Buying the albums sampled on “Picnic”.
We come now to Track 12 on the 2003 Deluxe CD reissue of this record, which is the second of the six bonus tracks, and the first of the two versions of “The Lady Rachel” comprised in those six. This is “Extended first mix Previously unreleased”. This lasts 6.43 minutes, compared with the 5.18 minutes of the LP version. It is quite different from that one, notably in that the vocals are somewhat more subdued. Conversely, the orchestration has a slightly fuller feel. The tempo is, I think a tiny bit slower, and the phrasing of the vocals has a faintly different pattern. The instrumental middle 8 is sparser and longer, with some “swirling” bits which are absent from the LP; this is where the extra length comes in. This is a most worthy alternate cut. This was apparently a 1972 rerecording.
Track 13 is “Soon Soon Soon”, a 3.23 gem, the one with The Ladybirds doing the “We Know What You Mean” refrain referred to above. Super little ditty this one.
Track 14 is the second of the three versions of “Religious Experience” which comprise half of the six bonus tracks. This is purest of the three. The song itself is unbearably catchy, the vocals being the repetition of
“Singing a song in the morning
Singing it again at night
Don’t even know what I’m singing about
But I know it makes me feel alright.”
