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Just curious, for those that have heard both, which do you prefer, the released version of Car Wheels or the unreleased version. They are drastically different.
I prefer the released version. Maybe because that’s the version I was used to. But the unreleased one didn’t sound as good to me and I am glad LW made the changes.
The released. The unreleased sounds more like outtakes to me. They are nice to listen to, to compare and contrast.
Can someone tell a little more about the Unreleased version? I was unaware that there was an alternate, unreleased version of the album out there. I suspect I too would probably appreciate the released version more, if only because of Lucinda’s untiring, virtuous dedication to perfection.
Hotblooded~this may help. I found this after trying to find additional info on Gurf Morlix. It’s a blog, one man’s opinion…
http://earcandies.blogspot.com/2008/03/lucinda-williams-car-wheels-gurf-morlix.html
Monday, March 3, 2008
Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels… Gurf Morlix version
Fans of Lucinda Williams may have heard about the long recording process that Lucinda went through for the album Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I recently came across this little gem, an earlier version of that same album. Lucinda decided to shelve this version of Car Wheels… and rerecorded the entire album. This version is commonly referred to as the Gurf Morlix version. After listening to it, it’s hard to say which version I prefer. Some of the songs are not that different, but the majority are clearly different in their arrangements and some have slightly alternate lyrics. Each song that was officially released is on this collection, but there are two additional songs that didn’t get officially released on Car Wheels, “Out Of Touch” and “Down The Big Road Blues,” which were later released in rerecorded versions on the 2 disc special edition of Car Wheels On A Gravel Road. I’d actually say that the versions of the songs on the Gurf Morlix version have a slightly more stripped down and country sound than the official release. The more I listen to it, the more I think I will begin to prefer this version to the official release.AND, would this be it? Not even sure this is a valid link? Are tower records still around?
http://www.tower.com/car-wheels-on-gravel-road-lucinda-williams-cd/wapi/106157154
@Lafayette wrote:
AND, would this be it? Not even sure this is a valid link? Are tower records still around?
http://www.tower.com/car-wheels-on-gravel-road-lucinda-williams-cd/wapi/106157154
No, that is the re-released “Deluxe Edition” of CWOAGR. Disc 1 is a remastered version of the same final release of the album, with the addition of “Down The Big Road Blues” & the original “Out Of Touch” from the unreleased “Gurf Morlix” version of CWOAGR before the re-recording. Disc 2 is a live set recorded at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA during the WXPN Singer-Songwriter Festival, July 11, 1998. You can buy this set pretty much anywhere, while the “Gurf Morlix” version was never officially released & is only available via unofficial (i.e., “bootleg”) channels. Still worth getting, however. The live set on disc 2 is particularly good, IMHO.
Tom
And, BTW, as far as which I like better – I don’t really prefer one or the other overall. I like them both very much for different reasons. The reviewer Lafayette quoted is right I think – the GM version does have “a slightly more stripped down and country sound”. More “Cajun-y” too (if that is a word!) – more accordian in some of the tracks, for example. To me, the GM version kind of sounds more like Lu’s earlier work (like the S/T album, and SOW), while the official released version hearkens more of things to come.
Having said all that, I guess if I was pressed, I would probably have to admit that the official released version was more likely to win the Grammy that it did than if the original version had been released. Stoger made this point when we were talking while driving back to my house after the Atlanta show, and I would have to agree…
Tom
The links within the links didn’t work for me :(.
I’d love to hear the other version of Car Wheels… 😀I found a copy on this site. It appears it is no longer available due to a server storage space issue. I’ll look elsewhere and see what I can find. There are some descent recordings here non the less. Some are .rar files, some go through megaupload. The Berlin show from 2003 is excellent.
http://www.ousterhout.net/mp3/lw.html
There is some Steve Earle and Townes as well.
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