Secret Origins not so Secret

[Scott]

I just listened through a bunch of songs off of the secret origins EP from SA, and I must say I'm disappointed. What I was under the impression of was that it was going to be his actual garage band recordings of the demos and ideas of the songs, and I have to admit I was stoked. His recordings in his dorm room hold special places in our hearts, but this sounds like they just took the album tracks and wiped out the instrumentation but kept the vocals and then he just rerecorded an acoustic. On some like cemetary and Ahhhh men it sounds almost identical for part of the song. Any comments? I'm personally disappointed...

[maxpemis]

i know what you mean, that's why I like listening to max's song shop songs.

[Scott]

yeah, I think it would be really cool if max eventually released all the songs (and not saying to whose is who.. or maybe first names and last initial.. or not) for some price or bundle. Or maybe just his favorites... I think mine was definitely decent, but I'm still semi nervous about the legal jargon to give it out.

[hanovergardens]

i really like the secret origins, thats max he does write guitar and he does sing it was like just him, basically the acoustic encore to the album (much appreciated). the acoustic sounds completely different to me, like fresh vocals except fed to death that sounds the same exactly the same. i kno he did the same songs but they just generate a different feeling when i listen to them. narcissus i could be president no games and i love you more than... should be on that album. every band has old songs or even new ones, that didnt make the album, that should be recorded or we wish were. i personally dont like the song shop or any of the ones i heard... i dont know how he can put that much emotion, thought and reflection into something he is completely oblivious to, i mean unless they got the coincidental relation to max that they both feel like that this particular time then no. i would get the song shop album if it came out tho

[Scott]

Yeah, I mean it was enjoyable but I really think it was the identical vocal track used on the album on all three. If he even rerecorded the vocals or even changed the songs alittle for acoustic I'd of been more impressed. Even if they sounded like acoustic versions rather than just recording acoustic guitar and deleting all the other pieces.

[KevinIsARealBoy]

it was called "Say Anything" Secret Origins, cause it's the demo (origin) of the self titled album.

so it's just what max brought to the record company and said this is what i have, i wanna make a record.

he has said that eventually they'll remake/release a cd/box set with the old stuff that we all love.

[Scott]

Yeah I know thats what they said, but honestly I think the vocal tracks and even some of the guitar (like in Ahhh Men or cemetary) are identical to the album. So basically I think it's not the exact demos max had.

[KevinIsARealBoy]

cemetery and ahh men were really different vocally and musically back before the album was even thought of, and they were changed on the demo, then again on the record. they sound the same, but songs don't always drastically change from the demo to record.

could be the same track, but i doubt it. naturally i don't think max would do that.

[starkiller]

the reason that some of the songs sound the same vocally is because he and the band liked the vocals so much on the acoustic demo tracks that they used them for the final versions and built the instrument parts off the vocals (backwards in comparison to most songs going from drums to vocals). i honestly forgot where i read this, but i believe it was on apnet or something similar.

[drugshavemymind]

I'm pretty sure how Max works.. Is he writes all his songs, records them with an acoustic guitar (and maybe an electric for the solo bits; like in I Could be President) and then adds in all the other instruments (replacing the acoustic guitar with electric if the song denotes it). You can hear it in some of the Baseball songs where he's left the acoustic guitar in, playing exactly the same as electric.

But I'm stoked on the Secret Origins, I reckon it's great to have a stripped down version of the album. I'm kinda bummed he didn't put all the songs on. I love the Spin Session version of Crush'd and I'd like to hear how things like Do Better and Mara and Me (which have that sort of keyboard, 80s vibe going, which is awesome; but it'd be call to hear them stripped down as well).