Along with most other Shore Fire employees, I delved into Spotify recently and it’s blown me away. It’s almost too overwhelming. Since I don’t even know where to start most of the time, I’ve caught myself typing in a favorite artist followed by “demo” or “live” just to see what I haven’t heard yet. It reminded how many artists tinker with songs well past perfection – and on the flip side – how many artists give it another shot only to completely nail it.

Below are a handful of demos, alternate versions and second tries that I believe exceed the original album version, from the simple country twist on Velvet Underground’s “I Found a Reason” to Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s slightly tongue-in-cheek but completely gorgeous reworking of his own “New Partner.” (Unfortunately, Dylan tunes are hard to come by on the web unless you’re looking for embarrassing bedroom covers, but I’ll gladly throw his demos of “Mississippi,” “You’re a Big Girl Now” and “Idiot Wind” into the discussion.)

In the spirit of Spotify, open the program, copy and paste the below links into your browser and they’ll play instantly. For those who have yet to take the plunge, I’ve included a few YouTube links as well.

The Velvet Underground – “I Found a Reason” (Demo):
http://cleanify.net/play/track/the-velvet-underground/i-found-a-reason-demo-version

Red House Painters – “Have You Forgotten” (‘Vanilla Sky’ soundtrack):
http://cleanify.net/play/track/red-house-painters/have-you-forgotten

The National – “Terrible Love” (Alternate Version)
http://cleanify.net/play/track/the-national/terrible-love-alternate-version

Big Star – “Thank You Friends” (Demo)
http://cleanify.net/play/track/big-star/thank-you-friends-demo

The Strokes – “I’ll Try Anything Once” (‘Somewhere’ soundtrack)

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – “New Partner” (‘Sings Greatest Palace Music’)

What are some of your favorites?