C or D:Texas

I remember in his Scritti Politti review Tom asked why more UK rock acts don't acknowlege hip hop and swingbeat, and while I'm fairly sure that Texas wouldn't have been the sort of thing he had in mind, it's at least a start. There was a luxurious hip hop/soul thing on _White On Blonde_ (produced by Rae & Christian possibly?) that I remember as being quite endearing. "Inner Smile" is fun too, though obviously no patch on "You Get What You Give".

I find the production on their songs horrifically *centre-ground*, as though they're trying to appeal to all markets and come up with an unedifying mess. The New Labour of music, if you like :).

Responsible also for one of the most embarrassing music-on-TV moments I can remember: that link-up with Method Man at the '98 Brits. Cataclysmically woeful.

Destroy - well, I think Texas actually probably write OK pop songs. I liked the last Emma Bunton single on the first few plays, and said so, and Isabel said, but it sounds like Texas, and I said oh yeah, and realised I wouldn't like it if it was by Texas. There is something dislikeable about Texas, then. But on the other hand I was listening to my second-hand Lloyd Cole best-of and I thought, a lot of these songs, including the ones I like, could also be by Texas. So there's something likeable about them, too.

Dud, but not as dud as you think, then.

Also, Sharleen Thingy is fit.

But that excuses nothing. Least of all remixing "I Don't Want A Bastard Lover", a song that in 2001 really should be lampooned alongside, I dunno, Bruno Brookes's mullet haircut, *not* returned to us *in any form*.

And I'm sorry, Tom, but the Method Man link-up was an embarrassment. OK, I was in a purist phase at the time, but it's still so absolutely pathetically fucking *tokenistic*.

I don't care much about what they've done since - except (like others) to find their new-found glossy ubiquity annoying. But it was somehow cheering, at first, to see a lost bunch of losers from the 80s unbelievably given another chance.

What Tom E said about how Lloyd's songs could be Texas songs was simply incorrect. It shows that, while he is very knowledgeable, very intelligent, very eloquent and very pleasant, and has an impressive beard, he still doesn't know much about Lloyd Cole.

Things called Texas that are not from Texas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_jJRrY6xYc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMk208Op1Jc

So, this guy at work is playing Texas at his desk every morning.

It's, uh, getting repetitive and I'm not coping.

What kind of a savage listens to music at their desk without headphones?

Well, that too but this whole must listen to Texas between 9am and 10am is the more concerning issue.

Heard 'Inner Smile' for the time today and I thought it sounded way too much like the New Radicals, turns out it was written by Gregg Alexander. I love 'say what you want' because I have some great memories attached to it - I was 12 when it was released, I am deeply sorry - I guess that one counts as one of my most deep guilty pleasures as I like it but I would never consider it seriously as one of my favorite songs of all time without expecting someone to call me on it.

would've killed to see the Forgone Conclusion gig

“Say what you want” is the only song I’ve ever requested on the radio.

Just realized the vocal part I love about “say what you want” was stolen from “love thy will be done” by Prince/Martika. I am currently obsessed with the Prince version.

Also there some very weird production decision that I had never noticed before, at the end of the final bridge where she sings “The sun will shine from time to time
Oh will you dream of me again” the voices glitches out into a crunchy distorted thing (a guitar?) it sounds super jarring.

Before opening this thread, I thought it was about the state, to which I was going to say: DUD. The biggest dud.

Ah, well.

Texas never really hit over here. i don't think. i still see that first album around so some people did buy it. there was a lot of advertising for it. but not like they bought The Corrs here. so many Corrs CDs....

Deacon Blue is another one. that i don't think really made much of a splash here. around the time of Texas. but they did spend some money on them here.

speaking of Wales, The Alarm is playing here! oof. with....Belouis Some and some variation of Gene Loves Jezebel.

i know that we weren't talking about Wales...

The Alarm were one of the worst examples of the 80s craze for anthems.