Can We POLL Again?: Tindersticks Studio Albums

The first two are the ones everyone always cites as being the essence of Tindersticks. I still love them but lately I've been getting the feeling that they, and Curtains, are a bit overlong and sprawling. The one I come back to more than any other is actually Simple Pleasure.

i sort of forgot if i ever heard the first 2! definetely heard all the others,but my first proper introduction was some kind of compilation forgot the title, it started with Patchwork, and it's awesome.

voting Simple Pleasure, CF GF is so beautiful, was only recently informed it's a cover, but whatever.

I'm not sure "CF GF" is a cover, I could be wrong and I don't have the album here to check but I thought the only cover on that album was "If You're Looking For A Way Out"

The second album is definitely too long, but the first is still untouchable. "Curtains" >> 2nd album -- "Another Night In"/"Rented Rooms"/"Don't Look Down" is the best opening trio on any Tindersticks album.

I always found "Simple Pleasure" to be overrated (it's hardly the big departure from their earlier sound that people claim it to be), but the best bits ("CF GF", "If You're Looking for a Way Out") are some of the best stuff they ever did.

"Waiting for the Moon" is hugely underrated, see also: the soundtrack albums (which I listen to more these days than the studio albums).

The Hungry Saw has some amazing stuff on it. I'm actually leaning towards Can Our Love..., though.

Loved the first two, never heard the rest. Don't know why. Never thought about it, maybe I have enough Tindersticks in my life with the first two albums? Maybe I couldn't handle a possible drop in quality? (This wouldn't be the only example of me thinking "what I know by them is great, but I don't need to know more.")

First by a long way. Still love love love it. 2nd and 3rd are good but overlong. I never listen to the 4th and 5th as much as I should do, and have no idea about the other two.

Can Our Love, just over Curtains.

Definitely the first. Absolutely perfect album. I've heard all of them apart from Waiting for the Moon, but never bought any after Curtains. There are definitely elements of The Hungry Saw that are really beautiful, though, and I think I may well end up buying it.

Would be amazed if the first doesn't win. I think after hearing Curtains I stopped even wanting to hear anymore: maybe that's when I developed a habit of not chasing any other records from bands once I'd heard their perfect record.

Don't ignore "Waiting for the Moon"! It's their second-best album (well, either that or "Curtains") and their most varied -- you've got the drone-y track ("4:48 Psychosis"), the sweet murder ballad ("Until the Morning Comes"), the epic dirge ("My Oblivion"), their best ever duet ("Sometimes It Hurts") -- IOW pretty much every style they ever did, done well! And the album definitely isn't overlong (~ 45 min).

Can Our Love... is the one...the sprawling tracks here ("Sweet Release", "Chilite Time". the title cut) really benefit from the space given them...

Surprised so many people think the 2nd album is too long. I think I'll go for that simply beacuse it has "Travelling Light" and "My Sister" on it, although on another day I'd go for the first one.

It was all downhill from the first album, which itself is overrated.

I just purged my Tindersticks CDs a few weeks ago. Don't miss 'em.

the first one is one of my favorites ever so that one. not knocking the rest but they never seemed to recapture the overall cohesion of that one, the ornery bemused ambiance from the first song forward that just keeps unfolding. it's gotta be up there with the best debuts ever

Not including Nenette and Boni then? Went for "Curtains" myself...lovely album

The first one or curtains. But I'll have to be boring and go for the first album, as I listened to Tindersticks most when that came out.

I remember buying quite a few 7" and 10" Tindersticks EPs at the time: City Sickness, Marbles, Kathleen, Unwired. Still have them somewhere -- some great songs.

Not including Nenette and Boni then?

Live at Bloomsbury Theatre is also pretty much essential. The apex of their orchestral style.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

No surprise on the winner, but I'm shocked that the second album did so poorly, given that it contains gems like "Tiny Tears", "Travelling Light" and "My Sister".

"My Sister" is possibly the best thing they've ever done IMO.

i voted for the second but really i could have chosen any one of four including the new one, which i love.

missed this, would have voted for the winner anyway. I like all of their albums after that pretty equally though.

I had a feeling the second lp would come off with an undeserved low score.

the second album has the worst cover art, I'll say that for it.

I really like the sleeve for the second album, captures the essence of them very neatly.

i am too late to participate but i too would have voted for the first. one of the few cds which used most of the 78 minutes time limit without one dud track. it's all good and even today it still creates a warm, intense, passionate atmosphere like few other records. somehow it always makes me think of blood. a great flow as well.

really? getting suits tailored?

Yes, very much so. Getting suits tailored is a very Tindersticks thing to do, something bespoke, rather fusty, old fashioned and masculine. What really makes it work for me is it's in a ragged, unfinished state but striving for something beautiful and well crafted, much like their early work. Plus Fraser's expression is wonderful.