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sparklrtrailrheaven

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Posts posted by sparklrtrailrheaven

  1. Posted

    Although you all know my soft spot is Lana's AKA era, I have to say that BtD is an absolute powerhouse and masterpiece in ways that nothing Lana has created before or since has been. Between the genre-breaking sound, the lyrics, the visuals, the persona, and the overarching themes that weave their way through everything produced in the BtD era, Lana totally rewrote what could be done with pop music. She is a trailblazer, and I think the world still hasn't realized her full impact.

     

    No other artist, so far as I know, has created concepts and such a cohesive world with their music as Lana has, save for the legendary David Bowie-- some would consider it sacrilege to compare the two, but as a fan of his as well, I see many parallels-- much like him, Lana attempted genres/sounds that didn't stick or weren't successful in her early career (although they should have been: refer to Sirens in the lesser and AKA in the major), before finally settling into something entirely unique that finally caught critical attention (both positive and negative, but scrutiny and attention en masse, nonetheless). "Born to Die" was much like Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars", imo-- she seemed to appear fully formed, a mysterious anachronism in modern pop, an almost cartoonish femme fatale/siren in the best way possible-- the same way that Bowie's Ziggy was an exaggerated caricature of a rock star, and didn't seem to be remotely the same person that had been putting out psychedelic pop and folk music just a few years earlier.

     

    Mind you, I'm not making this comparison for nothing-- my point is, Lana's contribution to pop music, and music in general, has yet to be realized by the general public, especially with Born to Die. Will she ever top it? I don't know. However, I think much as David Bowie is lauded as a trailblazer and innovator today, Lana will one day be hailed as the same, if for nothing else than this album.

     

    Outstanding, all in all. My weave never came back after my first time with OTTR.  :worship:

    15

  5. Posted

    I am a little (LOT) bit in awe over the trailer and I don't think I can verbalize anything until I've watched it like 5 more times... oh my god. :defeated:

     

    This is, like.... I've got nothing! It's too perfect, and I seriously can't say how much I love it at the moment because I'm still totally in shock at seeing this because I LOVE AKA so much, and this is like... this is like...

     

    I don't even know. I'm so obsessed with AKA, so for me to say this is COMPLETELY PERFECT is the highest praise I've got! Thank you so, so much because this is my favorite video, ever now :kiss: :kiss: :kiss:

     

    it's so perfect i'm gonna literally die this is like my heart and soul and inspiration all in one video i am SNATCHED :creep:

    3

  6. Posted

    In light of the recent leak (thank you @!), I thought this thread would be an appropriate spot to list all the AKA demos, along with what information we know about them. PLEASE feel free to add/correct anything which I'm either wrong about or haven't included! I'll also list this in the OP. 

     

    Listed by their corresponding song on the Lana Del Ray tracklist:

     

    Kill Kill:

    - 3:51 demo, originating from a CD burned by Lana in 2008. Almost certainly produced by David Kahne, the demo features several changes from the finished track, including changes in tempo and a verse notably absent from the album version. The additional verse better explains Lana's original title for the track, "The Ocean", however, Lana's title for the demo remains "Kill Kill", as evidenced by her writing on the CD. This is the only alternate version of "Kill Kill" to surface as of yet.

     

    Queen of the Gas Station: 

    - 3:12 demo, acoustic, most likely home-recorded by Lana. This demo features multi-layered vocals and slightly different lyrics ("Cap (?) casino, Indian reservations", "...maybe with a post office attached to it, with chickens running in and out of it. Saw one like that in New Mexico, Route 66..."), and likely stems from 2007/8, prior to the recording of the album with David Kahne.

     

    - 4:34 demo, likely produced by David Kahne. Aside from sharing an extra lyric with the acoustic demo, this demo bears close resemblance to the album version of QOTGS. This version can be assumed to be from 2008, recorded during sessions with Kahne for the album. 

     

    Oh Say Can You See: 

    - 4:37 demo, originating from a 2007 session with Steven Mertens-- the same session that produced demos of "For K, Pt. 2" and "Raise Me Up". As with the other tracks from this session, the instrumentation is fairly sparse, and the sound lends to a rawer, more 'live' feel than the final, fully orchestrated and produced version of the track. Note that this demo was leaked with the title "O Say Can U See". 

     

    Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven): 

    - Two "early mixes" of "Gramma" have surfaced, subtitled "Mix 3" and "Mix 5", both with a duration of 4:04. Originating from 2008, both are decidedly similar to the album version, with subtle changes by producer David Kahne. No "demos" of "Gramma" have surfaced, as neither have the other mixes implied by the "Mix 3" and "Mix 5" titles. 

     

    For K, Pt. 2:

    - 4:54 demo, originating from the same 2007 sessions with Steven Mertens as the demos of "Oh Say Can You See" and "Raise Me Up". Like these other demos, it is a much rawer version of the song. 

     

    - 3:36 demo, originating from 2007/8. This version, unlike the earlier demo, is produced and polished to some extent, although the producer is unclear-- likely either Steven Mertens or David Kahne, though I am unsure which. Any knowledge on this matter is welcome! This demo is also known under the title "Rehab", as it was titled on the Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena ReverbNation account. 

     

    Jump:

    - 2:54 demo, originating from the unofficial "No Kung Fu" EP, recorded in 2007. This track, like all of the other "No Kung Fu" tracks (save for "Ruby"), is a fairly stripped-down demo of the song, but still has elements of advanced production, unlike the 2007 session listed above. Producer is unclear-- possibly Steven Mertens, possibly David Kahne-- if anyone knows, please share! (I personally lean towards Mertens' production on these tracks, but can't verify.)

     

    Mermaid Motel:

    - No demos or alternate versions of "Mermaid Motel" have surfaced. 

     

    Raise Me Up (Mississippi South): 

    - 4 demos of "Raise Me Up" (with lengths of 4:00, 3:46, 3:52, and 3:54, respectively), exist from the 2007 sessions with Steven Mertens that also produced the demos of "Oh Say Can You See" and "For K, Pt. 2". Like the other tracks, these demos are rawer, less produced versions of the song. 

     

    - 4:23 "early mix" of the song, produced by David Kahne in 2008 and bearing subtle differences from the album version. 

     

    Pawn Shop Blues: 

    -2:47 acoustic demo, likely home-recorded by Lana in 2007/8.

     

    - While not a "demo" in the strict sense, a 3:03 live recording of "Pawn Shop Blues" from 2006 precedes the album recording by two years. 

     

    Brite Lites: 

    -3:05 demo, from the unofficial "No Kung Fu" EP, recorded in 2007. A notably more stripped-down version of the track, it's unclear as to whether this recording (and the others on the "No Kung Fu" EP) were produced by Steven Mertens or David Kahne. 

     

    -As with the early live recording of "Pawn Shop Blues", a 3:00, incomplete live version of "Brite Lites" exists, originating from 2007, a year before the recording of the album version. 

     

    - Snippets of a Steven Mertens-produced demo have surfaced, with a notably different sound and lyrics ("They named me Lana Rey Loreen (?)...")

     

    Put Me in a Movie: 

    - 3:47 demo, titled "Ruby", appears on both 2007's "No Kung Fu" and Lana's 2008 burned CD. Notably more produced and polished than other tracks on "No Kung Fu", the producer remains unclear. 

     

    - 3:41 "early mix", produced by David Kahne in 2008. This version features subtle differences in sound, and an extra line featured in no other version of the track ("Feels like sugar in me...").

     

    Smarty: 

    - No demos of "Smarty" have surfaced. 

     

    Yayo: 

    - 4:19 demo, originating from the unofficial "No Kung Fu" EP, recorded in 2007 with uncertain production. Like other "No Kung Fu" tracks, this version of "Yayo" is fairly stripped-down. 

     

    - 5:10 demo, possibly home-recorded by Lana. An acoustic version, this track also features multi-layered vocals and echo effects, ostensibly added by Lana herself. 

     

    - Three live 2007 recordings of "Yayo" exist, all predating the album recording. An incomplete 2:08 recording from The Cutting Room features a drastically different, heavier version of the track, as does a 1:15 snippet from a recording session with Lana's band, The Rich Whores. An incomplete 3:00 recording from Union Pool features a more typical performance of the song, and segues into "Pawn Shop Blues". 

     

    I hope this is helpful, and not too repetitive! I would appreciate any knowledge/corrections you all can contribute! :kiss:

     

    Cleaned this up just a little by authenticating alternate titles for the "Rehab" demo of "For K, Pt. 2" and the "O Say Can U See" demo. 

     

    Also, I could still use the help of anyone who can work with me to solidify some information in this post! Any members who are knowledgeable about demos/unreleased/alt. versions/general Lana knowledge, shoot me a PM if you can help! :heart:

    0

  9. Posted

    FINALLY did the Unreleased Song Sorter! The results weren't *entirely* accurate, but that's partially because I did it over the course of several days, and depending on how I'm feeling at the moment, my tastes are pretty different. (Also having some issues w/computer audio atm, so that's definitely a big factor, lol) However, it got my top 25 pretty dang close!:

     

    1. Put Me in a Movie

    2. Bel Air

    3. Off to the Races

    4. Pin Up Galore

    5. Pawn Shop Blues

    6. Puppy Love

    7. In Wendy

    8. Kill Kill 

    9. The Man I Love

    10. Trash Magic

    11. Brooklyn Baby

    12. Yayo (AKA)

    13. Video Games

    14. Ride

    15. Shades of Cool

    16. Junky Pride

    17. A Star for Nick

    18. Every Man Gets His Wish

    19. Wayamaya

    20. National Anthem

    21. Put Me in a Movie (No Kung Fu Demo)

    22. Disco

    23. Like Your Friend Did (NLMG Concept)

    24. The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA

    25. The End of the World

     

    Gotta say, it's pretty spot on! There's a couple I might not have placed in the top 25 (Ride, EMGHW, The End of the World) and a few I *would've* (Prom Song, Florida Kilos, Oooh Baby), but still pretty cool! I'm definitely going to use this as a framework to rate them myself  :party:

    1

  13. Posted

    FTE/YLM: More Mountains, In Wendy

     

    Sirens: Drive By, A Star for Nick, Junky Pride

     

    AKA: Kill Kill, Pawn Shop Blues, Put Me in a Movie

     

    BtD: Off to the Races, National Anthem, Carmen 

     

    P: Ride, Yayo, Bel Air

     

    UV: Shades of Cool, Brooklyn Baby, Black Beauty, Florida Kilos

     

    HM: Terrence Loves You, High by the Beach, Freak

     

    Unreleased: Afraid, Are You Ready (Oooh Baby), Back to tha Basics, Dance for Money, Disco, Driving in Cars with Boys, Elvis, Everyman Has His Wish, Gangsta Boy, Greenwich, Hangin' Around, Hollywood Movie,  Marilyn Monroe (Puppy Love), Never Let Me Go, Noir, Pin Up Galore, Prom Song (Gone Wrong), Ridin', Take Me to Paris, Television Heaven, Tired of Singing the Blues, Trash Magic/The Man I Love, TV in Black & White,  Wayamaya,  You're Gonna Love Me, Your Band is All the Rage, 1949

     

    Edited my original post and narrowed down some of my absolute favorites :)

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