| Author | Message | ||
     RÓT Member Username: Rotbowie Post Number: 2 Registered: 03-2006 |
I am putting together a long overdue compilation CD of GB tracks for some non believers. I will tailor the CD for the individuals slightly, but here's my top 20 or so tracks. Does any one have an opinion on what's here that shouldn't be, what's missing, what your own best 74 minutes would be? | ||
| RÓT Member Username: Rotbowie Post Number: 3 Registered: 03-2006 |
So... 01. Second-Hand Furniture (4:14) 02. Bachelor Kisses (3:33) 03. That Way (range) (3:10) 04. When People Are Dead (4:29) 05. Hammer The Hammer (2:48) 06. The girls have moved (2:36) 07. Cattle and Cane (4:20) 08. Right Here (3:53) 09. Spring Rain (3:05) 10. Draining The Pool For You (4:16) 11. Just A King In Mirrors (2:58) 12. Bye Bye Pride (4:07) 13. The House That Jack Kerouac Built (4:42) 14. Five Words (4:05) 15. Dusty In Here (4:09) 16. Man O' Sand To Girl O' Sea (4:41) 17. River Of Money (5:10) 18. Streets Of Your Town (3:36) 19. The Sound Of Rain (3:12) 20. Quiet Heart (5:19) I edited out the awful last minute of 'That Way' but at least one track won't make it onto the CD due to CD constraints. Tracks that almost made it: Core of a flame Your turn, my turn Karen The Wrong Road Spirit Some solo stuff | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 133 Registered: 05-2005 |
Glaring omission for me is Part Company. Maybe worth putting Head Full of Steam on there too. If you are trying to convert non believers I would ditch When People Are Dead. Dont think I would start with(or even include) Second Hand Furniture either, you want to hook them in from the off so I would go for the killer track, in my opinion Cattle and Cane or Batchelor Kisses | ||
| Peter Collins Member Username: Tyroneshoelaces Post Number: 75 Registered: 05-2005 |
Just wouldn't be complete without The Wrong Road. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 45 Registered: 04-2005 |
Excuse me, but what is awful about the last minute of 'That Way'? I love that song and especially the end. Glorious guitar and lovely hammering on the old joanna. Prepare to get your coat on and step outside, pal!!! | ||
| David Matheson Member Username: David_matheson Post Number: 50 Registered: 12-2004 |
Interesting list. Did you intentionally leave out selections from the reformed Go-Betweens? A few suggestions worth adding: Unkind & Unwise Dive For Your memory He Lives My Life Boundary Rider To me these are all great tracks, and they are also full of imagery that represent a significant part of what the Go-Betweens are about. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 187 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'd find it hard to do my own comilation, nowadyas we can have the whole back catalogue as comps can't we!? If it were for release, i'd pick two off each album - I think... | ||
| Stephen Harris Member Username: Smh Post Number: 25 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'd definately have Hope and People Say would leave off when people are dead and hammer the hammer for non believers I wouldn't try them on river of money, draining the pool or the house that jack kerouac built would also leave off streets of your town agree with kevin, peter and david's choices | ||
| rb Member Username: Rotbowie Post Number: 4 Registered: 03-2006 |
Very interesting and amusing to read the responses. I think first up that you have to think of who the listener is. I would never leave off river of money or jack, I rememeber when i first heard River of Money and was FURIOUS that it wasn't on the best of (which is when I found the GB). So, I know that this type of unusual track (and when ppl r dead) would appeal to someone with this guy's tastes. In fact, I delayed the CD because I had no copy of When People are Dead! I did leave out much of the post 1990's stuff as I don't rate them as highly as what's here. I can't believe that someone thinks that the last minute of That Way is good, I find it hard to listen to, it's awkward and unimaginative, it sticks out and hurts! I did consider Dive for your memory or Love is a sign, but neither made it (yet) | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 2 Registered: 03-2006 |
Here's a comp. I made last week for a friend. I wanted to strike a balance between The Go-Bs "perfect pop" moments and the weird, odder songs in their back catalogue. I also wanted to adequately represent their new material, because I think the new stuff has earned its stripes quite well, and fits in nicely with the older material. The Clarke Sisters Man O'Sand To Girl O'Sea (single version) Love Goes On! Karen Twin Layers Of Lightning Cattle And Cane Rock And Roll Friend The Sound Of Rain Dusty In Here This Girl, Black Girl Caroline And I Spring Rain Finding You Part Company Bye Bye Pride Bachelor Kisses Spirit Of A Vampire Streets of Your Town Too Much Of One Thing When She Sang About Angels | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 105 Registered: 02-2005 |
It covers all the bases, but seems to highlight variety over continuity of sound/style. 01. Second-Hand Furniture (4:14) - a very odd opening track... 'Bachelor Kisses' would make more sense as a lead-off. 02. Bachelor Kisses (3:33) 03. That Way (range) (3:10) 04. When People Are Dead (4:29) - interesting, but a downer 05. Hammer The Hammer (2:48) 06. The girls have moved (2:36) - where is this from? 07. Cattle and Cane (4:20) 08. Right Here (3:53) 09. Spring Rain (3:05) 10. Draining The Pool For You (4:16) 11. Just A King In Mirrors (2:58) 12. Bye Bye Pride (4:07) 13. The House That Jack Kerouac Built (4:42) 14. Five Words (4:05) 15. Dusty In Here (4:09) 16. Man O' Sand To Girl O' Sea (4:41) 17. River Of Money (5:10) - an odd choice... a least favorite for many fans. 18. Streets Of Your Town (3:36) 19. The Sound Of Rain (3:12) - an out-of-character track, although I do like it. 20. Quiet Heart (5:19) I can't imagine compiling a career-spanning disc without Apology Accepted and I'd probably add one or two more from 16 Lovers Lane. | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 106 Registered: 02-2005 |
And I would most definitely add Rock And Roll Friend, either as the opening or closing track. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 198 Registered: 03-2005 |
And since when is a "downer" song a bad thing? | ||
| Wilson Davey Member Username: Wilson Post Number: 41 Registered: 05-2005 |
You're all being too obvious, in the obtuse world of the Go-Bees surely "River of Money" would make a great opener. We are straying very close to list-mania here guys, we've all read High Fidelity by Nick Hornby haven't we ? Lists, it's what guys do ! | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 107 Registered: 02-2005 |
"And since when is a "downer" song a bad thing?" On a 'Best of'? Well, if you're trying to turn an American Music Club fan onto the Go-Betweens, maybe it should be the lead-off track! Actually, it's one of the songs RF seems to be most proud of, but I've never gone out of my way to spin it. I wouldn't put it on a comp of my own... I guess that's what I'm saying. I don't think I've tried to turn anybody on to the group since the cassette days, but back then I would just dub a pair of albums. I think that's the best way to feel out a group, rather than receive a hodgepodge. Just my opinion. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 199 Registered: 03-2005 |
Yes, but the hodgepodge is so much more fun to concoct. The "downer" thing reminded me of that one single Gene Clark gig I attended. I went with two brothers, one of whom revered Clark and the other of whom was a diagnosed (and not so successfully medicated) bipolar. The first song Gene did was "Your Fire Burning" which was new to us. My bipolar brother started getting really depressed and all I did was wish we hadn't brought him. I was lapping it up. Mr. Clark was frequently a "downer" when at his best. | ||
| Roger Griffin Member Username: Roger Post Number: 37 Registered: 11-2004 |
Ok here's my attempt at the impossible - a best of on just one disc. It'll give me practice should I ever have to choose survivors for a lifeboat from a sinking ship. 1. Your Turn My Turn 2. Before Hollywood 3. As Long As That 4. That Way - all of it ;) 5. Part Company 6. Unkind Unwise 7. Rare Breed (Peel) 8. The Ghost And The Black Hat 9. The Wrong Road 10. Twin Layers Of Lightning 11. Head Full Of Steam (single) 12. The Clarke Sisters 13. I Just Get Caught Out (radio) 14. The House Jack Kerouac Built 15. Quiet Heart 16. The Devil's Eye 17. Love Is A Sign 18. Dive For Your Memory 19. I've Been Looking For Somebody (Live Max's '89) 20. He Lives My Life | ||
| rb Member Username: Rotbowie Post Number: 5 Registered: 03-2006 |
this is great. it's getting harder to do this because of all the great tracks people are reminding me of... Hodgepdoge: I don't agree with the hodgepodge view, i think any album has it's quirkier, weaker/stronger points and that's why best of's get new ppl in. someone hears 20 tracks picked as highlights by someone who knows the full repertoire and they should therefore like most of these 20 tracks ( obviously each person's best of is coloured by their favs and trying to balance out the overall feel). I hope that the listener will love at least 5 tracks, appreciate 7 or 8 more and maybe dislike a few, but generally get hooked and want to go for the albums that contain the tracks they consider highlights, in this way the official best of does this even if some inclusions are strange... Mexican Postcard anyone? Why do ppl think that When ppl are dead is a downer? (just because of the slow lazy tune?) first up it's not depressing, it's a child's quite innocent view of a funeral, the child has no idea about the bigger picture, just describes the scene thru their eyes? surely Bachelor Kisses or The Wrong Road are more downbeat? I also agree with Randy about a downer not being bad anyway. I think a good song is one that captures a mood well. Spring Rain and Streets of your town do this. As it is a quite popish tune I think I wouldn't like Streets as much if it didn't 'work' because of this mood. At the same time 'Right Here' has an upbeat tune about a downbeat situation... why is something a downer just because the tune is not bright n bubbly? anyway. thanks for the feedback and for your own lists. Thanks Guy Ewald for going thru them one by one The Girls have moved is on Send me a Lullaby The quirky queries: I have included 'quirky' stuff like River of Money, Sound of Rain, when ppl are dead because they are the real reason that I come back to the GB's over and over and I think that a compilation shouldn't go just for obvious pearls like Bachelors and Right Here... now in doubt: Draining The Pool For You Streets Of Your Town now in with a shout: Rock And Roll Friend The Wrong Road | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 108 Registered: 02-2005 |
It's amusing that I've now set myself up as the purveyor of Shiny Happy People! When People are Dead is about coming to grips with life, it's a heavy song and an interesting one. I actually wrote a short story about being a pallbearer at a funeral... it's certainly a rich topic. I guess I just don't think of it as a song that would invite the neophyte listener in and that may have more to do with the, err... "deliberate" pace of the song. I shouldn't dismiss artist comp's. I know a lot of people enjoy them, but I have a deep prejudice against 'Best ofs' that goes back to childhood. That said, I recently did a 20-trk comp of The Silos long and varied career that I've enjoyed listening to. | ||
| Mark Tuffield Member Username: Mark_t Post Number: 19 Registered: 05-2005 |
Don’t diss the “Postcard” otherwise the Ghost of Peckinpah will get you and why no Lee Remmick ? | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 212 Registered: 05-2005 |
I think Robert and Grant are due an "Under the influence" compilation. You guys around the world get that? Pop stars get to choose their favourite songs and their record company release it!? They should have a various artists, and on CD2 their own perfect comp of the GB's. |