So Good They Recorded It Twice - Part 1

What’s better than falling in love with a great song? Why, falling in love with it twice of course.

Every now and then an artist will decide that the great new tune they’ve just knocked out is too good to only be featured on their album once and record two different versions. For us humble punters this is the aural equivalent of being passionately kissed by blonde twins, one after the other. Or so I imagine.

Mr David Bowie opened the album Scary Monsters And Super Creeps with a mad screaming vocal on It’s No Game (Part 1), then did it again with a smooth croon at the end with Part 2. I’ve been listening to this album for 20 years or so and I still can’t decide which version I prefer. Get the album from here, make your mind up for yourself.



David Bowie - It's No Game (Part 1)

David Bowie - It's No Game (Part 2)


On Music From Films Mr Brian Eno gave us the haunting, unsettling piano drop of Sparrowfall (1). He then gave us the pulsing, surging synth push of Sparrowfall (2). Stick ‘em together and you get the damn near orchestral surge of Sparrowfall (3). To the best of my knowledge (please correct me if I am wrong) this music was never used on any film work in the end, but it would have sounded brilliant in some moody drama or other. I might phone Brian up and ask him if he wouldn’t mind me using it for my new short film about blonde twins. Get the album here.



Brian Eno - Sparrowfall (1)

Brian Eno - Sparrowfall (2)

Brian Eno - Sparrowfall (3)


Associates kicked off their 1981 synth classic album Fourth Drawer Down with White Car In Germany, a song of a) complete brilliance and b) complete madness. They then recorded an instrumental version – An Even Whiter Car – and stuck it near the end. For my money, the Even Whiter... version is darker than the original which is pretty impressive really as Billy Mackenzie’s extraordinary vocals are hardly chirpy... Get the album here in a nice double up with Sulk.



Associates - White Car In Germany

Associates - An Even Whiter Car


That’s enough of that for now – we’ve got some more examples lined up but if you have any suggestions of your own please let us know in a comment or an email or something. Remember though – both versions of the song must appear on the same album.


Crisp Debris


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