, alongside other guests Mark Knopfler and Nile Rodgers. To close the album we have a track from the Duran Duran spin-off band Arcadia, with Gilmour and Sting both featuring on one song, 'The Promise', from their sole album 'So Red The Rose'. Like many of his contemporaries who have guested on others artist's album, Gilmour has never stuck to one style of music, covering country rock, pop, heavy rock, folk, and ballads, and it's a testament to his skill as a guitarist that he can pull them all off effortlessly.       



Track listing

01 The Farmer (from 'Blue Pine Trees' by Unicorn 1974)
02 When Your Life Is Your Own (from 'David Courtney's First Day' by David Courtney 1975)
03 Ain't Too Proud (from 'Reach For The Sky' by The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver 1975)
04 Il Survivra (from 'Il Sirvivra' by Rachid Bahri 1977)
05 So Glad To See You Here (from 'Back To The Egg' by Wings 1979)
06 True Story (from 'The Unknown Soldier' by Roy Harper 1980)
07 Passing Through Air (b-side of 'Army Dreamers' single by Kate Bush 1980)
08 Hold Your Fire (from 'Headline News' by Atomic Rooster 1983)
09 No More Lonely Nights (Ballad) (from 'Give My Regards To Broad Street' by Paul
                                                                                                                      McCartney 1984)
10 Boys And Girls (from 'Boys And Girls' by Bryan Ferry 1985)
11 The Promise (from 'So Red The Rose' by  Arcadia 1985)


Solstice Tidings: An Alternative Christmas Album (2019)

If, like me, you've heard the same dozen Christmas songs over and over on the radio and in the shops over the past few weeks, then here's an album to take the edge off the festive period. They're still Christmas/Winter-themed songs, but by some of my favourite bands (most of them already have a post on the site), and the majority are in the alternative genre, with just a couple of more mainstream acts, but with songs that tend not to make it to the ubiquitous Christmas compilation albums. Low issued one of the best ever Christmas albums in 2010, and I was tempted to include the up-beat 'Just Like Christmas', but instead I went for a lesser-known song from it, although do check out the whole thing as it's a classic. Cheap Trick, Ramones, The Flaming Lips, Sparks and AC/DC give us a cynical or left-field viewpoint of the holiday, while the offerings from Squeeze, Smashing Pumpkins and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are surprisingly restrained. Galaxie 500's take on Yoko One's 'Listen, The Snow Is Falling' is simply breath-taking, and I've also included songs by two of my favourite current singer/songwriters, with  'Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)' from Laura Marling and 'Winter Song' from Billie Marten. I hope that this hour-long collection of little-heard Christmas songs adds some joy to your holiday. 



Track listing

01 Christmas Christmas - Cheap Trick
02 A Christmas Song - Jethro Tull
03 Christmas Was Better In The 80's - The Futureheads
04 Listen, The Snow Is Falling - Galaxie 500
05 Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - Ramones
06 Christmas Time - The Smashing Pumpkins
07 If You Were Born Today (Song For Little Baby Jesus) - Low
08 All I Want For Christmas - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
09 Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
10 Winter Song - Billie Marten
11 Christmas At The Zoo - The Flaming Lips
12 Father Christmas - The Kinks
13 Home For Christmas - Kate Bush
14 Thank God It's Not Christmas - Sparks
15 Christmas Day - Squeeze
16 (We Wish You) A Protein Christmas - The Fall
17 There Ain't No Santa Claus On The Evening Stage - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
18 Mistress For Christmas - AC/DC
19 Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) - Laura Marling



Kate Bush - Under The Ivy (1986)

There's a new Kate Bush box set on the horizon, which remasters some of her later albums on vinyl, and also includes two bonus LP's of rare b-sides, but once again they've missed a trick by omitting a number of essential songs, including a couple from the Comic Strip's 'GLC' film, and some lovely instrumental takes of her A-sides, making it a less than definitive collection. It's therefore time for me to post my series of Kate Bush b-sides and rarities, where I've filled three albums with every non-album song that this talented songstress recorded during her career, with two albums of b-sides, and one album of cover versions and exclusive film soundtrack songs. The first volume starts with the b-side to 1980's 'Breathing', which was the first time that Bush recorded a new song for the flip to a single (really just an extended instrumental version of 'The Dreaming', but it paved the way for brand new songs later), and from that point on she offered new pieces on nearly all of her subsequent 7" releases. You can hear her songwriting progressing just from the first half of this album, starting with low-key acoustic tracks, and then gradually building up to 'Dreamtime', and it's from this point on that I became a massive fan, preferring the more intricate and experimental approach of 'The Dreaming' and 'Hounds Of Love' to the earlier singer/songwriter style, although that's not to say that some of the early work wasn't ground-breaking for its time.    



Track listing

01 The Empty Bullring (b-side of 'Breathing' 1980)
02 Ran Tan Waltz (b-side of 'Babooshka' 1980)
03 Passing Through Air (b-side of 'Army Dreamers' 1980) 
04 December Will Be Magic Again (single 1980)
05 Warm And Soothing (b-side of 'December Will Be Magic Again')
06 Dreamtime (b-side of 'The Dreaming' 1982)
07 Ne T'En Fui Pas (b-side of 'There Goes A Tenner' 1983)
08 Under The Ivy (b-side of 'Running Up That Hill' 1985) 
09 Burning Bridge (b-side of 'Cloudbusting' 1985)
10 Not This Time (b-side of 'The Big Sky' 1986)
11 Experiment IV (single 1986)
12 Wuthering Heights (b-side of 'Experiment IV', with new vocal)


Kate Bush - Alchemy (1994)

The second of my two b-sides collections starts at 1989, and so we're well into my favourite period of Kate's career. These tracks include two luscious instrumental versions of album tracks released as singles, a French language version of 'Never For Ever's 'The Infant Kiss', a dance version of 'The Red Shoes', her 1994 Christmas single, and a wealth of other great songs. This album is a perfect example of how Bush can move effortlessly between genres, skipping from dance to ballad to rock, and never once sounding like she's faking it.  



Track listing

01 Walk Straight Down The Middle (b-side of 'The Sensual World' 1989)
02 Un Baiser D'Enfant (The Infant Kiss) (b-side of 'Ne T'Enfuis Pas' 1983) 
03 The Sensual World (Instrumental) (b-side of 'The Sensual World' 12" 1989)
04 Be Kind To My Mistakes (b-side of 'This Woman's Work' 1989)
05 I'm Still Waiting (b-side of 'This Woman's Work' 1989)
06 Show A Little Devotion (b-side of 'Rubberband Girl' 1993)
07 Shoedance (b-side of 'The Red Shoes' 1994)
08 You Want Alchemy (b-side of 'Eat The Music' 1993)
09 Moments Of Pleasure (Instrumental) (b-side of 'Moments Of Pleasure' 12" 1993)
10 Home For Christmas (single 1994) 
11 Humming (band version of 1973 song, from 'Remastered IV' compilation 2018)


Kate Bush - My Lagan Love (2007)

The third volume of Kate Bush rarities collects together her covers and film soundtrack work, including three songs from The Comic Strip's 'GLC' film and her contribution to an Elton John tribute album. To be honest I thought that covers of 'Rocket Man' and 'Candle In The Wind' would be a bit lame, but Bush really puts her mark on them, and they certainly repay repeated hearings. Her take on Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing' also adds a certain something to the song, and while recording 'Mna na hEireann' she was particularly keen to get an authentic Irish pronunciation, spending a lot of time practicing with Donal Lunny before going into the studio. She also effortlessly handles folk with 'Lord Of The Reedy River' and 'The Handsome Cabin Boy', and jazz on 'The Man I Love', showing once again her huge versatility, and her willingness to tackle unusual song choices.    



Track listing

01 Lord Of The Reedy River (b-side of 'Sat In Your Lap' 1981)
02 Brazil (Sam Lowry's Last Dream) (from the soundtrack to 'Brazil' 1985)
03 The Confrontation (from The Comic Strip's 'GLC' 1990)
04 The Handsome Cabin Boy (b-side of 'Hounds Of Love' 1986)
05 One Last Look Around The House Before We Go (from The Comic Strip's 'GLC' 1990)
06 My Lagan Love (b-side of 'Cloudbusting' 12" 1985)
07 Ken (from The Comic Strip's 'GLC' 1990) 
08 Rocket Man (from the Elton John tribute album 'Two Rooms' 1991)
09 The Man I Love (from 'The Glory Of Gershwin' tribute album 1994)
10 Sexual Healing (b-side of 'King Of The Mountain' 2005)
11 Candle In The Wind (b-side of 'Rocket Man' 1991)
12 Mna na hEireann (from 'Common Ground - Voices of Modern Irish Music' 1995)
12 Lyra (From the soundtrack to 'The Golden Compass' 2007)


Kate Bush - Something Like A Song (1973)

There are a number of bootlegs doing the rounds which purport to be Kate's demos recorded at her house in 1972 and 1973, and looking at the song titles you'd think that she'd recorded around 60 or 70 songs, but my investigations while putting together this album have discovered that she was notorious for giving her songs more than one title - sometimes two or three for the same song. Once I'd listened to them all and worked out which ones were duplicates under a different name, I found that there were actually around 22 good quality recordings to choose from, so I've whittled them down by removing songs which were eventually re-recorded for her official released albums, and have just left songs which are unique to these tapes. These are all just Kate and her piano, with the sound quality being generally quite good for home recordings, so although this album could sound a bit repetitive due to the lack of other instrumentation, it's still worth hearing to see just what a precocious talent she was at such an early age. These songs were broadcast by Phoenix Radio in 1976, and so have become known as 'The Phoenix Tapes', although they were actually recorded some years earlier. I've used a contemporary photo of a 14 year-old Kate sitting at her piano, taken by her brother in 1972, for the cover.



Track listing

01 It Hurts Me
02 Come Closer To Me Babe
03 Frightened Eyes
04 Something Like A Song
05 Rinfy The Gypsy
06 Where Are The Lionhearts
07 Oh To Be In Love
08 Camilla
09 The Gay Farewell
10 Organic Acid
11 Pick The Rare Flower
12 On Fire Inside A Snowball
13 Dali
14 While Davy Dozed
15 Stranded At The Moonbase
16 So Soft
17 The Disbelieving Angel
18 Nevertheless You'll Do
19 The Craft Of Life

'Organic Acid' is based on a poem by Kate's brother John Carder Bush, and features him reciting it, with Kate's accompaniment. I've also included a list of alternative song titles in the folder, so that you know which songs are included here that might be on bootlegs under another name.