(Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna)
Beloved Portland indie rock quintet the Decemberists are celebrating a very special occasion: the tenth anniversary of their critically acclaimed and fan favorite major label debut LP, 2006’s The Crane Wife. In proper celebratory practice, the band will be releasing a brand new five-LP box set reissue.
The collection is meant to be loaded with demos, like the previously revealed The Crane Wife 1, 2 &3, and early alternate takes on several of the album’s most fantastic tracks. Today, the band just revealed an alternate take off the record: a previously unheard version of “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)”.
On the final album, “Yankee Bayonet” ended up as a duet with band associate Laura Veirs, but before that, a home demo was recorded with illustrator Carson Ellis, who has drawn the cover artwork for many of the Decemberists’ releases, including The Crane Wife. Between the two tracks, however, there was another studio recording of the song which featured female lead vocals from Alela Diane instead of Veirs.
“We weren’t really sure what the right voice was for “The Girl” in Yankee Bayonet,” explained the band in a Facebook post. “We invited both Laura Veirs and Alela Diane to lend their voices to the part. It really was an embarrassment of riches. We can’t remember why we opted for Laura’s take, they were both so lovely. But, in the end, a choice had to be made…”
You can clearly hear in the alternate take that the two tracks are almost the exact same, barring a slightly less complete production and mastering. The main difference is the way Diane’s vocals intertwine and play around Colin meloy’s voice. Diane was a foil to Veirs’ mirror. It’s an interesting contrast that shouldn’t be missed. Check out the amazing track below.
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