Media: 2 audio cd
Running Time:
Source: see notes ( LDB Special Series #32 )
Quality: Ex- rating
Artwork : un available
note : the comments below are those of the originator who compiled this collection, I have left these comments and his quality rating as a guide.
This is a collection of unreleased material from Winter Rose. I have checked very carefully my sources and compared them with 1) Winter Rose album and 2) Dream Theater Images and Words demos (YtseJam records) and these are definetely different versions.
Richard Chycki - guitars
Kevin James LaBrie - vocals
A) WINTER ROSE - Selftitled album 5 tracks demos
Toronto, Unknown Studios - 1987
In parenthesis the titles as I have on my tape notes
01.My time (aka My Way)
02.Never let me go (aka Never Let go)
03.I'll never fall in love again
04.Saved by love
05.Get in touch with me (aka In touch)
sound quality: 7/10
Apparently, this was the demos tape that was circulated to get a record deal. The versions differ from the official release (which are basically a remixed version of the demos, not necessarily these ones!). For example listen to the entry of the electric guitar on I'll never fall in love again: it is different between the demo and the official release. Plus, the last track in Touch was not released. Sound quality of this one is not the top.
B) Toronto, Rock 'n' Roll Heaven
23 March 1990 - Q 107 Radio broadcast
06.White thrash
07.I'll never fall in love again
08.My time (to leave you behind)
09.One last time
10.Get in touch with me
11.Saved by love
12.Never let me go
13.Thrill of the night
14.Nothing but the best
15.Diana
16.Rough boys
sound quality: 7+/10
I had two versions of this show but one was labelled 13th March. Then I have compared it to the other source and they are identical, except that the latter has a better sound quality. LaBrie refers to the show taking place on a friday night, which was the case on the 23rd. Quite a good quality and James' vocals in excellent shape.
Here is what sebastian Bach said on his website about Winter Rose: "I make a very short but very cool appearance on the brand new Rush DVD: R30! What an honour it is to be included on a retrospective of the career of one of my favorite bands of all time. Trivia note: the DVD was produced by my old friend Rich Chycki, who was my guitar player in the mid 1980's in Toronto. We recorded many songs together, including "Saved By Love Again" which is the song I sent to Skid Row which made them hire me. After I left the band (which was first called 'Hope' then it was called 'Sebastian') Rich hired a cool singer from Northern Ontario named Kevin. I remember Rich introducing me to Kevin at one of my soundchecks at Rock'N'Roll Heaven in Toronto circa mid - '80's. Kevin joined the band with Rich & they changed the name from 'Sebastian' to 'Winter Rose'.
They re-recorded 'Saved By Love Again' & the other songs I did with Rich & eventually released the material in Japan.
Kevin changed his name to James LaBrie & joined Dream Theater! The rest is prog-rock history! Congrats Rich on producing R30, great job!"
C) New York late 1991 - vocalists auditions: James LaBrie
17.To live forever
18.Learning to live
19.Take the time (fades out)
sound quality: 8/10
These are truly unreleased tracks. In late 1991, Kevin James LaBrie, of glam metal band Winter Rose,
was flown from Canada to New York for an audition. LaBrie jammed on three songs with the band, and was immediately hired to fill the vocalist position. Once recruited, LaBrie decided to drop his first name to avoid confusion with the other Kevin in the band. For the next few months, the band returned to playing live shows (still mostly around NYC), while working on vocal parts for the music written before acquiring LaBrie. ATCO Records (now EastWest), a division of Elektra Records, signed Dream Theater to a seven album contract based on a three song demo (later made available as "The ATCO Demos" through the Dream Theater fan club). James sent a tape with some Winter Rose tracks to the band and he was auditioned almost immediately. These are the very first
tracks he recorded with the band. These are NOT the demos contained in the I&W demos album: To Live Forever is not in any LaBrie version on the cds, while Learning To Live and Take the Time are different from the ATCO 1991 demos.
Enjoy! It took me quite a long time to assembly this collection, I hope you will appreciate it.