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Origin
OriginHighQuality
Released November 4th, 2000
Length 46:27
Producers Brad Caviness (executive producer)
Label Bigwig Enterprises
Discography
Sound Asleep
(1999)
Origin
(2000)
Fallen
(2003)
Singles from Origin
  1. "Whisper"
    Released: November 2000

Origin was a demo album by Evanescence released on November 4, 2000 by Bigwig Enterprises.[1] It is a collection of home-recorded demos, including reworked demos Amy Lee and Ben Moody had written and recorded for their 1998 and 1999 EPs.[2] 2,000 copies of the demo CD were printed.[3][4] The CD was packaged to shop it to record labels (i.e. talent scouting) as they were looking to get signed.[5][3] It was falsely marketed by Bigwig as Evanescence's debut album.[1] Amy said in 2003:

"It's not our first CD, it's demos we recorded with me singing in Ben's closet as a young girl... We weren't there yet, we weren't finished, and a lot of the songs are demos of songs that ended up on Fallen. [...] We packaged it together and it looks like an album because we were wanting to look professional for record labels."[5]

Ben also said:

"That wasn't really an album but our demos. We made it into an album to make it more appealing to the record companies, but it was never an official release. [...] We also did a lot of songs and demos after that. It was just a stepping stone for us."[3] "We didn't have the technology, so a lot of our early recordings were just shit."[5]

The producer Pete Matthews heard their demos when they were getting it mastered at Ardent Studios in Memphis.[6][2][7] He asked for a copy, which he took to New York and showed it at Wind-Up Records, the major record label they would be signed in 2001.[2][8][9]

Background and development

Origin was sold locally in Little Rock. Bigwig manufactured and distributed it on its website.[10] The front cover was photographed by Rocky Gray and the artwork was designed by Adrian James. The seated photo of the band and the small thumbnail photos on the back cover were taken at Mount Holly Cemetery in downtown Little Rock. There have been several different versions of the CD appear online, but there's only one true track listing. According to Bigwig, "Whisper" was the lead single and received airplay.[1] Bigwig Enterprises stopped selling Origin in early February 2003 (a day or two before the Daredevil Soundtrack album was released) and removed it from their catalog.[11]

Recordings

Origin contains re-recorded demos of "My Immortal", "Imaginary", "Where Will You Go" and "Whisper", which first appeared on Amy and Ben's early EPs, and of "Even in Death", which was written in 1996.[12] The CD was recorded at Ben's apartment and Amy's family's attic with an 8-track recorder that cost "around $300."[13][14][15] Ben's closet doubled as a vocal booth.[16][5] Recordings started in December 1999, when David Hodges joined the band.[17][18] Amy said in an interview that they broke into the radio station her father worked in at night to record "My Immortal" when she was 17 years old.[19][20] She also noted that a MIDI keyboard was used in the recording.[21] This demo was later released as track #4 on Fallen by Wind Up Records, with added strings arranged by Graeme Revell for the Daredevil soundtrack.[20][22]

Outtakes

The original release contained a hidden track, which is located before the first track. In order to hear it, you have to rewind (while hearing what you are rewinding) the first song and reach -0:24. It is an outtake of the end of the bridge of "Anywhere", featuring Amy Lee and David Hodges singing, and a quote from the movie My Boyfriend's Back: "There's a lot of prejudice against the undead." The CD was originally supposed to include the song "Listen To the Rain", written by Amy for her high school choir, that was to fade in at the end of "Eternal". Pre-release version of the CD included this song, but the finished product didn't. "Demise" was supposed to become its own track, but ended up replacing “Listen To the Rain” at the end of “Eternal”. "Catherine"[23] was also supposed to be on Origin, but didn't get recorded.

Re-release

Origin was released as a vinyl for The Ultimate Collection box set in 2017, marking its debut commercial release.[24] This is what Amy Lee had to say about its inclusion in the box set:

It's something I've always cringed about because ever since we made a real studio album and honed in our sound and became Evanescence and made Fallen, I'm like, 'OK, everything before this we were just practicing. But many fans love Origin and talk about Origin and wish Origin would be released. I've been against it for 13 years, but for the first time I guess I have enough separation from it to look at it and feel like, 'Y'know what? I see why that's cool. As a fan, I want to listen to that too.' So having that whole change of heart was really huge.[25]

Origin Ultimate Collection cover

Vinyl re-release cover

She also said on her official Facebook page:

By the way, there's a reason Origin hasn't been released all these years, and it's only coming out on vinyl – I hate it! :) It’s like an embarrassing school photo from when I had braces and bangs. This is for YOU- those special few of you who it would really mean something to. HARDCORE FANS ONLY.[26]

In an interview with the Italian Rock Sound in October 2003, Amy said the band were not interested in re-releasing the demo album, advising fans to download it from the internet and not to buy it at a high price.[27] However, she reconsidered and re-released it as an exclusive vinyl on The Ultimate Collection.

The cover on the vinyl release differs a little from the original cover, as the title "Origin" is centered on the artwork of the vinyl version.

Cast

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Origin.[10][28]

Line Up

Guests

Technical

  • Brad Caviness - executive producer
  • Ben Moody - engineer
  • Ardent Studios - mastering
  • Sound Asleep Studios - recording studio and mixing
  • Soundforge - recording technology

Tracks

No. Title Length
1. "Origin" (Origin intro) :35
2. "Whisper" (Origin version) 5:28
3. "Imaginary" (Origin version) 3:32
4. "My Immortal" (Origin version) 4:22
5. "Where Will You Go" (Origin version) 3:47
6. "Field Of Innocence" 5:14
7. "Even In Death" (Origin version) 4:09
8. "Anywhere" 6:04
9. "Lies" (Origin version) 3:50
10. "Away From Me" 3:31
11. "Eternal" (3-part instrumental) 6:05
12. Anywhere” outtake (Hidden track) 0:30

Outtakes

No. Title Length
1. "Listen To The Rain" (Choir) 3:14
2. "Demise" (Instrumental) n/a
3. "Catherine" (Never recorded) n/a

Booklet

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Evanescence announces major label recording deal". bigwigenterprises.com. Archived on October 12, 2002.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Metal Edge interview by Paul Gargano (2003), "Evanescence Brought to Life", page 16.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Dark splendour". August 10, 2003.
  4. "Evanescence, la révélation" (in French), AJT, page 28.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 PowerPlay magazine (August 2003)
  6. "ArkLaTexMusic.com - Evanescence". ArkLaTexMusic.com. 2003. Archived from the original on March 5, 2003.
  7. Odell, Michael (April 2004). "Survivor!". Blender.
  8. "Memphis Music Club: Pete Matthews, a Behind the Scenes Mastermind". The Vinyl District. January 18, 2012.
  9. "Evanescence Lands Someplace Special, USA Today, May 8, 2003
  10. 10.0 10.1 Evanescence (2000). Origin (liner notes). Bigwig Enterprises. bwe0002.
  11. "Evanescence's debut cd Origin is now out of print." (bigwigenterprises.com in February 2003)
  12. "Evanescence's Amy Lee Explains Decision To Release Pre-'Fallen' Material". October 19, 2016. Blabbermouth.net.
  13. "Evanescence - December 14, 2003 - Live@Much". MuchMusic.com. December 14, 2003. Archived from the original on April 14, 2004.
  14. "Amy Lee, l'ange noir d'Evanescence [Amy Lee, the dark angel of Evanescence]" (in French). Elle Girl. Spring 2004. Pages 19-20.
  15. Although Origin was recorded at Ben's and Amy's houses, "Sound Asleep Studios" is credited on the liner notes.
  16. Lowe, Steve (2003). "Evanescence". Blender.
  17. "Interview with Evanescence". Stranger Things Magazine. September 2000.
  18. "NotAChristianBand.com & Evboard.com Interview". July 3, 2004. Davidhodges.info.
  19. Cashmere, Paul (April 6, 2004). "Amy Lee Hates Evanescence My Immortal". Undercover News.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Wiederhorn, Jon (November 5, 2013). "Are There Clues To Evanescence's Problems In Their New Video?". MTV News.
  21. Law, Sam (October 2017). "Symphonic Possession". Kerrang! (1694): 24–27. ISSN ‎0262-6624.
  22. Fallen (2003), liner notes.
  23. D'Angelo, Joe (February 27, 2004). "Evanescence: The Split - Ben Moody says Amy Lee was obsessed with "selling out" ...". MTV News.
  24. "The Ultimate Collection". Evanescence.com. 2016.
  25. Evanescence's Amy Lee Talks 6-LP Vinyl Collection & Possibility of a New Album (November 18, 2016)
  26. Lee, Amy (September 13, 2016). "Guys, I can't even tell you how rad...". Facebook.
  27. "Evanescence" (in Italian). Page 26. Rock Sound (Issue 66). October 2003.
  28. Evanescence (2017). Origin LP (liner notes). The Bicycle Music Company. BMC-38388-01.
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