KT Piano Demos on CD

[Wieland Willker <willker@chemie.uni-bremen.de>]

Let me recall. We have 22 home demos, 6 studio demos, the two Babooshka's
and Organic Acid. Right? 
Organic Acid is not available on CD.

What I have, and how they sound:

- Cathy's Home Demos, Blue Moon, 29 songs (Moving is missing)
- Practice makes Perfect, Piano Demos No.1, France, 26 songs
  (Goodnight Baby, 2 Babooshka's and Moving are missing)
- If you could see me fly, 18 songs |
  Passing through Air,     13 songs,|both Chapter One

These sound all very similar and are recorded from record.

- Alone at my piano, Ukinel Records, NY 1988, 22 songs
  (CD-version of the cassette "Fiddle"?)

This CD sounds different. You can't hear any of the typical record noise.
It seems to me that this might be either a direct copy from a demotape, or
from a tape dubbed from a demotape? IED? What exactly is "fiddle"? 

The first airing of the original 22 demo tape in the US was in 1982 (!) by
DJ John Dixon who had worked for EMI at the time of KaTe's signing (see
Breakthrough 4/84), but it took more than 6 years for their release. 

I like this one much more, because it sounds so fresh, direct. You can also
hear the turning off/on of the tape recorder and KaTe walking there and
back to the piano, you can hear the planks creak. It's as if you are in the
room with KaTe. I love it. And you can hear the sparrows chirping at the
end of Hammer Horror! This bootlegger has my respect.

The others above are all for the garbage can, IMHO (from the sound quality
point of view). Unfortunately you need them too, because they have
additional material. The two Chapter One CD's have all. Sorry, I don't know
a source.

Contents of "Alone at my Piano, Piano demos '74":
(as written on the cover)

1.  The Kick Inside
2.  Hammer Horror
3.  It Hurts Me
4.  The Air is getting low [= Keeping me waiting/Moonbase]
5.  Kashka from Baghdad
6.  Coming Up [= Carmilla]
7.  Oh To Be In Love
8.  Playing Canasta
9.  Snow
    [between 9 and 10 is no recording break, she goes on without
     interruption!]
10. Ferry Me Over 
11. Lionhearts 
12. Violin 
    [long double break here.]
13. The Craft Of Love [...the tiny fish!]
14. Queen Eddie 

15. In My Garden 
    [WHAT A SONG!!!My favourite!!! BTW, what's the missing word in the
    second verse? See below. And, what's this song all about?]

16. Frightened Eyes 
    [You can hear her walking on clogs or so. then a complete break. 
     Maybe the bootlegger has cut out something here?]
17. Disbelieving Angel 
18. Never the Less 
19. Goodnight Baby 
20. So Soft 
21. I don't see why I shouldn't 
22. Hold Me [= Davy, this is great too!!!]

This is really great stuff. I think there's not much hope for an official
release. So we must do the best with what we have. There's much white noise
on the whole thing, but I was told, that you can remove it almost
completely with high-tech equipment. But it cost enormous amounts of money!
Anyone out there with such an equipment? This CD is a good test. Maybe one
can record the noise in the intervalls between the songs, calculate some
mean noise and subtract it from the songs? Any expert out there?

And: Let's discuss these songs!!!

Best wishes
    Wieland

******************************************
There's something, that sounds like a song
       In my garden, by the willow
                A piper:
      Haahooohooouu, hooohooohou..

I see him when I turn the lights down low
  In my garden, wading through the pond
      Resting so _________ [long?]
      Haahooohooouu, hooohooohou..

I've called him by every name I know
          By every name I know
         But he won't answer me
He keeps coming forward, but never moving
        Is there no destiny here?
*******************************************