XacharyCross
07-16-2009, 03:09 AM
A question I've generally pondered, but always been lacking a proper audience to pose unto. From the last poll of it, we have a lot of the whole album in order listeners about, so seems a good crowd to throw it upon.
There's a lot of thought spoken of listening as the artist intended in regards to order and so on, as opposed to the marketing singles. But where do the B-sides, releases, international versions, reissues and similar fit into this vein of thinking?
As an example, I'll take a look at the generally known “Are You Experienced?” album, by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The original LP came in two variations on release
UK/World:
Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Red House, Can You See Me, Love Or Confusion, I Don't Live Today
(side 2) May This Be Love, Fire, 3rd Stone From the Sun, Remember, Are You Experienced?
North America:
Purple Haze, Manic Depression, Hey Joe, Love Or Confusion, May This Be Love, I Don't Live Today
(side 2) The Wind Cries Mary, Fire, Third Stone From The Sun, Foxey Lady, Are You Experienced?
It's a pretty different album. Hendrix staples Hey Joe and Purple Haze don't' even appear on the International Variation, notably. Foxy Lady and May This Be Love trade to entirely opposite sides. And this is the original LP, back when Hendrix was still around to insert his vision of it.
A 1993 re-master ups the track count to 17, combing the missing tracks from each version, and adding Stone Free, Highway Chile, and 51st Anniversary. Red House changes to a version from Smash Hits instead of the original. While the ordering can't be attributed to the deceased Jimi, the other 3 songs were recorded by him, so why weren't they present in his original album vision? Or were they, but pulled later.
The ever-popular acoustic, live, remix bonus tracks, sure. One can dismiss as added filler to try and pull a buy in. But how does one determine the artist's intent with unreleased album tracks that appear later, or multiple editions with entirely different set lists or ordering?
There's a lot of thought spoken of listening as the artist intended in regards to order and so on, as opposed to the marketing singles. But where do the B-sides, releases, international versions, reissues and similar fit into this vein of thinking?
As an example, I'll take a look at the generally known “Are You Experienced?” album, by the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The original LP came in two variations on release
UK/World:
Foxy Lady, Manic Depression, Red House, Can You See Me, Love Or Confusion, I Don't Live Today
(side 2) May This Be Love, Fire, 3rd Stone From the Sun, Remember, Are You Experienced?
North America:
Purple Haze, Manic Depression, Hey Joe, Love Or Confusion, May This Be Love, I Don't Live Today
(side 2) The Wind Cries Mary, Fire, Third Stone From The Sun, Foxey Lady, Are You Experienced?
It's a pretty different album. Hendrix staples Hey Joe and Purple Haze don't' even appear on the International Variation, notably. Foxy Lady and May This Be Love trade to entirely opposite sides. And this is the original LP, back when Hendrix was still around to insert his vision of it.
A 1993 re-master ups the track count to 17, combing the missing tracks from each version, and adding Stone Free, Highway Chile, and 51st Anniversary. Red House changes to a version from Smash Hits instead of the original. While the ordering can't be attributed to the deceased Jimi, the other 3 songs were recorded by him, so why weren't they present in his original album vision? Or were they, but pulled later.
The ever-popular acoustic, live, remix bonus tracks, sure. One can dismiss as added filler to try and pull a buy in. But how does one determine the artist's intent with unreleased album tracks that appear later, or multiple editions with entirely different set lists or ordering?
