THE RARE SONG GUIDE So, you have all the studio albums, the Best Of, Bustin' + Dronin', Live at the Budokan and all the singles Blur have ever released - what's left to get? Well quite a bit actually, they've been together 10 plus years you know. The list below tries to encompass all the tracks that aren't on the abforementioned releases, not counting live versions of songs, radio edits, solo tracks and collaborations (hey, I haven't got all year for this). (Click here to view a list of every single officially released Blur song, ever.) BAD DAY (LEISURELY MIX) Source: High Cool 12" Promo Not really that much different from the original version, probably a Dave Balfe ordered remix to 'baggy-up' the Blur sound. One of the rarer Blur songs considering only 1000 of these promo's were pressed. 'BANG' REMIXES Source: Bang (Now Mix)/ Bang (Trend Mix) from The US only 'Blur-ti-go' promo. Bang (Big Bang 12" Mix)/ Bang (Groove Mix)/ Bang (40 Feet Under Mix)/ Bang (Hardcore Assault) from the US only Bang (Mindwarp Mutations) single. A collection of remixes ordered by the much maligned SBK label in America, mixed (presumably) to make the Blur sound more palatable to America's tastes. Says Chris Morrison (Blur manager) "We didn't know, but they were about to put out this version of Bang no one had ever heard. Damon was really upset about this but I don't know how upset really". Alex has a clear memory of visiting SBK's and seeing piles of these loathed artifacts arranged around the room. "What the record company had done was commission these unauthorised remixes of Bang and the promotional gimmick was if the radio station was, say, 99X they got 99 of them, if it was 209FM they got 209. So there were millions of these fucking blur-ti-go things waiting to be shipped out. And they were odious. A bit housey but in a really cheesey, six months out of date way. That's what SBK were like. They just counterfeited the cool stuff. We all went back to the hotel in despair. We hadn't seen Spinal Tap at this point but looking back it was total Tap." BEETLEBUM (INSTRUMENTAL) Source: Song 2 (Japan only single) Exactly what you think it is; Beetlebum minus the words. Great for pretending to be Damon, singing along in your bedroom, (if you're into that sort of thing) or just mellowing out to. CLOSE Source: Close Fan Club only CD Recorded in 1992 during the 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' sessions. The track, one of the first written by Blur when they emerged from their previous incarnation of Seymour, was recorded with producer Stephen Street in 1992. It was demoed during sessions for the band's May 1993 LP 'Modern Life Is Rubbish', but never made it on to the record. COWBOY SONG Source: Dead Man on Campus OST The Dust Brothers produced track for the "Dead Man on Campus" soundtrack. It's based on the song 'All We Want' which at that point (1997) the band had thought they would not release, but later turned up as the b-side to Tender because Swamp Song was deemed good enough to appear on '13'. The track coincided with the moment Blur decided that the Dust Brothers wouldn't work on album number 6 after all. Damon has gone on record saying he is not impressed with the finished article. DEATH OF A PARTY (7" REMIX) Source: Death of a Party CD Promo One of a three DOAP remixes for the promotional CD of the same name. The other two ('Well Blurred Remix' and the 'Billy Whiskers Mix') found their way onto the Bustin' + Dronin' album. Seems no one else wanted this one. Not too disimilar from the original, slightly more trippy remixed probably for radio consumption. DEATH OF A PARTY (DEMO) Source: Death of a Party Fan Club only CD Released in 1996, but demoed in 1992 around the 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' sessions. The song was stored and forgot about until Damon stumbled across it during the recording of the 'Blur' album. The band felt that the song was well suited to their new sound and re-recorded it. The Fan Club CD is Damon's original demo. EINE KLEINE LIFT MUSIK Source: Help various artists compilation Blur's contribution to 1995's 'Help' album for the Warchild charity. The song is credited to 'Seymour AKA Blur'. Early copies of the album did not have a track listing - the Blur/Seymour track was the 19th out of 20. FAR OUT (BEAGLE 2 VERSION) Source: No Distance Left To Run DVD So far not commercially released, this remix of Far Out is apparently very close to what the original demo sounded like, and is only available on the 'No Distance Left To Run' DVD. The song is Alex James' reworking of the Parklife tune recorded to accompany footage of Beagle 2 - a Mars space project, involving both Alex and Dave. Alex has previously described the project as discovering methane gas or "alien fart-prints" as a way to determine whether life really does exist on Mars. HIGH COOL (EASY LISTENING MIX) Source: High Cool 12" Promo/'Food Xmas Party' cassette Another Leisure-era Blur song, another pointless remix. Says Alex: "Remixes are like giving your dog to someone to take for a walk, and when the bring it back it's a different dog". I GOT LAW (DEMO) Source: Japanese edition of '13' A song eerily close to the Gorillaz song 'Tomorrow Comes Today', although this of course, was wrote first. At present can only be found on Japanese versions of '13', just as well really as it's presence on all editions would have diluted the quality of the excellent 13. Should the Japanese version of the album be called '14'?! Just a thought... I KNOW (EXTENDED) Source: She's So High 12" Promo ...and another! An extended version of a song that wasn't that great to begin with. One for the completists really. I LOVE HER Source: I Love Her Fan Club only CD/M.O.R. (Japan only single) An early Blur demo recorded in 1991, and released in 1997 through the fan club. Further proof that some of the better earlier Blur songs weren't considered by Food or band as 'album' material. M.O.R. (KARAOKE VERSION) Source: M.O.R. (Japan only single) Exactly the same as the 'Road Version' but without vocals. Karaoke version of the song released in the birthplace of Karaoke itself (how appropriate). The Japanese sleeve actually gives writing credit to David Bowie and Brian Eno due to the line "Work it out" (from the Bowie track "Boys Keep Swinging"), the UK and US versions of the single and album didn't. M.O.R. (U.S. ROAD VERSION) Source: M.O.R. (American only promo) The US Road Version is the one you'll likely hear on the M.O.R. music video, and has a more raw 'live' sound to it. Some argue that this is the best version of the song, although to be honest there's not that much difference. NEVER CLEVER Source: Food 100 (Japan only compilation) 'Never Clever', the second live song on the Chemical World single, was intended to be the follow up to 'Popscene' and had been demoed, but in the wake of that single's commercial failure all plans for the track were dropped, and only the live version was released. Eventually the demo version (often refered to as the 'studio version') saw the light of day on the 'Food 100' birthday compilation. NITE KLUB Source: 'Summer' & 'Impulse' bootlegs A cover version of the Specials ska classic, with Terry Hall live in Dublin, Ireland, 1996. The song has never been official released and is never likely to be either. Damon later contributed his songwritting skills for the song 'Chasing a Rainbow' on Terry Hall's 'Rainbows' EP. OLIVER'S ARMY Source: Peace Together various artists compilation Oliver's Army is from the 'Peace Together' compilation which was put together to generate funds for Northern Irish youth etc. It's a cover of an Elvis Costello song and came out during the Modern Life Is Rubbish era, circa 93. Alex pronounced that it was an ill move since it was a perfect song that no one else could have improved further. RESIGNED (DEMO) Source: 'Food Xmas Party' cassette Demo version of the 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' track given away at Foods Christmas Party in 1991. Only 2000 made although Andy Ross claims only 1000 were given away on the night. 'SHE'S SO HIGH' REMIXES Source: She's So High (Definitive) from the She's So High 12" Promo/ She's So High (Ecstacy 12" Mix) from the Bang (Mindwarp Mutations) US only single. More early non-essential Blur remixes, the result of a record company trying to saturate every market, no doubt. SING (TO ME) Source: Sing (To Me) Fan Club CD. Sing (To Me) comes from Beat Factory sessions and is a different version of 'Sing' which appeared on Blur's debut album 'Leisure'. Damon recorded and wrote material at the Beat Factory studio in London's Euston prior to forming Blur. SUBSTITUTE Source: Who Covers Who various artists compilation. Substitute features on The Who tribute album 'Who Covers Who'. It is the song which Damon has described as Blur's worst performance on record - so bad infact, he has confessed to refusing to keep a copy of it in his house. 'THERE'S NO OTHER WAY' REMIXES Source: There's No Other Way (Move Mix)/ There's No Other Way (Aggresive Move Mix) from the US only CD Promo 'There's No Other Way'. There’s No Other Way (Rock Mix)/ There’s No Other Way (Red Sleeve Mix) from the US only 12" single 'There's No Other Way'. More crap from the record company that churn out more shit than a sewage factory. SBK - take a bow. The first of the remixes from the promo were sent to college radio where, to be fair, There's No Other Way received good airplay. The single was Blur's first in the US, but didn't fair as well as the UK version. Incidently the 'Rock Mix' on the US single is the same as the 'Blur Remix' on the UK one. THE WASSAILING SONG Source: The Wassailing Song 7" Promo. Probably the rarest Blur song ever, The Wassailing Song was given away free at a gig in London, and was limited to 500 copies only. The fact that most copies were destroyed at the concert makes this item even rarer. Song list