As most of us know by now, XTC's return to the U.S. limelight, "Dear God," was originally left off of the 1987 release, "Skylarking." It had been relegated to a B-side. First pressings of Bob Dylan's "Shot Of Love," a record I happen to think gets unfairly bundled together with his "mediocre" Christian records, was made even better when second pressings added the killer track, "The Groom's Still Waiting At The Altar." I mention these records after listening to "Susan," a track from Aimee Mann's stellar 2000 release, "Bachelor No. 2," and a track that was not on the original 7 track extended play CD. There are many wonderful songs on Mann's best record, "Bachelor No. 2," but I happen to love "Susan."
Excluding B-sides and favorite unreleased tracks, of which there are many, can you think of songs that you absolutely love that were specifically left off of, or subsequently removed from, a record?
33 comments:
Well, "Ridin' In My Car" removed by Mercury from NRBQ's 'At Yankee Stadium' (obviously).
Do you know Scott, I’m embarassed to say, I did not know that. What’s the story there?
Not sure this fits your criteria, Sal, but "Time of the Season" wasn't included in the first release of "Odessey & Oracle" -- I ran out and bought the single.
Dave F
Well all released copies of Odessey included Time Of the Season. It’s just OANDO didn’t get released until the single of TOTS took off two years later. It wasn’t added on for a second press. Good choice though, at least for trivia.
Costello had to deal with Columbia and Stiff record labels adding/dropping songs thru his first 3 lps. Watching the detectives is not on the UK vinyl edition but is on the US.This Years Model UK vinyl edition had Chelsea but is dropped on the US edition for Radio radio. Armed Forces UK edition does not have Whats So funny... plus there were 45 singles included in early editions of TYM and AF. Great stuff and worth collecting at the time. Then came the cd editions...
I believe the Police’s “Murder by Numbers” was originally a cassette-only bonus track on Synchronicity. This was a trend in the 80s. "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" wasn’t on the LP of So, but was on the CD and cassette.
wasn't Two Little Hitlers on later pressings of Nearly Human?
Still not sure why Exit by the Black Crowes never made it to one of their records
Wasn't "Blind Willie McTell" scheduled for "Shot Of Love"
Oh yeah here's another...I (even to this day) think Zep's Houses Of The Holy was a pretty bad record, however when the title song showed up on "Physical Graffiti" I thought, why would they leave that off? Could have changed my opinion of HOTH
I think Two Little Hitlers was a CD only track, so it wasn't added or removed for any other reason than length. The releases were simultaneous.
Exit, a great Black Crowes song, is unreleased. It never appeared commercially, so it wouldn't qualify.
BUT...if "Blind Willie McTell" appeared on Shot Of Love and then was removed, that would work.
Tracklists change all the time before a record gets released. I mean, hadn't 30 songs been recorded or demoed for XTC's Skylarking?" The point is, a record comes out and AFTER the fact, someone decides, we better add this, or remove that. For example, "Virginia Plain" by Roxy Music. NOT on original LP, added to US copy after the single hit big.
"When The Tigers Broke Free" was added right in the middle of Pink Floyd's meticulously sequenced The Final Cut in later pressings.
I love the song, and it made it so that it finally was available on a proper CD (it was on Echoes, the best of, previously), but I HATED them placing it in the middle. I don't know if it was ever intended to be there, but the vinyl single upon which it first appeared (that preceded the album release) had a notation on it that said "From the forthcoming album The Final Cut"
It didn't appear on that album until 20 years after its original release. I think it disrupts the flow of that album now, and is copyrighted 1979, three years earlier than the rest of the album, since it was written and recorded specifically for The Wall, where it much more logically belongs.
Also, I think For What It's Worth counts. I believe it was added to the second pressings of Buffalo Springfield, but merely for good ol'commercial reasons.
Got it!!! Ok so my submission would be "Rocks And Gravel" from Freewheelin'
Lemonheads’ ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’ added ‘Mrs. Robinson’ shortly after release. Stone Roses’ debut added ‘Fool’s Gold’ about six months after its intial release.
"Poor Will And The Jolly Hangman" was left off Fairport's "Full House" because Richard didn't like his guitar solo. It got as far a being printed on the covers.
Hello all...no, please remain seated,
Not sure if this really fits the criteria, but...
Radiohead released the song I Promise on their OKNOTOK release last year. It was recorded for OK Computer but didn't make the final cut, apparantly because they didn't feel it was strong enough. They were mistaken.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sFvFVkeGVg
Regards,
RichD
The Cat Stevens song "Peace Train" appeared on the original (1987) pressing of the 10,000 Maniacs "In My Tribe" album. It was even released as a single. However, after Cat Stevens became Yusef Islam and made comments that were interpreted as calling for the death of Salman Rushdie, the song was removed from the album in protest.
Interestingly, the song appears on a later 10,000 Maniacs CD -- "Campfire Songs: The Popular, Obscure and Unknown Recordings of 10,000 Maniacs" -- but it's still not included on pressings of "In My Tribe." A shame, really, because "In My Tribe" is probably their best album and "Peace Train" fits in well.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Carbona Not Glue" was removed from the Ramones "Leave Home" at the insistence of the company who made Carbona.
Get Off of My Lawn
My two penneth worth: in moments of youthful calm, peace & quiet introspection I would listen to Megadeth's album "Killing Is My Business...." and my copy included a version of "These Boots Are Made For Walking". Lee Hazlewood objected as some lyrics had been amended & the track was removed from later copies but it became available again on the 25th anniversary of the album as bonus or live versions.
John Doe recorded a whole album's worth of songs in 1997, but for some reason Kill Rock Stars chose only 5 of them (the more unorthodox ones) to release as the "For the Rest of Us" EP. After Doe landed on YepRoc, they got around to releasing the whole album which sounds great as "For the Best of Us." One of my favorites of Doe's.
"Anytime" was not about the music industry, and probably too upbeat, so it got left off "Lola Etc". Great song, though.
http://alanwalkerart.com/audio/kinks_anytime.mp3
Do Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane on Sgt Pepper count? They were, by all accounts, to be on the album, but were released as (what a!) double A-side single...?
"Murder, Incorporated" REALLY should have been on "Born in The USA". And all of "Tracks Disc 2" should have been on "The River". All if it. Somehow.
I know there are more important things in life, but I would like to try this one more time.
You have a record. Then, you have that record at a future date and it either has one more song or one less song. That’s it. It is not about could have beens or should have beens. As my father used to say, “If my aunt had wheels she’d be a bus.” I’m interested in the stories and reasons and examples of records that changed once released.
Wasn't "Helen Wheels" added to Band On The Run at some later date? Or did it make the first pressing?
Pete
I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet, but"For What It's Worth" replaced "Baby Don't Scold Me" on all but the the first pressing of Buffalo Springfield's debut album. The latter was recorded (I think) just as the album went to the mastering plant and soon became a monster hit.
Eh...never mind.
I just saw Zippy beat me to it. :D
The Clash’s ‘Train In Vain’ was originally intended to be a promotional giveaway for NME, however when negotiations collapsed it was added as the final track of ‘London Calling’ at the last minute - and was excluded from the album cover’s track listing.
The Smith’s ‘How Soon Is Now?’ was originally the B-side to the single ‘William, It Was Really Nothing’. It was added to the U.S. album release after becoming an alternative hit.
Sal, I believe "Ridin' In My Car" was a single on Red Rooster (b/w "Do the Bump") and, having had some regional airplay, Mercury licensed it for 'At Yankee Stadium' and it appeared as the final track on the first pressing. Sometime before the second pressing, the licensing agreement expired and so all subsequent versions of 'At Yankee Stadium' omitted it.
Scott, what about All Hopped Up?
Sal, I can't explain what rationale Mercury had at the time, just reporting that one of the bands most popular songs appeared on the 1st pressing of what "many people" consider the band's best album, then disappeared from the pressings that followed.
Thanks Scott. I am simply curious. It's like the Beatles tacking on "Help" on Side Two of "Rubber Soul."
A Month Of Sunday's. It was only on the cassette version of Building The Perfect Beast by Don Henley.
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