> I've been thinking about this lately and it seems like, at least with me,
if
> I
> hear a demo version of a song, and then hear the finished product later
> on, I almost always prefer the demo.


Would this be true of the last two XTC demo CD's?
I sort of concur with you, but I like the demo to sound almost "shockingly
different" from the final studio version.
That is to say, to offer a different spin or new element/idea to the song.

I enjoyed the XTC demos, but found them to be way to close to the studio
version's (the downside of the affordable digital recording realm). In the
analog days (cheap gear) demos seem to have a whole different charm and
dimension.

What's weird about demos is the fact that (at least for me) they always seem
to hold a special/fresh energy that the studio version doesn't seem to
capture (not the case for most tunes on the XTC demos). I get to wrestle
with that anomaly "all the time". very frustrating.

But now I hear that they've changed the songs or made
> some of them faster for the CD that should be out soon, and I'm already
> dreading the results.
>
> Anyone else feel this way?

YES!!   Always a risky idea to give out demos to folks and then speed up,
slow down or totally alter them for the CD.
As the artist, well ...be ready to hear a whole lot of feed back if it
backfires.

Scott





----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ArthurBang2@aol.com>
To: <audities@smoe.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 9:20 PM
Subject: Preferring demos to the finished product?


> Hey everybody,
>
> I've been thinking about this lately and it seems like, at least with me,
if
> I
> hear a demo version of a song, and then hear the finished product later
> on, I almost always prefer the demo.  I can't even think of any examples
> of the opposite.  Just as an example, I'm currently trying to compile my
> top 100 songs of the decade so far to play at the end of the year over
> the course of 2 - 3 radio shows.   On that list, I have 3 "Demo" versions
> of songs listed, just because I severely disliked the version I heard
later.
>
> Now, I don't always get to hear demos of songs, but I can name 5 or 6
> bands in just the past couple of years where I've been disappointed once
> the CD version has finally come out.  That's what I'm worried about with
> my current favorite band The Littlest Man Band.  I've had their 5 original
> demos burned to CD and it hasn't left my CD player for the past 6
> months or so.  >
> Arthur
> In The Mix w/ Arthur Bang
> http://www.thepickle.net/