Alternate Versions

Deep Cuts: Metallica- Dyers Eve
Metallica - ...And Justice for All Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

The first Metallica album I ever heard was And Justice For All and from that point I was hooked. I was only 4 at the time but, it all made so much sense to me. Throughout the years of me listening to the album, I’ve come to love certain songs a ton. One of which is “Dyers Eve.” The songs lyrics is a rant from Hetfield to his parents and it’s such a poignant rant too. Musically, this song rips. It’s a “thrashterpiece” of epic proportions. Interestingly too, this song was debuted live in 2004, sixteen years after it was recorded, at a show in Los Angeles during the bands 2004 Madly In Anger With The World Tour. Also, as an album closer, what a way to end it on.


Metallica- Dyers Eve:

Metallica- Dyers Eve (Live At The Forum, 2004):

Alternate Versions: Metallica- Sad But True
Metallica – Sad But True Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Metallica’s “Sad But True” is one of the best tracks on their “Black Album.” It’s one of those songs that when they play it live, it’s even bigger than the studio version. A few days ago, Metallica announced a huge deluxe version of their now legendary “Black Album.” In this edition, there will be tons of bonus tracks including demos and alternate versions of songs. To get things going, the first one the band released is this badass version of “Sad But True.” According to the notes, this was take number 36 of the song and features a bunch of different things.


Metallica- Sad But True (Take 36- February 5th, 1991):

Alternate Versions: Korn- Beg For Me & Falling Away From Me
Korn Blind Woodstock'99 [HD] 720P - YouTube

Woodstock 1999 has a very interesting history. Despite the riots, fires, rapes, price gouging and the other atrocities that happened, there were quite a few outstanding performances. One of those that I remember being a stand out was Korn’s set. This was before they were finished with their fourth album (and my second favorite album of their’s) Issues. Their set that night included 2 songs from Issues, “Falling Away From Me” and “Beg For Me” both with different lyrics than what is on the final versions. Both of these versions are quite different and give a bit of a different vibe than you’ve heard. I’d personally love for this set to be released officially. If you haven’t heard these before you are in for a treat and if you have, well now you can enjoy them again!


Korn- Beg For Me (Live at Woodstock 99):

Korn- Falling Away From Me (Live at Woodstock 99):

Alternate Versions: The Tea Party- Psychopomp (Live)

A while back I wrote about a band you might have missed along your musical journey called, The Tea Party. This astonishing three piece band from Canada, is seriously one of the best bands in the last 25 years. They are one of those bands that has the ability to add elements to their sound without losing sight of the overall sound objective. Their 1997 album, Transmission, is a wonderful mix of heavy rock, blues, world music and on this one they added an electronic/industrial tinge to it. One of the best songs on the album (and my favorite song of theirs), “Psychopomp” is stunningly epic. The studio version is one thing but, the live version of this song is on a whole other level.

The Tea Party- Psychopomp (LIVE):

Psychopomp (Album Version):

Alternate Versions: Emma Ruth Rundle- Darkhorse (LIVE)
Image result for emma ruth rundle on dark horses

Since the whole pandemic began, I’ve been going back to albums I haven’t really delved deep into. One of those albums is Emma Ruth Rundle’s fantastic 2018 album, On Dark Horses. While listening and getting more and more engrained into the album. I developed a keen fascination with the song “Darkhorse.” This song is hauntingly beautiful and poetic. Every time I go back to this album, I’m compelled to listen to this song at least 5 times. It’s a very powerful and hypnotic song. One of those that will have you coming back more and more. The entire album, On Dark Horses is one of those albums that needs to heard and talked about. I could go on and on about it but it’s much better if you just listen for yourself.


Emma Ruth Rundle- Darkhorse (Live On KEXP 2018)


Emma Ruth Rundle- On Dark Horses:

Alternate Versions: Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Live)
Jane's Addiction - Kettle Whistle - Amazon.com Music

Back in 1997, Jane’s Addiction reunited for a tour with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass instead of Eric Avery. To coincide with that tour, the band released a compilation album called Kettle Whistle featuring live tracks, demos and two new songs (“Kettle Whistle” and “So What”) featuring the “Relapse Tour” lineup. I remember being really excited about this record for some reason. One track on the album has always stood out to me and that is the version of “Three Days.” This live version was taken from their 1990 show at the Hollywood Palladium and it’s absolutely astounding. It’s one of those live versions that far supersedes the studio version.


Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Live at Hollywood Palladium 1990):

Alternate Version: Metallica- Blackened (Acoustic)
Blackened 2020 | Metallica.com

About six months ago, Metallica released an alternate version of “Blackened.” This was obviously done during these very strange times we are living in. I really enjoy when bands break down their songs to the bare bones. Having a more acoustic feel to this song definitely gives it a different vibe. The original from And Justice For All is in my top 5 all time favorite Metallica songs. This new version, I have to say is quite fun. I’d really be interested to hear Metallica do a full on acoustic set in the same way the classic MTV Unplugged’s were.

Metallica- Blackened (2020):

Alternate Version: Silverchair- Emotion Sickness Live 1999
Silverchair - Live At Melbourne Park 1999 [Full Concert] - YouTube

Back in 1999, Silverchair released their opus Neon Ballroom. It was a departure from their first two (and very awesome) albums. This one though was full of so much more maturity and diversity that it has truly become one of those beloved albums the more the years have gone on. I’ll never forget hearing it for the first time, especially the first song on the album, “Emotion Sickness.” That song on its own is epic and truly remarkable. This live version of “Emotion Sickness” is astonishingly beautiful. Enjoy this. On a personal note (and I’m sure a lot of you will agree with me), Silverchair is one of those bands that really needs to get back together. That would really be something else if they did.

Silverchair- Emotion Sickness Live At Melbourne Park 1999:


Alternate Versions: Billy Corgan- Tonight, Tonight (Acoustic)

Stern Show on Twitter: ".@Billy Corgan treats Howard to a rare ...

I’ve spent a lot of the past year or so doing a huge deep delve into The Smashing Pumpkins and rekindling my love for this band. It’s been pretty obvious, if you haven’t been able to tell by all the posts. Being able to watch so many different live performances of the Pumpkins of just Billy solo throughout the years has been truly awesome. There are so many great shows online as well as individual performances of certain songs. The other evening as I was falling asleep, I somehow wound up thinking about the song “Tonight, Tonight” and found myself drawn into a rabbit hole of different versions of the song on YouTube. One such performance really grabbed me for some reason and that would be from back in 2012 when Billy appeared on the Howard Stern show and performed “Tonight, Tonight” at Howard’s request and gave a little history on the song. This alternate version has been stuck with me and now you can enjoy it with me!

Billy Corgan- Tonight, Tonight on The Howard Stern Show/2012:

 

Alternate Versions: Metallica- Frantic and St. Anger

Metallica Is Livestreaming Their Jam Sessions Every Monday ...
Back when Metallica released their album St. Anger, so many people were astonished by the sound of the album. The snare sound in particular drew ridicule (and still does) from so many fans, critics, and pretty much anyone that listened to it. The whole St. Anger album seemed to alienate fans as well but, over time, there has been some new appreciation for the songs themselves. I remember when it came out I was torn about what I thought about it. I could tell there was something there but the production and such made it difficult to get into. Then one day I sat and really listened (which at times was painful) and realized how personal and deep the album is, especially lyrically. For many years too, Metallica didn’t play anything off the album live but, a couple years ago they started putting “St. Anger” and “Frantic” on the set list and these “new” versions sound a whole hell of a lot better. Personally, there are a couple others I wish they’d play live from this album like “Some Kind Of Monster” and “The Unnamed Feeling.” I think those would sound a lot better now than before. So, take a chance and give these jams another shot!

Frantic:

 

 

 

St. Anger: