Name: DemoHero
URL: http://www.demohero.com
There is nothing more thrilling for a fan than getting his hands on some demo recordings, although the actual substance of a demo changes from artist to artist. On the one hand, we have someone like Pete Townshend that used to assemble meticulous recordings where he insinuated the parts John Entwistle and Keith Moon would play. He was to release several collections when he went solo, and the public finally realized that what Keith Richards once said had more than an inkling of truth – “Peter Townshend made better Who music than The Who”.
On the other hand, demos are included unscrupulously as a bait to lure in collectors in compilation albums by certain artists. That kind of artist is the one described in the song “Box Set” by Barenaked Ladies, as the contents of the fictitious musician’s boxed set are enumerated disc by disc:
Disc Four
Never released before,
and you can tell why;
it’s just some demos
I recorded in my basement.
The fact remains that hardened fans don’t care where or when a demo was recorded. It could have been recorded by the singer while he was taking a shower. If it is a song that speaks to us, we are going to offer and arm and a leg in order to listen to it. Well, not any longer. Listening to these rough sketches has become very easy. This brand new site makes it a doodle.
Named DemoHero, it gathers together demos, rough mixes and sketches that you can listen to from your browser. The aim of the site is to become the one-stop for those keen on knowing what their favorite songs sounded like at the time of their inception, and what changes were made.
The site is actually fueled by users, so that if you have some rarity lying about I strongly advice you to upload a copy. Not only are you giving everybody a chance to listen to it, you are actually backing it up. If that music becomes lost it can be quite tragic.
As an outright music lover I simply find the concept behind this site and it execution flawless. The fact that it is the first of its kind can’t be ignored, either. I will make sure to keep an eye on it.
Oh, and if someone, somewhere, has a copy of the demo tape Keith Moon recorded with The Beachcombers (the band he was in prior to joining The Who), please upload it. He will have my eternal gratitude.