The Demo That Changed Everything: 3 Original Versions of Classic Rock Songs That Sounded Better Than the Final Tracks

Sometimes, there’s something about a demo that just outshines the final cut of a song found on official albums. Many a classic rock demo has majorly outshone the final versions of songs that made it to records, many of which floated around as bootlegs for years or sat on tapes in musicians’ homes before finally seeing official releases. Let’s take a look at classic rock demo versions of songs that are actually way better than the “official” versions!

Videos by American Songwriter

“All Apologies” by Nirvana

So much music from Kurt Cobain has been released since his tragic passing in 1994, and quite a few home demos have been released that are even better than the final cuts that made it to Nirvana’s three studio albums. This version of “All Apologies” from the 2005 box set Sliver: The Best Of The Box is definitely one of them. This version is so much more emotional and (of course) on the lo-fi side, which I think is perfect for this particular song. The tape on which this demo was recorded is undated, and is a simple acoustic solo effort from Cobain. The official version of “All Apologies” can be found on the band’s final album, In Utero.

“All Tomorrow’s Parties” by The Velvet Underground

For fans of The Velvet Underground, the 1995 box set Peel Slowly And See was a real gift. So many great demos can be heard on this massive five-disc box set, but one that always stood out to me was the OG demo of “All Tomorrow’s Parties”. The official version of that song can be found on the band’s famed record The Velvet Underground & Nico from 1967. The demo is a hefty 18-minute-plus version that can be found on Peel Slowly And See’s first disc, recorded at a New York apartment somewhere on Ludlow Street. It’s really something to behold.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” by The Beatles

Alright, this technically isn’t a demo. Rather, this version of “Tomorrow Never Knows” was the first take of the song that The Beatles recorded for their trippy 1966 album, Revolver. Personally, I love this version so much more than the official album version. It’s just so strange-sounding, and those amped-up tape distortions make it sound so much more psychedelic. You can find this unique version of the song on the compilation album Anthology 2.

Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redfern