El vis Cos tello - The ALTERNATE Get Happy!

Alternate Takes, Demos, Live Versions

studio tracks recorded 1979

soundboard, FM & audience recordings (sound quality: VG to Ex-) 

-none officially released-

click on image for enlarged view

ROB SEZ: Yet another installment in the "Classic Albums Revisited" series. This one's a compilation with a mix of alternate takes, band rehearsals, demos, and live versions. (As with all my posts, none of these recordings has ever appeared on any officially-released version of the album, including reissues.) When Get Happy! first came out, I wasn't such a big fan. But it's grown on me quite a bit over time. When I first heard it, the manic energy and hyper-abundance of short, catchy songs proved to be more than I could digest at the time. In retrospect, I now hear it as another brilliant collection by EC & The Attractions. Highlights of this comp are many of the live performances, including two rare Peel Session tracks from 1980. Don't miss the EC solo version of "New Amsterdam" from 1989, the gospel-tinged rendition of "Motel Matches" from 1996, and a rare EC & The Attractions performance of "Riot Act" — all killer. Some of the alternate studio takes, rehearsals, and demos give you an idea how the songs might've turned out if a different speed or style had prevailed during recording sessions (check out the "skanking" version of "King Horse"). Unless otherwise indicated in the comment file tags, these are studio and live recordings by EC & The Attractions.

The album's master takes were recorded at Eden Studios, Acton, London in the fall of 1979 as well as Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands. I'm guessing the alternate takes were recorded at the same time. The demos were recorded by EC at Archipelago Studios, Pimlico, London earlier that year. In several cases, my secret source offered up similar-sounding alternates for some of the songs. In those instances, I went looking for compelling live recordings. Several of my master sources this time were high-quality lossy files, which explains why there's no lossless version. Hope you enjoy this and the bonus tracks I couldn't resist including.

MP3@320