DM's Beatles forums
Beatles forums => Albums => Topic started by: Bobber on May 22, 2015, 10:06:44 AM
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From Wogblog
OxTango to release Kinfauns demos
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rwmR9w_VZVg/VV72jI-UiLI/AAAAAAAAQwY/Nxcfum1RxM4/s400/Booklet_Esher-sml-front.jpg)
OxTango Music: Esher Sketching
OxTango Music, who previously released Star Club, Live Vol. 1-3, and Get Back nagra tapes have announced that they are about to release "Esher Sketching – the Kinfauns White Album Demos". The collection comprises the complete home demo recordings The Beatles made at George Harrison’s "Kinfauns" estate in Esher, Surrey in May, 1968.
Considered by many to be an alternate "unplugged" version of the White Album, the Esher demos are unique not only for offering stripped-down, acoustic versions of songs that would later be rocked up and/or more elaborately arranged in their White Album incarnations, but also several rarities never formally recorded by the band. But even more than that, there’s a pervasive spirit of fun and relaxed joy in their collaborative music-making here that would be all too rare in their final working years as a unit. The collection is to feature the 27 available recordings newly re-mastered, and is due out in mid June.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEaq7DccSm4/VV72jKvYMGI/AAAAAAAAQwk/I66AtQhwBXw/s400/Booklet_Esher-back.jpg)
The company has also started a new blog – "Vintage Re-masters" – where you can hear source and remaster audio comparison clips for all the tracks included.
http://oxtango.blogspot.com/ (http://oxtango.blogspot.com/)
The 27 songs believed to have been taped at Kinfauns were recorded on Harrison's Ampex four-track reel-to-reel tape recorder, a fact that he mentioned in an early nineties interview with Musician magazine. They were mostly grouped together by the composer of each song, although John Lennon's songs were more scattered across the day. They were most likely taped in this order:
Cry Baby Cry - with a different intro and ending from the album version
Child Of Nature - unreleased, but later became Jealous Guy with a new set of lyrics
The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill - the other Beatles make animal noises
I'm So Tired - with a slightly different spoken passage
Yer Blues - John Lennon is 'insecure' rather than 'suicidal'
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey - far less frenetic than the studio version
What's The New Mary Jane - included on Anthology 3
Revolution 1 - lacks the 'you say you'll change the constitution' verse
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - with different lyrics in places
Circles - unreleased by The Beatles
Sour Milk Sea - unreleased by The Beatles
Not Guilty - a studio version is included on Anthology 3, but the Esher demo is different.
Piggies - rather than 'eat their bacon', the piggies 'cut their pork chops'
Julia - in a higher key and with the verses in a different order
Blackbird - with a double-tracked vocal, no break, a slightly slower tempo
Rocky Raccoon - shorter, without the opening and final verses
Back In The USSR - lacks the final verse
Honey Pie - released on Anthology 3, with the final verse edited out
Mother Nature's Son - without the guitar intro of the studio version
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - with a double-tracked vocal from Paul McCartney
Junk - included on Anthology 3
Dear Prudence - with a spoken ending and double-tracked vocals
Sexy Sadie
Happiness Is A Warm Gun - lacks the intro and the final section
Mean Mr Mustard - his sister is called Shirley, not Pam
Polythene Pam - slightly different chords; 'well it's a little absurd but she's a nice class of bird'; the verses are repeated
Glass Onion - with double-tracked gobbledygook from Lennon
Most of the recordings were widely bootlegged, although the release of Anthology 3 resulted in previously-unheard demos of the four final songs. The seven Kinfauns demos included on Anthology 3 - licensed to Apple by George Harrison - were also of a better quality than the bootlegs.
It is possible that not all of the demos were recorded at Kinfauns, and it has been speculated that some were recorded alone by the songs' composers. Alternatively, previously-made recordings may have been brought to Harrison's house for overdubbing, but, again, this is far from clear.
Of the songs unreleased by The Beatles in 1968, perhaps the best known is Child Of Nature. This was inspired by a Maharishi Mahesh Yogi lecture, and was lyrically similar to Mother Nature's Son. Lennon later reused the melody for 1971's Jealous Guy.
What's The New Mary Jane was based around a nursery rhyme-style melody, and in the studio became one of Lennon's first avant garde compositions. It remained unreleased until Anthology 3, despite Lennon's various attempts to have it released by The Beatles or the Plastic Ono Band.
Two of Lennon's songs, Mean Mr Mustard and Polythene Pam, were held back until 1969's Abbey Road, when they became part of the 'long medley'.
Just one of Paul McCartney's songs - Junk - was unreleased by The Beatles, although they returned to it during the Get Back sessions in early 1969. It eventually found a home on McCartney's first solo album.
Harrison fared less well, with three of the five demos failing to be included on the White Album. A studio version of Not Guilty should have appeared on that record, although it was eventually included on Anthology 3. Circles, meanwhile, wasn't issued until Harrison's 1982 solo album Gone Troppo.
Sour Milk Sea was subsequently given to Apple recording artist Jackie Lomax. It was his debut single later in 1968, produced by Harrison with McCartney on bass and Ringo Starr on drums.
It isn't known whether any of The Beatles' wives or girlfriends were present, although a female voice may be discernible on Revolution 1. Mal Evans and Derek Taylor are also addressed by the group on the bootleg recordings, and may have contributed.
The demo songs were mono mixed by Harrison, with copies given to each Beatle. The general public first heard them in the late 1980s as part of the Lost Lennon Tapes radio series, and 23 had entered general circulation by the early 1990s.
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It must have been good to be a Beatle in 67! If my wife came home and found I had painted my house all pshycadelic Me arse would be grarse! Lol!
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Again, bound to say this I know, but shouldn't all these recordings have got an official release by now?
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Im a bit stupid with bootlegs etc but is there somewhere this can be downloaded?
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You can listen to tracks of about 1 minute on the blogspot (link in the previous post), but I can't find a link to download the whole lot. Yet.
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Un-remastered on my hard disc somewhere. icon_good
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You can listen to tracks of about 1 minute on the blogspot (link in the previous post), but I can't find a link to download the whole lot. Yet.
yes I did that Cor, made me want the whole thing ha2ha
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yes I did that Cor, made me want the whole thing ha2ha
Same here!
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I'd like to hear them all too. Sounds like a real Beatles library addition.
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I'll try to find my unremastered stuff after the weekend.
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is this the one you have Cor ?
http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=vigo_183 (http://www.bootlegzone.com/album.php?name=vigo_183)
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Yes I think so.
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I have never understood this Bootleg Zone. How do you get the music?
???
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I have never understood this Bootleg Zone. How do you get the music?
???
It's always made me kind of nervous because I don't know the ins and outs. I never thought I should join because I have never had anything much to contribute. I think that gets you deactivated which does make sense to me. It's a give and take proposition.
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I have never understood this Bootleg Zone. How do you get the music?
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Bootleg Zone itself only provides information and an overview of various bootlegs. It doesn't give links to the bootlegs itself, so you have to try and find them elsewhere. The forum that comes with Bootleg Zone however does have various links to bootlegs. For me, as an unregular visitor, it sometimes takes a lot of time to find the thing I want (if I find it at all).
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I have it as a part of 6 discs called 'The Complete Home Recordings'. Anyone interested?
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For sure
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Valid till July 6th.
http://we.tl/HXwv2reAJU (http://we.tl/HXwv2reAJU)
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yeah I'll grab that ta ;D
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Thanks Bobber
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Oh for a Dylan 'Bootleg Series' type set of releases by The Beatles via Apple.
These volumes, started in 1991, have gone a huge way into rehabilitating Dylan's reputation after the dire 1980s.
Meanwhile, back in Beatle-land, people are still scrambling around trying to get reasonable versions of the BBC recordings, Star Club, Xmas flexis, Esher demos, get Back, Rooftop concert, the Spanish 1965 concert.....
Sad.
Not as sad as the state of The Rolling Stones 60s catalogue, but still sad.
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Thank you Cor!
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Sad.
Not as sad as the state of The Rolling Stones 60s catalogue, but still sad.
I just wonder though how well these things would sell if given a proper release. And there is the thrill of the hunt to consider. ;)
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I just wonder though how well these things would sell if given a proper release. And there is the thrill of the hunt to consider. ;)
The problem with Apple is that it is always done half. Then again, how many people are waiting for an officially released BBC recordings? I mean the complete thing? Or would the Xmas discs really sell? It's fun to listen to once or twice, but IMHO that's about it.
Then again: it's all there. You can be stubborn and refuse to take it as long as it's not officially released. Or you CAN take it and enjoy it in the quality it's presented.
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I suppose eventually they'll get some official release as an historical item. A bit like rough recordings of early 20th century artists in the Library of Congress or something. Probably when Paul and Ringo have shuffled off their mortal coiliness. Or at least too old to care.
While we aficionados would buy it I doubt it'd rival 1 for chart supremacy.
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Having said that. I'd love to see them get the full release treatment, including proper documentation.
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Thanks a heap for these Bobber. It's a fun listen. I can't imagine listening to the whole collection much, but I'll pull a few tracks to put on playlists. Nothing like variety.
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A bit like rough recordings of early 20th century artists in the Library of Congress or something.
I love going to their site. I have a rather large collection of sheet music from that time period and since I have no way or skills to play the songs I often go to the LOC site to see if I can hear them. For anyone who's never checked it out it's here: National Jukebox: Historical Recordings from the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/). This is another fun site: Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project (http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php). One of my dreams is to acquire an Edison cylinder phonograph. There was a great one at an auction one time-perfect condition with a bunch of cylinders-but my only competitor bid it up into the stratosphere.
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I love going to their site. I have a rather large collection of sheet music from that time period and since I have no way or skills to play the songs I often go to the LOC site to see if I can hear them. For anyone who's never checked it out it's here: National Jukebox: Historical Recordings from the Library of Congress ([url]http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/[/url]). This is another fun site: Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project ([url]http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php[/url]). One of my dreams is to acquire an Edison cylinder phonograph. There was a great one at an auction one time-perfect condition with a bunch of cylinders-but my only competitor bid it up into the stratosphere.
A cylinder player would be a rarity. When clearing out my mothers place I found, with her heavy as lead old 78s, a couple of old cylinders as well. Must have got them from her mother. I thought any player for them would only be in museums now.
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Thanks a heap for these Bobber. It's a fun listen. I can't imagine listening to the whole collection much, but I'll pull a few tracks to put on playlists. Nothing like variety.
You're welcome. This is a part of a collection of six cd's called 'Complete Home Recordings', containing the early stuff from 1957, demo's and home recorded things. I can upload them all if anyone is interested, but it will be rather a big file.
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I'm gonna need a bigger hard drive. I'd be interested for sure.
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You're welcome. This is a part of a collection of six cd's called 'Complete Home Recordings', containing the early stuff from 1957, demo's and home recorded things. I can upload them all if anyone is interested, but it will be rather a big file.
Yes I want it all Cor, thanks for all this mate ;)
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Having listened to these tapes I would change what became The White Album
take off
Rev No 9
Rocky Raccoon
WDWDINTRoad
EGSTHEFMAMMonkey
put on these much better songs
Sour Milk Sea
Junk
Not Guilty
Child Of Nature
Circles (this reminds me of a Pink Floyd song but Im not sure which)
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I'd do similar. It's an indication of Paul's control that he could get stuff like Rocky on and decent George tunes like Sour Milk Sea got the boot. Another rocky uptempo tune wouldn't have hurt the White Album.
My only hesitation with John's Child of Nature is that overall I prefer it as Jealous Guy. The hippy nature lyrics sound a little dated to me now while jealousy is timeless. ;D
I think the folksier acoustic version of Not Guilty on this collection was probably the approach they should have pursued. It didn't quite gel with the heavier treatment heard on Anthology (after 100 takes it should have). And the later solo version was too MOR for my taste.
Junk was a nice tune. I think it deserved a spot too.
Circles I'm less keen on. I'd probably let Long Long Long be Georges dirgey Lo fi number for the album. George put Circles on Gone Troppo and it didn't do much for me.
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Re: A Bootleg Series.
What I don't get is why no one at Apple wouldn't have wanted to do all this properly by now.
Someone at Sony obviously did want to make sense of Dylan's unreleased projects, and it has clearly paid dividends for him and, I'd argue, has probably put him ahead of The Beatles in terms of cultural importance (possibly) and public recognition (definitely) over the last 25 years.
It's fresh historical product Dylan fans get every two years, unlike The Beatles, and it's Dylan CDs you see in the supermarkets, again, unlike The Beatles.
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I'd do similar. It's an indication of Paul's control that he could get stuff like Rocky on and decent George tunes like Sour Milk Sea got the boot. Another rocky uptempo tune wouldn't have hurt the White Album.
My only hesitation with John's Child of Nature is that overall I prefer it as Jealous Guy. The hippy nature lyrics sound a little dated to me now while jealousy is timeless. ;D
I think the folksier acoustic version of Not Guilty on this collection was probably the approach they should have pursued. It didn't quite gel with the heavier treatment heard on Anthology (after 100 takes it should have). And the later solo version was too MOR for my taste.
Junk was a nice tune. I think it deserved a spot too.
Circles I'm less keen on. I'd probably let Long Long Long be Georges dirgey Lo fi number for the album. George put Circles on Gone Troppo and it didn't do much for me.
agree with you about Jealous Guy but it didnt exist at the time and I think the song was better than several on the album, Georges 3 should definitely been on on though (although I dont like the Gone Troppo version) ...........Junk is aching beautiful imo.
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Here you go. Valid till July 8th
http://we.tl/Zvqu1W176B (http://we.tl/Zvqu1W176B)
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You're a good man Bobber. Ta
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You're a good man Bobber. Ta
That you are Cor! Now I have I have to do some major cleaning out of my hard drive. I have some bits and pieces of all these things you've shared that I now don't need. I wish there was a utility to run that just knew what to get rid of!
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I have never understood this Bootleg Zone. How do you get the music?
???
FAQ (http://www.bootlegzone.com/index.php?faq=1)
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Thank you.
:)
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That you are Cor! Now I have I have to do some major cleaning out of my hard drive. I have some bits and pieces of all these things you've shared that I now don't need. I wish there was a utility to run that just knew what to get rid of!
I recognize the problem. My HDD is full of bootlegs and there is no doubt that it's full of the same thing over and over again. Essential is: what do you really need?
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...........Junk is aching beautiful imo.
I have a CD of Elvis Costello working with Anne Sophie Van Otter (an opera singer) doing a variety of songs. They do Tom Waits' Broken Bicycles using parts of Junk as the Middle 8. Works quite nicely as both songs have a similar theme and vibe. Van Otter pulls back on the too forceful operatic sound and delivers a very graceful sound. Unfortunately can't find a YouTube of it.
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Wow! That is stunning! It even brought a few tears to my eyes. I'm so glad you mentioned it Moog.
http://youtu.be/pSktrO3fuOQ (http://youtu.be/pSktrO3fuOQ)
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Fascinating as always to listen to those embryonic musings, but - with the possible exceptions of "Sour Milk Sea" and "Junk" - I'm kinda glad those previously unreleased efforts remained in the demo-vault. There was a reason they didn't make the final cut. That's a beautiful outline vocal and melody from John on "Child Of Nature" but, like Moog, I'm glad that it evaded the drippy-hippy net that would have so dated it, and gestated to re-surface as the truly time-proof "Jealous Guy".
Most of the rough sketches are reasonably close to the eventually released, familiar versions - one thing I'm mightily relieved about though is that my favourite track from The White Album - "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" - shifted so well away from its dreadful Dylanesque origin and blossomed into the wonderfully frenetic slice of proto-punk which I know and love.