Shoes - Double Exposure (2007)

This 2-disc, 30-song retrospective includes Shoes' original, 8-track demos that not only landed the band their major label deal, but also became the foundation for their first two major-label releases, Present Tense and Tongue Twister. Recorded in their basement studio from 1978 to 1980.

Rarely would anyone have the opportunity to hear entire albums of any band's music that would go from simple demos to being full-fledged songs on a release. However, that is just what Shoes has done with their latest release of Double Exposure. The double album release takes every song that appears on both albums and lets the listener hear the original versions of each song the way the band wanted them to sound on their albums. And while the band went to England to record their major label release of Present Tense, the resulting album for Elektra sounds amazingly like the demos that the group had recorded themselves previous to entering the studio to officially create the album that the label would release. With Double Exposure, Shoes took their first two albums and has given their fans a little bit more: Double Exposure takes all of the demos used to make up the song list of those first albums, and includes the demos of songs created for, but not included on, both albums. And although these songs would not be included on the official releases from the band, the five songs still have the sound that the band was known for. --Matheson Kamin-The Rock and Roll Report