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For today’s edition of the RetroBlog Mix Tape: rare demo recordings! for those that may not know - demos are initial recordings made by songwriters to help convey their ideas to other members of the band and/or producers.

note: all files are hosted on savefile.com

Paul McCartney - My Brave Face (demo) : This recording captures Elvis Costello and McCartney singing enthusiastically with their acoustic guitars. I love this demo!

Trevor Rabin - Owner of a Lonely Heart (Demo) circa 1981: There are two version here. the first is Rabin putting down a take with just an acoustic guitar. the second half of the mp3 is a more fleshed out demo with god-awful lyrics. yikes. good thing Jon Anderson added his own set of lyrics before the song got officially released!!

Lindsey Buckingham - Peacekeeper (demo) : very similar to the final version done by Fleetwood Mac. but still great to hear Buckingham performing this song “solo” without Stevie Nicks’ froggy vocals all over the chorus.

Paul McCartney - This One (demo) : Here’s an early working version of “This One”. It’s Paul at his piano with a drum machine and overdubbed backing vocals. At this point, Paul wasn’t finished with the lyrics so he mumbles stuff at certain parts of the chorus. a nice glimpse of the songwriting process.

XTC - Smartest Monkeys (demo) : Here is Colin Moulding’s demo of a song that appears on XTC’s “Nonsuch” album. the final product is pretty faithful to the original demo I must say. but… isn’t the smartest Monkey Mike Nesmith? oh, he’s just the smartest MonkEE.

Todd Rundgren - Parallel Lines : There are two demo versions circulating around. One was done for his musical “Up Against It”. The other version is more like the one that appears on his “Nearly Human” album. I have both.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, it’s that time again to get your christmas cards ready to be sent out to all your family and friends. but this year, you may want to change it up and not buy those cheap bulk holiday cards from walmart like you normally do. how about sending something a bit more special like personalized premium quality greeting cards from gallery collection? The Gallery Collection has been in the Holiday Cards business since 1929.

The company is still family owned and take pride in the quality of their cards as well as their exceptional customer service. all their cards are crafted on the finest quality paper stock and each envelope is foil-lined for that nice, elegant look. not only does gallerycollection.com provide a wonderful array of premium grade cards but they are also a company that cares.

They recently donated 280,000 specially designed holiday cards to American troops serving Iraq and Afghanistan through the Soldiers’ Angelsorganization. Each soldier will receive a holiday greeting card thanking them for their service and dedication. in addition, they will also receive an additional card that they can write on and send back home. it’s always impressive to hear about companies that aren’t solely focused on business and also try to provide a public service. so, change it up this year and send out some premium quality holiday cards from gallerycollection.com. your folks will be so proud.

The countdown is on ’til the official debut of Arnel Pineda fronting legendary rock band Journey live in concert in Chile, February 19, 2008. Pineda told abs-cbn news recently that he’s preparing for the upcoming tour by hitting the gym regularly as well as getting his vocal cords conditioned for the road. As you can imagine, performing Journey material night after night can put a tremendous strain on a singer’s voice. Just ask former Journey lead vocalist Steve Augeri who knows first hand about the damage the songs can do to one’s voice. Augeri had to leave the group after repeatedly having severe vocal problems while out on the road in 2006. Pineda is currently back in the Phillipines anxiously waiting for the tour to begin. He is quoted by abs-cbnNEWS.com in saying “Everything hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s like a dream.” fans are still waiting for word from Journey’s management about upcoming live dates for the group. besides the four gigs in Chile (Feb. 19, 21, 23 and 24) and a private Remax Convention in Las Vegas on March 6th, no other dates have been confirmed.