Most Paul Brady songs on CD began life as a demo in his home studio. Many of these original demos are still in existence. Quality varies from elaborate multi-tracked almost complete arrangements when Paul was initially learning how to do it and master the technicalities of the recording and arranging process, to later simpler and more immediate performances designed to give an idea of the song to musicians who would later be playing on the final recording. We are now making a selection of these demos available for download as they give a fascinating insight into the way Paul puts his music together.
Sound quality inevitably varies considerably between samples depending on the original recording date. Earlier demos stored on reel to reel tape have suffered more from the passage of time than later ones recorded on DAT tape. Some of these early ones are offered as ‘listen only’ as are some others for copyright reasons. The majority, however are available as downloads.
Many recordings also ended up as B-sides, extra tracks on CD singles, promotional CDs or finished tracks that never appeared anywhere. The Paul Brady catalogue is not complete without them.
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Say You Don’t Mean
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‘Written with Paul Muldoon and produced by Paul Brady, this is the first of a new series of collaborations
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I Like How You Think
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Written with Paul Muldoon and produced by Paul Brady, this is the second of a new series of collaborations
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Him
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Written with Paul Muldoon and produced by Paul Brady, this is the third of a new series of collaborations
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21st Century Christmas (demo)
€0.75
Written in 2005 w Ralph Murphy for fun (all songs I write with Ralph are for fun!) we sent this to Cliff Richard who we knew liked Christmas songs. to our pleasant surprise he recorded it in 2006 and had a UK and European hit with it (No2 in UK!). This was my home demo.
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Beyond The Reach Of Love
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This is the home demo of the Say What You Feel album track, written with John Scott Sherril in Nashville
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Dancer In The Fire (Keystone demo rough mix)
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A mix from Keystone Studios in Dublin s Harcourt St in Dec 1979 of Paul s first demo of Dancer In The Fire. Drums Paul McAteer, Bass Garvan Gallagher, Polymoog strings Paul Barret, Piano and vocals Paul Brady. The piano overdub at the end was studio owner Andrew Boland
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Eat The Peach (12" single)
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Written in 1986 with Donal Lunny for the irish movie of the same name, this is a different recording to that which appeared on the film soundtrack. This is a single edit of the Primitive Dance album track. Ian Maidman on bass and electric gtr, Steve Fletcher, keyboards, Davey Spillane on Uileann pipes and myself on electric rythm gtr, vocals, mandolin and tin whistle.
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Eat The Peach (7" Single)
€0.75
Written in 1986 with Donal Lunny for the irish movie of the same name, this is a different recording to that which appeared on the film soundtrack. This is a single edit of the Primitive Dance album track. Ian Maidman on bass and electric gtr, Steve Fletcher, keyboards, Davey Spillane on Uileann pipes and myself on electric rythm gtr, vocals, mandolin and tin whistle.
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Crazy Dreams (Keystone Demo rough-mix)
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A rough mix from Keystone Studios in Dublin s Harcourt St in Dec 1979 of the original demo that became the basis of the recorded version on the cd Hard Station
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Finally It s The Right Time (original home demo)
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The home demo of the song that appeared as a bonus track in a new recording on the Japanese release of Say What You Feel . Robbie Brennan on drums. written in the early 90s with Pat Alger in Nashville
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Good Love (original home demo)
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This was originally demoed when we wrote it at Bob Theile s place in LA in the late 90s. This is the demo version i subsequently recorded at home. The final version appears on the Oh What A World album
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Heather On The Moor
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Originally recorded for an album called The Gathering which was a strangely unfocussed collection put out in, I think, 1979. The album also had tracks from other artists including Andy Irvine, who is playing Mandolin and harmonica here, the late Tommy Potts, fiddler extraordinaire and Peter Browne on pipes. The song comes from the Sam Henry collection of Ulster folk songs and was a big hit in the 1800s in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
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I Believe In Magic demo
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Written in Nashville with Gary Nicholson and recorded in 2000 for the Oh What A World cd, this was the original demo started in Gary s studio and finished at home in Dublin
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I Don't Want to be The One (demo)
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Never recorded by Paul, this was a co-write with Carole King, later covered by Trisha Yearwood
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I Don't Want To Know (demo)
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Written with Conner Reeves & Rich Wayland at Miles Copeland s Chateau Marrouate near Bordeaux in the mid 90s, this has yet to be recorded for real. This is listen only
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I Want You To Want Me (solo acoustic version)
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This was an early solo attempt at this song before the recording that eventually appeared on Spirits Colliding in 1995
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Just In Case Of Accidents (demo)
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Was still in love with my TR808 drum machine here. And the old spring reverb unit. The difference between this and the recorded version is mind blowing to me now. What a confused guy I was. Sometimes being able to do loads of things is a huge liability. Still, There s an urban dislocation to this arrangement that seems appropriate to the time. Very 80 s, this and i had a lot of fun making it!
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Locked Up In Heaven (original home demo)
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I made this recording at home a couple of days after the song was written. It was as much to learn how to play it myself as for any other reason.
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Sail Sail On (Demo)
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This was written at home in Dublin with Sharon Vaughn in 2003. I did the demo afterwards in my studio. It has a nice lazy feel to it which suits the title.
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Something InThe Atmosphere
€0.89
"This is the b-side of the first Crazy Dreams single released October 1980. Recorded at Sound Techniques off Chelsea's Kings Road in London at the same session as the first recording of Crazy Dreams, it was produced by John Wood, mixed by Brian Masterson. Drums Peter Van Hooke, Bass Mo Foster, Slide guitar Bryn Haworth, Acoustic guitar and vocal Paul Brady.
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Stories (demo key A)
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This song was never recorded for real by me. I gave it to Maura O Connell who recorded it on her album of the same name. Again all instruments and voices are by myself.
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Stories (demo key B flat)
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This song was never recorded for real by me. I gave it to Maura O Connell who recorded it on her album of the same name. Again all instruments and voices are by myself.
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The Great Pretender (Keystone demo)
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This is the first demo of this song which was later re-recorded for the CD True For You. The words changed by the finished version. Don tcha just love the bin-lid snare drum sound? ARP Odyssey keyboard again. I had to do things on the cheap and couldn t afford a real drummer. I ended up playing everything.
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The Soulbeat (alt shuffle demo mono version)
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I always felt and still feel that this early 80s collaboration with Shay Fitzgerald is a good song and one I never quite got right on the Back To The Centre record. This was a later attempt at home to try it in a different way. One day i ll go back to it and get it right!
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The World is What You Make it (early rough mix)
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A mix from around half way through the recording process
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Trick or Treat (demo)
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One of my fave demos of mine. I now had a Fostex 8 track home recorder and was getting the hand of recording myself at home
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Trouble 'Round The Bend (Keystone demo Rough mix)
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From the Dec 79 Keystone sessions, Paul McAteer on Drums, Garvan Gallagher on Bass, Paul Brady on acoustic and electric gtrs and vocals. Very different to the True For You cd version
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Trouble 'Round the Bend (first home demo)
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Yet another home demo version of this song. I was listening to a lot of Stevie Wonder and Steve Winwood at the time! The old upright piano in my house in Dublin s Glasnevin sounds so retro now.One of the few times i managed to record it without car horns from outside or the children inside getting on tape. Bass is an ARP Odyssey keybd. Guitar was a Gibson SG standard that I incredibly and regrettably sold later.
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Under A Fingernail Moon (demo)
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Written with Ralph Murphy and demoed at home in Dublin, this has yet to be recorded for real
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Working at Christmas
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Paul is in festive mood this year and in anticipation of the holiday period is releasing a Christmas song, his first since Arthur Mc Bride!'Working At Christmas' is an anthem in praise of all those dedicated people who have to work over the holidays to make sure we have a happy, healthy and safe time. Recorded in Nashville and Dublin, produced by Bobby Huff and Paul it perfectly captures the seasonal spirit!
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Working Relationship (home demo)
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This song Paul wrote in early 1982. A quirky comment on the distance in his head between having to deal with lawyers and contracts..and the music he really wanted to be making instead! Never recorded for real, this was a demo he made playing and singing everything himself. Never recorded for real.
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Young Love (demo)
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Written with Will Jennings and demoed at his place in Santa Barbara, this is as yet unrecorded.