Taking Sides: "Together In Electric Dreams" by Phil Oakley & Giorgio Moroder vs. "But Not Tonight" by Depeche Mode

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http://www.fantasfilm.com/image/x-electric-dreams-j.jpg http://www.impawards.com/1986/posters/modern_girls.jpg

Lifted from two utterly forgettable 80's films, I saw these two synth pop `choons played back to back recently on VH1 Classic. Personally speaking, while i'm both a fan of the Human League and Giorgio Moroder (mostly for his score to Midnight Express), I find "Together in Electric Dreams" to be virtually unlistenable. It's just so insufferably lightweight and fuckin' twee that I can barely stomach it. The only redeeming fact about it -- as far as I'm concerned -- is that Phil is wearing the much-covetted "Four Dark Judges" t-shirt ("You have been Judged....AND THE SENTENCE IS DEATH!") by Brian Bolland (seek ye vintage "Judge Dredd" for details), making him much the cooler for it.

"But Not Tonight" is relatively joyless, workaday Depeche single without much to recommend it. It not only lacks the passion and histrionics of their later work, but the spritely pop bounce of their earlier work circa Vince Clarke. How it ended up representing a film is beyond me. The band themselves couldn't look more bored in the video for same.

That said, I'd choose "But not Tonight" over "..Electric Dreams" any day of the millenium. You may feel differently, and if so, please explain why.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 24 January 2005 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.2000ad.org/thrillpower/deatmont.jpg

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 24 January 2005 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

this explains NOTHING.

― Jimmy Mod always makes friends with women before bedding them down (ModJ), Monday, 24 January 2005 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, this actually one of my favourite Depeche Mode songs. Listened to as part of the whole Black Celebration album it's a fun little flirting-with-disaster pop number whose mask keeps slipping - there's a *NASTY* comedown just 'round the corner, as
hinted at in Martin's plaintive "oh-whoah"-ing at the end.

You're right about the video, though - it's one of those godawful "knock it out over the weekend on a soundstage, stick in a bunch of movie clips, and hope no one notices" hack jobs that seemed to be, oh, just about every third video in rotation during the late 80s.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Monday, 24 January 2005 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

i love both of those songs with an unholy passion. if i had to choose, it'd be "electric dreams". there is an unbearable poignancy at its overwrought heart.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Monday, 24 January 2005 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

My limited experience DJing suggests that many many people love TIED. I consider it some sort of apex of culture. And check out the MAD REST of the soundtrack!

― Acme 2, Monday, 24 January 2005 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"Together In Electric Dreams" is my favourite single of all time.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 24 January 2005 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow. And here I was thinking it was an entirely inconsequentially little ditty.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 00:06 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

"Electric Dreams" is not at all "utterly forgettable" and I love that song too. May even be better than "But Not Tonight", which is among the better b-sides by Depeche Mode but still weaker than most of the "Black Celebration" album tracks.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 10 November 2006 23:39 (nineteen years ago)

"But Not Tonight" is so so so so so good even though Depeche hate it. So good. Sometimes it's my favorite DM track. Too much great stuff to mention - the track is proof enough of its own awesomeness.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Sunday, 12 November 2006 08:23 (nineteen years ago)

"but not tonight" is perfect and i don't even especially like depeche mode

― b-minus time traveler (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 12 November 2006 08:36 (nineteen years ago)

and modern girls is a fun little movie (i own the soundtrack on vinyl!)

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00082W990.01-A3PZ75ZCGJJXH0._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― b-minus time traveler (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 12 November 2006 08:37 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not surprised Alex hates "Together in Electric Dreams."

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 12 November 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

TIED has more in common with mid eighties Erasure than Depeche Mode.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Sunday, 12 November 2006 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

TIED first and foremost has a lot together with "Flashdance" and "Neverending Story" (the songs, not the movies), but nothing wrong with that either.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

in common, I mean

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 12 November 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

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