demo trax v. album trax - a side by side look vol1 pt1
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Artist:
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Album:
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Track:space oddity demo
so, this'll be my first in depth mog post...i've finally found a topic that maybe has some meat that i can type aimlessly about: demo recordings, and in what ways they do and do not reflect the final product.
as a songwriter, recording 'artist', and recordist myself i have a keen interest in the ways in which a song, performance, or interpretation evolves over time. as a mildly obsessive music collector, i have amassed a (un?)reasonable number of said demo recordings from all over the genre map. so i was thinking this might be the first in a series of posts where i'll post a potentially illuminating pair of mp3s, with a demo back to back with the album cut and make note of a few points of what i see as 'of interest'. maybe we can discuss more in depth? anyway...up first:
david bowie - space oddity
the lead track on the similarly titled 1969 album (originally released as 'david bowie' or 'man of words/man of music') that is widely regarded as his first 'proper' album. some things to listen at:
**much of the intricate vocal harmony work is already present on the demo.
**the stylophone (the reedy, almost sax-like sound- actually a pocket organ type instrument) is already present and playing a major role in the demo...taking 2 solos that would later be played on saxophone and guitar, respectively.
**apparently, 'space oddity' was selected to be the lead single on the strength of this (or a similar) early demo recording (wikipedia). i wonder if this would even get a foot in the door today? i have my doubts...
**the demo has, at about the 4 minute mark, a 2 part harmony vocal that is not on the album version. on the album version, there's a stylophone rip followed by one classy guitar solo.
the demo recording finishes with a single note, rhythmically repeated, from the stylophone. while considerably more lush and tricked out (with all manner of studio shenanigans), at 4:31 of th album version the guitar clearly references this motif.
here's the demo...enjoy!
as a songwriter, recording 'artist', and recordist myself i have a keen interest in the ways in which a song, performance, or interpretation evolves over time. as a mildly obsessive music collector, i have amassed a (un?)reasonable number of said demo recordings from all over the genre map. so i was thinking this might be the first in a series of posts where i'll post a potentially illuminating pair of mp3s, with a demo back to back with the album cut and make note of a few points of what i see as 'of interest'. maybe we can discuss more in depth? anyway...up first:
david bowie - space oddity
the lead track on the similarly titled 1969 album (originally released as 'david bowie' or 'man of words/man of music') that is widely regarded as his first 'proper' album. some things to listen at:
**much of the intricate vocal harmony work is already present on the demo.
**the stylophone (the reedy, almost sax-like sound- actually a pocket organ type instrument) is already present and playing a major role in the demo...taking 2 solos that would later be played on saxophone and guitar, respectively.
**apparently, 'space oddity' was selected to be the lead single on the strength of this (or a similar) early demo recording (wikipedia). i wonder if this would even get a foot in the door today? i have my doubts...
**the demo has, at about the 4 minute mark, a 2 part harmony vocal that is not on the album version. on the album version, there's a stylophone rip followed by one classy guitar solo.
the demo recording finishes with a single note, rhythmically repeated, from the stylophone. while considerably more lush and tricked out (with all manner of studio shenanigans), at 4:31 of th album version the guitar clearly references this motif.
here's the demo...enjoy!
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