The Tricky Beans Website

[ZenithMC]

For the uninitiated, Tricky Beans was the original name of Sonata Arctica.

I found this years ago but I no longer remember how I found it. It might've been listed in one of their cassette demos. Anyway, here is the Tricky Beans website from 1997 for your viewing pleasure. Sadly, none of the links on this page were archived.

https://web.archive.org/web/19970618085 ... mepage.htm

[robocop]

Dammnnn. I like that hand drawn menu. LOL!!!

Damn insert text option. How does that work, nigga?!?

[AAAAAAAAAA]

That was pretty amazing! A fun read. Time really flies....

[Robocop 2.0]

Nice find like I told before... Early days of bands are always very interesting

[SatanicSmile]

Recently listened to some of the Tricky Beans/Means demos. This happens once or twice a year I go back and listen to them. Most of them evolved into excellent tracks on studio albums when time passed. And what's different with the first a few albums is that the band practiced and arranged more together rather than relying on internet connection. This got to be the answer to some changes in quality of later albums

Got to say tho that the last album as a whole did beat previous two in many areas and was kinda nice surprise.

[ZenithMC]

Recently listened to some of the Tricky Beans/Means demos. [...]

It's been a while since I listened to those demos. Always fun to listen to, though. One common aspect is Tony's frenetic vocal pacing. The lyrics are also kind of funny. I guess I'll talk about the songs that eventually made their way onto SA records:

Find a Gun => The Gun
SA version is much improved here, since I like the way Tony plays with his voice. The other changes to the arrangement are also superior.

Letter to Dana
Tricky Beans version is too slow, really, and, I'm not really a fan of Tony's delivery here. The SA refinements to the vocal melody are vast improvements.

BlackOut => Flag in the Ground
Really different. I like the energy and silly lyrics of BlackOut. Flag in the Ground is a strong track on TDoG.

I'm Haunted
I prefer Tricky Beans version, though the SA version is not bad, really.

Addict => Sing in Silence
Sing in Silence is a vast improvement. Addict's chorus is kind of rough, along with some goofy vocals in places, so Tony made the right call with the new arrangement. Much more somber and serious in tone.

Shy
I prefer the Tricky Beans rendition, but the SA ballad form is okay, too.

Peace Maker
Both are fun to listen to. SA's slower and more epic approach is more thematically consistent with their direction at the time compared to the faster-pace carefree Tricky Beans approach.

Tallulah
Not significantly different, but SA's version is more put together. The Tricky Beans version has side-stick hits when the drums 1st come in. The SA version adds a nod to Coming Home in the piano arrangement @ 1:45.

The songs that didn't make it onto a SA record are gold, too. I like Frog Feet quite a bit. Funny premise with a great chorus. Least favorite? Idk... probably A Bit Lost.

[SatanicSmile]

Could say a thing or two as well, but my focus might get away from demos a bit

Find a Gun / The Gun
Agreed with Zenith... Fun thing they brought it back to live set for the Stones Grow Her Name -tour. Good fit there.

Letter to Dana
The first song Tony wrote for Tricky Beans. I like each version of this song (Demo, Ecliptica, 2008, seaweed Ecliptica, acoustic)... Something I prefer on demo over Ecliptica is more emotion towards the end, maybe not the best way to describe it but you get the point. I'm not huge fan of very clean vocals of Ecliptica version and on that part I very much prefer the one on Ecliptica revisited, which I find the best version overall. The only thing that could make it better is addition of lines "return to sender, address unknown, no such number, no such door" at the end (present on 2008, acoustic and live versions at least since 2011). Sure, everything to do with instruments and mixing is at its best on original Ecliptica.

BlackOut / Flag in the Ground
When it comes to lyrics I think there was just one line that didn't change (at least completely). I only really listened to Flag in the Ground around its release, it being on better half of The Days of Grays. However I must say it's pretty strong live track and enjoyed hearing it those a few times I saw it live.

I'm Haunted
Might agree with Zenith here. Cool song most parts but the chorus is too fast lol

Addict / Sing in Silence
Like both but the changes for Sing in Silence were spot on. Move from sort of a generic hard rock song to something more atmospheric with better lyrics and the pretty sounds on keys... Great track, even could say that underrated.

Shy
I used to listen this actual demo version a lot when someone first uploaded it on youtube. Seriously good and I remember being surprised because the final ballad version is very fitting and it was hard to believe something different would get anywhere close (knew the demo is faster rock song long before I heard it).

Peacemaker
Another one I listened to a lot. The final version sounds so polished to point the original felt much more fun.

Tallulah
If I'm not mistaken, a lot of times I heard it live (most if not all 10+ gigs I've seen them) there was something that was closer to demo than the album version. Very known song in Finland. The book has mentioned there was faster version and the name Little Renegade was mentioned.


The fourth demo (by then the band had changed its name to Tricky Means) had Fullmoon, 8th Commandment, Mary-Lou and UnOpened. I prefer vocals on demo UnOpened but everything else including slightly changed lyrics work better on Ecliptica version. Fun thing to hear on Fullmoon demo is keyboard solo alone without it going keys/guitar duel. Is it better that way? Maybe not, but if the solo was just slightly better


False News Travel Fast on Silence album was also Tricky Beans song by the way, just a bit different and went by name Rosepetals Know. Too bad there's no demo recording. Waiting for a day someone from northern Finland comes up with some live recording

[ZenithMC]

Fun read. And some new details for me, since I never read the book that elucidates some of this stuff.

It seems there are quite many songs of Tricky Beans that were never recorded in-studio. I remember reading about there even being a song called Tricky Beans. Probably unlikely that someone recorded their live performances, but you never know. Would be interesting to hear these other songs, indeed.

[SatanicSmile]

Fun read. And some new details for me, since I never read the book that elucidates some of this stuff.

It seems there are quite many songs of Tricky Beans that were never recorded in-studio. I remember reading about there even being a song called Tricky Beans. Probably unlikely that someone recorded their live performances, but you never know. Would be interesting to hear these other songs, indeed.

That was mentioned in some interview indeed, but can't remember it being mentioned in the book. Even if there was, the band name seemed to be there before that song, according to the book.

The first studio recorded song was Blackout, which was sent to some contest. It was the only song recorded on their first visit to Tico Tico.

The second visit to studio resulted rest of the songs for first demo and whole second demo, although some if not all songs for the second somehow fucked out away and they had to record them again on next studio visit.

Between second and third visits there was pretty big gig they had an opportunity to play at. The book mentions 15 song setlist with some songs ended up on demos, a few cover songs (English and Finnish language songs) and two songs supposedly their own songs: I Can't Believe and Simpukka. Simpukka (english: clam) was left out from third demo, no idea if it was a song in Finnish language or what. Another setlist from 1996 and before the recordin of the third demo mentions Washington D.C and it's never mentioned again (original Peacemaker or just older song?)