What might have been ?

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 6:52 pm

Just received the 25th anniversary edition of London Calling and am very impressed. Beautiful packaging, a disc full of diff versions of old stuff, previously unheard tracks and a DVD thrown in for good measure. What with the Low boxset as well I have been positively spoilt this year.
At the risk of going over old ground if only the same treatment had been given to the CW issues. An opportunity lost I think.

a beautiful noise · Post by **a beautiful noise** » Thu Sep 23, 2004 7:51 pm

i totally agree. i too feel that the complete works could have been so much "bigger". more outtakes, a live dvd or two or three for that matter. their has to be more footage from the legendary glasto show. plus footage from the show at the royal albert.

hey, but at least i got 3 versions of 'feel so sad' all in a row!!

xxxshonnxxx

Post by **spzretent** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 3:32 am

Problem is Spiritualized are a band who apparently could care less.
The London Calling 25th Anniversary CD is great except now record companies are in the business of releasing bootlegs see disc 2. Same goes w/the Faces box set. Many obvious bootleg versions.

jamesj1986 · Post by **jamesj1986** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 7:33 am

Just making a point here, while maybe it's disappointing that you can't hear everything Spiritualized have recorded, or see every live performance they have on video, there's a reason why bands don't release everything they do, and that's because some of it just isn't that good to begin with. (lengthy sentence, I know)

Having said that, I can see why these 'worthwhile' instrumental versions of songs could try a person's patience.

Post by **spzretent** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 3:09 pm

[quote="jamesj1986"]Just making a point here, while maybe it's disappointing that you can't hear everything Spiritualized have recorded, or see every live performance they have on video, there's a reason why bands don't release everything they do, quote]

The point being they dont care about the packaging, which sucks on both CW's. The content could have been better. Something unreleased would have been nice. Hell, look at their incredibly lame b-side choices on recent singles.
Its weird. They went from being so fan conscious to the polar opposite.

It boggles the mind.

will this do? · Post by **will this do?** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 3:22 pm

Someone's said this ages ago (so apol's if it was you) -

Bands dont work in the same way anymore. Beatles Anthologies contain tracks where they recorded stuff in different time signatures, different tape loops, different overdubs, bits that ended up 'backwards', songs which other bands would have killed for that never ended up on LP's, takes with the wrong lyrics...

(listen to the Anthology part 2, especially).

So there's the grade A stuff which got released THEN, then there's the good stuff which we're all interested in cos we're muso's / they decided to release 30 years later for the money, and there's the shit which'll NEVER be released cos it's just no good (work out where 'You know my name...' fits into this).

Nowadays, there 's nothing left. Even if bands play 'live in the studio' everything is still separated, and just overdubbed till there are no mistakes, then overdubbed again, then mixed down...or something.

If yer modern band ever did an 'anthology' type release, all you'd get to hear what "song xxx" sounded like before they definitely decided to put the backing vocals in both channels with the fader on 6. And how interesting would THAT be?

'course I don't KNOW this, but someone else said it, and it convinced me like I say.

The problem with CW in my opinion was that is really should have been a 1 volume 'greatest hits' with all the best ones off all the albums (incl RAH), a couple of A sides/B sides. Then you could have bought it/not bought it, and been happy.

As Shonn was saying (I think), the casual fan who likes the tunes doesn't want the theme from Twin Peaks and 17 versions of 'feel so fucking sad' (it beats me who would, but then...). And the obsessive completist isn't happy anyway (apparently - but then they never are!).

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Fri Sep 24, 2004 9:21 pm

Wasn't the Complete Works all the work of BMG without Jason's input? He never did any promo for it whatsoever (I never saw any interviews or anything). To me it seems the record company was trying to make a quick buck out of us, hence the lack of interesting packaging or unearthed rarities, or Jason's involvement.

Then again, Spiritualized (unlike The Clash) aren't finished. Maybe by releasing everything in the vaults, it would make us think the end is nigh and this is why such raiding of the archives was avoided.

Jason doesn't strike me as the sort of person who likes digging up the past or trading on past glories either, which may explain why the releases were shoddily handed and were so understated. We'll probably have to wait about 20 years for a definitive compilation though.

ash · Post by **ash** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 2:43 am

radioshack wrote:Wasn't the Complete Works all the work of BMG without Jason's input?

Only the first one, at any rate (at least in Australia). Wasn't the second one released on Sanctuary? I know that I didn't have to put up with bloody copy protection on the second CW volume. IMHO, though, the first volume has the better collection of songs.

Post by **spzretent** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 10:46 am

I guess my point was Jason used to care. Look at all the early singles. Even the 3 part Let It Flow set.
Now what do we get for, what passes as, b-sides. Shit

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 10:55 am

spzretent wrote:I guess my point was Jason used to care. Look at all the early singles. Even the 3 part Let It Flow set.
Now what do we get for, what passes as, b-sides. Shit

Yeah, I feel that too. The B-sides got worse and worse until there were no B-sides at all.

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:57 pm

Radioshack ~ I have to disagree with your comment that the b-sides have gotten worse and worse. Consider that one of the b-sides to Medication, â€œSpace,â€ was just a droney noise for 5 minutes. I donâ€™t think Iâ€™ve ever listened to that track all the way through. On the other hand, the b-sides from LICD were superb, especially Going Down Slow and Rock And Roll, not to mention the tremendous live/radio session version of On Fire. Iâ€™m also a huge fan of the Zane Lowe session version of X-Rated that came as the b-side to Cheapster. Admittedly, the instrumental versions of Anything More and Going Down Slow arenâ€™t very exciting and it would have been nice to have a proper single with b-sides for She Kissed Me. However, I donâ€™t think itâ€™s fair to say that the overall quality of the b-sides has declined.

runaway · Post by **runaway** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:09 pm

TheWarmth wrote:On the other hand, the b-sides from LICD were superb, especially Going Down Slow and Rock And Roll, not to mention the tremendous live/radio session version of On Fire....

Those b-sides only sound good because the a-sides were so lame...

TheWarmth · Post by **TheWarmth** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:47 pm

runaway wrote:
TheWarmth wrote:On the other hand, the b-sides from LICD were superb, especially Going Down Slow and Rock And Roll, not to mention the tremendous live/radio session version of On Fire....
Those b-sides only sound good because the a-sides were so lame...

Again, I disagree ... and I think you're intentionally being difficult. Going Down Slow is easily among the absolute best of Spiritualized's b-sides. Should have been on LICD.

Although I'm not a huge fan of Stop Your Crying, I think Do It All Over Again and Out of Sight are both great songs.

radioshack · Post by **radioshack** » Wed Sep 29, 2004 10:51 pm

TheWarmth wrote:Radioshack ~ I have to disagree with your comment that the b-sides have gotten worse and worse. Consider that one of the b-sides to Medication, â€œSpace,â€ was just a droney noise for 5 minutes. I donâ€™t think Iâ€™ve ever listened to that track all the way through. On the other hand, the b-sides from LICD were superb, especially Going Down Slow and Rock And Roll, not to mention the tremendous live/radio session version of On Fire. Iâ€™m also a huge fan of the Zane Lowe session version of X-Rated that came as the b-side to Cheapster. Admittedly, the instrumental versions of Anything More and Going Down Slow arenâ€™t very exciting and it would have been nice to have a proper single with b-sides for She Kissed Me. However, I donâ€™t think itâ€™s fair to say that the overall quality of the b-sides has declined.

To The Warmth
You're right- the live B-sides are superb (Rated-X and On Fire better than the originals, in my opinion), but that's all they are: live versions. I was only really displaying my disappointment with the lack of new songs for the Amazing Grace-era singles' B-sides (such as She Kissed Me). I probably should have made this clearer.

I actually loved the Anything More instrumental myself, but oh well.... Sounds nice without Jason trying to stay in key over the top

ash · Post by **ash** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:51 am

I'd go so far as to suggest that "Going Down Slow" is probably the best song Jason has written since "Ladies & Gentlemen" came out.

Should never have been consigned to b-side status.

veiko · Post by **veiko** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 4:53 pm

Actually i think that the best version of "Come together" is on one of the b-sides of "Do it all over again". Evening session version, sounds very together, better vocals, better in every way.
Though the song itself ain't something to cheer about.... nothing spiritual...........