With Overlooked Alternatives behind me, I now embark on this brand new series . . . which is nearly identical. But don't you like this new name better? The important thing is that I'm still bringing you the details on some of the week's odder releases.
I have to admit, however, dear Reader, to not being quite as excited about this week's offering as I always hope to be. Perhaps it's just the time - after seven months of great releases, I've got a backlog of stuff to go through; or, perhaps it's just that I'm more intrigued by the remixed and remastered copy of Derek & The Dominos' Layla that I just picked up. Yes, that's right, I just bought this now. I'll 'fess up - I had heard the original version of Layla long, long ago and simply found it boring. Aside from the title track, nothing really grabbed me. I was just a kid then, so maybe time has warmed me to Layla's wiles, or maybe it's the fantastic remix that breathes new life into the album. Some of you out there are gasping as you read that. If you listen closely you'll hear it too.
You audiophiles know who you are - all of you clutching your imported German vinyl copies of the album, or shuffling through a CD rack with copies from every territory on earth (because one is more better than the others, but you have to have all of them to compare). I've just said the worst words an audiophile can hear: "the remix/remaster is better." All I can say is, I'm a revisionist, happily letting time-honored works be replaced by newer versions that do something to bring the mixing style into the present. You'll always have your precious originals in whatever format you choose. Why not just let the remixing happen so that other people can have that moment of epiphany when they realize they love the music? Without the remixing, the album remains an old album to many, but with it, new ears may open in curiosity. After all, it's just about the music, right, guys? It's not about simply collecting these things, is it, or not wanting anything to change, right? Remember, as the famous philospher drummer Neil Peart wrote, "Nothing is permanent but change is." (Yes, yes, I'm aware he's quoting Heraclitus.)
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