Genesis – “Duke”. (Reconstructed early version).

"Duke" was recorded in a difficult period, especially for Phil Collins, he was trying to salvage his first marriage, After his ended, Collins wrote a significant amount of material, some of which was used for "Duke" and some was laterused on  his first solo album, " Face Value". Also Tony Banks, on October 1979, made his solo album: "A Curious Feeling";  and Mike Rutherford did the same with: "Smallcreep's Day", on February 1980.

Duke was the tenth studio album by Genesis, released in March 1980. This album it´a great work of rock progressive with experimental pieces, of individually-written songs with a lot of feeling put that evolved from jam sessions.

It became Platinum album in both the UK and U.S., with hit singles  as "Turn It On Again", "Duchess", and "Misunderstanding".

On December 3, 1978 ended in Tokyo Japan the tour with which Genesis promoted their previous album: “And Then There Were Three”; moment in which the band took a deserved rest, because they had been ceaselessly either recording albums or playing concerts so that this was the first longer pause for the band, something that had come to pass personal bill, as was the case of Phil Collins with his wife.

In late 1979 They got together again at Polar studios in Stockholm, Sweden, to recording new songs for next album, with the producer David Hentschel ;in December the  new work was ready  to mixed and mastered in London at the beginning of the following year.

So in January, at Maison Rouge in London,  the album was  mixed and structured in two parts: On Side A, they were places the most personal songs, as: "Please don´t ask"  or ""Misunderstanding"", intended for "Face Value"; while in the other, side was a long musical piece called “The Duke Suite”. Bit.ly/80GEN3 divided into six parts, or six tunes united by one same argument.  This is the way the album was structured:

Side A: (21:18):

1.Missunderstanding.(3:24)

2.Heathaze.(5:00)

3.Alone Tonight.(3:57)

4.Cul.De-Sac(5:04).

5.Please Don´t Ask.(4:02)

Note: “Man Of Our Times” was temporarily outtake; as: “Open Door” & “Evidence O Autumn”.  Then included in the final lp and the other two songs as B sides of the singles: "Turn It On Again", "Duchess" and "Missunderstanding".

Side B: The Duke Suite - (Parts I to VI) -  (21:47) :

I.Behind The Lines.

II.Duchess.

III.Guide Vocal.

IV.Turn It On Again.

V.Duke´s Travel.

VI.Duke´s End.  

Although, They liked this early version, The band thought that "Duke" could evolve more towards a conceptual album like "Tommy". But the problem was the material, it had was not much; and there was not enough time for new sessions. So they So that, they decided reworked over the master tapes and extended “The Duke Suit” to both sides using a new mixes, integrating the rest of the songs in it, trying to follow the same storyline.

At this point, "Duke" was a double album, because they used the rest of the material that had been rejected weeks ago. But for economic reasons, this option was forgotten and two of the songs "“Open Door” & “Evidence O Autumn” were finally removed from the final result,so that  this new version remained in one only disc. But they were wrong to compress it so much,it should have been left in two Lp, because the sound quality was not very good. 

Finally, in March 1980 "Duke" was published; this album became to the top of the UK charts, and “Misunderstanding” turned out quite a successful single in the USA. But Phil could not to save his marriage. but he gave us another great album: "Face Value", published in February 1981.

For my taste, I prefer this early version from "Duke" What do you think about it?.

Enjoy it. See you soon with more.

Photo: Alternate cover. Later used on "Misunderstanding" single. March 10.1980.

 

Jimi Hendrix – “Crash Landing” – Master Reel – Wiped version.

After death Jimi Hendrix´manager: Michael Jeffery in a mid-air collision over Nantes, France on March 5.1973; the producers Alan Douglas & Tony Bongiovi were hired to evaluate hundreds of hours of remaining material that was not used on earlier posthumous albums.

The material used on Crash Landing consisted of recordings Hendrix originally made with Billy Cox on bass and either Mitch Mitchell or Buddy Miles on drums and on one occasion by Rocky Isaacs, except: "Peace in Mississippi," "Somewhere," & "Stone Free" were recorded with the original Jimi Hendrix Experience line up, with Noel Redding on bass.

How the songs were works in progress or demos, they used several session musicians, none of whom had ever even met Hendrix, to re-record or overdub guitar, bass, drums, percussion and female backing vocals, erasing the contributions of the original musicians, only Hendrix' vocals and guitar contributions were retained, something that was very criticized. However the album, it became one of the most successful since “The Cry of love” Lp: #5 in the U.S.and #35 in the UK.

There was two versions of the album: the released in March and August 1975 in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively with this order: 

Side A: 1.Message to love.- 2.Somewhere over the rainbow.(Somewhere)- 3.Crash landing.- 4.Come down hard on me.

Side B: 1.Peace in Mississipi.- 2.With the power. (Power of soul)- 3.Stone free again. - 4.Captain coconut.(MLK). 

And one another with different line-up and no overdubs, but unknown and unissued:  

1.Crash landing (Record Plant - 24/4/69) - 2.Somewhere (a.k.a “Somewhere over the rainbow) (3/68) - 3.Anything is possible (a.k.a “With the power” or “Power of soul“ or “Power to love“) (Record Plant - 21/1/70) - 4.New rising sun (TTG - 22/10/68) - 5.Message to love (a.k.a “Nine to the universe” or “Message to the universe” or “Message of love”) (Record Plant - 20/1/70) - 6.Scat vocal-Lead 1 Scat vocal 2-Lead 2 (Hit Factory - 28/8/69) - 7.Stone Free (alternate) (a.k.a “Stone free again” (Record Plant - 7/4/69) - 8.Peace in Mississipi (TTG- 24/10/68) - 9.Here comes your lover man (a.k.a “Here he comes (lover man)”  (TTG - 29/10/68). 

This album is a reconstruction of the “master reel” with the original order of the tracks, Bit.ly/75JHcl with some small change so that all the selected songs appear, but without retouching of any kind, as recorded in his day by Jimi Hendrix. 

01. Crash Landing.(4:15).

02. Somewhere.(4:06).

03. Power Of Soul.(5:20).

04. New Rising Sun.(7:24).

05. Message To The Universe.(6:19).

06. Come Down Hard On Me.(3:18).

07. Stone Free Again.(3:43).

08. Peace In Mississippi.(5:26)

09. Here He Comes (Lover Man).(6:33).

10. Ezy Rider/MLK Jam.(20:00). 

Enjoy it.

 

The Monkees - Unreleased original "Greatest hits nº.2" (1971)

 

Colgems Records was a record label that existed between 1966 and 1971, after the dissolution of Colpix Records. Belonging to Columbia Pictures and RCA Victor, he was in charge of promoting and selling the phenomenon The Monkees and other contemporary minority artists without much success; besides to reedit soundtracks like the one of Lawrence of Arabia, Casino Royal and Oliver among others. 

Shortly before the Californian group: The Monkees was created from a casting where there were 500 candidates, including Stephen Stills, to fight and take advantage of the Beatle phenomenon in the United States, two of its future components had already been selected. by the record label: David Jones and Michael Nesmith, who used the "alias" of Michael Blessing. With "The Monkees", Colgem reached record goals, but after the fiasco of the movie Head and his consequent 1968 album, he began to have problems, so he tried to counteract them, with the album: "The Monkees Greatest Hits", in June 1969, while one of the group members, Peter Tork left; quickly new recording sessions were commissioned for the rest, while reviewing old material with the completion and release to the market of a new studio album for October and thus quell the rumors of separation; that's how "The Monkees Present" came, followed by a tour, the last one, after which another of its members: Michael Nesmith, who perhaps had the most musical talent .

The story was repeated and without much time and good material came "Changes", edited in June 1970, with only David Jones and Michael Dolenz; it was a real failure and took Colgem to a critical point that I try to save once again by recuencing a record of great hits: "The Monkees: Greatest Hits Nº.2"; of which a list of songs was made, 14 in total, seven per side, but unfortunately, it was unpublished when it could not overcome the record label, so much reverse, putting an end to its existence during this year 1971.

This new recording that I bring to the blog,is reconstructed as a result of the original acetate of the disc made by Colgem Bit.ly/TM71GH2 and that unfortunately never saw the light, because it did not even give time to catalog it. This is original line up:

Side A:(19:53)

1.(Theme From) The Monkees.(2:19).

2.Porpoise Song (Theme from Head).(4:10)

3.Someday Man.(2:40).

4.Good Clean Fun.(2:18).

5.Oh My My.(3:02)

6.What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?.(2:32).

7.D.W. Washburn.(2:49).

Side B: (21:53)

1.For Pete's Sake.(2:11).

2.Listen To The Band.(2:29)

3.It's Nice to Be with You.(2:52)

4.The Girl I Knew Somewhere.(2:39).

5.Tear Drop City.( 2:01).

6.Do I Have to Do This All Over Again.(2:38).

7.Goin' down .(4:23)

In addition and as usual, the cover is included and so you have the full CD, always with the highest resolution and quality possible.

The Who - "Lifehouse" - (The Final Cut - June 1971).

 

What can be said about "Lifehouse"?.Little that we don´t know today, because there´re very accurate reconstructions to what would have been the final double album and almost all of you know its history, as experts or understoods in the matter.

So let me do a little introduction: “Lifehouse” project, the missing link between "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia", was the great lost album of The Who, as: "Smile" for the Beach Boys, both with something in common, ended up breaking the psychology and the nerves of their creators, considered “damned works” for many years. Brian Wilson was able to conclude "Smile" over the years, but Pete Townshend has not yet, because there is no definitive version recorded entirely by The Who.

Along the times, there were different attempts to get something out of this schizophrenic project, but no luck. This new reconstruction that I bring you, apart from being the prologue to the promised album: "Rock is dead, Long live Rock!", available within a few days; shows you the last attempt to save "Lifehouse",  during this first stage.

After the unsuccessfully New York´s sessions at Record Plant studios during the month of March, The Who returned to England to Olympic studios; “Lifehouse” every day it became more complicated and this made Pete felt inside a mental loop with no exit. Although the project is officially abandoned after this american sessions, had become an personal obsession and Pete made more compilations, work, day and night in parallel; one of last, reducing the double acetate it to a single Lp.

This last cut from early June 1971.had practically the same order of songs, although many of them in extended version, and some absence. Next I put the order of this acetate of two discs, in case you want to reconstruct it and have the two final versions. The double...

Side A: (17:10)

1. The Note.(5:21)
(A.k.a: "Pure & Easy")
2. Behind Blue Eyes.(3:29)
3. Love Ain´t For Keeping.(4:03)
4. Mary (Rmk-2).(4:17)

Side B: (18:36)

1. I´m In Tune.(7:04)
(A.k.a: "Getting In Tune")
2. Going Mobile.(3:42)
3. Too Much.(4:21)
(A.k.a: "Too Much Of Anything")
4. Time Is Passing.(3:29)

Side C: (17:33)

1. Baby, don´t you do it.(8:37)
2. Won´t Get Fooled Again.(8:56)

Side d: (19:37)

1. Song Is Over.(6:14)
(A.k.a: "The Song Is Over")
2. Baba O´Riley.(13:23)

Outtakes from "Lifehouse":
Olympic Studios, London, England. April to June 1971.

"Time Waits For No Man. "A.k.a: "When I Was a Boy".
"Bargain"."My Wife" & "Let´s See Action".

After doing this new cut of the disk, seeing that Pete continued to dislike it, the sound engineer and producer Glyn Jones advised to him to leave it definitely, due to its enormous complexity in constructing a coherent and understandable plot for the mentality of then, the better solution: to make made a powerful rock album, not t necessarily with a specific storyline, only good music: "Who's Next" was born.

Side A: (22:05) 

 
1.The Note.(5:20)
2.Behind Blue Eyes.(3:40)
3.Love Ain´t For Keeping.(2:10)
4.Mary (Rmk-2).(2:20)
5.I´m In Tune.(4:50)
6.Going Mobile.(3:42)

Side B: (21:53) 

1.Too Much Of Anything.(3:04)
2.Time Is Passing.(3:29)
3.Won´t Get Fooled Again.(5:52)
4.The Song Is Over.(6:14)
5.Baba O´Riley.(3:12).

I want to explain some changes of this new work that I bring you, but begining by the end: 

The instrumental version of: "Baba O'Riley", edited to 3:12 minutes, because the full length version of 13:23 is a succession, rather monotonous, chaining the three main fragments of its structure, again and again at different scales, for which its synthesis is appreciated, because it can get boring a bit. 

"Won't get fooled again", intended to be, as happened after, a single, and the needed to make space on the B side, was edited from 8:33 to 5:52, but how “Lifehouse” was unpublished, This edit was ruled out and Glyn Jones make a new for the single being reduced even more to 3:40, Leaving the original in "Who's next" Lp.  

"Too much of anything", went from 4:24 to 3: 04, but It happened the same as with "Won't get fooled again", how "Lifehouse" was not published, This version was left out. The rest of the songs are basically the same mixes as in "Who's next"; some of them with the original titles. 

So, this version, it was closest to see the light in the summer of 1971 as "Lifehouse". It was a project that was never left, it was always there, with new ideas. Day to day...  

On booklet, you find the “labels” of the acetate´s copy that I have. I reproduced not only the order of the songs, the versions too, as it´s appear on this acetate, because the quality isn´t entirely good for me.

Except “Mary”, song that I re-worked, over the best version that I found of this Pete´s demo, so that it sounds more integrated in the final result of this reconstruction Bit.ly/71WlH and don´t look like what it really is, a demo or an unfinished song. 

... the single version:

Side A:  (22:05)
 
1.The Note.(5:20)
   (A.k.A: "Pure & Easy")
2.Behind Blue Eyes.(3:40)
3.Love Ain´t For Keeping.(2:10)
   (acustic version)
4.Mary (Rmk-2).(2:20)
  (Unreleased)
5.I´m In Tune.(4:50)
  (A.k.a: "Getting In Tune")
6.Going Mobile.(3:42)

Side B: (21:53)

1.Too Much Of Anything.(3:04)
    (Unreleased version)
2.Time Is Passing.(3:29)
3.Won´t Get Fooled Again.(5:52)
   (Unreleased single version)
4.The Song Is Over.(6:14)
5.Baba O´Riley.(3:12)
   (Unreleased Instrumental edit version).

The artwork, images taken in Manchester 1971, some selected as one more option  to be part of the album, as cover photo. 
Ok! That´s all.., and what´s next?
"Rock is dead, Long Live Rock!"..  The Who version,in a few weeks, before the end of June. 
Meanwhile, enjoy it.

The Byrds - "Phoenix"

 On September 14, 1970, The Byrds published what would be their last great album: "Untitled", with only one of its founding members: Roger McGuinn. A double album that not only reflected the fruit of the recording sessions in the studio, but also of their recent tour.An album that left from the aborted project of "Gene Tryp" to that of "Phoenix" and a reading error left it without title. 

The version that I will bring you,  will be a double CD with an alternative and reconstructed version of the live disc, plus the studio record "Phoenix", with unknow tracks in real stereo.

Ok!.., Here it is.

How “Gene Trip”, Roger´s project, it did not work; at the beginning of 1970, the producer Terry Melcher said to McGuinn that the band should release a double album, featuring an LP of concert recordings and other with new material from studio, which would retail for the same price as a regular single album. Something that had become fashionable, as “Cream” had done in 1968.

The first record was recorded in two concerts in New York City at the Colden Center Auditorium, Queens College. on Saturday, Feb.28 1970 and other the next day March 1 at Felt Forum. The studio lp was recorded at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA. between May 26 and June 11.1970. These studio tracks mostly consisted of newly material written and composed by band leader Roger McGuinn and Broadway theatre director Jacques Levy for a planned country rock musical under the title of “Gene Tryp”. Presumably of the twenty-six songs that were written for the musical, four appeared in the album's final running order: “Lover Of The Bayou” (live version); “Chesnut Mare”; “All The Things”; and “Just a Season”. Five in this reconstruction: "Kathleen's Song”.

The original title from this new work was “Phoenix” to express the artistic rebirth of the band, after John Taylor will quit “The Byrds” late 1969. Moment in which Roger McGuinn would rethink whether or not to dissolve the group definitively and start his solo career; but when the producer Terry Melcher had to submit paperwork to the record company, put 'Untitled', and due to a misunderstanding at the pressing plant, “Untitled” became the album's official title.Bit.ly/70Bpx5 That's why we should call it actually “Phoenix” because the original title was never changed. I think that should have been changed in later editions or have not used that cover. Anyway.., it doesn´t matter. This reconstruction follow the original concept. First disc: live outtakes placed in the same order as were played in concert.

Side One: (In concert). (19:34)

1.You Ain´t Going Nowhere. (2:55) (*)

2.Old Blue. (3:24) (*)

3.My Back Pages. (2:41) (*)

4.Take A Whiff On Me. (2:38) (+)

5.The Ballad Of Easy Rider. (2:48) (*)

6.This Wheel´s On Fire. (5:05) (`)

Side Two:  (In Concert). (19:00)

1.Jesus Is Just Alright. (3:11) (+)

2.Eight Miles High / Tag. (15:49) (`)

(`)Live Colden Center Auditorium, Queens College, N.Y.C Feb.28.1970

(*) live at Felt Forum. N.Y.C  March 1.1970.

(+) live Fillmore East. N.Y.C. Sept.23.1970.

Side Three: (Studio recordings). (19:10)

1.Amazing Grace. (0:58)

2.Well Come Back Home / White's Lightning (I & II). (7:54) (Unreleased version)

3.Chestnut Mare. (6:22) (Unreleased - Full length version).

4.Truck Stop Girl. (3:54) (Unreleased version)

Side Four:: (Studio recordings). (19:06)

1.All The Things. (4:58) (Alternate version)

2.Kathleen's Song. (2:37) (Alternate version #1)

3.Lover Of The Bayou. (5:14) (Alternate studio version)

4.Just A Season. (2:43) (Unreleased edit version)

5.Willin´. (3:32) (Alternate studio version)

Side C & D  from Columbia Studios, Hollywood, CA

(May 26 - June 11.1970)

The second, studio recordings; presented here following an alternative order that was finally rejected for the album. “Amazing Grace” it was a link track between the end of side B and the start of Side C. this song it was used to close the concerts.

Next: “White´s Lightning”, It was a “Jam” by Roger McGuinn and Clarence White, of something more than 15 minutes, it was edited to 5 minutes as alternative ending or “coda” of “Welcome Back Home”. After be rejected that possibility, “White's Lightning” was edited again in two parts; later issued on “The Byrds box set” and “(Untitled)/(Unissued)”, Here is the unreleased alternative version from this song. As unpublished is also the two that follows: “Chestnut Mare” & “Truck Stop Girl” unedited. The last side brings more alternate version, some known, except “Just a Seaon”, edited to be included in the first single.

Finally, the cover it´s an alternate photo, later used on cassette and eight track tapes from “untitled”. Backcover: from the single “Chesnut Mare” “Just a Season".

Ok, that´s all. I hope you like it and enjoy it.

Photo: Alternate original cover for "Phoenix". Later used on cassette and eight track tape box.