Nowadays we're being bombarded with Deluxe Editions of well-known albums, but with shitloads of additional tracks added, the original album became a 3-disc monstrosity with B-sides, bonus tracks, and studio leftovers...
Often, we might play these additional tracks once or twice, but realise quickly why these were never added to the main album; they just weren't that great.
Often, we might play these additional tracks once or twice, but realise quickly why these were never added to the main album; they just weren't that great.
Of course, there are some exceptions, but these are rare for sure.
Having said/written this, one might assume that virtually everything ever recorded has been made available, either on LP/CD box sets, digital versions, or bootlegs... But believe it or not, some songs have fallen between the tracks, and we're not talking about dubious outtakes or shitty live recordings!
Having said/written this, one might assume that virtually everything ever recorded has been made available, either on LP/CD box sets, digital versions, or bootlegs... But believe it or not, some songs have fallen between the tracks, and we're not talking about dubious outtakes or shitty live recordings!
This is why I started a series entitled Lost Music. Here is the first episode:
In 1994, All Men Are Brothers: A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield was released by Warner Bros, and I remember reading a positive review about it in the Dutch music magazine OOR.
About a year later or so, I got this CD as a gift, very nice indeed, I enjoyed playing it, one of those better tributes.
BUT I noticed something weird, the review included a picture of the album's cover and my actual copy's cover looked pretty much the same, except for two names...
The magazine's picture showed Public Enemy and John Mellencamp, but these two were nowhere to be found on my CD...
This remained a kind of mystery for many years until I finally got a decent internet connection and could go searching!
Turned out that John Mellencamp's cover of "Freddie's Dead" and Public Enemy's cover of "We're a Winner" were pulled from the official release.
Why They Were Removed? According to GROK:
Contemporary reports (e.g., from 1994 Billboard and Music Connection issues) confirm the tracks were recorded but cut from the final album without a widely publicised reason. No official statements detail clearance issues, quality concerns, or other factors — it's simply noted that they "did not make the final cut."
Another publication stated: "It’s an album so full of star power that tracks by John Mellencamp and Public Enemy doing Mayfield tunes as significant as “Freddie’s Dead” and “We’re a Winner,” respectively, were bumped at the last minute."
However, the Public Enemy track did end up on a promo cassette...
The version shown in the OOR review seems to be nonexistent; perhaps I was hallucinating?
Luckily, I did take a photo of that cover!
Or on YouTube, but no, these two have until now never seen the light!
In 2021, a special limited edition double LP of A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield was released for Record Day, but without these two tracks...
Of course, there have been other Mayfield tributes released over the years: People Get Ready – A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield (Shanachie, 1993), I'm So Proud: A Jamaican Tribute To Curtis Mayfield (Trojan, 2007), etc., but that's beside the point...
Maybe those two missing tracks are crappy, but the collector in me really would like to hear them!
Question: Do you have any 'missing' tracks you've been looking for ages to no avail?
There are a lot of missing tracks floating around in my foggy grey area. Especially in late 70s and 80s classical music. For over 30 years I am trying to find works by Clarence Barlow only to discover today. that I was looking for the wrong title. I was looking for Verhaltnissen, as stated on the radio program I taped it from. Only to realise today (kwartje valt/penny drop) that it is called Relationships and is on a compilation cd. Mystery one solved.
ReplyDeleteDe Grote Stilte Van Één Vogel is another thing I am looking for. A dutch electro-acoustic work with voice and I have it on a tape that is not in the best condition, and I would like that very much in good quality. I don't know how impossible it is to find. I could not.
But that is not the same as your quest for tracks that are clearly announced , put on the sleeve, but never released in any form. Not even by the artists themselves. Brings me the question: Where they commisioned and never delivered?
Oops, I think your search for that Will Eisma composition is much more difficult, Richard!
ReplyDeleteAs for mine, they were released as promos only. Apparently fan rips from the promo cassette exist in collector communities. For John Mellencamp's "Freddie's Dead," forum users (e.g., on Steve Hoffman Music Forums) have mentioned possessing MP3s of the track in the past (described as funky/hard-rocking with session drummer Kenny Aronoff), though it is no longer widely shared in those threads. Public Enemy's "We're a Winner": This is even scarcer in circulation. It is documented on the same promo cassette tracklist but has virtually no mentions of public rips or shares.
Yes Will Eisma is the composer I am looking for. It is tantalizing, great classical music that has been performed, shelved and forgotten, only performed a handful of times, and maybe aired once....For the Clarence Barlow track, I am making a u-turn, Having heard the cd on which version 6 of Verhaltnissen-Relationships is published and research into the various other versions of this composition, I come to the conclusion that the version I have on tape is not the one on that cd. I doubt there are official releases of the first 5 versions. Version 6 is a fierce track with heavy percussion by Jaki Liebezeit atypical of what some might call classical music.
ReplyDeleteBummer, better put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and start digging again!
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