Studio albums that have an entire alternate version available (studio recordings, not mix/mastering)

True.....but as it was a release of origional material, and live in front of an audience was just his chosen method of recording them....so should slip in there me thinks....

 

I think we can include also PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me and 4-track Demos albums.

 

Just remembered The White Stripes just issued The Icky Thump Demos, which is a demo version of the entire album, with a couple of subs.

There's some crossover - a lot of the tracks on the US release are on the original, albeit in different mixes. But I'll allow it...

There's also Mental Notes (AU) vs Mental Notes/ Second Thoughts (ROW/AU). I think it's a reverse re-recording in that every song on Second Thoughts was re-recorded from an earlier version (some on Mental Notes, some singles), but not all the earlier versions were released.

 

Marillion put out an alternate version of their Misplaced Childhood album on their deluxe edition of that title. It was fully recorded as a demo before the album was recorded properly. There's a few differences (most notably the running order) and its a bit rougher in performance than the album proper, but it stands up as a quite listenable (and interesting) alternative.

BTW - why does the running order being different matter, you may ask? Its because in both versions the songs all run together as a medley of sorts (aside from the album side-break of course - though when played live it was all one 40 minute piece/medley). So in both versions of the album it was presented as essentially two 20 minute medleys with a few differences in the running orders/transitions/segues/joining bits between the tracks.

 

I have an alternate Blood on the Tracks and Infidels. The Infidels one is better than the original release, to me.

 

It doesn't replace it, but adds another dimension. You also get an outtake: Burned Out Affair.

And excellent sleeve notes, if you're on the fence.

 

The Clash - Rat Patrol From Fort Brag --> Combat Rock.

Often revealing, sometimes better (really cool outtakes and b-sides), sometimes worse (some songs were rightfully trimmed by Glyn Johns for CR). Mick Jones' mix for Rat Patrol varies from good to inexperienced.

 

Natalie Merchant rerecorded a previous album Tiger Lily years after the original as did Lucinda Williams recently rerecorded Sweet Old World.

JG

 

Sinead O'Conner's Theology was released as a double album: "The Dublin Sessions" contains acoustic versions, and "The London Sessions" contains full band versions.

--Geoff

 

Klaatu’s Sunset 2cd collection contains their first and second album all in earlier incarnations. In the case of the debut some of the songs were released as singles before the album and the album versions are complete re-recordings. In the case of album 2, Hope, the band actually delivered a finished album employing an orchestra but when the label didn’t want to release it yet because the debut was still selling strong, the band took the album back and kept working on it and it replaced the orchestra parts with synths. On Sunset the whole Symphonic Hope is presented for the first time.

 

Since the OP doesn't specify that the alternate version has to be by the original artist, I'll offer up Charlie Hunter's 1997 take on Bob Marley's Natty Dread album. It duplicates the original song for song while turning the whole thing around.

 

Twisted Sister re-recorded Stay Hungry (and called it Still Hungry).

 

Peter Bellamy's folk opera The Transports was reissued in a 25th anniversary edition with a new recording utilising some of the original players, and in some cases where that was no longer possible using their replacements in the band they were from.

Both Jellyfish albums are available as instrumental versions.

The 3 CD reissue of the first Icicle Works album contains an alternate version as its (limited) 3rd disc.

The Lana Lane albums Love Is An Illusion and Curious Goods were reissued as double CDs with remixed / rerecorded versions alongside the originals.

Witsend revamped their only album as Cosmos & Chaos (2013) 20th Anniversary Compendium under their second name Syzygy.

Deacon Blue reissued their debut Raintown as Raintown Legacy Edition with a bonus album which contains a full alternate version using live tracks and demo recordings.

 

Lungleg's 'Maid To Minx'. First recorded in 1997: they then re recorded the entire album for release in the US in 1999. The arrangements were largely unchanged.

 

thanks to cutting edge u could probably make multiple versions of bringing to blonde

 

Grey area…I’d say the original artist has to be the creator of the alternate. Maybe a pass if it’s a reconstituted version of the old band (I.E. The XPTs redoing Parachute since they were all in The Pretty Things that made the origibal)…

I think there’re a couple of one-take songs that just make it a miss.

 

Does Petes Lifehouse Box Set qualify as redoing The Who's Next material?
Some are demos but many are new recordings

 

Coltrane - Ascension
Nico - Drama of Exile
Badfinger - Straight Up (Perhaps not every track, but close to it)

 

Ian Dury's New Boots and Panties was twinned with a second disc of alternate versions for RSD a couple of years ago. Also, his first band, Kilburn and The High Roads recorded an album that was shelved then recorded again for another label. It was eventually released after the hits arrived.

 

Peter Gabriel released English and German versions of his 1980 & 1982 albums.

Hopefully when Springsteen gets around to releasing a Born In the U.S.A. box set, we might finally get to hear the "electric" version of Nebraska in its entirety (if in fact, the entire album exists in full-band versions).

 

Blue Note did 3 or 4 of these that came out at the same time; Everett Harp did a version of "What's Going On", Fareed Haque did a version of "Deja Vu" and I think someone took a run at a Stevie Wonder album.
Another non-conforming title would be the Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Sessions" and the "Trinity Revisited", neither which was recorded in a studio.

 

The Beatles - Let It Be and Let It Be Naked

Queen: News Of The World and News Of The World Raw Sessions

Neil Young - Storytone

 

If we want to get into albums covered by other artists, I think there are a bunch out there, e.g. Petra Haden Sings The Who Sells Out or ***** Galore's version of Exile on Main Street.

 

On a side note, is this actually any good?

 

From a listener stadnpoint, I really, really like this method of presenting outtakes and alternates.