Perfect Stranger (Demo / Alternate Mix)

[Tin Soldier]

Well I'm afraid I don't know who Simon, Danny and Jonathan are, so my apologies for the cynicism on my part.

Actually, let me apologize for making the assumption you were familiar with the admins of UEC (the "Unofficial Erasure Club" group on Facebook - it's the default main fan group there which many EIS forum members gravitated to years back). They, or at least Simon Skinner, run the associated YouTube and Twitter accounts as well. Simon and the others go back a ways, and I just tend to doubt they'd be hoodwinked (nothing's impossible, of course).

[kwerty]

My thoughts exactly! Why are we having to scrape fucking YouTube for tracks that could and should be offered to fans who have been asking for stuff like this for years.

The answer to this question could be staring us right in the face. It's possible the record company don't have it in their possession to release. Because somebody took it.

[mrblue]

Hmmm.... took the originals? This just got a bit juicier. That's certainly a possibility. I always figured leakers and bootleggers would just snag a copy of something, but not steal the originals. You could be right kwerty. It doesn't help that there doesn't seem to be anyone at BMG who has any clue as to wtf to do with Erasure's catalog that they bought.

[kwerty]

Hmmm.... took the originals? ... I always figured leakers and bootleggers would just snag a copy of something, but not steal the originals.

Sure, and that could be what happened, but think about the logistics of that for a moment - someone would have have to:

A) have access to the original
B) be in a position to 'spool' it up
C) Set up and plug in another tape deck
D) run off a copy.

...all without anybody noticing.

Compare that to just seeing it on the storage shelf and just taking it.

Of course, whoever 'took' it or 'copied' it (and other demos) is surely an insider who was involved with either the record company or the studio and maybe have had legitimate reasons for running off a copy or two - for instance, I could imagine a situation where one or two people were given copies to take home and listen to in order to give some feedback for the next day's sessions.

Another thing to consider of course - on top of what I've just said - is that it's not impossible the originals got wiped, and all that remains are copies in the private collections of people involved in the project.

It's also possible that some of those recordings/mixes/demos got left at the studio where the album was being produced, and it's only later that someone had access to them and took them and/or copied them. Mute/BMG may not even know those recordings exist until they show up on YouTube!

So basically, whatever the reason, Mute/BMG might not have them in their archives, have access to them or not even know they are still at some studio to be accessed.

[Tin Soldier]

Another thing to consider of course - on top of what I've just said - is that it's not impossible the originals got wiped, and all that remains are copies in the private collections of people involved in the project.

This stopped me in my tracks as this has happened quite a bit with other media in the UK (like certain TV series' one would think would be safeguarded)

[Pughie]

Courtesy of Shelter & the UEC here’s the Shelter remix of Perfect Stranger (Sweet Sensation Remix)

[Zipzapuk]

funny enough while up in my loft I found my tape that I bought from rage records years ago - I remember getting it months before the release of the album - i recorded it from tape to my pc and I left the cd with the tape - wonder what this weeks job is?

James