The mysterious appeal of outtakes

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by DK Pete, Sep 23, 2022.

  1. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe

    Prefer it to the released version. They should've left the backing vocals off!
     
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  2. supermd

    supermd Senior Member

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    They’re alternate versions, same (to me) as a live version. It’s great to hear my favorite songs performed a second time, or with a different arrangement, or a different singer, etc. More of my favorite stuff!
     
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  3. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    It's kind of frustrating, but in a way, it makes their discography more fascinating to explore, whereas with The Beatles, there isn't quite so much in the way of hidden treasures.
     
    DK Pete likes this.
  4. Axefiend

    Axefiend Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario
    Love outtakes! Particularly "From Elvis in Nashville". I always wondered how the songs would sound without all the extras, I like them much better raw.

     
    Mylene, CDFanatic, Purple Jim and 3 others like this.
  5. RingoStarr39

    RingoStarr39 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baden, PA
    I've been compiling my list of Beatles multitracks for awhile now, so outtakes can be very helpful in figuring out how a song was recorded and what's on each track. So I love them. haha
     
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  6. Sgt. Abbey Road

    Sgt. Abbey Road Forum Resident

    Location:
    Graz, Austria
    I prefer the album version with the backing vocals, but Take 14 is on par with it in terms of beauty:agree:
     
    Cachiva likes this.
  7. Elliottmarx

    Elliottmarx Always in the mood for Burt Bacharach

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    I think outtakes humanize the artist.

    I do wonder if musicians have a keener interest in outtakes than the general population.
    As a music maker, I love hearing the mistakes, and the almost-there nature of early version - in a large part because I can relate. Working out parts, and then perfecting them (with the clocking ticking) is high stress - and in some cases nearly an athletic activity.
    When I hear the greats engaged in this process I can relate and that makes the artist seem more like me - a plain old flawed-performer of a musician. However, I would hate for anyone to hear my outtakes. My finished products are bad enough, but the very thought that people could hear me struggle, ooh that would sting. I get why bands are reluctant to release this stuff, and why The Beatles are so stringent about what comes out.
     
  8. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    Your first sentence explains it pretty well I think; and I agree..the perspective of the fan concerning outtakes will differ greatly from that of the artists themselves. While I think an outtake in and of itself can be interesting from a musical/ arrangement point of view, I still think part of the appeal is that of a subconscious desire to have “been there” as the final formation of the given song was taking shape.
     
  9. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    Double like for opening sentence.
     
  10. babyblue

    babyblue Patches Pal!

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    Because much of the time, outtakes are really no big deal for the artists themselves. From their point of view, it's just unfinished ideas. I know I wouldn't understand people wanting to read my rough drafts of what I've written.
     
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  11. Stone Turntable

    Stone Turntable Independent Head

    Location:
    New Mexico USA
    Outtakes are music geek and superfan catnip. Like an intense interest in the arcana of sound quality, outtakes tend to be about inside baseball that regular listeners and music critics pay very little attention to, but are a big deal in forums like this one.

    The dream of revelatory outtakes and outtakes that dramatically transcend the stardard release sometimes comes true, but there's an awful lot of hype and fevered fantasy too around the notion of holy grail outtakes. My observation would be that outtake anticipation and hidden-gem desire usually far surpasses actual outtake fulfilment that forces reassessment once the veil of inaccessibility has been pulled aside.
     
  12. babyblue

    babyblue Patches Pal!

    Location:
    Pacific NW
    Especially these days when we get boxsets full of outtakes. Of course a good number of them will most likely not be quite as exciting as the hype.
     
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  13. JosepZ

    JosepZ Digital knight of the analog masters

    Location:
    Barcelona, Spain
    The difference resides in that live versions are intended to be heard by fans. They are different performances of a finished work. Outtakes are just steps on the way to the final piece of art. They are more private in nature. For the artist, that is.
     
  14. DaBigBadWolf

    DaBigBadWolf Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I am glad you said it first.
    These days it is hard to steer clear of them
     
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  15. Zappateer

    Zappateer Forum Resident

    I love out takes. Early version, different mix, basic tracks, alternate version,.

    I love Meat Light with all the alternate takes and even the initial sequencing of the album. There was a boot that was only Strawberry Fields Forever which tracked the evolution on the greatest Beatles song.
    You just know in some alternate universe what they know as an alternate version here…it is really the hit version there.
     
    Howard Bleach likes this.
  16. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I can't get enough of them especially the ones in pristine quality...fill the CD to the brim was my mantra! I love session tapes just as much! gimmie all the takes!
     
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  17. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    I think it simply hearing song we love from a fresh perspective ( as well as hearing something "new")
     
    dee likes this.
  18. Carl Swanson

    Carl Swanson Senior Member

    'Tis indeed a mystery to me, the appeal of outtakes.

    Basically, I view them, demos, studio yak-yak, etc as clutter. I don't mind a few "single" versions here and there; those are truly, IMO, "bonus" content.
     
  19. daveidmarx

    daveidmarx Forem Residunt

    Location:
    Astoria, NY USA
    I guess you don't listen to Prince or Springsteen then. Many of their outtakes are truly outstanding pieces of work that leaves one wondering how on Earth they decided to leave THAT unreleased at the time of recording.
     
  20. daveidmarx

    daveidmarx Forem Residunt

    Location:
    Astoria, NY USA
    You'll have the complete take sans backing vocals in about a moth or so. :)
     
    dee likes this.
  21. tug_of_war

    tug_of_war Unable to tolerate bass solos

    Yes!!!! It's a demo and it outshines the produced version!
     
  22. Proudwords

    Proudwords Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    By outtakes, that could mean different takes of a released song or a completely different song worked up during the album sessions that didn’t make the final album. I love hearing them all! I find the song creation and development process fascinating and, even more, I love the element of the discovery of new tracks from beloved albums that are etched in my brain (the scientist in me). Being a fan of artists like Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Jethro Tull, Rory Gallagher etc, I have been well-served in the discovery department! In some cases nearly whole unreleased albums have been unearthed to further my enjoyment of an artist’s catalogue. It’s true that many songs deserved their status as outtakes and proposed B-sides but that just makes me appreciate the final work all the more.
     
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  23. UnderTheFloorboards'66

    UnderTheFloorboards'66 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    The Beatles are my favorite band ever, yet even then I really don't care about the outtakes if I'm being honest. Even as a curiosity I've probably only properly listened to about half of the outtakes from all the boxsets. I find it incredibly tedious and boring. I'd much rather prefer listening to new material like demos and the few unreleased songs they produced.
     
  24. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    The outtakes I'm interested in are the ones that are competed sings that didn't make the album, like "Wonder People" and "Hummingbirds" from Love's Forever Changes. I get why neither made the album -- they're both tonally wrong for such a downcast album -- but they're both wonderful songs on their own merits.
     
    dee likes this.
  25. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Wh-aa-aat? The backing vocals on 'Here There and Everywhere' are possibly their best.
     

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