Favourite Bonus Tracks

Do you like Bonus Tracks? I love the buggers. What are your favourites? Here are a few of mine...

* Their Hearts Were Full of Spring - Beach Boys' Wild Honey 2-fer. The Beach Boys 2-fers were full of great bonus tracks but this one stood out to me when I first heard it. They may not have been angels but they sound like them.

* Werewolves / Cue Dream Sequence - John Howard's Kid in a Big World RPM re-issue. Two rough sounding piano and vocal demos for two absolutely cracking songs. The John Howard RPM issues are full of unreleased bonus tracks and in one case an unreleased album with it's own bonus tracks.

* All 20(!) previously unreleased tracks, known as X is for Extra - The Residents' recent Not Available re-issue. Fascinating stuff that provides alternatives looks at the Not Available material's birth, construction, composition and completion. A treasure trove for fans of this particular album.

Without the wonder of bonus tracks there'd be a lot less amazing music available. The clue's in the name, they're a bonus!

 

Love 'em when they're pertinent, economical and genuinely add something.

The bar for me was set by the Rykodisc Bowies, in particular Hunky Dory (Bombers, Quicksand demo and The Supermen), Diamond Dogs (Dodo and Candidate) and Young Americans (Who Can I Be Now and It's Gonna be Me). Glorious stuff, adding new colour to a familiar friend.

 

“Crystal Japan”!

 

Yes indeed. Although in that case, the bonus songs didn't really suit the album in my view.

 

Robin Trower Bridge Of Sighs 1999 expanded CD.

5 live tracks from 5/29/74 KMET Radio Los Angeles. The tracks are great and all cuts from the LP and only a month later than the LP release.

 

Either Out of Line or Thank You For Christmas from the bonus disc for Horizontal by the Bee Gees

 

Dodo is one of my favourite tracks from that era of Bowie. Essential.

 

If a hidden track can be accepted as a bonus track, I would say Paul Westerberg's cover of Flesh For Lulu's "Postcards From Paradise" would be one of my favorites.

 

How about "Dirty Frank" included on the U.K. release of Pearl Jam's Ten.

 

The Byrds “Triad” from Notorious Byrd Brothers

 

My brother purchased The Clash's London Calling in 1980. I loved the album and especially fell in love with "Train in Vain."

However, "Train in Vain" wasn't listed on the album cover or either of the two records. Initially, thought it wasn't on the album. Later, I realized that -- even though it wasn't listed anywhere -- it the last song of the two-disk set. I was very happy that it was actually on the album.

So, is this a bonus track?

To me it was -- and a great one at that!

 

I love almost all of the Elvis Costello bonus tracks from his early albums, especially Get Happy, Trust, This Years Model, and Armed Forces.

 

The interesting thing is that they reissued this again with different bonus tracks.

The album was remastered once again and released in 2007 with eight bonus tracks from BBC Radio 1's "John Peel Sessions":

1. "Bridge of Sighs" (recorded 5/3/74) – 4:54
2. "In This Place" (recorded 5/3/74) – 4:04
3. "Alethea" (recorded 5/3/74) – 3:55
4. "Little Bit of Sympathy" (recorded 5/3/74) – 3:52
5. "Fine Day" (recorded 28/1/75) – 3:22
6. "Confessin’ Midnight" (recorded 28/1/75) – 4:47
7. "It's Only Money" (recorded 28/1/75) – 5:01
8. "Gonna Be More Suspicious" (recorded 28/1/75) – 2:58

I actually burned a cdr of all of bonus tracks from the 2 releases.

 

I don’t appreciate the concept of bonus material, unless it’s on a separate disc. But there’s lots of fine songs I appreciate, and Their Hearts Were Full of Spring is one of them!

 

And One-High (Hardline-Mix), 1997

 

The Who - Who's Next "Too Much of Anything"

 

Fleetwood Mac’s Silver Springs
The Police’s Murder by Numbers

Two of the original bonus tracks.

 

Superman. REM. Life's Rich Pageant

 

I'm not very much into bonus tracks, but lots of Jethro Tull bonus tracks are as good as the album songs.

 

These are essential!!!

 

Bad Lieutenant-Split The Atom, 2009

 

Please Be with Me (EC Solo Acoustic) from Give Me Strength Box Set

 

Marsheaux-Secret Place (Extended Version), 2014

 

That's not a bonus track. It's a hidden track. Big difference.

Unless it's a hidden bonus track. That's another thing altogether. Tough call on this one.

 

Syntax-Woman, 2004