Erasure4Rum

Perfect Stranger (Demo / Alternate Mix)


César

It's subtly done, and quite convincing, but I'm wondering if it's a bootleg/homemade remix.

It sounds to me like it's basically the album version with synth and percussion overdubs, along with some neat editing flourishes here and there - especially in the instrumental parts where it's easier to do that kind of thing.

But mostly it's all additive with nothing really subtracted from the original (but it makes nice use of echo to cover where I think they may have cut small parts out, which help gives it that slightly different sound in the intro etc.).

I'd say it's certainly not a demo, and my feeling is that it was maybe made in somebody's bedroom and is NOT an official unreleased version.

I do like it though! If it's a fan mix, well done to whoever did it!

kwerty wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2019 4:54 pm Nice. But I suspect this is a FAKE! :p

It's subtly done, and quite convincing, but I'm going to call it out as a bootleg/homemade remix.

I’ve contacted the original poster of this mix and it is 100% genuine,the source can’t be revealed but it’s a real genuine demo.
(I trust the person 100% as being the real deal)

Pughie wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:53 pm I’ve contacted the original poster of this mix and it is 100% genuine,the source can’t be revealed but it’s a real genuine demo.
(I trust the person 100% as being the real deal)

Okay well thanks for investigating Pughie! It's good to know this might be real after all.

Let me just say firstly that I didn't mean to suggest I thought the original poster made the mix themselves. Even if it turned out it was a fan-made mix, I'm sure the poster uploaded it believing it was the real deal, and they have some obviously genuine demos of other songs on their YouTube (which I don't think are anywhere else), so I wasn't doubting them for a moment.

But as well as that I've also been giving it a few more really good listens and comparing it to the original, and I'm less convinced of my own initial suspicions now!

There are little bits of evidence that make me think that - the melody on the intro seems quite clean with no percussion like on the original, and there are no backing vocals on the middle eighth either, so there is a bit more going on with this mix than I first thought.

I'm curious as to why it's only just surfaced now though, and even more curious as to why it's not on the upcoming Chorus remaster! Or why it wasn't in From Moscow To Mars! Although I suppose if it was taken from the studio then they might not have it anymore to include.

This sounds more to me like an alternate mix than a demo. I have a rough, multi generation, demo that came from James' CDs? Could be, not sure at this point, very different from this, clearly a demo.. This the vocals and much of the backing track are the same as the album version...

Really, It's hard to imagine Simon, Danny, or Jonathan not doing their due diligence before posting this with these attributes.

skery wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:35 am This sounds more to me like an alternate mix than a demo. I have a rough, multi generation, demo that came from James' CDs? Could be, not sure at this point, very different from this, clearly a demo.. This the vocals and much of the backing track are the same as the album version...

I agree this is very similar to the new version of How Many Times?,a more polished demo/version.
I know there are many more tracks that haven’t been released,for whatever reason,and the Chorus demos have been around for ages,but didn’t a different version of one of those demos appear on FMTM? (Can’t think what the song is but I’m sure it was one of them)

Tin Soldier wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:34 am Really, It's hard to imagine Simon, Danny, or Jonathan not doing their due diligence before posting this with these attributes.

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

But yeah, once I paid more attention to which YouTube channel it was on and the other content there - much of which I've visited before and am very thankful for - I became more convinced I was probably wrong about the mix. As I say, I also listened to it some more and compared it to the original and realised there was more going off there that wouldn't be quite so easy to do in a fan mix as I first though.

Pughie wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 9:12 am I agree this is very similar to the new version of How Many Times?,a more polished demo/version.

I'd say this is a step on from the 'How Many TImes?' demo. Despite it being called an alternative mix on the CD listing, HMT sounds like a totally different recording, like a final finished demo before recording the multi-track. Perfect Stranger on the other hand sounds more like an alternative mix-down from the multi-track recording, with some synth parts they decided not to use in the final mix. As Skery says, it sounds like the bulk of it is the same sounds and vocals from the final album mix, but with some extra synth parts layered over it.

Pughie wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 9:12 am didn’t a different version of one of those demos appear on FMTM? (Can’t think what the song is but I’m sure it was one of them)

It's 'Waiting For The Day' I think - it's a different demo version on FMTM than what appears on the Unofficial Erasure Club channel. They also have a demo version of 'Ghost' on their channel which I've always been fascinated about. Like is this also from the Chorus sessions like 'Twilight apparently was, or is it from later ISISIS sessions? Either way, I'd love to know the history and development of that song - Erasure have often said that if they thought a song wasn't working they would quickly ditch it, but it sure seems like they wanted to make this one work!

kwerty wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:11 am
I'm curious as to why it's only just surfaced now though, and even more curious as to why it's not on the upcoming Chorus remaster!

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.