Did anyone else have a chance to listen to these again?

I have not. But I should. Maybe I'll do that tonight.

I want to talk to someone about the songs!

I'll see what I can do. But I make no promises. My wife's plans might get cancelled because of the weather. In which case, I probably won't have a chance to give them a listen. But I should revisit them soon, either way.

i listened to these last night. from what i recall, 2x4 seemed pretty awesome. but i really liked breeze in d -- that has a ton of potential. i've always thought cold confession was overrated, and i've always loved let it ride.

Only Cloud in the Sky is lovely.

I’ll put them on for the drive home this evening.

I had never heard these. Will listen very soon.

If you're not listening to the JWB remastered versions that include 'Forest Is My Church', you're doing it wrong.

Praise to Thee Lord Ridley

How do I get this?

I actually really like a lot of the stuff on these demos and would love them to explore further down this style/path in future. In particular I'm a fan of where some of the slower songs were heading, such as 'Only Cloud in the Sky' and 'Open Door', and something faster like 'Forest Is My Church' has a great feel to it and could be something.

Nick cave is currently releasing (to my mind) the best music and albums of his career, and this is a guy who started out in 1978. Would love PJ to bring some of that passion and love to their current output.

Really they could. I mean, most bands abandon the unfinished demos or release them many years later as part of a reissue but since the band seems in a similar head space from then, why not? Granted I am not in the band so how do I know? They are at least similarly angry at their president from the avocado sessions.

First time listening to these, and I'm hearing a bit of Man of the Hour in this one.

Anyone have thoughts on Big Wave and Severed Hand? I thought Severed Hand almost felt like a different song, and so freaking much better.

I listened to these a ton when they first came about. Listening again now, what grabs me is the energy. I don't know if it's just the excitement of getting a new song down on an early take, but the unused songs just burst with potential. I actually still like a lot of the finished album, but the energy on these generally outweighs what actually got released.

And any time I hear these, I think about this old interview with Jeff. I think it was the first where anyone talked about the process and titles etc. But he mentions Of the Earth and Cold Concession and 2x4, and he was excited about them, but obviously none of those made it.

http://www.mtv.com/news/1502710/pearl-j ... than-ever/

Very much agree. I'm not a huge fan of Severed Hand, but I can totally get behind this version. It's just less slick or something. And Mike's solo seems significantly less wanky, and that always makes a difference for me.

fuck yes. This version of SH is really cool. And I don’t like the album version much, it’s grating and abrasive. This version is much warmer. You can actually hear Jeff’s bass and he’s absolutely killing it. It’s infinitely better.

Hey! I just noticed you are from St. Paul, me too!

Nice! If you're still in the area I'll buy you a beer next time they come through.