[…continued from last post]

DEMO LISTEN

The disc of demos that came with the deluxe edition this time, was not apart of an all-inclusive SDLX box like the last three albums have had. This time we got a complete and then some demo version of the album for only a small premium of price. That was appreciated, and as we’ll see, there was more here to foster our admiration.

1. Bauhaus Staircase 2.7 Demo. Andy 30th Aug 2020 3:36
2. Anthropocene Demo (A Haven For Lost Souls 1.1 Paul’s Track April 2020) 4:07
3. Look At You Now Demo (Zimmer Frame For Andy) Paul 28th Feb 2021 1:36
4. G.E.M. Demo (Culture War. Andy 6th March 2021) 2:45
5. Where We Started Demo (Stadium 6.0) Andy 26th May 2020 3:15
6. Veruschka 2 Demo 2nd December 2020 3:47
7. Slow Train Demo 1.3 Dec 2020 3:12
8. Don’t Go Demo 14th Nov 2018 2:36
9. Kleptocracy Demo (When I Was Young) Andy 14th March 2021 2:52
10. Aphrodite’s Favourite Child Demo (B Side Choir) Fotonovela 2011 1:54
11. Evolution Of Species 2.5 Ruff 4:43
12. Healing Demo (Water April 9th 2020) 4:32
13. Bauhaus Staircase Demo Andy 20th July 2020 2:56

The demo of the title track was looser in feel than the tightly wound album track. The tempo was slower and the vibe was less insistent. The soundstage was more spacious, and Andy was more immediate in his vocal styling. The music bed was looser and clankier. And there were some interesting lyrics that got discarded along the way. The song’s last two [excellent] verses weren’t there yet but what was made for a telling snapshot.

I had to admit that I really preferred the sound of the demo to the final album. The looser, more organic quality to the arrangement and vocal made it easier for the song to connect to me. And the production might not have been quantized to within a micro-millisecond for a less regimented feel.

Not all of the tracks had vocals at the point these snapshots were taken. “Anthropocene” sounded less like a track from “Electric Café” but was otherwise instrumental. Other tracks, like “Look At You Now” was a mere snip of 1:36 in length. But with “G.E.M.” we got another winner with Andy singing without so many vocal effects gumming up his performance. And the synth loops that the song was built upon was not so rigid in its definition so the jaunty number could have some swing. The verse of excised lyrics were also provocative, with the subtitle gaining some connection to the song.

“Where We Started” lost the wailing lead synth that Andy’s been favoring since “Kissing The Machine” [original version] ca. 1993! But his vocal still had a tremolo effect applied to it that the final album version spared us from. The demo of “Veruschka” gained points for having a superior vocal from Andy; doubling only on the chorus, instead of throughout the song. His phrasing was more emotive here as well, making the song gain some points with me to the point where the song has been on the Mental Walkman® all day today. Hmm!

No such redemption was in store for “Slow Train,” which was still crass and meretricious in its demo form. In fact, it sounded even more foolish and ill-starred here, thanks to the phrasing decisions that McCluskey made which made the tune even more obnoxious. Though it mercifully was a full minute shorter, it may have been even more troubling than the album recording. Having heard Andy sing like this, I will make the point that it cannot be un-heard.

The demo of “Don’t Go” was still winsome and cheerful, but the music bed was richer and less harsh to the ear, thought that could be down to the mastering on the album version. Andy still doubled his vocals on certain verses and once more, the lyric was the real weak point on the track.

“Kleptocracy” was conspicuously missing the sampled vocal hook that gave it its striking urgency, but the bass guitar in our faces up front was still highly compelling. The topline melody was familiar but the lyrics were a completely dissimilar concept. The parenthetical title of “When I Was Young” made it a different song completely, though the opening lyrical couplet was the middle eight here, and the last lap of the song was instrumental save for that thick, zesty bass guitar we don’t get enough of in modern OMD. That said, the album version is still by far the go-to song from this album.

“Aphrodite’s Favourite Child,” the song co-written with Grecian Synthpoppers Fotonovela in 2011 [judging by the full title], was rounder and richer here in the instrumental version that sounded better than ever, but still had me pining for McCluskey’s excellent lyric and performance. “Evolution Of Species [Demo]” was a full 90 seconds longer than the album version, with additional sound bites being added to the mix. Virtually creating a 12″ mix of the song on disc two. The addition of animal like rhythmic trills on synth brought it closer to its concept, making the version here more successful to my ear.

“Healing” was also almost a minute longer than the album version. It hewed closely to the footprint of the album version; being based on the same dripping water rhythm loop and being largely composed of gentle string leads and pads. There were no vocals or lyrics on this version and the busier rhythms from the album version were absent. Here, the water was everything. There was another demo of “Bauhaus Staircase” manifested as the final track. It was instrumental and without the strong lyrics, it was much less arresting than either vocal version had been.

Next: …Updating The Graph