I posted a bleg for Terence Trent D'arby bootlegs a little while ago, and was quite tantalized by the response, but came up empty-handed. One commenter offered to send me a show, but then disappeared without ever doing so. Another reader emailed me and, after all the music I share on the blog for free while asking nothing in exchange (ok, except voluntary donations), insisted on asking me for a TRADE LIST in order to send me the rare recordings he had. Thanks a lot.
Here, FOR FREE, NOT FOR TRADE! GAH! are an even dozen TTD rarities. These are b-sides and compilation contributions that were not archived either on "Terence Trent D'Arby's Greatest Hits" or the limited 2-disc edition of its U.K. counterpart, "Do You Love Me Like You Say: The Best of Terence Trent D'Arby", as both those sets are still to be had, brand spankin' new, from your music retailer of choice.
Four tracks are provided by a pair of singles ("This Side of Love", "To Know Someone...") from his amazing 1989 album, Neither Fish Nor Flesh, which served notice that TTD was not the mere over-hyped R&B revivalist one might have thought from his debut, impressive as it was. These are perhaps the least exciting of the bunch, though, being two overlong solo-piano instrumentals, an extended version of an A-side, and a live take on a song from the debut. Most of the other material herein, though, consists of actual unreleased songs. One comes from the era of that album's follow-up, Symphony or Damn, and four more from singles released from his next, Vibrator. All three of these albums are fervently recommended! Three comp tracks, including a powerful, live version of "Holding On To You" and a masterful reading of Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved", round out the set. (One remaining track, which I couldn't transfer from vinyl in time for this post, I hope to share soon.)
To tie this post, however tenuously, to the previous one, [UPDATE: The Springsteen radio show was removed due to a DMCA complaint.] in the liner notes for "Symphony," D'Arby thanks his then-label-mate Springsteen (as well as Prince) for support and encouragement of TTD's music, which, other than that more-easily-digested debut, never found the commercial success it so deserved. In his charmingly egotistical manner, he follows the above thank-yous with the phrase, "Name dropping be damned"!
At last, some non-radio-special music returns to The Rare Stuff! Enjoy. Link in comments as usual -- please leave one! Next comes a batch of remixes from TTD (or SM -- Sananda Maitreya -- as he now prefers to be called). I think between these two posts (and the additional, forthcoming song) I'll have archived almost all the otherwise unavailable tracks from the first phase of his career (possibly excepting one or two other live versions of released songs).
And again -- if anyone has rare TTD shows, especially from 1989 through the mid-'90s, PLEASE let me know if you're willing to SHARE them.
Contents:
She's My Baby/Delicate [CD Single]
Letting Go/The Fan (Music From The Motion Picture)
Angels Fly Because/Holding On To You
Your Love Is Indecipherable/Holding On To You
Epilog/Holding On To You
Holding On To You (Live)/Modern Rock Live (Disc 1)
To Be Loved/Shake, Rattle, & Roll - Original Soundtrack
This Side Of Love [Extended Version]/This Side Of Love [Single]
Sad Song For Sister Sarah Serenade/This Side Of Love [Single]
Loose Variations On A Dead Man's Vibe In C#M/To Know Someone...
Rain (Live)/To Know Someone Deeply Is To Know Someone Softly
I Really Want You/Vibrator Maxi Single
!