[Introspective] Very tracks (Please 2)

[Johan]

I would also exchange two tracks, but certainly not 'One in a million'. Very
is probably the album I've heard most times ever, and interestingly I used
to think that 'One in a million' was among the weakest tracks on the album,
but somewhere around the 200th listen I changed my mind. I think it has a
great energy, fine lyrics and my favourite part is where Neil says 'Feel
free to leave...etc.". It also took me a long time to discover the 'Oh baby
baby' part in the chorus which is also one of my favourite things about the
song.
 
I certainly don't think it's unsuited to come before Go West - in fact I
often skip that song and go straight to Postscript.
 
Instead, I feel that Liberation,Young Offender and One and one make five
could well have been replaced with Decadence, Too Many People and Shameless,
though the album is brillant the way it is, really, and to have fantastic
songs like 'Too Many People' and 'Shameless' on the b-sides only makes it
better. Combined with great remixes and videos, this truly was a fantastic
time for the boys and their fans. The pinnacle, of course, also marked the
beginning of a sadly steady decline in consistency, though even now they can
still come up with utter brillance. Too bad the gems have to be surrounded
by quite a bit of redundancy, especially on the last two albums.
 
You choose as the best closing track? I think it is probably the worst.
Postscript is the ultimate album closer, of course, but Jealousy and King's
Cross also do that job incredibly well.
 
I agree, of course, that 'I didn't get where I am today' shouldn't have been
a b-side, but I don't think it would have fit into Release. Always, on the
other hand, would certainly have improved the album, though it would take
more major surgery to remove the stain left by, say, 'The Night I fell in
love'.
 
Johan


  _____  

From: introspective-bounces at lists.jameslick.com
[mailto:introspective-bounces at lists.jameslick.com] On Behalf Of various99 _
Sent: 18. februar 2008 07:51
To: introspective
Subject: [Introspective] Very tracks (Please 2)


This week's Very poll is interesting to me because, unlike the previous
albums polled, I've always wanted to replace two tracks on it -- not just
one.  In reality, of course, I find the album suitable as is, but I always
toyed with the idea of replacing "One and one make five" with "Too many
people," and replacing "One in a million" with "Shameless."  

If forced to choose, I guess I'd have to replace "One in a million," because
it's a bit anticlimactic coming before "go West," and because it just sounds
much too poppy to me (this is what Erasure would sound like if produced by
Stock-Aitken-Waterman).  It almost makes the other songs on Very sound like
hard-core album tracks.

While "Very" may not be the best PSB album (and with PSB, almost any album
could be though of it as their best (save for Nightlife)), I think it was
certainly their most memorable, because it defined them in a new way for the
first time since their "Actually" period.  When Very was out, it just felt
like "Please 2" to me, because it felt like a totally new beginning, yet
somehow it reminded me of the flavor of Please.

Now that I'm counting, "Fundamental" seems to me like "Actually 2."  I guess
one could make a case that "Release" was, somewhat, a "Behaviour 2."  And
"Nightlife" seemed, to me, a poor attempt  at recreating the energy of Very,
owing to much less cohesive material.

"I didn't get where I am today" should have been on "Release."  "Always"
should have been on there, too. I love all the "Release" b-sides. 

"Here" didn't seem like a proper album track, to me.  I thought of it as a
toss-off from "Closer to Heaven."   But over the years I've warmed up to it,
and quite look forward to it when the album's playing.

Although I hate to admit it, "You choose" is quite possibly the best closing
track of any PSB album.  I'm not kidding.

-Ali
 
  
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