Paula Cole unearths unheard tracks 1989-1990
The path to stardom is often paved with raw, unpolished beginnings, and for Paula Cole, her musical journey began long before the spotlight found her. Diving into her earliest demos from the 1990s reveals not just the seeds of her career, but a profound exploration of self, collaboration, and memory.
Long before the mainstream, Cole was laying the groundwork for her sound while working alongside Mark Hutchins, an early collaborator and boyfriend. This shared creative space involved recording songs on analog formats like cassettes and DATs during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Hutchins, who was instrumental in introducing her to foundational artists like The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr., The Beatles, XTC, and Daniel Lanois, provided the essential musical education that would shape her trajectory.
It was Hutchins who taught Cole the ropes of producing and engineering, grounding her creative process in a collaborative, hands-on experience. This period, marked by naivety, discovery, confusion, and evolution, is beautifully captured in her compilation, Sonic Memoir 1989-1998, which documents nine formative years.
Within this vast archive of nearly 100 tracks, Cole undertook the fascinating task of curating her own narrative. She digitized these early works, sharing them with Hutchins’ family, allowing the raw material to evolve into a memoir. This process was intuitive, a natural exploration that allowed her to look at herself and her artistic process, much like a scientist filling notebooks with memos.
Not every track survived the passage of time; some early demos, like the early recording of “My Fingers,” were lost to analog decay, leaving behind a poignant sense of loss. Yet, the act of looking back—culling and re-examining these memories—proved to be a powerful experience. Cole found that this introspection wasn’t about regret, but about rediscovering the strength and courage she possessed at that time.
The journey through these years spanned several distinct creative phases. Starting in Boston while studying at Berklee, she wrote reflective pieces like the early demo “Watch the Woman’s Hands.” Later, moving through Santa Cruz and San Rafael, her sound embraced a more gothy, moody exploration, drawing inspiration from figures like Peter Murphy and Kate Bush. These years saw her record songs that pushed the boundaries of her identity, exploring themes of the inner demon and the need to find light.
As Cole moved to San Francisco and then New York City, her creative landscape shifted, fueled by new relationships and collaborations. In New York, she found an environment where she could fully realize her voice, working with producers like Kevin Killen who helped shape her path. This period culminated in her breakout album, This Fire, which brought her to the mainstream with anthems like “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait.”
Despite the pressures of early management pushing for a poppier sound, Cole maintained a commitment to authenticity. She reflected that the attention her early songs received—and the consciousness surrounding her catalog—was complex, but ultimately beautiful. Re-examining the demos hasn’t made her feel older; instead, it has rekindled a youthful sense of self. It has reminded her of the rebel she once was, offering a renewed sense of strength and an appreciation for the dreamy, innocent space from which her true artistic rebellion emerged.
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