The Rolling Stones / THE INCREDIBLE ART COLLINS TAPES VOL.1 (2CD) DAC-200

DISC-1
1 Too Tough (Triple X)
2 It Must Be Hell (diff. vocals)
3 Undercover Of The Night(same as DAC-182)
4 Tie You Up (The Pain Of Love) (diff. vocals)
5 She Was Hot (diff. than DAC-182)
6 Feel On Baby (same as DAC-182)
7 All The Way Down (diff. than DAC-182)
8 Too Much Blood (diff. than DAC-182)
9 Tried To Talk Het Into It (diff. than DAC-110)
10 Too Much Blood (diff. than DAC-182)
11 Pretty Beat Up (XMAS issue)
12 Dog Shit

DISC-2
1 Keep It Cool #1
2 Keep It Cool #2
3 Gotta Know You (Wanna Hold You #1) (1982 Paris basement tapes)
4 Wanna Hold You #2 (1982 Paris basement tapes)
5 All The Way Down (same as DAC-182)
6 Gotta Know You
7 Rocker (The Dog)
8 Slinky (slow instrumental of The Pain Of Love)
9 Slave (Vocal 1 Complete)*

Recorded 11th November - 19th December 1982, Boulogne Billancourt (near Paris) France, Pathé-Marconi Studios

(*)from Tattoo You Sessions 1981

Back in 2014, a collection of 30 previously unreleased tracks—spanning the era from the *Some Girls* album through *Tattoo You*—suddenly leaked under the title "The Fabulous Cuts," with each track previewed as a 30-second clip. Now, a comprehensive collection of recordings known as the "Art Collins Tapes"—which can be considered the definitive version of "The Fabulous Cuts"—has been unearthed. We are presenting this historic archive, totaling approximately 12 hours of audio, organized by the specific album sessions and in the exact running order found on the original tapes.

This first installment features recordings from the *Undercover* album sessions at Pathé Marconi Studios in France, spread across two CDs. These new outtakes from the *Undercover* era have recently gained recognition through releases such as DAC’s *Too Much Blood* (DAC-182) and OBR’s *Bird’s Vault* (on both LP and CD). The source material is said to originate from the personal collection of Art Collins, a music manager who served as president of the Rolling Stones' label between 1978 and 1982. Perhaps because the source is a master tape held by an insider, the audio quality throughout is excellent—featuring a true stereo soundboard mix—and offers a sonic profile distinct from previously released CDs that underwent EQ adjustments or remastering.

Notably, this release preserves the original tape's track sequence, avoiding the intentional reordering found on earlier releases. Furthermore, the transitions between songs are presented in their raw state—without fade-outs—resulting in slightly longer gaps of silence between tracks compared to previous editions. While this means the duration of the silence varies from track to track, it ensures a more authentic presentation of the material based directly on the original master tapes.

Disc 1 runs for 76 minutes and 45 seconds, opening with "Too Tough," a track that first appeared on OBR’s *Bird’s Vault Vol. 3*. This release features the complete contents of tapes No. 6 and No. 12 from the "ART COLLINS TAPES" collection. Disc 1 includes many tracks that utilize the same basic backing tracks as the officially released versions, allowing listeners to enjoy spirited performances. "IT MUST BE HELL" appears here as a take with overdubs and a different mix compared to the version on *Think You Like It* (DAC-109). The unreleased song "Tried to Talk Her Into It" is presented as a version featuring additional guitar overdubs on top of the take familiar from the OBR label. Two takes of "Too Much Blood" are included, both featuring mixes distinct from previously released versions. "Dog Shit" had previously circulated in partial form; while some speculated that its synthesizer overdubs were uncharacteristic of the Stones—leading to rumors that it might be a fake—the full version heard here confirms it as a genuine Stones recording that foreshadows the sound of the later *Steel Wheels* era.

Disc 2 has a runtime of 79 minutes and 51 seconds. It marks the first time two versions of the unreleased song "Keep It Cool" have been compiled together. "Gotta Know You"—considered the prototype for "Wanna Hold You"—is included in both rehearsal and multi-track recording formats. "The Dog," a Keith-led instrumental that first appeared on OBR's *Bird's Vault Vol. 2*, is presented here under the alternative title "Rocker." For this release, the audio was remastered without EQ or compression processing to preserve the integrity of the original sound, resulting in a much more natural audio quality compared to previous releases. Track 9 serves as a bonus track, featuring a complete version of "Slave" from the 1981 *Tattoo You* sessions that includes new vocals. Fans will also appreciate the artwork, which makes extensive use of rare photos taken during the album's production and release events. While a lower-priced box set—supplemented with tracks from "FOXES IN THE BOXES"—was released prior to this one, the decisive difference here is the meticulous repair work: we have corrected the stereo channels (which were largely reversed on the original source tapes) and fixed the playback speed inconsistencies that plagued almost every track. The original tapes suffered from pitch errors that varied from song to song, with most takes playing back slightly faster than the actual performance. Unfortunately, such tape speed issues can only be properly rectified by a specialized label with extensive experience like ours. For those who simply want to own the material or just listen to it casually, the aforementioned earlier, budget-friendly release might suffice. However, for serious enthusiasts—such as those who already own various related recordings and wish to carefully compare the differences, or musicians (pianists or guitarists) who find it painful to listen to audio with drastically incorrect pitch or reversed channels—we are confident that this release will provide complete satisfaction. Not every collector owns a CD player with pitch-adjustment capabilities, so having the audio correctly fixed from the start is undoubtedly preferable. While good value for money is certainly a virtue, it is a shame for a purchased CD to simply gather dust on a rack, neglected after the initial buy.

I have digressed slightly, but please look forward to this series, as we plan to release these precious "ART COLLINS TAPES" recordings with the highest quality restoration and remastering.