1979 "album" recorded at Cargo

[hieroglyphic city]

Bill Drummond says in his book "100" that all "Crocodiles" songs were recorded/demoed in 1979 in Cargo Studios in Rochdale,

"We spent a few days over at Cargo sometime in 1979, recording all the songs that were to be later recorded for the Bunnymen’s Crocodiles album. We would drive over and back each day in Les Pattinson’s mini bus. It was during these sessions that I began to think that the Bunnymen had something special. We later went on to record all the songs again in Rockfield Studios near Monmouth in South Wales. What we had previously demoed in two or three nights, we spent a month recording in Rockfield’s internationally acclaimed 24 track studios.

Although Crocodiles went on to be both a critically and commercially successful album, setting the Bunnymen up to be one of the great bands of the first half of the 1980s, I always harboured a dark suspicion. This dark suspicion was that what we had recorded with the Bunnymen in Cargo was by far and away superior to what we had done with them in Rockfield. What we did in Rockfield sounded cold and calculated compared to the wall of sound that we recorded in Cargo. The thing is I never dared to listen to the Cargo recordings again. I did not want to confront the fact that we may have made some terrible mistake that could never be undone. My memory of those Cargo recordings was that they had a depth and urgency, a howl of despair and a sense that everything had to be done before the world ended at the break of day."

(http://www.penkilnburn.com/media/read/100_1/81-84)

I wonder why none of these Cargo recordings have showed up on any of the reissues? Except for "Simple Stuff", I guess the b-side version was taken from these sessions? (by the way, doesn't the Pat Moran version from Rockfield sound identical, just remixed?)

Have the tapes been lost? Maybe a question for Will.

[black francis]

Probably were stolen in the carrier van "heist" that saw the Mac-Marr sessions go missing.

[Voodoo Billy]

I hope it comes out in shrinkwrapped purple vinyl one day.

[redgumball]

"This dark suspicion was that what we had recorded with the Bunnymen in Cargo was by far and away superior to what we had done with them in Rockfield. What we did in Rockfield sounded cold and calculated compared to the wall of sound that we recorded in Cargo."

Hey Will - I am up for starting a kickstarter campaign to get these released. How much would we have to raise? Need a pledge site?

I'd love to hear these rarities. Sounds epic.

[Sick4Tunz]

I'd certainly pay for these recorded shows. It might also spare me the trouble of taping them myself so that I can truly enjoy their performance by forgetting about everything but the music.