Come on Babe: from 1979 demo to Version 2 (louder)

Come on Babe began as a club-date rocker. The 1979-era demo had live drums, a shorter intro, and a vocal that sat a little back in the tape. On stage the crowd sang the hook louder than the playback. That gap is why Version 2 exists: not a rewrite of the song, a mix that matches how the room actually behaved.

Louder does not mean crushed. The Version 2 master keeps the original energy and adds clarity for streaming and vinyl. Guitar parts that used to disappear on cassette now sit in front of the drums without wiping the vocal. If you compare the two in your head — even if only Version 2 is on the player — you are hearing a decision about live sound, not a fashion trend.

I still use that track to open high-tempo sets after a ballad. The intro is short on purpose: it is a wake-up, not a fade-in. Baby Gonna Rock often follows it. Together they show the rock half of a catalogue that also holds Kissing and Never Be The Same.

Collectors who own Black Horse hear Version 2 in the album sequence, not as a bonus hidden at the end. That placement is deliberate. The anthology is supposed to move from recent radio-friendly cuts into era-defining rock, then out toward dance-floor material. Come on Babe is a hinge in that story.

Studio notes from later sessions mention the same rule: if a remaster changes the emotional colour of a song, name it. Version 2 — louder is the name on the tin so listeners are not tricked into thinking it is a new composition.

Play it on Music. Read the Discography entry. If you ran a club in the early years and remember the original tape, write to shirwellentertainment@gmail.com — those memories help us date photographs and set lists.