Truck Driver was my number 3, really happy to see it has other fans.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 4 July 2011 21:52 (twelve years ago) link
Truck Driver is an extremely complex song - goes from minor to major multiple times and has some seriously screwy chord progressions and seeming key changes. Somehow everything ties together but it has B-side written all over it. It kind of reminds me of "Cold Sweat" by James Brown, which is probably ridiculous but there you go.
― skip, Monday, 4 July 2011 21:53 (twelve years ago) link
34. Your Funny Uncle. (1988, B-side, 124 points, 6 votes, 0 number ones)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn_uWqlbdOM
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/05ohJ9ImZinFRQt4ZBpSWm
RIF: The song is inspired by the funeral of Neil Tennant's friend Chris Dowell whose death also inspired their song 'Being Boring'.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:02 (twelve years ago) link
the highest b-side on my ballot. kind of expected it to be higher, tbh.
― Gukbe, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:03 (twelve years ago) link
33. I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Any More. (1999, Nightlife, 129 points, 6 votes, 0 number ones)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNAtsYFRRbM
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/5EBSLmkX5qsuCrWAooatKL
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:06 (twelve years ago) link
^^^^^ LOVE that tune.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:13 (twelve years ago) link
Amazing single, was shocked at the time how badly it did. It's still their lowest charting lead single from an album which is tragic.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:15 (twelve years ago) link
I go back and forth on whether Nightlife or Fundamental is their best post-Very album. Nightlife is one of those period albums whose importance in my life squelches its chart record.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:16 (twelve years ago) link
32. Try It (I'm In Love with A Married Man). (2003, Disco 3, 136 points, 5 votes, 0 number ones)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F9yfAcnXk8
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/4y0OgNrR076xLFSZWSuCa9
RIF: This was debuted in their only session for John Peel in October 2002, which can be downloaded from here.
It's also a cover of a Bobby O production from 1984.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_rmlzgGX3A
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:17 (twelve years ago) link
Is "You Only Tell Me You Love Me..." going to outrank this? "Don't Know What You Want" is more profound both lyrically and musically. great track.
― skip, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:18 (twelve years ago) link
'It's Alright' higher than 'My October Symphony'? First WTF moment in this poll. 'My October Symphony' was my #02! Sheer pop perfection.
― Frogbs Day Afternoon (Le Bateau Ivre), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:19 (twelve years ago) link
I voted for "Drunk". Might have even been top 10.
― Gukbe, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:20 (twelve years ago) link
Both are career peaks: "I Don't Know What You Want..." has a marvelous disco vocal and "You Only Tell Me" is perfect acoustic singer-songwriter melancholy.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:21 (twelve years ago) link
I go back and forth on whether Nightlife or Fundamental is their best post-Very album.
The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)
That's exactly the same with me they are both really good records, easily ahead of the other three albums.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:21 (twelve years ago) link
^ Oh I think I had to leave "Try It" out of my ballot. :( It's so great!
― daavid, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:24 (twelve years ago) link
oops
31. We All Feel Better In The Dark. (1991, B-side, 138 points, 1 number one)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFylULoa70w
Spotify:http://open.spotify.com/track/2wqs78KoxpDHR0JgWA0bJx
RIF: The song is inspired by a tape titled 'The Secrets of Sexual Attraction'. which Chris Lowe bought at a health food store.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:24 (twelve years ago) link
The Pitchfork review that forced me stop reading them for four years.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:25 (twelve years ago) link
Going back to 'Try It', I wasn't aware it was a cover at the time, but they do a fantastic job of turning a fairly routine hi-nrg piece into something quite strange and magical.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:27 (twelve years ago) link
not really feeling "Try It". nice production though.
I think of DJ Sprinkles when I hear "We All Feel Better in the Dark". And those have to be some of the most obviously 'dirty' lyrics in the PSB catalog.
― skip, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:27 (twelve years ago) link
Anyway, that's your lot for the night. 30-16 tomorrow.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:29 (twelve years ago) link
Did everyone hear "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man)" off Disco 3 - one of the best later PSB songs I've heard, very hypnotic and melancholy.― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 14 August 2003 13:53 (7 years ago)
I'm always amazed at how terrible the Oh Romeo original is, considering how much er questionable Bobby 'O' productions I have time for (his James Brown ripoff, etc).
― etc, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:29 (twelve years ago) link
I find both Fundamental and Nightlife disappointing. A couple of very strong tracks but everything ranges from so-so to kind of awful.
― daavid, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:29 (twelve years ago) link
*everything else
― daavid, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:32 (twelve years ago) link
Glad "One More Chance" got some other votes - love the original mix to bits'n'pieces; Neil is still singing with a slight goblinoid/Almond sleaziness, and there's some fantastic synthesized "Streets Of Cairo"-esque public domain motifs garnishing the track.
― etc, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:33 (twelve years ago) link
I love "Your Funny Uncle" to pieces, though it always wrongfoots me - to me the title suggests it'll be about a black sheep in the family, the bachelor relation that "never married" etc; instead it's a straightlaced uncle in the military behaving decently at the funeral of his gay nephew.
... oh dear, it seems like one of Keane are covering it on YouTube.
― etc, Monday, 4 July 2011 22:42 (twelve years ago) link
god the 'admit you love me and you always did' part of Red Letter Day never gets old
― I'm A Genius, Too! (Jamie_ATP), Monday, 4 July 2011 22:54 (twelve years ago) link
Wow, a goodly chunk of my ballot was taken care of in the lower reaches (Liberation, It Must Be Obvious, It Couldn't Happen Here, Miserablism, My October Symphony).
Re post-Very records, I like both Nightlife and Fundamental a hell of a lot more than I did a week ago. I suspect that had something to do with relative under-exposure, so I have this poll to thank for rehabilitating them in my mind. On the other hand Bilingual and Release now still seem weaker than I had remembered.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 4 July 2011 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
Release has three songs and the rest is filler.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 23:02 (twelve years ago) link
Elton John said this song saved his life (tonight).
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 4 July 2011 23:03 (twelve years ago) link
I really should have voted for "Your Funny Uncle". The actual verse about the funny uncle is deeply affecting today.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 4 July 2011 23:19 (twelve years ago) link
Recap of 31-50.
31 We All Feel Better In The Dark B-side 138 6 132 Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man) Disco 3 136 5 033 I Don't Know What You Want But I Can't Give It Anymore Nightlife 129 6 034 Your Funny Uncle B-side 124 6 035 One More Chance B-side 123 5 036 The Truck Driver and his Mate B-side 120 6 037 It's Alright Introspective 118 4 038 My October Symphony Behaviour 116 5 039 Losing My Mind (Liza Minelli) Collaboration 109 6 040 Miserabilism B-side 106 6 041 It Couldn't Happen Here Actually 105 5 042 It Must Be Obvious B-side 98 5 043 Some Speculation B-side 98 4 044 Love Etc Yes 94 5 045 Where The Streets Have No Name(I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You) Standalone 87 4 046 A Red Letter Day Bilingual 83 4 047 Liberation Very 81 4 048 To Face The Truth Behaviour 77 3 049 Do I Have To? B-Side 76 4 050 I'm Not Scared (Eighth Wonder) Collaboration 69 4 0
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 09:46 (twelve years ago) link
I remember playing my pop-hating grandma Your Funny Uncle when it came out and even she was moved. It might have been the lines from Revelation that did it.
― Strictly vote-splitting (DL), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 11:33 (twelve years ago) link
lol, of course I was the only one to list "We All Feel Better In The Dark" as #1
― DJP, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 11:56 (twelve years ago) link
I had it as my #3, and almost ranked it higher
― I DIED, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 12:29 (twelve years ago) link
I think I might have cut it from my last 25
― undeɹrated ærosm?th b∞tlegs I have pwned (sic), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 13:06 (twelve years ago) link
Can we post our ballots when it's all done?
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 13:13 (twelve years ago) link
I don't know if I should be concerned that so much of my ballot is showing up or psyched that I am so clued into the ILX PSB hivemind
btw if "Domino Dancing" is the highest-placing single I will hate all of you all day all day
― DJP, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 13:31 (twelve years ago) link
I was going to post a link to the google spreadsheet if no one objected, anyone who's keen and a bit more spreadsheet savvy could then have a play about with the figures.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 13:32 (twelve years ago) link
btw thank you all for reminding me that "I Don't Know What You Want But This Song Title Just Isn't Long Enough" is fucking great, I often overlook it in the sea of "For Your Own Good"/"Closer To Heaven"/"New York City Boy" that surrounds it
― DJP, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 13:35 (twelve years ago) link
The "For Your Own Good"-"Closer To Heaven"-"I Don't Know" sequence is so good that I stop listening at this point. I'm helped by the fact that "Happiness is an Option" is a fucking dog.
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 14:24 (twelve years ago) link
yeah, 4th track on that album is an instant fast-forward. But what a group of first three tracks.
What does everyone think of "In Denial"? I am kind of partial to it despite the obviousness, sentimentality etc.
― skip, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 14:41 (twelve years ago) link
Love In Denial. Almost voted for it. I may be in a minority there.
― Strictly vote-splitting (DL), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link
It's okay at best. I'm more taken with "Boy Strange."
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 14:44 (twelve years ago) link
I dig it's way-over-the-topness.
― Gukbe, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 14:44 (twelve years ago) link
my favorite parts are the line "who in his pathetic own way denies he's gay" to describe the boyfriend and the turnaround at the end when the daughter asks if HE can still love HER. Very sad situation and thankfully increasingly less common.
― skip, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 14:52 (twelve years ago) link
On the later albums, I'm drawn to the more overt storytelling - I Get Along is another favourite. In Denial is such a wonderful, economical character study.
― Strictly vote-splitting (DL), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
Running Spotify playlist here ppls: http://open.spotify.com/user/dalzinho/playlist/727ciD0cHSADIUd8tircRX
― scotstvo, Tuesday, 5 July 2011 15:24 (twelve years ago) link
4 of mine so far (one more chance, losing my mind, i'm not scared, i don't know what you want etc). amazed there was only 32 ballots tho, thought that if there was one poll on ilm that would see a big turnout it would've been this.
― second only to popcorn (or something), Tuesday, 5 July 2011 15:26 (twelve years ago) link
I collated the chatter &c on one of the b-sides threads but great to be reminded of this - I should really rip it in case it vanishes.
― etc, Wednesday, 14 February 2018 08:23 (six years ago) link
I bought a 12-inch of "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" probably 5-10 years ago that I played for the first time tonight. I love "A New Life"--definitely would have had it on the ballot I submitted for this.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 3 February 2021 03:07 (three years ago) link
I think I prefer it to the A-side!
It doesn't feel like a decade since this exercise. I remembering reassessing Nightlife and concluding that said longplayer was upper-tier PSB. Pretty sure that's still my position.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Wednesday, 3 February 2021 06:19 (three years ago) link
"A New Life" is great and I voted for it in this poll! The one I regret not voting for is "Jack the Lad", which is probably in my top ten now
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 3 February 2021 12:46 (three years ago) link