GUNS N' ROSES, 'Chinese Democracy' [re-imagined LP]

Guns N' Roses

CHINESE DEMOCRACY  (1999)

Chinese Democracy 
Better
Street of Dreams
10 Years*     [Believe in Me]
Anxious Disease*     [Anxious Disease]
There Was a Time
Madagascar
---------
Catcher in the Rye   (Brian May lead guitar mix)**
Believe in Me*    [Believe in Me]
Riad n' the Bedouins
Tijuana Jail*   [Pawnshop Guitars]
I.R.S.
Six Feet Under*    [Neurotic Outsiders]
This I Love


All tracks taken from the original 2009 LP except where indicated. I've seen the Garden City reconstruction and the similar Beggars & Hangers On; I thought I'd try one with Axl Rose singing more than one song. Yes, these are exercises in re-imagining history to make an interesting listening experience to an album I've played out, actually. I thought why not make a compromise between the less industrial tracks on said album and combine some possible contributions from the late 90's period where it all started. Slash left the group in 1996 after recording the Snakepit record with the other guys and singer Eric Dover. No offense to him, but he's not singing on this one. Slash contributes to other members' tracks I included to complete the deal. Duff sings "Believe in Me" and "10 Years" from his solo album; Gilby Clarke sings "Tijuana Jail" from his album; West Arkeen contributes the title cut ("Anxious Disease") from the album by his band The Outpatience (which includes Slash and Axl contributing musically on this track). I also included a third song by Duff called "Six Feet Under" from the album by his group the Neurotic Outsiders. 

Everyone will have a different opinion on what should be included to make this accurate for release circa 1999 or so. Don't let that get in the way of a good listen...14 tracks clocking in a little over an hour. Not quite the undertaking of hearing the original CD in one sitting. However, I did leave the heavier tracks for an E.P. release sequel to GNR Lies put together with "Oh My God" and the 'new' version of "Welcome to the Jungle" from a couple soundtrack releases around the time. The fact that Axl owned the name and was very much in control...it's arguable Duff and Gilby Clarke's material would have remained even had they been gone by the time of its release. The presence of their voices lends to the familiarity missing from this 'new GNR' record that alienated older fans. I was a casual fan, but I heard it and loved it!  Appetite is a classic while the Use Your Illusion records could use some trimming, IMHO. The loss of Slash as a songwriter could be filled by Axl and Duff's collaborator and friend West Arkeen; he had contributed in the past and was considered 'the sixth or seventh' Gun. This isn't me saying the void was filled, mind you!  I'm just saying Axl would likely bring him in and allow Duff and even Gilby (say he didn't get replaced by Axl so abruptly this time) to balance out the writing. It can be also argued that the reason the writing of the album took so long was because the lack of collaborative spirit the classic line-up(s) had brought before to the final product. Axl Rose himself was more or less quoted as saying "It has some songs that sound like Guns and some more like an Axl Rose record...but hopefully you'll like some songs on there." 

ELLIOTT SMITH, "From a Basement on the Hill" [re-imagined 2 x LP]

ELLIOTT SMITH

From a Basement on The Hill   (alt.)

Yay! (instrumental)*
Coast to Coast
Let's Get Lost
Suicide Machine*
Abused*
Don't Go Down
Strung Out Again
A Fond Farewell
King's Crossing
The Assassin or Kill/Fuck (instrumental)*
Cecelia/Amanda*
Brand New Game*
Stick Man*
Melodic Noise (instrumental)*
Twilight
-----------
Mr. Good Morning*
True Love     [Heaven Adores You soundtrack]
A Passing Feeling
Blue Mood (instrumental reprise of "Abused")*
The Last Hour
From a Poisoned Well*
Dancing on the Highway*
Shooting Star
O So Slow  (instrumental)*
Memory Lane
Little One
A Distorted Reality is Now a Necessity to Be Free
Trouble*
See You in Heaven (instrumental)*
Everything's Okay*


--------------------------------------------------------------


I've been trying to find the missing pieces to complete an approximation of the 30-song double LP the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith had intended to be his 'own White Album'--we know history didn't turn out that way for him. I first heard the song "Twilight" on a mix CD my cousin gave me 15 years ago. Then I got into his body of work and was truly blown away. I was too late to see the man in concert. He had (allegedly) committed suicide in October 2003. Sad ending for a man who had been to hell and back with drugs and depression and was trying to overcome them to produce what he hoped would be his defining album. By the summer and fall months of 2003, Elliott Smith had recently cleaned up--albeit the most extreme way possible--and was completing final vocal tracks for what would've been the true From a Basement on the Hill.

From what I've read...some 50 tracks were recorded for a projected 30-song double CD (ala The Beatles' White Album). By the time the unfinished project saw the light of the day, only 15 songs would be released on a single disc by ANTI Records in 2004. Due to Smith's death in Oct. 2003, his family came into possession of the tapes. David McConnell was Smith's original producer and collaborator on the album, but the family chose to enlist producer Rob Schnapf (who previously worked with Smith) and musician Joanna Bolme (a former girlfriend) to sort out the final project. 

Two things off the bat--"Pretty (Ugly Before)" would not been chosen to be included as it had already been released as a 7" in 2001 backed with an early version of "A Distorted Reality". Also, "Ostriches and Chirping" was included as a preface to "Twilight" on the released CD...but it's not an Elliott Smith composition at all. That's a loop of a toy bird created by McConnell that ended up on one of the reels and included by mistake.Several songs including "Suicide Machine", "Abused", "Stickman", "Mr. Good Morning", and "See You in Heaven" were intended for the album but left off (most likely because of the lyrics and subject matter). "True Love" was also left off but ultimately surfaced on the Heaven Adores You soundtrack from a few years back. Other tracks that may have been part of the album I found and included here as well. 30 tracks clocking in just under two hours. Now, I could not find vocals for "See You in Heaven" and "Blue Mood" and I know lyrics were written (according to the internet--lol) for them both. "Melodic Noise" I included in place of "Ostriches and Chirping" as an intro to "Twilight". I tried to sequence as best I could; dividing it between "Twilight" ending the first half and "Mr, Good Morning" opening the second half. There have been incorrectly labeled tracks floating around that ended up on the posthumously released 2-CD compilation New Moon as well as the recent deluxe re-issues of Either/Or and Roman Candle. I took the liberty of including "Brand New Game" and "Cecelia/Amanda" though they date back to Figure 8 era. It was said he had older unreleased songs that were being considered for re-recording. A complete tracklist has never surfaced. However, I think this as close as it gets (maybe for now).  

THE TEMPTATIONS, "More With a Lot O' Soul!" [imagined LP]

The Temptations

MORE WITH A LOT O' SOUL!   (1967)

I Got Heaven Right Here on Earth        [Emperors of Soul]

I'm Doing it All         [Emperors of Soul]

Angel Doll      [The Ultimate Collection]

What Am I Gonna Do Without You      

Love is What You Make It

No Time

Last One Out is Brokenhearted

How Can I Forget                [50th Anniversary - The Singles Collection, 1961-1971]

Forever in My Heart

I Now See You Clear Through My Eyes

Camouflage (ver. 2) 

We'll Be Satisfied

12 songs at 32 minutes leftover from the With a Lot O' Soul! LP sessions in 1967. That was my first Temptations album I bought on vinyl (I had previously been introduced via BMG Music--remember that and Columbia House???--with The Ultimate Collection CD). David Ruffin is probably my favourite singer of all time; but Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks just seal the deal!  The rest of the songs are taken from Lost and Found - The Temptations: You've Got to Earn It  (1962-1968).

Cody ChesnuTT, "THE HEADPHONE MASTERPIECE" [re-imagined LP]

CODY CHESNUTT

'The Headphone Masterpiece'   (alt.)

My Women, My Guitars

Somebody's Parents

When I Find Time

Eric Burdon

Upstarts in a Blowout

5 on a Joyride

Daylight

So Much Beauty in the Subconscious

The Seed

If We Don't Disagree

Look Good in Leather

6 Seconds

Serve This Royalty

The Most Beautiful Shame

My single disc reworking of this underrated singer-songwriter's 36-track self-produced debut released in 2002. I remember seeing him pop up in The Strokes's "Last Night" video and of course "Look Good in Leather" was out on the airwaves, too. And of course, The Roots putting out "The Seed (2.0)" with Chesnutt on guitar and vocals--the breakout hit. Chesnutt defends the entire double LP to be taken as a whole--hence, why he put it out on own instead of polish anything for interested record labels sniffing around. I can respect that artistic integrity--(in Jerry Seinfeld/Larry David voice) "Now having said that..." LOL. I whittled this thang down to a single disc...14 tracks at roughly about 43 minutes. There's a lot of skits and improv bits in there, too. Any leftover songs could be applied to an E.P. release. I just had this one to do sometime ago...you can try it out on Spotify at this link:

 The Headphone Masterpiece (alt.)

NEIL YOUNG: Excursions Into Alien Territory [re-imagined 1980's discog]

NEIL YOUNG 

Lost in Space  (1980)

Stayin' Power     [Hawks & Doves]

Evening Coconut**

Little Wing**

Windward Passage**

Fontainebleau       [Long May You Run]

Let it Shine        [Long May You Run]

Union Man      [Hawks & Doves]

Hawks & Doves    [Hawks & Doves]

Lost in Space     [Hawks & Doves]

My least favorite Neil Young LP I own. I tried to jazz it up a bit with some unreleased live cuts from some bootleg recordings of a show with his (short lived) side group The Ducks (the electric full band take on "Little Wing" and the unreleased instrumental "Windward Passage") and a 1976 concert in Providence with The Stills-Young Band ("Evening Coconut"). I fill it out with tracks leftover from the Long May You Run LP I turned back into a CSNY project. Moving on...

NEIL YOUNG 

Shakey (1981)

Opera Star          [Re-ac-tor]    

Surfer Joe and Moe the Sleaze    [Re-ac-tor]

Get Back on It    [Re-ac-tor]

The Old Country Waltz     [American Stars N' Bars]

Bite the Bullet     [American Stars N' Bars]

Saddle up the Palomino    [American Stars N' Bars]

The Emperor of Wyoming     [Neil Young]

If I Could Have Her Tonight    [Neil Young]

The Old Laughing Lady   [Neil Young]

I've Loved Her So Long     [Neil Young]

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere  (45 version)*    [Archives, vol. 1]

String Quartet from Whiskey Boot Hill    [Neil Young]

A collection of leftover tracks from albums I switched out for my alternate take on NY's discography. I replaced Stars N' Bars with Chrome Dreams; the self-titled LP for the Sugar Mountain live album from '68 and tracks for an alternate Buffalo Springfield Last Time Around LP ("The Loner", "I've Been Waiting For You"); and Re-ac-tor for an alternate version of Trans. In this timeline, Neil Young leaves Reprise over their lack of support for that album and they in turn release this odds n' sods LP as a 'sneer' in a similar fashion to Columbia Records releasing Dylan in response to ol' Bobby D. jumping ship to sign with David Geffen's Asylum label back in 1974. Very familiar situation, heh...but maybe that's just my sense of humour / take on the whole thing.

NEIL YOUNG 

Trans  (alt.)

I Wonder Why**

Computer Age

We R in Control

Transformer Man

Computer Cowboy

If You Got Love**     [Island in the Sun  rejected LP*]

Sample and Hold

Mr. Soul

Shots    [Re-ac-tor]

Neil Young left Reprise Records after their lack of support for his latest LP with Crazy Horse--1981's Re-ac-tor. I like this album better and I read he was already writing and working up some demos for it with Crazy Horse a year earlier. Upon signing with Geffen Records, Young offered them the album Island in the Sun which they rejected. Young included some of the songs from there with this concept LP he created in honor of his son, Ben (who suffers from a non-oral type of cerebral palsy) as part of his 1982 debut on Geffen. The unreleased opening track, "I Wonder Why" kind of puts it in perspective for me. Giving neither his fans nor his new label-boss any inkling of an idea about the concept of this very personal project would put Neil Young at odds with everyone outside his own thought process!  At least that's the way David Geffen seemed to feel when he would later sue his new artist for "making deliberately un-commercial music" to paraphrase. Geffen bought Everybody's Rockin' (another album I don't care for) from Reprise without even hearing it!  They did this to acquire what would've been his contractual fulfilling LP for his former label--thinking they had commercial gold on their hands, I guess. Before they would regret putting that out, let's move on to our next album in this thang.

NEIL YOUNG 

After Berlin  (1983)

Berlin**   [Archives Be Damned*  bootleg]

Motor City    [Re-ac-tor]

Everybody's Rockin'     [Everybody's Rockin']

Southern Pacific     [Re-ac-tor]

Rapid Transit     [Re-ac-tor]

Love Hotel**    [live bootleg recording]

Hold on to Your Love    [Trans]

Raining in Paradise**    [Island in the Sun rejected LP]

Like an Inca     [Trans]

I don't know if this would've made David Geffen any happier, but this makes a better listen to me than say, Hawks & Doves or Re-ac-tor (just my own personal taste). The title cut and "The Love Hotel" have never been officially released nor the songs leftover from the rejected Island in the Sun album. Let's move along to the next one...

NEIL YOUNG 

Old Ways  (1984)

Old Ways       [Old Ways]

Depression Blues*    [Lucky Thirteen]

Little Thing Called Love    [Trans]

Cry, Cry, Cry    [Everybody's Rockin']

Mystery Train     [Everybody's Rockin']

Your Love Again**     [Old Ways 1 - rejected LP*]

California Sunset    [Old Ways]

My Boy    [Old Ways]

Leavin' the Top 40 Behind**    [Old Ways 1 - rejected LP*]

Are There Any More Real Cowboys?    [Old Ways]

Silver & Gold  (version 2)**    [Old Ways 1 - rejected LP*]

This is way better than the version of Old Ways that Geffen released in 1985 (referred to by Neil Young himself as 'Old Ways II'). The original Old Ways I album was recorded right after Trans and was promptly rejected by Geffen. Everybody's Rockin' was released instead and that's where the trouble really started, lol.

NEIL YOUNG and The International Harvesters

Farm Aid  E.P.   (1985)

Depression Blues    [Lucky Thirteen]

Interstate*     [Broken Arrow  bonus 7-inch]

Grey Riders*      [A Treasure]

Nothing is Perfect*    [A Treasure]

Southern Pacific*    [A Treasure]

This supposedly is the track listing to the unreleased Farm Aid E.P. This information has not been officially released by Neil, so there is absolutely NO guarantee that this information is correct.
This was supposed to be released in 1985 to benefit Farm Aid, but it was blocked by Geffen Records who, at the time, were still involved in litigation with Neil due to charges of Neil delivering "unrepresentative" product. This may only have been intended to include three songs. The version of "Interstate" started out as an unreleased demo circulating among the bootleg circuit (that NY overdubbed 'Big Black' and bgv with Poncho in 1986). It was belatedly released a decade later with added drums, fiddle, and a new lead vocal. "Depression Blues" I've already included on my re-do of Old Ways but it serves as an appropriate opener. The latter three songs saw the light of day just a few years ago as part of the belatedly released live album A Treasure; recorded with Neil's backing group in that period (The International Harvesters). I could continue on with this...but I'm tired and want to finish my drink. Cheers!

THE JURY Sings Leadbelly [imagined E.P.]

THE JURY

The Jury Sings Leadbelly  E.P.  (1989)

"Where Did you Sleep Last Night"
Lanegan on vocals. On the Mark Lanegan album, The Winding Sheet

"Grey Goose"
Instrumental. On the Nirvana box set, With the Lights Out

"Ain't It a Shame"
Cobain on vocals. On the Nirvana box set, With the Lights Out

"They Hung Him on a Cross"
Cobain on vocals. On the Nirvana box set, With the Lights Out

DAVID CROSBY, "'Baby Man...' or Might as Well Have a Good Time" [imagined LP]

DAVID CROSBY

'Baby Man' or 'Might as Well Have a Good Time'   (1980)

Melody**

Drive My Car     [CSN box set]

Delta         [Daylight Again]

Kids and Dogs*     [Voyage box set]

Distances*      [Oh Yes I Can]

Flying Man *    [Oh Yes I Can]

Might as Well Have a Good Time  (demo)    [Daylight Again CD reissue]

Samurai    [Voyage box set]

King of the Mountain  (demo)*     [Voyage box set]

Little Blind Fish*     [CPR]

In 1980, David Crosby recorded his 2nd solo LP amidst battling an increasingly debilitating addiction to freebasing cocaine. Capitol Records rejected the LP for 'not being commercial enough'. Crosby tinkered with the album some and other recordings were attempted ("Jigsaw", "Little Blind Fish", "Never Go Back", "Baltimore", and "Tomorrow") and Neil Young even offered him "Little Wing" (from his own solo LP that would be released that year). "Drive My Car" and "Delta" were added on to Still and Nash's rejected LP subsequently released as the CSN album Daylight Again., The version of "Melody" that Stills and Nash overdubbed onto has never leaked and I hate the production on the version from Croz's Oh Yes I Can LP he would put out after being released from prison. The missing versions of "Distances", "Flying Man", "Kids and Dogs", and "King of the Mountain" I supplemented with the existing versions that were released. "Little Blind Fish" I actually took from the self-titled debut of Crosby's band with son James Raymond (CPR). It's a testament to the man's voice that I could include tracks from different decades and still make it a cohesive listen. Of course the 1980s production ruined "Melody" for me and I left it off my mix. Overall, the proposed LP wasn't lacking in anything (despite Crosby's state at the time). Oh well :)  I think it all worked out in the end. He's putting out more records than ever!