National Treasures - The Singles Collection Thread

[ZiZi]

The extra song will be a cover of Simply The Best from Tina Turner.
James has been practicing it for a few months now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXxkV...rec_grec_index

[allisvanity]

I think it will be a Snow Patrol cover.

[MSPKYE]

Originally Posted by ZiZi

The extra song will be a cover of Simply The Best from Tina Turner.
James has been practicing it for a few months now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXxkV...rec_grec_index

Or just Simply Red's If You Don't Know Me By Now, with a video copying David Brent's with them all dressed in white and mournfully looking at pictures of Richey

[Dancing Kirby]

Bugger, do you remember that nasty albums 'box set' linked to earlier in the thread?

As pointless as it is to anyone on here, it kinda looks nice for £8.99.

http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/2142...rlrefer=search

And it's been joined by a friend.

http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/2166...rlrefer=search

Stay strong. If you tolerate this, a SATT/PFAYM set will be next.

[tzb]

Originally Posted by Dancing Kirby

Stay strong. If you tolerate this, a SATT/PFAYM set will be next.

Ah c'mon, the ultra-popular KYE/LB set has to be next.

[Finn]

Originally Posted by tzb

Ah c'mon, the ultra-popular KYE/LB set has to be next.

Including ultra-rare unsigned KYE

[exopotamie]

Originally Posted by MSPKYE

Or just Simply Red's If You Don't Know Me By Now, with a video copying David Brent's with them all dressed in white and mournfully looking at pictures of Richey

Would buy.

[The Gutless Wonder]

Originally Posted by allisvanity

I think it will be a Snow Patrol cover.

Chasing Cars covered by the Manics would make it bearable actually!

[meanestgreenmeme]

Originally Posted by Finn

Including ultra-rare unsigned KYE

Ha, very funny

[Phil C]

Originally Posted by Dancing Kirby

SKON is arguably the worst produced Manics song since Sean shouted 'fuck off, I can't be bothered, I'm playing Sonic the Hedgehog with Richey' to Steve Brown. So bad that James had to angrily deny accusations of Auto-Tuning his vocals. They are made to sound that way in places because nothing sounds authentic in the mix. Nick Na[whatever] could emulate the sound of strings more convincingly on his cunting organ.

They should swallow their pride and remix a few tracks for this comp, that being one of them. It would be a selling point.

I remember James saying that sometimes he likes music that over-heats, explaining the sound of the track 'EMG'. And 'SKON' overheats but for me in a good way. Yes it's 'big' and hardly subtle but I find myself carried away by the choir for the final chorus. Maybe it's because I've sung in choirs (not gospel and not at any difficult level) but I love a gospel sound. Strangely, I've not seen people complain about 'The Wrong Beginning' which uses a choir in the same way.

'Postcards' isn't their best album but the idea that it's an 'abortion' as I've heard it described is just baffling to me. But then, I find it equally hard to understand people who say it's just SATT part 2 - when 'Postcards', whatever its faults, is clearly a damn sight more ambitious.

Personally I love the title track, 'SKON', 'Auto-Intoxication', 'Golden Platitudes', 'TFHBH4E' and 'Don't Be Evil', while 'INWJTEOL' and 'ABBFTS' are enjoyable but in fairness perhaps could have been produced a little differently.

I can't help but wonder - whether if they'd just had 'EMG' string sections instead of gospel choirs people would have reacted so strongly against it. Because the strings on 'EMG' and 'TGWWTBG' are pretty OTT and no-one complains about those.

Oh, and Gutless Wonder - sorry, but 'Hazleton' and 'ITIFI' are two of the blandest, most skip-able songs on it for me, so while I admire your defence of the album, I can't actually agree with it, even though I like the album myself

[The Gutless Wonder]

I was just gonna say well spotted about 'SKON' and 'The Wrong Beginning'!

Each to their own but no one who dislikes ITIFI and Hazelton will ever step foot in my vehicle on a hot summers day! EVER!

[Blixa]

Originally Posted by Phil C

I can't help but wonder - whether if they'd just had 'EMG' string sections instead of gospel choirs people would have reacted so strongly against it. Because the strings on 'EMG' and 'TGWWTBG' are pretty OTT and no-one complains about those.

I think one of the differences is that something like Everything Must Go suits OTT strings. From the drumbeat up it's a piece of Phil Spector drama, with James roaring the lyrics in an impassioned way he doesn't really do anymore, a few songs on JFPL aside (not that I'm criticising his voice at all, often the more subtle approach he takes now is great). When the gospel choir comes bursting in as it does on Some Kind of Nothingness, it's a bit Big Rock. I do think the gospel elements mixed into the title track towards the end work perfectly though.

[Bobafettish]

right, can't be bothered reading...are they touring with this?
Just cos it would be bad ass if they played a setlist of every single... chance to hear TLORN, SWSS, Revol...(dreams)

[LoveMeToDeath]

Originally Posted by Bobafettish

right, can't be bothered reading...are they touring with this?
Just cos it would be bad ass if they played a setlist of every single... chance to hear TLORN, SWSS, Revol...(dreams)

would be ace if they did tour with it but i hav a feeling they are not

Not sure wether that makes sense or not tho, most bands would tour with a big hits collection release like this purely for promotion, not holding my hopes up tho

[darkanddivine]

Originally Posted by Blixa

I think one of the differences is that something like Everything Must Go suits OTT strings. From the drumbeat up it's a piece of Phil Spector drama, with James roaring the lyrics in an impassioned way he doesn't really do anymore, a few songs on JFPL aside (not that I'm criticising his voice at all, often the more subtle approach he takes now is great). When the gospel choir comes bursting in as it does on Some Kind of Nothingness, it's a bit Big Rock. I do think the gospel elements mixed into the title track towards the end work perfectly though.

I think I get that, I liked how the guitars were toned down in certain areas on EMG, to accommodate the big strings and James singing powerfully, whereas on the newer songs it sounds like the bigness was added to give the song punch that it might lack otherwise.