If Futurology and RTF were one overall album

[UEF]

^ That, but open with 30 Year War (seriously, don't be wedded to the idea of it being an end track) and end with Futurology (who starts an album saying "We'll be back"?)

[darkanddivine]

Even as I've only had a cursory listen to both; that sounds like it would be a bit of a mish mash. The only way it might work is if it was the vast majority of Futurology with a couple of tracks off RTF with different production/feel overall.

[Marat Sar]

Now that I've listened to RTF/FTRLGY as a double album - back to back - I can really see why they separated the two. As a whole, it just becomes too massive to work as a Sandinista! or a Know You Enemy type experience. RTF's high points are almost oceanic in the size of their disappointment, they take too much out of you, if you really go along with them, as a listener - afterwards, the FTRLGY tracks lose some of their excitement. It just doesn't work, emotionally, since it asks the listener to fight and flee at the same time. This belittles the emotions of both records.

Soundwise they flow perfectly.

Anyway, a great idea for them to split the album like they did. One of their brightest conceptual-narrative moves too. They haven't been such a great story since Lifeblood's tender surrender - which, at the time, was totally lost on their fans and critics alike, I'm afraid. This one people even appear to understand a bit.

[Son of Stopped]

I put RTF and Futurology on random and used one side of a C90 tape and wanted to see what the CD would pick before the tape ran out.
Interestingly, I'd always thought of one track from each, but actually...

Dreaming A City (Hugheskova)
Walk Me To The Bridge (What are the odds of that being second?)
Sex, Power Love And Money
This Sullen Welsh Heart (Brilliant following each other, try it sometime!)
Three Ways To See Despair
Divine Youth (Another two that sound great after each other)
Running Out Of Fantasy
Builder Of Routines
As Holy As The Soil (That Buries Your Skin)
Manorbier
Black Square (Best two song streak from this experiment)
The View From Stow Hill
Europa Geht Durch Mich (Tape ran out as Nina sang her verse)

I didn't make note of the times. But I'm amazed neither of the title tracks were chosen. I think 3 loud from Futurology and then two from RTF actually worked well. TSWH sounded great coming after "SEX!...". As if it was an answer to it.
I suppose Divine Youth would have been the ending to Side One if it ever got put into a single album. I was hoping ROOF coming on before EGDM.
And the only song on there I'd like to remove is AHATS(TBYS).

From not having a clue how Futurology and RTF were one overall album. But not a double. A single 12 track album. From not having the first clue I've now got it as 7 Futurology and 6 RTF. If it has to be five each then

Dreaming A City (Hugheskova)
Sex, Power Love And Money
This Sullen Welsh Heart
Three Ways To See Despair
Divine Youth
Running Out Of Fantasy
Europa Geht Durch Mich
Builder Of Routines
Manorbier
Black Square

[Anaconda Vice]

Originally Posted by Marat Sar

Now that I've listened to RTF/FTRLGY as a double album - back to back - I can really see why they separated the two. As a whole, it just becomes too massive to work as a Sandinista! or a Know You Enemy type experience.

If they were a double album, I'd be inclined to view it as more like the Foo Fighters "In Your Honor" - that was one "Electric" disc, one "acoustic" disc. They don't really go together as one big thing either.

[cherrybomb]

Would anyone agree that 3 Ways To See Despair is a bit of an odd one out as it sounds like it belongs on neither album or is it just me?

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by cherrybomb

Would anyone agree that 3 Ways To See Despair is a bit of an odd one out as it sounds like it belongs on neither album or is it just me?

It's the strongest song from the new stuff... to be the textbook example of "Could go on either album".
We could have had The View From Stow Hill on RTF instead.
But 3 Ways To See Despair would have seemed too slight away from the bombast of the rock elements of Futurology and the synthy stuff they never mentioned about.

[nocultureicons]

Tried it, couldn't figure out an order. 30 Year War into Empty Motorcades works nicely though.

[Manualex16]

I dont know how to put it but for me the last two tracks would be Rewind and Futurology

[Dac X Lee]

Someone here on the forum compared Futurology to Clash'es Combat Rock and that quite made sense. So maybe if The Film and this one would have been one single album, it might have been something like Sandinista, maybe?

[Commie scum]

1.- Manorbier
2.- (I Miss the) Tokyo Skyline
3.- Divine Youth
4.- 30-Year War
5.- Sex, Power, Love And Money
6.- What Happened To The Blue Generation
7.- Let's Go To War
8.- The Next Jet To Leave Moscow
9.- Builder Of Routines
10.- Misguided Missile
11.- Mayakovsky
12.- Black Square
13.- Kodawari

[roystalin]

No RTF please, a utter snoozefest of a album.

[BloodFlowerBill]

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.

Agree. I think it might work better if you took tracks/bsides off the Lifeblood period, and maybe one off things like There By The Grace of God.

[Borderliner]

I don't see how ... It's like trying to glue past and future together in one whole continuum.

[Son of Stopped]

Originally Posted by Borderliner

I don't see how ... It's like trying to glue past and future together in one whole continuum.

And that's the sort of madness only the Manics fandom is insane enough to attempt!