This moody track was somewhat different from the rest of the New Romantic stuff from the 80s. On the other hand, it was much better than most of it. Starts out as kind of monotone, but when the song changes, the change does extremely good. Also, this is a case of the arrangement and vocals making the song great, with those great moody synths, not to mention the great use of marimba. And of course, David Sylvian's voice being great as ever.
I love the entire "Tin Drum" album, but this remains their pinnacle, even though Sylvian himself got very close together with Ryuchi Sakamoto on "Forbidden Colours" a couple years later.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 28 April 2005 00:00 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 April 2005 00:01 (nineteen years ago) link
― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Thursday, 28 April 2005 00:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 28 April 2005 01:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 28 April 2005 01:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 28 April 2005 01:37 (nineteen years ago) link
I've even seen it used on a BBC tv show to great effect - it was some odd drama about a haunted radio station studio.
― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 28 April 2005 02:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 28 April 2005 03:40 (nineteen years ago) link
I love "Ghosts," and quite agree with Ned about what it indicates re: UK pop charts circa early 80s. It's weirder than, say, Bjork ever having another hit in the U.S.
It's my girlfriend's most beloved Japan track. When she first heard it (on a prototype of the 'Heart' mix from my '81 set) she phoned from her car just to ask what it was and say that she loved it.
― I.M. (I.M.), Thursday, 28 April 2005 04:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― Lee F# (fsharp), Thursday, 28 April 2005 06:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 28 April 2005 10:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― Comstock Carabinieri (nostudium), Thursday, 28 April 2005 10:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 28 April 2005 10:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Haha, hey Ian!
― Patrick South (Patrick South), Thursday, 28 April 2005 11:12 (nineteen years ago) link
And only the verse is monotonal.
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 28 April 2005 11:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Thursday, 28 April 2005 11:25 (nineteen years ago) link
The way the simple melody breaks out in the chorus after the noodly verse is ace. And number 5? When you had to sell a lot of singles. Must have been the cheekbones.
(I have a problem with fretless bass that it took me a long time to get over.)
― Jamie T Smith (Jamie T Smith), Thursday, 28 April 2005 11:54 (nineteen years ago) link
― Deluxe (Damian), Thursday, 28 April 2005 11:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― billstevejim, Thursday, 28 April 2005 12:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Thursday, 28 April 2005 12:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Even the hilarious first two albums have several suprisingly not bad slices of sexy glam-funk on them (I'm thinking in particular of "Suburban Love" from "Adolescent Sex").
I wont for a minute defend their horrible cover of "Don't Rain on my Parade" though, yeugrh.
― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 28 April 2005 23:28 (nineteen years ago) link
of interest:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3NPhQjjZB0Pa Salieu • Bang Out
― Regard the timeless piano balladeeress! (breastcrawl), Sunday, 27 September 2020 21:21 (three years ago) link
that's awesome
― assert (MatthewK), Sunday, 27 September 2020 23:48 (three years ago) link
very interesting.
― Gerneten-flüken cake (jed_), Monday, 28 September 2020 00:06 (three years ago) link
At the time I wrote them off as Bowie copyist poseurs (I was a KID!), and I didn't really go for their Smokey cover, but this song utterly seduced me. It has its own kind of genius.
― Dr X O'Skeleton, Monday, 28 September 2020 15:24 (three years ago) link