R6 G 9 Occupants 7

[rayge]

A Real Thing - Children of the Ghetto

B Reigning Sound – Let Yourself Go

[oh oooh]

'Children of the Ghetto' flirts with greatness, but somehow...I dunno, I think it's maybe the vocal that spoils it for me. It's fine, just not really grabbing me.

I like Reigning Sound. Have you heard 'She's Bored With You'? I recommend you listen to that now

B

[toomanyhatz]

How bizarre is A? I swear to god, the vocals sound like Jon Anderson with Yes harmonies. Am I crazy here? Nice groove, and sounds like an interesting band, but I'm feeling a bit confused by it. Maybe I need to hear other stuff from them to commit.

Fortunately, I don't need to feel too conflicted. B is pretty typical run-of-the-mill modern garage. Meh.

[Sneelock]

beg to diffa!

I like the children of the ghetto but the vocals bug me a little. still the pin-ano at the end lifts it quite a bit.
B turned me back into the14 year old boy that thought everything would sound better if it sounded more like the Stooges.

I like knowing that 14 year old boy is still in there but I wish he'd do a better job of picking up after himself.

[DayoRemix]

Ghetto's backing music is so smoothed out it dissolves into nothing and the vocal becomes a bit annoying..Meanwhile, the retro aping chug of Reigning is grating, but at least it's got a pulse..Vote B

[bungo the mungo]

i remember when that reigning sound album was massive on bcb. ced pushed it at every opportunity.

after the ayers selection in R1, the 70s soul of real thing was a bit of a chore. too polished.

today i prefer the noise of:

B

[Deleted]

I first came across this song through the Courtney Pine version, which I loved. Over the years I've really fallen in love with the original which is rightly regarded as a Brit Soul classic. The band really had to fight to do this as the record label wanted to push them in a commercial direction of doing covers. The spaciousness of the arrangement let's the light pour in and allows Eddie Amoo's vocal to hit spiritual heights. A genuinely moving track.
B is kids pretending to be The Stooges. They do a decent job of it, but it's not memorable enough to transcend it's retroisms and essential pointlessness.

A

[~ / % ? *]

I do like the Reigning Sound, but...

A

It's not totally successful, but it needs some love.

[fearlessfreap]

the vocals on A were wretched -- not Kim Gordon wretched, but it would have been better as an instrumental.
B is what the kids call all reet!

[sloopjohnc]

B

Just to piss off G.

[fange]

Good match! I still like that RS record a lot, but B is not gonna beat A here for me. I love rock and roll like B for its own sake, naturally, but A captured something more special, a mixing of stuff that is unique and doesn't get enough attention sometimes: those moments soul groups began consciously mixing social consciousness and radio pop/rock into their sounds. Great stuff.


A

[DarknessFish]

Ooh, we're in 'not my thing' territory again, but it avoids the cloying cliche of the albatross woman from the first round. Oh, but that harmony bit really just made my spine curdle, I think my testicles retracted so far they came out of my nostrils. That was one of the most horrible sounds I've ever encountered. Not the entire song, which isn't too bad, just the "keep your head to the sky" thing. Ick. The piano break is cool though. Why didn't they do more of that?

If you're going retro, surely it's better to go full psychobilly, rather than this kinda grey soupy alt-rock style. The vocals seem to capture something of the necessary energy, but the dull chug of the band is fairly unnecessary. The end result is like a shit Mudhoney b-side.

I don't like A, but I can't in all honesty vote for something as lifeless, pointless, and backward thinking as B.

A

[morgan]

A for me not a bad song and production but I'd have preferred different vocals.

B was shite.

A

[osgood]

B chorus is kinda interesting (is that a minor chord?) but not enough to redeem the mediocrity of the verses.
A has a lot to like, from the lead vocals to the harmonies, the arrangement and that piano break as others have noticed. The result is a bit below the sum of its parts, but still an easy winner here.

A

[fonz]

I’m kinda ambivalent about both.
A sounds very cliched, but I guess it was released before it could really be considered a cliché.
B is cliché Rock City.
I can find time in my schedule for both, mood-depending.

A wins by a hair.