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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
I think it simply hearing song we love from a fresh perspective ( as well as hearing something "new")
'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.