In the Head Music / New Morning days, did they put out any stand out (ie: not shit) b-sides.
I'm compiling a comp of Suede stuff that never made an album, but I fear delving into the abyss that is late era Suede.
Were there any gems, or was the end a truly blessed relief?
hmmm
i'd be interested to know too - by that time i only bought their albums and listened to them with the mild sense of feeling it wasn't up the standard of the first three. Sci Fi Lullabies for me has all of the classic b-sides that in my humble opinion were better than some of the album tracks!
There are one or two...
...that are quite good, but they're generally nowhere near as good as the early b-sides...or even the Coming Up b-sides. Can't Get Enough has two decent throwaway pop songs, Let Go and Since You Went Away, but they're not exactly essential. Implement Yeah is worth digging out as it's a thrashy punk number from the Justine Frischman days, but after that it gets really, really ropey. I persisted because I'm a completist geek, but I wouldn't recommend it...
You would think Sci-fi lullabies had it all
But it's missing quite a few bits.
Shipbuilding
Brass in pocket
Asda Town (the title hardly screams classic)
Eno's Introducing the band
Feel
Painted People
Dolly
This world needs a father (which is *great*)
Sam
and lots of live stuff, including versions of Rent & Saturday night with Neil Tennant. There's also an orchestral version of Still Life which I'm yet to find.
And then there's the later b-sides, which fill my heart with terror.
Speaking of live stuff
have you heard the Manics cover of 'The Drowners' - very good and very odd.
Good?!
This is a funny joke, yes? With it being really one of the most horrific covers ever recorded and that...
C'mon!
'Yr taking me ov-ah' delivered in stilted transatlantic delivery - what's not to love?
Well
It is hilarious in places, I'll give you that...
Actually MrScagdenSir ! I Was there!
and have seen them doing The Drowners! I was at the Clapham Grand when the Manics player the Cancer benefit gig for their manager (on same bill as Joe Strummer and The Pogues). Bernard Butler joined them on stage for the Drowners and they did the Faces's Stay With Me. Great stuff!
Sci-Fi Lullabies pre-dated those two albums so obviously it didn't
Or do you mean just from its era? It should have had Stay Together on there too I reckon or not had the b-sides even because the single was still and is still available.
Oh right
The ones I listed could have been chosen for Sci-Fi Lulabies, alongside Stay Together (which had an extended version could have counted as a B).
Presumably covers, singles, and alternate versions were off the table; with the rest cut due to time constraints and quality control. God knows why they left Duchess on if they could have had What the world needs now is a father though.
The Head Music
B-Sides were better than anything on the album. In fact, they should have been the album.
The best ones were:
Popstar
Killer
Waterloo
Bored
Pieces Of My Mind
Jubilee
God's Gift
Crackhead
Read My Mind
Let Go
Since You Went Away
There were a few ANM ones which were good. Simon and Cheap were two of their best songs ever, easily the best things they'd done since Dog Man Star.
Agreed on Simon...
...Heroin, from the Attitude single was great too. Quite stark. I have the orchestral version of Still Life somewhere, it's mighty. Avoid Golden Gun though. It's rotten.
Heard all these
And forgotten what all of them sound like
Except Simon, which is great
All of Neil Codling's b-sides
were superb, especially Digging a Hole and Waterloo. I also have an inexplicable soft-spot for the Positivity b-side One Love; it's fucking awful, but somehow makes me smile every time...
Thanks for the replies
This has openied my eyes to a few songs I didn't really think would be in the running. Will hunt down a few of these, definitely Simon.
I might have the electricity singles at mum's
but I'm not sure.
Fret not
I'm still compiling a second set of b-sides and bonus stuff. They have a lot of early material I haven't got, and I was pretty into them back in the day.
But the first compilation is here.
http://tracksfromthestack.blogspot.com/
11 non album tracks from the prime era. All good.
I'm tired. Uploading takes forever...
"Cheap"
Here is what David Barnett says in his book "Love & Poison", regarding the b-side "Cheap" (from the Positivity single):
.."Cheap" - possibly the greatest Anderson-Oakes composition ever - was also the exact same version, and its demotion to b-side status quite frankly beggars belief."
I haven't heard it though.
hmmm
There's only "Simon" really...