I place SFTBC in the category of Big British Summer Crossover Album, as [Dare/i] did in 1982 and So would in 1986
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 12 February 2020 20:50 (four years ago) link
I enjoyed that, it really is one of the most 'classic album-y' docs I've seen for a while, it has nearly all the hallmarks.
― Maresn3st, Tuesday, 18 February 2020 19:57 (four years ago) link
What a wonderful documentary. I'm not sure what it did differently from many of the others, but at least tonight it felt like one of the better ones. Not just nuts and bolts and pulling away the curtain, but telling a good story. And I never would have guessed that the album was so influenced by Talking Heads, let alone Ryuichi Sakamoto or Robert Wyatt. And never knew (or noticed) that Chris Hughes was "Merrick," the drummer/producer for Adam and the Ants. Good (er) talking heads, too. Sylvie Simmons and even the dude from Disturbed.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 20 February 2020 04:59 (four years ago) link
aaaaa i NEED to SEE this
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 February 2020 05:05 (four years ago) link
It can be found easily if you f/w torrents
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 20 February 2020 14:35 (four years ago) link
I was thinking wow Roland Beelzebub is looking quite old all of a sudden then a friend pointed out that he lost his wife suddenly a couple of years ago, poor guy :(
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 20 February 2020 14:37 (four years ago) link
thank u for putting me on the path maresnest
― american bradass (BradNelson), Thursday, 20 February 2020 14:44 (four years ago) link
it's on YouTube.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 February 2020 14:46 (four years ago) link
watching now while air drumming to "The Working Hour."
No mention of The Way You Are, oddly, a very definite nod to Japan and stepping stone between the first two records, perhaps they just didn't have time to fit it in.
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:07 (four years ago) link
boy, Roland and Curt always boasted regrettable hair, eh
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:11 (four years ago) link
they were among the few 80s stars who had even worse hair in the 00s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Z1zZkSpQk
― ooga booga-ing for the bourgeoisie (voodoo chili), Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:18 (four years ago) link
I never would have guessed that the album was so influenced by Talking Heads, let alone Ryuichi Sakamoto or Robert Wyatt
'i believe' proudly wears the wyatt influence on its sleeves imo.
― ooga booga-ing for the bourgeoisie (voodoo chili), Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:20 (four years ago) link
omigod just heard Oleta Adams' live version of "I Believe."
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:24 (four years ago) link
I never get tired of the Oleta Adams story. Just think about that, a huge pop band hears a singer in a lounge in Kansas, then has her not only sing lead on the first song on the next album, but more or less get a solo showcase to open the subsequent tour.
Absolutely. I just never made the connection, honestly, given I always listened to this album in a different context.
I love the tales of collaboration in the doc, who contributed or encouraged what. Songs that would have been discarded or ignored had someone not stepped in, often independently, with a good idea.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:37 (four years ago) link
"Sea Song" is one of the B-sides iirc
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:44 (four years ago) link
Despite 'Sea Song', I never made the connection either, I don't really hear much of Wyatt in the vocal, unlike the producers.
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:47 (four years ago) link
I think the chunky knitwear is a bigger crime than the hair, it's almost its own genre.
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 20 February 2020 15:48 (four years ago) link
Also, Roland (and others in the doc) OTM that one reason the album has stood the test of time, despite being so "'80s," is the depth of his lyrics. As he says, it's pretty remarkable that at 57 he isn't embarrassed singing songs written by his 20-year old self 35 (!) years earlier.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 20 February 2020 16:54 (four years ago) link
The use of grand piano + synths was striking at the time too, and the sax solos aren't grueling.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 February 2020 16:56 (four years ago) link
wold love a Seeds of Love doc too tbh
the production on this album is pretty absurd in the best sense, you could tell they just went in and wanted to make it sound expansive and ocean deep.
― omar little, Thursday, 20 February 2020 17:19 (four years ago) link
The intro to the album version of "Mother's Talk has always sounded to me as if TFF were mimicking a Trevor Horn production.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 20 February 2020 18:37 (four years ago) link
I remember in the liner notes to the deluxe edition they mention Steely Dan being an influence. I can’t really hear it, apart from maybe a comparable yearning in the vocals. And maybe “everybody wants to rule the world” was influenced a little by “I.G.Y.”?
― brimstead, Thursday, 20 February 2020 19:50 (four years ago) link
not that influences have to be necessarily audible/perceivable
it’s funny how Depeche Mode were like “um we need to sound like this NOW” and got the same producer to make music for the masses
― brimstead, Thursday, 20 February 2020 19:51 (four years ago) link
They always seem to ignore a track in these documentaries. Poor "Broken". The way it book-ends and extends "HOH" (and binds the whole of side two together) is a little bit brilliant in context, IMHO.
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Friday, 21 February 2020 01:55 (four years ago) link
Yeah, sometime around late July of 2017, as far as I can remember? But don't worry, he's found a new love in a young woman named Emily and they're ENGAGED!
Back to the topic of this discussion, I'm glad a lot of y'all caught the Classic Albums episode. I've been meaning to catch the uploads of it available online but am suffering from a severe case of "too much to watch and too little time to watch it all"-itis right now and cannot watch it in its entirety yet, but the intro looked super promising. The fan community has been abuzz about them omitting Manny Elias from the discussion while also including Ian Stanley, and it was nice that they included Oleta Adams.
BTW, "Mothers Talk" is insanely good and I don't get why it didn't get any votes in the original poll.
― We Live as We Dee, Alone (deethelurker), Saturday, 22 February 2020 19:33 (four years ago) link
Why wouldn't Ian Stanley be there? He co wrote almost every song, and played on every track.Manny Elias missing is a better question. Sounds like the drums were a mixture of programmed and real playing, but the documentary (misleadingly?) implied Chris Hughes did a lot of the playing himself.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 22 February 2020 19:41 (four years ago) link
Oleta Adams looked fabulous.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 22 February 2020 22:39 (four years ago) link
Where is this doc? I can’t find it online.
― Naive Teen Idol, Sunday, 22 November 2020 13:51 (three years ago) link
It was this one if that helps:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000f8xc
Not on iPlayer anymore but you might be able to find a torrent
― groovypanda, Sunday, 22 November 2020 14:12 (three years ago) link
If you'd just asked two weeks ago it'd still be on iplayer!
― huge rant (sic), Sunday, 22 November 2020 14:15 (three years ago) link
I've found a torrent link for it so you should be able to get it
― groovypanda, Sunday, 22 November 2020 14:30 (three years ago) link
I have long been a stan for this hammered dulcimer version of EWTRTW - something about it really brings out the sweetness of the melody. I love when he hits that tuning peg like a metronome too. There's also a version where Curt Smith came to his house and sang over it, but I like it as an instrumental better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6QOr-oCTwU
― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Sunday, 22 November 2020 14:33 (three years ago) link
That's great
― groovypanda, Sunday, 22 November 2020 14:38 (three years ago) link
They're pretty lax with the DVDs of these things; the Amy Winehouse one was first broadcast years back and there's no sign of a release. Still haven't seen it, gah.
xp Yeah there are torents knoking about of the Big Chair one.
― piscesx, Sunday, 22 November 2020 18:07 (three years ago) link