Alternate Universe - Various Artists

Not much time to work on these lately so here's a mix tape to fill the gap. It's been a great six month run of weekly postings but time and ideas have been running short and real life is getting in the way of maintaining that at the moment. I still have a few projects in the works so keep checking in. And, if I do run out of ideas,I have a stack of mix tapes to share with you.

Every track on this compilation is either an alternate version (live or studio outtake), original version or a cover version that challenges the so called definitive for superiority. Most of these songs were officially released in some way but many can only be found on bootlegs. A couple of songs appear, to the best of my knowledge, nowhere else but here. All volume matched to the best of my ability and timed to fit on one CD.

Track by Track

1. Anchor Man – Afternoon Delight
From the movie Anchorman, performed live by Will Ferrell and supporting cast. This is the live vocal version taken from the movie. Ripped from the DVD.

2. AC/DC – Back In Black
I found this track on the bootleg Shockingly Rare which claimed it was from recording sessions before Bon Scott's death. Not being an uber fan I believed it. I have since learned that is is not AC/DC but comes from the tribute album Thunderbolt - A Tribute To AC/DC from 1998. Joe Lynn Turner from Rainbow is on vocals, who did a convincing enough job of emulating Bon's vocal style to fool me. Also, Phil Collen from Def Leppard is on guitar and on drums is Simon Wright who was the drummer for AC/DC from '83 to '89.

3. John Lennon – Watching The Wheels
The original acoustic demo version. First heard on The Lost Lennon Tapes radio show, can be found on the Lennon Anthology. This is my preferred version.

4. Big Star – In The Streets
In the Streets was recorded by Todd Griffin as That '70s Song with additional lyrics by Ben Vaughn as the theme song for the television sitcom That '70s Show. Another recording of That '70s Song by Cheap Trick was used as the theme beginning with season two. This is the original version. A big thanks to Smash Adams at The LP RE-construction blog for his Big Star post which pushed me to seek out this band I missed the first time around. From the album #1 Record.

5. Dwight Yaokham – I Want You To Want Me
From the album Tomorrow’s Sounds Today, Dwight's covers album. Another Cheap Trick related track. This is a cover of the seminal track from the In Color album.

6. Gloria Jones – Tainted Love
The original version from 1965 released as a B side. Gloria rerecorded the song in 1976 for an album titled Vixen which was produced by Marc Bolan. It was that remake that the band Soft Cell based their cover version on.

7. Beach Boys – California Girls
Vocals only version. From the box set Good Vibrations: 30 Years. Ooh, the harmonies. Say what you want about Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys but this track truly demonstrates Brian's amazing arrangement skills and the band's vocal abilities.

8. Guns ‘N Roses – You’re Crazy
The original acoustic version outtake from the Appetite For Destruction CD. Found on the Welcome To The Jungle CD single. They re-recorded the song to give the album a more consistent heavy sound.

9. Tom Petty – The Waiting
Acoustic performance from the It’s Gary Shandling’s Show. Recorded direct from a VHS recording of the original airing onto cassette courtesy of my friend Redfreak then digitally transferred to CD. Later reruns edited this performance down to just one or two verses. This is the complete performance. I'm really surprised that I have not seen this on any bootleg compilations.

10. Stills & Nash – Dear Mr. Fantasy
Outtake from the Crosby, Stills and Nash, Daylight Again LP. This CSN album started life as a Stills & Nash project due to David Crosby’s drug problem during that time. I may be a bit soft but Stephen's lead guitar work on this song has brought me to tears more than once. From the CSN box set.

11. Elton John – Tiny Dancer
Live solo piano/vocal performance from The Old Grey Whistle Test aired on BBC television during the early 70’s. I would love to get my hands on Elton's multitrack session tapes so I can strip them down to the bare essentials. Originally ripped from DVD but the song can be found on the three CD 40th Anniversery set.

12. Masked Marauders – Can’t Get No Nookie
From an parody album that was based on a fake LP review in Rolling Stone magazine. The Masked Marauders was a supposed supergroup featuring Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and an unbilled drummer.The album contains many great performances including an epic 10 minute version of Season of the Witch as sung by Bob Dylan. Vinyl rip.

13. Michael Hedges - All Along The Watchtower
From the album Live on the Double Planet. This album was the first CD I ever purchased. Michael recorded a version for his Watching My Life Go By but this is version is magic. For me this cover even tops Jimi Hendrix's version as the definitive version of this song.

14. Brian May – ’39
From the Making of A Night At The Opera edition of the Classic Albums DVD series. This is a solo performance. Ripped from DVD special features.

15. Pink Floyd – Pigs On The Wing
The "complete full version", Features both parts 1 & 2 with an additional middle section featuring a guitar solo by Snowy White between. This was essentially Snowy's audition for the job of touring guitarist for the band. First appeared on the 8-track version of Animals.

16. Julian Lennon – Saltwater
Acoustic version. Most likely found on a CD single somewhere or possibly from a live in the studio performance. I downloaded this from a file sharing network back in the days of Napster so if anyone has more info please share.

17. Dolly Parton – Shine
From the Little Sparrow CD. Another one of those few cover versions of a song which in my opinion outdoes the original. On her next album she covered Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven and failed to capture any of the magic found here.

18. Bruce Springsteen – It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City
Original Acoustic demo. Found on the Tracks box set. There are acoustic demos of almost the entire first album spread across many bootlegs and rarities collections.

19. David Bowie – Space Oddity
Original demo version. Before making it big as a solo performer, Bowie was part of a duo. This song originates from a tape of demos they were shopping around at the time. From the Sound and Vision box set.

20. The Beatles – Watching Rainbows
From the last day of the Twickenham rehearsals, which George did not attend, for what became the Let It Be album. One of the many one-off songs that were recorded by the cameras during the filming of the Let It Be movie while the songs for the album were being developed. This is my own unique edit joining two takes (one full and one partial) which can be found on the Beatles bootleg The Black Album.

The cover features an illustration from the cover of an issue of the comic book Weird Science.