Taking Sides: "I Ran" VS. "Space Age Love Song"

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

http://www.oz.net/~davester/AFOS/Images/AFOSIRAN.JPG
http://www.coolforever.com/temp/aflockofseagulls_spaceagelovesong_45.jpg

yes, it's A Flock of Seagulls, dammit.

http://www.fashionfollower.com/jpg/seagulls.gif

Appropos of absolutely nothing, I thought I'd dredge up these two ol' warhorses for re-evaluation. I know everyone soils their parachute pants for "I Ran," but I always thought it was a bit too basic...and the lyrics were crap (why, pray tell, is Mike running away from this girl with "tawny" eyes?) "Space Age Love Song," meanwhile has a gloriously simply yet hypnotic riff (which didn't sound entirely different from fledgling U2 at the time) and is rife with enjoyable silly futuristic noises and all sorts of effects.

Don't think about the sad fate that later be-fell the band (let alone the inevitable departure of Mike Score's signature winged quiff, replaced by a worryingly Jimmy Buffettesque baseball cap), and don't cite "Wishing," because it's not one of your choices.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 29 October 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

"Space Age Love Song" for me as well -- nothing against the drama of "I Ran" as it's what first got me into the band, but "Space Age" sounds fluid, like one of those late seventies chrome sex robots from van art morphed into T2 liquid metal with this wistful center that's almost but not quite drowned out by everything around it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 October 2004 03:39 (twenty-one years ago)

God, there's no question really.

"Space Age..." is just such a gigantic song.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 29 October 2004 03:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't really imagine anyone picking "I Ran" over "Space Age Love Song."

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Friday, 29 October 2004 03:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm convinced that "i ran" is what EATB would've sounded like had they ever gone synth-pop. the guitar line from this song owes much to mr. sergeant, at least to my ears. this is not even considering how those guitar notes circle around and play off the cold synth washes. "space age love song" is just a kinda-cute encore compared to that one.

and sorry alex, but i'm breaking yer command ... "wishing" is better than either of yer choices!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 29 October 2004 04:07 (twenty-one years ago)

and sorry alex, but i'm breaking yer command ... "wishing" is better than either of yer choices!

GUARDS! SEIZE HIM!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 29 October 2004 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)

"I Ran" for that note with the heavy delay on it

― dave q, Friday, 29 October 2004 04:45 (twenty-one years ago)

"Space Age Love Song." Because like Joy Division's "Insight" it has a laser battle in the middle of it.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 29 October 2004 04:51 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.woz.org/US/USPhotos_OM/images/Flock%20Of%20Seagulls.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 29 October 2004 05:17 (twenty-one years ago)

"Space Age Love Song" (but really, "Wishing" is the best...)

― Seb (Seb), Friday, 29 October 2004 05:22 (twenty-one years ago)

TS better new wave glasses:

Trevor Horn in the Video Killed The Radio Star video, or the Guitarist from Flock Of Seagulls?

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Friday, 29 October 2004 05:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I side with Trevor Horn because his shit had a little futuristic microphone, and the flock of seagulls guys doesnt have any antennae or hookups or anything. If you are going to rock futuristic new wave sunglasses they should at least have a touch pad or lcd screen or knobs or something.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Friday, 29 October 2004 05:32 (twenty-one years ago)

also, david sylvian kills anybody when it comes to rocking new wave glasses, but that would be like putting Mike Tyson in a ring with Tom Arnold.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Friday, 29 October 2004 05:34 (twenty-one years ago)

SALS

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Friday, 29 October 2004 11:05 (twenty-one years ago)

god damn, now i'm gonna have to go home and dig out my flock of seagulls records.

and that's something i never thought i'd hear myself say. or see myself type.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 29 October 2004 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Backwards, or at the wrong speed: "I Ran"
Forwards, with the right haircut: "Space Age Love Song"

― briania (briania), Friday, 29 October 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Who knew this thread was going to get such a reception? I had such low expectations for it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I choose "Nightmares".

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

"Telecommunication" is my secret fave song by them.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 29 October 2004 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I Ran

I love other stuff too, but I have to acknowledge that my unmoderated love for those longs is somewhat reactionary.

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Saturday, 30 October 2004 22:10 (twenty-one years ago)

aaah... has to be SALS. Though i always preferred "It's Not Me Talking" and was rather hoping that was going to be the next release after SALS in the UK. (I also remember thinking 'Wishing' was really feeble at first, then made myself like it and watched it crawl into the top ten after stalling for ages at 11 - note to younger UK ILM-ers: singles in the olden days actually used to climb the chart, quaint as it seems now.)

― darren (darren), Sunday, 31 October 2004 01:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"Space Age Love Song"! It's the first part of the TRILOGY*.

*The trilogy is three singles over three albums that chronicle the first hook-up exprience of a new wave doofus. Some girl at the very least kissed him in "Space Age Love Song" so he's all gaga. Then in "Wishing" he finds himself alone and drift, pining for her and pondering her glory. Eventually he realizes she's not really into him (cuz he's a new wave doofus) and he decides he's wiser and possibly colder for it in "The More You Live, The More Your Love." His profundity adds up to nothing more than "don't put your heart in mortal danger" because he's a new wave doofus. All three songs are gorgeous.

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 31 October 2004 08:55 (twenty-one years ago)

At the time I liked Space Age Love Song a lot more than I Ran, that's true. I felt I Ran was too simple, too. But now I tend to think I'd rate them the same if I heard either of them. Which isn't likely right now due to circumstances completely beyond my control.

― Bimble (bimble), Sunday, 31 October 2004 09:49 (twenty-one years ago)

You see, my hard drive is dying. It's sad. It knows about John Peel I guess. Smart computer.
It's the ghost in the machine, my dying hard drive.

― Bimble (bimble), Sunday, 31 October 2004 09:53 (twenty-one years ago)

(cuz he's a new wave doofus)

Hahahahahaha

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 31 October 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I Ran. Duh.

(Funny, I was just having this conversation at the shoegazer club, because I reckoned that Delays' new single has a real FoS vibe to it... especially now I've seen the video hah!)

I wish I knew where my FoS cassette was... I'm guessing that it's somewhere in storage at my mum's house... sigh.

― Two-Headed Zombie With No Face (kate), Monday, 1 November 2004 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

'Heart Beats Like A Drum' is really really good too but I'll plump for 'Space Age Love Song' because of that morphy chrome robot shit that Ned said.

― Affectian (Affectian), Monday, 1 November 2004 16:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm more of a "Modern Love is Automatic" kinda guy, but I'll pick "I Ran" just because I can't remember what "Space Age love Song" sounds like at this moment.

― Vic Funk, Monday, 1 November 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

let us all agree on one thing ... paul reynolds was a pretty damn good guitarist!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 04:47 (twenty-one years ago)

and ned's gonna choke me, but alex is right ... they DON'T sound entirely unlike U2 did at that point in their respective careers.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 04:48 (twenty-one years ago)

It's the ghost in the machine, my dying hard drive.

hey bimble, this is a FLOCK OF SEAGULLS thread ... take those gary numan-esque posts to the appropriate thread! ;-0

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 04:51 (twenty-one years ago)

"Space Age Love Song" by far.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 05:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Space age love Song is the superior song. More fully realized than I Ran which was cool but more based on novelty than anything else.

Besides the video for I ran is so goofy.

― hector (hector), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 05:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I Ran. Duh.

Space Age Love Song. huD.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

paul reynolds was a pretty damn good guitarist!

He may not have been the most technically proficient guitarist (so what? Like the world needs another fuckin' Joe Satriani?), but he had STYLE (although not so much in the sunglass department). Pity he couldn't hack it in the end.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

NIGHTMARES

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 November 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.