Best Alternatives and Demos of Gorillaz!

In their discography full of all kinds of sounds, Gorillaz have plenty of songs that exist in more than one form! These are not simply remixes made by other artists: They are early or alternative song variations that were not included in a studio album, in favor of the versions fans are most familiar with. Sometimes, these tracks can sound better than the official version of such tracks! My name is Floob, and I will be discussing and reviewing some of my favorite Gorillaz demos and alternative tracks.

Rock The House (feat. Phi Life Cypher)

“Rock the House” from Gorillaz self-titled debut album is a favorite of mine. The sampling is catchy, and the lyrics from Del are smooth and memorable. Like many tracks from Phase 1, this track also has an alternative version featuring Phi Life Cypher. Some fans criticize PLC for their arguably cheesy rap lyrics, but I often find them very entertaining. This version of “Rock The House” was recorded at The Scala in London. Besides the change of rappers, this version also adds some excellent turntable scratching, and Damon Albarn humming a the riff along with the recorder part. With its more energetic performance, I think this version could have worked very well on Gorillaz as a studio recorded track, though the album version is still a classic.

Latin Simone (Vivir Mata Version)

Many fans of this chilling track may have heard that the Spanish version sung by Ibrahim Ferrer on Gorillaz, and the English version sung by 2-D/Damon Albarn on G Sides; two sides of a dark conversation about depression and suicide. What many fans might not know however, is that there is a version of this tune combining the two well known versions! Not as a fan edit, but as part of the soundtrack to the film Vivir Mata, released in 2002. This version alternates back and forth between 2-D’s and Ibrahim Ferrer’s parts perfectly, making the track feel more comprehensive and complete than its two separate counterparts. It’s a shame this version was not included on any official Gorillaz albums, but the two seperate versions still work well on their own.

Don’t Get Lost In Heaven (Original Demo Version)

The penultimate track to Demon Days sounds just like its names suggest, with the angelic vocals of the London Gospel Choir and our boy 2-D. Meanwhile, on D-Sides, the demo version of “Don’t Get Lost In Heaven” is vastly different in tone. It is a far more goofy track, with an amazing bouncy swing and banjo. The final version of this tune feels as if you are standing at the pearly white gates listening to the advice of the souls around you, but the demo feels like advice from your groovey drunk grandfather who had a near death experience. I also adore the subtle heavenly sounds that chime in towards the end of the track, sort of reminiscent of the “White Light” bridge. The final version of the track works very well on Demon Days, especially to precede the title track. However, as a stand alone track I find myself jamming more to the demo version.

Bill Murray (Demo)

“Bill Murray” of D-Sides is a very memorable Gorillaz B-Side, with its bizarre catchy beat and contagious vocals. In Bananaz, a 2008 documentary about Gorillaz, there is footage of Damon Albarn and The Bees performing an earlier version of this track. The footage is from the Demon Days recording sessions, which took place in 2004. This version is notable for having quite a lot more sound and melody variety, such as an acoustic guitar, more keyboard sounds, a bit of ambient synth, more use of the horns, and Damon making lots of weird noises. It feels like a jolly jam session with all kinds of sounds, offering more than the catchy yet much simpler final version of the tune. The cherry on top of this piece is the ending, when The Bees join in with Damon on the last few lines of the lyrics, in a fun-filled, unified, and satisfying ending. I wish the final version contained more of the elements, though I do love it regardless.

Broken (Alternate Version) / Broken (feat. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)

Plastic Beach’s “Broken” is a simple track with a sad romantic theme. There are quite a few versions of the song out there, such as the demo version broadcasted on BBC radio, an alternative version broadcasted on NPR, the live version from the Plastic Beach tour, and the elusive Hypnotic Brass Ensemble version. The album version of the track uses some carousel-like sounds and electronic drum beats with 2-D’s vocals, and stops suddenly at the end. The “Alternate Version” does not differ too much from the final version of the track, but has much more dominant vocoding on the song’s chorus, giving that section of the track a more bold and eerie vibe.

Another version of this track features the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble playing a solo after the album version of the track, instead of a sudden ending. In live recordings of this version, the Ensemble even dances around with their horns. A snippet of the studio version of “Broken” featuring the brass solo can be heard in the documentary “The Making of Plastic Beach”, although there is talking covering part of it. The brass solo brings more of a melancholy groove, the album version of the track sounds less complete after hearing this ending. Although “Broken” is a decent track, it could have benefitted from both the stronger vocoding of the Alternate version and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble solo.

All of these tracks can be listened to in the Oddz and Endz collection, put together by GU user Must. The compilation also includes text documents for each phase, detailing the source of each audio file, which is also where I got my song origin info from. The compilation can be downloaded here.

Glitter Freeze (Alternate Version)

“Glitter Freeze” of Plastic Beach is a simple, primarily electronic track with a few lines of lyrics spoken by the late Mark E. Smith. In 2010, a guest DJ broadcast on XFM played an alternative version of this track, featuring a longer, more otherworldly intro. It also has vocals from 2-D/Damon, and more great lines from Mark E. Smith not included in the album version. The extra lines of dialogue, and more diverse sound make the track feel less like a quick rave, and more like a ship trapped in a violent icy storm. Some may not prefer this version due to its harsh sound in comparison to the album cut, but I think it suits the song well, making it feel far more complete and in place with the themes of Plastic Beach.

Carnival (2-D Special)

The track ”Carnival” on Humanz is a short and sweet one, featuring a trippy mix of sounds that give the listener a feeling of spinning on a crazy amusement park ride. The track doesn’t feature any 2-D/Damon sadly, but Anthony Hamilton gives an excellent performance. Although this track transitions very well into the next Humanz track “Let Me Out”, “Carnival” on its own may feel incomplete. The “Super Deluxe” vinyl box set of Humanz includes the ”2-D Special” version of this track.

The first half of the track is nearly identical to the album cut, with the exception of a short intro replacing the “Interlude: Talk Radio” transition. Instead of ending suddenly, the song changes to a very different mix of intense electronic sounds accompanied by haunting 2-D vocals. If the rest of this song was a spinning carnival ride, this verse feels as if the ride has become the setting of intense paranormal activity, while chanting and moaning spirits join the ride. The song closes off with an outro similar to the first half of the song, but with more intense strings and pauses, making it very difficult to not sway and dance to the heavy final beats. Although the album edit works well on Humanz, I recommend the 2-D Special for the most complete “Carnival” experience!

While these songs aren’t necessarily better than their main version, I think they are still excellent tracks that are also well worth a listen!

• The Sounder
• Hong Kong (Warchild Version)
• Rockit (Early Mix)
• Feel Good Inc. (Noodle’s Demo)
• Aluminium (Stop The Dams Demo)
• People (DARE Alt.)
• Broken (Demo)
• Underwater (Tree of Beauty Alt.)
• Pirate’s Progress (Full version of Orchestral Intro)
• Electric Shock
• Stylo (Demo)
• Duetz (feat. Lully)
• Charger (Alt. version ft. Pauline Black)
• Andromeda (D.R.A.M. Special)
• Busted and Blue (Faia Younan Special)
• She’s My Collar (Kali Uchis Spanish Special)
• And many live performances from the Humanz tour, such as Stylo with Peven Everett and Every Planet We Reach Is Dead with an alternate ending!

That concludes my review of some excellent Gorillaz sounds that didn’t make the cut.

Happy listening!