Holy fuck I expected some demos (can't listen to the new release until after work) but basically an entire lost live album is a nice ass touch too Didn't realize this wouldn't come out until next year though
Probably in the minority here but would’ve been cool if they put all the songs from the Nimrod sessions on this release. Lots of b-sides already out there so I know I could create my own playlist but still.
I'm really looking forward to this! The fact that there seem to be a handful of demos from songs that have been previously unreleased in any form is a really nice touch. The live disc is a nice touch too, though I am always wanting more in that department. Especially knowing that this was right around the era in which they were constantly playing radio festivals (and those sets are almost always recorded/aired by the stations; I'd guess getting them from like, KROQ would be easy enough). Oh, and a release like this for each album would be fantastic from Dookie on. Though, the Dookie demos are already out there and Insomniac was probably not very interesting because of how fast they were moving to record that one... But all the rest (Warning, AI, 21CB) would probably be super interesting to hear how they were experimenting, what didn't make the cut, etc.
I don't know if it's my personal, childhood connection to Elvis Costello and his songs or the fact that I've been waiting to hear this for 20+ years but... This cover is beautiful.
I'm pumped they're getting into substantive re-issue territory. The Insomniac reissue felt like they were dipping their toes into that world. Would have LOVED some Insomniac demos, if they even exist.
I should know this, and I'm assuming the answer is a firm "yes" but... Were there even a lot of demos from that era? Given how quickly Insomniac was put together and recorded, I'd imagine demos and songs the general public haven't heard yet is probably pretty limited. That "era" was also fairly short so live tracks were probably (relatively) limited. Whereas with Nimrod, the band was arguably at a creative peak and there was a lot of demoing. I can't help but wonder if there's not a bit more they could have done though. That era had so many different radio performances (both acoustic in-studio things and at festivals) that I'm a little surprised they didn't try doing a box set and go full-blown completist on it. Hah. Most of that stuff is already out there in some way, shape, or form but having an "official" release (that's maybe a little more cleaned up than the shitty FM airwave recordings floating around) would be nice. For me, the next "big one" is probably gonna be whatever they do for American Idiot. But that's just me assuming that those tapes they "lost" years back (LOL K) are going to magically re-appear. Haha.
30th anniversary of Dookie is next year. You have to think they will do a deluxe release of that album. There are tons of demos from that era. They can release the Chicago live concert or full concert of the Live Track EP.
It's interesting because I remember Nimrod unreleased song details coming out before the album was released. There were some magazine articles mentioning songs like "Hairy Guy" and a cover of "19th Nervous Breakdown", in addition to "Alison" and "You Irritate Me." For ~25 years people wondered if those were real - and they are! I tend to believe there are some demos out there for Insomniac, especially since songs like Westbound Sign were around since at least 1994. Very few major label albums are made without demoing, especially back then. Luckily, most of that stuff tends to trickle out eventually. Someone just released the 1991 demo of "Words I Might Have Ate" that very few people even knew existed. Fingers crossed!
It would be interesting to hear the original takes on Chump/Longview. What was so different that they chose to record them again in a new session for the album?
I never really doubted that they existed. I was just never convinced that we'd ever actually hear them. Haha. As far as what I said about Insomniac demos... They definitely demoed. I guess it just doesn't seem like the kind of album that would have been extensively demoed, where the songs are all that different from the record, etc. Particularly compared to, say, Nimrod or American Idiot.