If Futurology and RTF were one overall album

[allisvanity]

I think Divine Youth and The View From Stow Hill would have sounded at home on RTF (although, really I’d scrap Stow Hill altogether, it’s my least favourite on Futurology). Also I think 30 Year War and possibly Tokyo Skyline could have been at home on Futurology, but I’m glad they exist as two separate albums.

[Marconi Delorian]

Once the Japanese bonus tracks are out, how many songs do we have from the recording sessions? I wonder how close they got to the 70 songs/when they abandoned the idea (did it ever really get going?!)

[Marat Sar]

Suck it you revisionists!



30 Songs of Failure and Hatred

1. This Sullen Welsh Heart
2. Show Me The Wonder
3. Rewind the Film
4. Builder of Routines
5. 4 Lonely Roads
6. (I Miss the) Tokyo Skyline
8. Anthem for a Lost Cause
8. As Holy as the Soil
9. 3 Ways to See Despair
10. Running Out of Fantasy
11. Manorbier
12. Thirty Year War
13. Futurology
14. Walk Me to the Bridge
15. Let's Go to War
16. The Next Jet to Leave Moscow
17. Europa Geht Durch Mich
18. Divine Youth
19. Sex, Power, Love and Money
20. Dreaming a City (Hughesovka)
21. Black Square
22. Between the Clock and the Bed
23. Misguided Missile
24. The View from Stow Hill
25. Mayakovsky
26. Blistered Mirrors
27. Empty Motorcade
28. Last Time I Saw Paris
29. Anti Social Manifesto
30. Kodawari

[Marconi Delorian]

What about the b-sides?!

[Marat Sar]

Unlike many I appear to actually like the tracklist and sequencing on both RTF and FTRLGY. I begrudgingly respect their choices on RTF - SMTW is a wonky number two and Anthem is the only track from this era I don't like - and the way FTRLGY runs I downright admire. Very exciting and angular, like the songs themselves, at the same time grand and proggy, with huge gestures, without becoming tiresome like TIMTTMY does.

So when it comes to b-sides - good stuff but I can't see them on the albums, just like the band didn't.

What Happened to the Blue Generation - that one I've tried to stick in there somewhere (because it has a great feel and massive lyrics) but the mix is just too different from the rest. Same thing with Sound of Detachment. Both songs are mixed like KYE, not RTF/FTRLGY.

Also, most of the altered tracklists here - and on the Futurology thread - are pretty terrible. I've had a listen to a few because I'm a sequencing junky, having sequenced two of mine own LP's - yeah, I'm a failed musician everyone! I just gotta say, people who open up with EGDM don't understand or appreciate the nature of the songs they try to resequence - they want them to be something they're not. "Angrier", "true krautrock", "like THB", and all that elitist shit. An album that opens with a stylistic anomaly you prefer to the rest of the material is not a very smart move. It's better to stick an anomaly in the middle, just like they did. That's why we let the artists themselves sequence their stuff.

I do, however, wonder what that lost experience would be - to hear these back to back, as one album in two parts. The way 30YW leads into FTRLGY is such a tease for "70 songs of failure and hatred", which, by the way, would have been an hilarious project. And I think they've kind of sort of actually done it!

[Bartek Wyre]

Originally Posted by foundthatsoul

1. Futurology
2. Dreaming a City (Hugheskova)
3. 3 Ways to See Despair
4. Rewind the Film
5. Walk Me to the Bridge
6. As Holy As the Soil (I had to look this up I still call it the Soil song)
7. Europa
8. Misguided Missile
9. This Sullen Welsh Heart
10. The Next Jet to Leave Moscow
11. Black Square
12. Let's Go To War
13. 30 Year War

Maybe if they tampered with the mixes of the songs from RTF (or added synths and electric guitars to them) this would work. On a side note, I think I actually prefer RTF to Futurology, quite contrary to my expectations form one year ago.

[Aestivate]

They work fine as they are. RTW looks backwards, Futurology looks forward

[hummingbird]

i sequence playlists of random stuff in alphabetical order… yes i'm that shit…I may move things around if something sounds obviously off but generally i haven't a fucking clue.

I like the tracklist the way it is. Futurology is fine as an opener

[tomd2103]

Originally Posted by Marat Sar

Unlike many I appear to actually like the tracklist and sequencing on both RTF and FTRLGY. I begrudgingly respect their choices on RTF - SMTW is a wonky number two and Anthem is the only track from this era I don't like - and the way FTRLGY runs I downright admire. Very exciting and angular, like the songs themselves, at the same time grand and proggy, with huge gestures, without becoming tiresome like TIMTTMY does.

So when it comes to b-sides - good stuff but I can't see them on the albums, just like the band didn't.

What Happened to the Blue Generation - that one I've tried to stick in there somewhere (because it has a great feel and massive lyrics) but the mix is just too different from the rest. Same thing with Sound of Detachment. Both songs are mixed like KYE, not RTF/FTRLGY.

Also, most of the altered tracklists here - and on the Futurology thread - are pretty terrible. I've had a listen to a few because I'm a sequencing junky, having sequenced two of mine own LP's - yeah, I'm a failed musician everyone! I just gotta say, people who open up with EGDM don't understand or appreciate the nature of the songs they try to resequence - they want them to be something they're not. "Angrier", "true krautrock", "like THB", and all that elitist shit. An album that opens with a stylistic anomaly you prefer to the rest of the material is not a very smart move. It's better to stick an anomaly in the middle, just like they did. That's why we let the artists themselves sequence their stuff.

I do, however, wonder what that lost experience would be - to hear these back to back, as one album in two parts. The way 30YW leads into FTRLGY is such a tease for "70 songs of failure and hatred", which, by the way, would have been an hilarious project. And I think they've kind of sort of actually done it!

Agree with a lot of that. I wouldn't make too many changes to the tracklisting on the two albums either and agree about your assessment of Anthem, though I do think it works well with the video. I too find that Show Me Wonder is a 'wonky' number and would have been better swapping places with Rewind the Film and apart from replacing Anthem, I wouldn't make any other changes (not that I am in a position too anyway!!).

[Son of Stopped]

Have RTF album with track listings.
Then Futurology album in reverse order. I'll give that a go when I'm back in my room.
I really feel RTF should appear first, as otherwise the feel will suddenly go introspective. Compared to introspective until feeling as if it can take on the world.

[FacelessSenseOfVoid]

If I was to combine the two albums, I'd have to gather my favourites from each album and split them down the middle. The album would be called "An album of two halves"

Haven't thought about sequencing too much but it would go like this:

Side A:

1. This Sullen Welsh Heart
2. Rewind The Film
3. Show Me The Wonder
4. As Holy As The Soil
5. 30 Year War
6. (I Miss The) Tokyo Skyline

Side B:

7. The Next Jet To Leave Moscow
8. Europa Geht Durch Mich
9. Black Square
10. Between The Clock And The Bed
11. Dreaming A City
12. The View From Stow Hill

The two tracks that end and start the next side have a weird musical link to them, so that's why I've chosen that order. For me it's a perfect album and would easily become my favourite MSP album if those tracks were on it. Not one bad song on it and I love them all.

[jl45]

This topic is really pick 10-13 songs you like the best from the 2 albums rather than pick songs that work as an album

[UEF]

Originally Posted by AK47

It wouldn't work as a coherent album though. Two distinct styles hence why they recorded two seperately after realising how contrasting they were. I can't even imagine a track list.

I don't think it is two distinct styles for the most part. Most of the non-singles on Futurology could go on RTF

[jl45]

Originally Posted by Marconi Delorian

Once the Japanese bonus tracks are out, how many songs do we have from the recording sessions? I wonder how close they got to the 70 songs/when they abandoned the idea (did it ever really get going?!)

here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gePZszz2ZyY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SMc0IbNPPs

[Images Of Perfection]

1. This Sullen Welsh Heart
2. Europa Geht Durch Mich
3. Let's Go To War
4. Rewind the Film
5. The Next Jet To Leave Moscow
6. (I Miss the) Tokyo Skyline
7. Dreaming a City (Hugheskova)
8. Black Square
9. As Holy As the Soil (That Buries Your Skin)
10. Between the Clock and the Bed
11. Running Out Of Fantasy
12. Divine Youth
13. Misguided Missile
14. 30 Year War