Cool Sound (Japan) (2005) LISTEN TO A TRACK DAVID'S COMMENTS LIST OF TRACKS PRESS RELEASE CREDITS ORDER THIS CD! Listen to a track

One day not too long ago, someone told me how much they liked the version of "Treat Willie Good" that's on Demos released by Cool Sound in 1999.  This person had really noticed how different the song was from the final recording that's on my Missin' Twenty Grand album.  Another song from Demos that struck him in the same way was the melodic rendition of "Don't Smile At Me, I Already Know," which on my Raindance album was a rap.

This conversation gave me an idea, which turned out to be just the opposite of the idea for Demos, Vol. 1.  Demos, when I released it originally in 1981, was intended to bring my songs to the attention of producers and artists who were looking for material to record.  Cool Sound's reissue of this album expanded on this theme and added more of my demos of songs written for other people and/or that others had recorded.

So, my idea for this album, Demos, Vol. 2 -- Take A Look, is to do just that -- to take a look at the demo versions of songs that I had recorded and released as a solo artist.  These are demos of songs in their earliest stages when they were still taking shape.

Unfortunately, some of the most popular songs from Missin' Twenty Grand and Raindance are not on this album, like "Oh" and "Saved By Love," because there never really were complete demos, or the condition of the demo tape is bad.  Therefore, the other tracks we put on this album were either intended for Raindance or songs that were written around that time.

I'd like to extend a long overdue thanks to Jody Linscott for introducing me to Gary Gersh at EMI.  Thanks also to Marsha K. Burns for riding shotgun through the Geffen years.  Thanks to Willie Wilcox for his incredible help with the development of the complicated structures of many of these songs.  And to David Benoit, still the best (in my opinion).  To Dave Iveland, the best vocal engineer in the world.  Period.  To all the background singers who get so little time to sound so beautiful.  To Carol Paulus for my hair and the flannel shirt.  And to Mac James, who has worked on every single one of my albums.  Thanks always to Hugh Stegman and Laura Stegman.  And, finally, to Toshi Nakada and to all the people who continue to be interested in my work and buy my albums.

David Lasley
Los Angeles, California
2004