After the release of Tremulant, and a small first official tour changing many members, The Mars Volta considered themselves more than prepared to record their first full length album. Changing from producer Alex Newport to something much more surprising for both the band and the fans: iconic Rick Rubin. It all lead to the recording sessions starting at some point in late 2002, on the Mansion in Laurel Canyon, California, leading to a number of early mixes and demos that got leaked online on the form of the "Summer Demo Sessions", giving some fans a look of what was to come regarding the band's music.
It is not certain how many of these demos/rough mixes were leaked online, but there is a possibility that the entire tracklist of De-Loused had been leaked, among with re-recordings of Concertina and Eunuch Provocateur, but the specific amount of tracks that floated around at the time is not clear, and maybe it will never be. Still, the more accepted number of tracks that came from this event are compiled into this bootleg. Eight different tracks that show the importance and weight of production that production/mixing/mastering can have on a final product.
Starting with an Inertiatic rough demo, already implementing the Son et Lumiere intro, extending itself a little bit more than on the final version, letting see the details that are used for atmosphere coming from Ward, just to then go to the dry version of the final song. Of course, since it is just a demo take with more likely some of the first attempts to produce the song, it is very rough around the edges (unpolished instrumentals at some sections, not mixed, with dry vocals), but it lets people witness the layers that would come to be complemented in the final release. Owen's keyboards have much more presence here (something that is not all that appreciated on the final product), while the bass (assumed to be performed by Flea during these sessions) gets lost in the background, and the drums can be heard more clearly than the rest of the instruments. But just taking into consideration the fact that all of these are demos, it is quite impressive the leap taken regarding the overall sound of the band, and it is understandable why people started to build a big expectation towards this record. The second track, the rough demo of Roulette Dares, follows on the same spirit of what could be seen on the previous song. There are some missing parts, like the guitar solo two minutes in just to name an example, and a lot of the background effects and elements found on the final version are not implemented, but the appreciation for the almost raw instrumentals is something to be appreciated for sure. This would be the only album recording where the band would play together on a same setting, and one can tell that the live energy is somewhat transferred to a more polished/cleaner studio quality.
After that, the Drunkship demo is the one that shows the importance that the effects, mixing, and production had to add to the immersion of the final product, and even to the live performances. There is a big absence of the sound manipulation and the use of effects for the instruments, the vocal performance feels much different with no modulation or reverb, the mixing is still something off, with segments missing, but then again, it wouldn't be a demo if it was (and even if it wasn't a demo, this is a great track). One of the last demos presented here is for Eriatarka, where there seems to be a search for the elements that would end up being used in the final master, presenting the same issues as the rest of the leaks. After this point, there are three rough mixes, songs very similar to the final versions seen on the album, with some minor details missing at some parts. In the case of Cicatriz, the middle section still lacks a lot of the atmospheric sound manipulation that would come on the final master. This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed is almost the exact same track as the final version, but with a lack of effects and sound manipulation, particularly in the end, where Jon's drum solo can be hear without all the FX effects and distortion going on. A very similar case happens with Take the Veil, where some bass segments are too quiet and other elements are plain missing, sounding less polished than the final counterpart, but still managing to be an outstanding track.
Finally, and the main reason why the leaks needed to be checked out, is one of the tracks that were recorded during these sessions, but ended up not having an official release. The Eunuch Provocateur re-recording, showing the potential of that the new production values added to the Volta sound. Comparing this mere "demo/rough mix" to the version in the EP and saying that it improved on every single front its just an understatement. The reduction of atmospheric experimentation from the Tremulant version in favor of a more layered track serves wonder for the song, with backing vocals, a better instrumental performance where every instrument shines (including a fantastic drum solo from Theodore), a superior vocal performance, foreshadowing elements of Fraces the Mute, and so many elements added to the track itself (including backing vocals to be reused on Day of the Baphomets), making it a highlight on the entire Mars Volta catalog. The balance between energetic performances with a polished quality makes up for a unique sound that is similar to a live setting, capturing the essence of the band on a great way, also giving out the name of the upcoming debut between the lyrics.
Besides all the main De Loused tracks, there were also recordings of Ambuletz, A Plague Upon Your Hissing, and Concertina getting leaked as well. Along side Eunuch, they would all be shelved (except for Ambuletz, found on special editions of the De Loused), never to see the light of day on an official release. Despite that, it all lead to a big expectation for the debut album of The Mars Volta. The demos here are highly enjoyable despite just being mere rough tracks that still needed work on them in order to see a proper release. And the culmination of all of that would be seen a year later, in 2003. But that is an extensive story for another time.
But for now, this is recommended for all fans who want to be deeper into the comatorium.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
It is not certain how many of these demos/rough mixes were leaked online, but there is a possibility that the entire tracklist of De-Loused had been leaked, among with re-recordings of Concertina and Eunuch Provocateur, but the specific amount of tracks that floated around at the time is not clear, and maybe it will never be. Still, the more accepted number of tracks that came from this event are compiled into this bootleg. Eight different tracks that show the importance and weight of production that production/mixing/mastering can have on a final product.
Starting with an Inertiatic rough demo, already implementing the Son et Lumiere intro, extending itself a little bit more than on the final version, letting see the details that are used for atmosphere coming from Ward, just to then go to the dry version of the final song. Of course, since it is just a demo take with more likely some of the first attempts to produce the song, it is very rough around the edges (unpolished instrumentals at some sections, not mixed, with dry vocals), but it lets people witness the layers that would come to be complemented in the final release. Owen's keyboards have much more presence here (something that is not all that appreciated on the final product), while the bass (assumed to be performed by Flea during these sessions) gets lost in the background, and the drums can be heard more clearly than the rest of the instruments. But just taking into consideration the fact that all of these are demos, it is quite impressive the leap taken regarding the overall sound of the band, and it is understandable why people started to build a big expectation towards this record. The second track, the rough demo of Roulette Dares, follows on the same spirit of what could be seen on the previous song. There are some missing parts, like the guitar solo two minutes in just to name an example, and a lot of the background effects and elements found on the final version are not implemented, but the appreciation for the almost raw instrumentals is something to be appreciated for sure. This would be the only album recording where the band would play together on a same setting, and one can tell that the live energy is somewhat transferred to a more polished/cleaner studio quality.
After that, the Drunkship demo is the one that shows the importance that the effects, mixing, and production had to add to the immersion of the final product, and even to the live performances. There is a big absence of the sound manipulation and the use of effects for the instruments, the vocal performance feels much different with no modulation or reverb, the mixing is still something off, with segments missing, but then again, it wouldn't be a demo if it was (and even if it wasn't a demo, this is a great track). One of the last demos presented here is for Eriatarka, where there seems to be a search for the elements that would end up being used in the final master, presenting the same issues as the rest of the leaks. After this point, there are three rough mixes, songs very similar to the final versions seen on the album, with some minor details missing at some parts. In the case of Cicatriz, the middle section still lacks a lot of the atmospheric sound manipulation that would come on the final master. This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed is almost the exact same track as the final version, but with a lack of effects and sound manipulation, particularly in the end, where Jon's drum solo can be hear without all the FX effects and distortion going on. A very similar case happens with Take the Veil, where some bass segments are too quiet and other elements are plain missing, sounding less polished than the final counterpart, but still managing to be an outstanding track.
Finally, and the main reason why the leaks needed to be checked out, is one of the tracks that were recorded during these sessions, but ended up not having an official release. The Eunuch Provocateur re-recording, showing the potential of that the new production values added to the Volta sound. Comparing this mere "demo/rough mix" to the version in the EP and saying that it improved on every single front its just an understatement. The reduction of atmospheric experimentation from the Tremulant version in favor of a more layered track serves wonder for the song, with backing vocals, a better instrumental performance where every instrument shines (including a fantastic drum solo from Theodore), a superior vocal performance, foreshadowing elements of Fraces the Mute, and so many elements added to the track itself (including backing vocals to be reused on Day of the Baphomets), making it a highlight on the entire Mars Volta catalog. The balance between energetic performances with a polished quality makes up for a unique sound that is similar to a live setting, capturing the essence of the band on a great way, also giving out the name of the upcoming debut between the lyrics.
Besides all the main De Loused tracks, there were also recordings of Ambuletz, A Plague Upon Your Hissing, and Concertina getting leaked as well. Along side Eunuch, they would all be shelved (except for Ambuletz, found on special editions of the De Loused), never to see the light of day on an official release. Despite that, it all lead to a big expectation for the debut album of The Mars Volta. The demos here are highly enjoyable despite just being mere rough tracks that still needed work on them in order to see a proper release. And the culmination of all of that would be seen a year later, in 2003. But that is an extensive story for another time.
But for now, this is recommended for all fans who want to be deeper into the comatorium.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Favorite Track: Eunuch Provocateur / Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt
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