LOSSLESS RE-POST
CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED
The dB’s
CLASSIC ALBUMS REVISITED
Demos & Live
1982-1985
IF YOU ENJOY THIS ONE, be sure to check out the earlier post of The dB's debut album, Stands for deciBels REVISITED.
ROB SEZ: Instead of posting the
widely-circulated demos set from 1982-83, I decided to cherry pick a few of them and add some
live tracks to create a “Like This
REVISITED” comp. The dB’s third album is a triumph, especially given several
big challenges — not the least of which was Chris leaving the band just as The
dB’s were finally getting their first U.S. record deal.
The “bonus tracks” for this collection are: the demo of “Darby Hall” (which, in its completed form, was a bonus track on the original CD release); the demo of “Elvis, What Happened?” (Peter must've had a serious Elvis fetish before the scales fell from his eyes…); and a just-couldn’t-resist repeat of the album’s first song in demo form. For extra enjoyment, read Peter's essay about writing "Love Is for Lovers" and hear an excerpt from the original demo of "Do You Believe This?" at The New York Times.
Are you listening, benevolent record label people??
 |
| artwork included in download |
FM + soundboard recordings (sound quality: VG+ to VG++; various dates & sources; track 01 is the sole audience recording)
01 Love Is for Lovers (live)*
02 She Got Soul #1 (demo)^
01 Love Is for Lovers (live)*
02 She Got Soul #1 (demo)^
03 Spitting In the Wind (live)+
04 Lonely Is as Lonely Does (demo)^
05 Not Cool (demo)^
06 Amplifier (live)+
07 A Spy In the House of Love (live)+ [brief FM signal interruption at 4:31]
08 Rendezvous (live)+
09 New Gun In Town (live)#
10 On the Battlefront (demo)^
11 White Train #2 (demo)^
12 Darby Hall (demo)^
13 Elvis, What Happened? (demo)^
14 Love Is for Lovers (demo)^
SOURCES:
*The Blue Note, Columbia, MO
1984-07-16 aud
^Demo 1982-83 (tracks 02 and 11 have extra numbers in the titles because there was more than one version of the same song in the full demos set)
+Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC
1985-03-26 FM
#Cabaret Metro, Chicago, IL 1984-12-05 FM
IF YOU ENJOY THIS ONE, be sure to check out the earlier post of The dB's debut album, Stands for deciBels REVISITED.
In case you’re not familiar with them, the demos
date from that transitional time after the release of Repercussion, just before Chris left the group, and before the
Peter-led dB’s signed with Bearsville Records in 1984. The source is a
multi-generation cassette dub, so the sound quality is a tad muddy at times and
there’s a bit of hiss on some tracks. I did my best to clean them up.
The live tracks are standouts from 3 shows
during the “Like This” tour: Columbia, MO, July 16, 1984 (The Blue Note);
Chapel Hill, NC, March 16, 1985 (Cat’s Cradle); and Chicago, IL, Dec. 5, 1984
(Cabaret Metro). The first is a VG+ quality audience recording and the latter
two are FM broadcasts. As usual, I used lossless sources for all the above. BIG
THANKS to all the tapers and sharers, especially TheBynumite for his FM capture of the
Cat’s Cradle show.
NOTE: don't be put off by the less-than-perfect sound quality of Track 1 -- the remaining tracks sound considerably better.
The “bonus tracks” for this collection are: the demo of “Darby Hall” (which, in its completed form, was a bonus track on the original CD release); the demo of “Elvis, What Happened?” (Peter must've had a serious Elvis fetish before the scales fell from his eyes…); and a just-couldn’t-resist repeat of the album’s first song in demo form. For extra enjoyment, read Peter's essay about writing "Love Is for Lovers" and hear an excerpt from the original demo of "Do You Believe This?" at The New York Times.
Like This, the original album,
appears to be out of print
THIS IS TOO GOOD AN ALBUM
TO GO OUT OF PRINT!!
Are you listening, benevolent record label people??
Hey, these Like This demos and live tracks are really great! Astonishing that that CD could be out of print.
ReplyDeleteHearing the live "Amplifier" reminded me of the track that at one time was on the db's website (might still be there) of a version of "Amplifier," created (so the story goes) when a musician who had auditioned for a position as an on tour guitarist with The db's did not think he had gotten his full abilities across and so sent back a track with loads of guitar riffs and effects layered onto Amplifier. I love the track, as it's so over the top, not just the guitars but also the intro of his girlfriend supposedly smashing stuff. Plus I actually like pop music with a nutty guitarist on top (think Matthew Sweet with Lloyd or Quine).
I am sure you know about that track, but if not check it out.
Ace K.
Thanks, Ace. I had a great time putting it together.
DeleteYes -- that version of Amplifier is hilarious, and last time I looked at thedbs.com, it was still there!
Thanks, excellent stuff.......saw them supporting "Like This", opening for R.E.M. at the Tower Theatre in Philly before i moved up here to Boston in late '84....also used to take the train up to NYC whenever i could to see them around 1980-81 or so....and that NYT piece is priceless!!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou music fans who could take a trip across town & see The dB's when they toured in your city. I'm so jealous!! 8-)
DeleteLove this "Like this" material. My favorite dB's album and probably in my lifetime top 25. Thanks so much for providing the live/demo compilation. They won't replace the album itself but are really cool to hear and made me hear some of the tunes in a new light. All the best,
ReplyDeleteThis is exactly why I posted this one: for folks like you who appreciate the original album. Enjoy, Arturs.
Delete