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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2021 18:08:33 GMT
A
David McWilliams - By the Lights of Cyrian
B
The Pet Shop Boys - Left to my Own Devices
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2021 18:20:26 GMT
Don't like the vocals of the first track, so I need to go with a Pet Shop Boys track (Which may be a first)..At least it's not the 11+ minute Disco Mix...Vote B
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wobblie
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Just a prick out to make a name for himself.
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Post by wobblie on Jan 31, 2021 19:13:16 GMT
Never heard of David McWilliams. There's a reason for this.
The Pet Shop Boys number, while simultaneously too joyous & aloof for its own good, didn't lose my attention.
B
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toomanyhatz
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I've met him/her. He/she's great!!
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Post by toomanyhatz on Jan 31, 2021 19:17:58 GMT
I like A a lot more than "Pearly Spencer."
I like B fine too, much to my surprise, though it does go on a bit.
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Post by bungo the mungo on Jan 31, 2021 19:28:47 GMT
the PSBs is harmless pop, the sort of thing i'd happily have on in the background while i carry out my daily chores.
the mcwilliams track proves he wasn't just a one-hit-wonder. a glorious slice of popsike.
A
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Post by Crunchy Col on Jan 31, 2021 21:26:49 GMT
Underrated/overlooked 60s singer-songwriter vs pumped-up synth-pop from the 80s - usually I'd go for the former, it's more in my WHEELHOUSE
but altho' Tennant threatens to sink LTMOD more than once (the 'party animal' line makes me want to throttle the fucker), it's indubitably one of their very finest moments - all the preposterous camp elements coming together to make something truly thrilling.
An easy
B
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Post by DarknessFish on Jan 31, 2021 21:50:17 GMT
I fully expected to hate A, and ... I don't actually, I quite like this one, I think the quick bursts of clarinet won me over. It's got a smooth flow to it, one of those tracks that in the wrong hands would be drawn out to over 6 minutes, have a massive string section, and be completely overwrought. Yet this has an understated grandeur, and pisses off as fast as a Ramones track. Great choice.
B is actually closer to my usual tastes, in the fact that I owned the original, but this updated version is a bit cack-handed and cheesy. And just as choosing Bo Diddley as an artist is bringing nothing new, neither is picking The Pet Shop Boys. It's a shame really, as PSB also knew how to make something properly epic yet understated, the elements of simple pop craftwork are there, there's a genuine great hook to the chorus. It really doesn't need the embellishments, didn't need updating, and didn't need to be 8 minutes.
A
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2021 22:31:23 GMT
It's not an updated version btw. This was released at the time.
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Post by DarknessFish on Jan 31, 2021 22:57:11 GMT
Really? That sounds very tarted up, and not very 80s at all. I don't remember it
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rayge
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Post by rayge on Jan 31, 2021 23:05:29 GMT
Really? That sounds very tarted up, and not very 80s at all. I don't remember it It's very different from the CD single, the 7" and the 12" singles, that all featured different mixes or edits. This is the version on the Introspective album. |
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Post by T. Willy Rye on Feb 1, 2021 1:00:06 GMT
I like both, A a little more.
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Post by fonz on Feb 1, 2021 10:18:31 GMT
I really hate the PSBs.
I like the happy-sounding camp cowboy stylings of A.
An easy pick. A.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2021 14:35:31 GMT
Two great selections.
The McWilliams track is a revelation combining a tough Dylanesque vocal with an expansive sunshine pop production with the right amount of Country seasoning. Nice tune too!I know Dave has been banging the drum for this guy for awhile, I really should start listening!
Left.. is The PSB's magnum opus taking mundane day to day reality and transforming it to something epic and other wordly, in much the same way that 'A Day in the Life' does actually. It's also one of the three Trevor Horn masterpieces of production ( the other two being 'Slave to the Rhythm' and 'Two Tribes' since you ask). The addition of swooping strings and operatic arias isn't just camp fun, but gives the record a grandeur and epic ambition adding considerably to its transendental qualities. It's also one of Tennant's driest and wittiest lyrics.
All of which makes this is a tremendously difficult choice. But because this era of music often struggles for appreciation on here ( particularly among American posters) I'm going B. But well done A on a terrific pick!
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Post by sloopjohnc on Feb 1, 2021 15:00:58 GMT
I've come to appreciate the Pet Shop Boys, but I think they're overrated in the synth pop pantheon. This is just okay.
I liked A a lot.
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Post by osgood on Feb 1, 2021 15:12:28 GMT
A most enjoyable tie. Not a big PSB fan but I don't change station if they pop up. This song was quite good, although I see no reason for it to last for so long. But I found A wonderful, and I agree with Hatz about it being better than Days of Pearly Spencer. I listened to it for a second time and it reinforced my vote
A
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