Friday August 31, 2001
Matchbox Twenty pre-fame recordings surface
By JAM! Music
Matchbox Twenty's controversial early days will be exposed with the release of an album by their previous incarnation, Tabitha's Secret, according to Rolling Stone.
The earlier band consisted of current Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas, bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette, as well as exiled guitarists Jay Stanley and John Goff. But the band split in 1993, just as they were attracting label interest, only to reform as Matchbox Twenty, but without Stanley and Goff.
Lawsuits flew, and the bust-up was settled with Stanley and Goff granted rights to the 10-song Tabitha's Secret demo, which included an early version of the Matchbox Twenty hit "3 a.m." Stanley has re-recorded some parts of the Tabitha's Secret album and will now issue it under the title "Don't Play With Matches," due for release Oct. 9, the report said.
As part of the agreement, Matchbox Twenty can't be mentioned in connection with the release, although the individual band members will be mentioned on the CD cover, Rolling Stone said.