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Album tracks you hated which later became favourites

Started by DJ Bob Hoskins, February 02, 2019, 12:55:53 AM

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DJ Bob Hoskins

The topic of 'duff songs on great albums' has been discussed on here before. We've all come across the one or two tracks on a treasured LP that just don't seem to have any hooks, don't fit well with the rest of the record, or are too long, or self-indulgently 'experimental'.

The funny thing is, though: occasionally, over time, those songs go on to become my personal faves. Or at least have more longevity. I suspect it's precisely because they tend not to have catchy earworm riffs and melodies you know inside-out that keeps them fresh. Often they're just amazing pieces of work that demand more from the listener than the obvious singles.

Within You Without You on Sgt Pepper is my go-to example. Seems to have the reputation of the one track nobody likes on that LP. I used to skip past it too once upon a time, but now I adore it. The intricacy of the arrangement, the hypnotic drones, the ebb and flow of its rhythm.....once it clicked and got under my skin it stayed there.

Star Me Kitten on Automatic for the People is another. Hated it at first. These days I can't listen to Everybody Hurts anymore (such is its ubiquity) but the former has a strange seductive quality and enough odd little things going on in the background to keep me coming back. Ditto Seductive Barry on Pulp's This Is Hardcore.

I'm sure I can think of loads more examples, but over to you.

MiddleRabbit

Within You Without You is, for me, George Harrison at his absolute holier than thou, curmudgeonly worst.  In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the droning Indian sound of it which puts so many people off it does him a big favour inasmuch as people are so annoyed by the sound of it that they don't get round to noticing what a prick George makes of himself with the lyrics. 

George, once he'd written 'Don't Bother Me', had shot his lyrical bolt (apart from his (great) contributions to Abbey Road) and had nothing to say beyond, 'Fuck off and leave me alone'.  Even 'Something' has an element of that: "You're asking me will my love grow?  I don't know..."

I understand why George felt ambivalent about being in The Beatles and, in some ways, it did him no favours but he really could have let up on the 'I'm so fucking cosmic and everyone else is a materialistic twat who wants a piece of me' schtick.

I love The Beatles and as I've got older I've started to sympathise with Macca continually being on his back because he was one sanctimonious, moaning, hypocritical twat who wasn't half the guitar player that Macca was.

Yeah, get me.  And no, I wouldn't have preferred Eric Clapton to have been in them because, if anything, Clapton's even worse because he's thick and ordinary as well as po faced.

As a bit of balance towards both George and Clapton, in terms of the OP, I've come round to Savoy Truffle on The White Album in recent years, even though it's still George sneering at someone else's greed whilst being utterly unaware of his own.

phantom_power

I always used to skip Fill Your Heart on Hunky Dory because I didn't like the start. When I got it on vinyl and so was forced to listen to it I realised it is fucking great.

I was listening to 'Cry Baby Cry' yesterday and loved it, having previously thought it was late Lennon piffle. A single disc of Lennon songs from the White Album might be his absolute peak, especially if you swap in the single version of Revolution.

grassbath

Fill Your Heart is bloody brilliant. There's something very Nintendo about the string melody at the beginning. 

a duncandisorderly

Quote from: MiddleRabbit on February 02, 2019, 01:30:12 AM
Within You Without You is, for me, George Harrison at his absolute holier than thou, curmudgeonly worst.  In fact, I'd go as far as to say that the droning Indian sound of it which puts so many people off it does him a big favour inasmuch as people are so annoyed by the sound of it that they don't get round to noticing what a prick George makes of himself with the lyrics. 

George, once he'd written 'Don't Bother Me', had shot his lyrical bolt (apart from his (great) contributions to Abbey Road) and had nothing to say beyond, 'Fuck off and leave me alone'.  Even 'Something' has an element of that: "You're asking me will my love grow?  I don't know..."

I understand why George felt ambivalent about being in The Beatles and, in some ways, it did him no favours but he really could have let up on the 'I'm so fucking cosmic and everyone else is a materialistic twat who wants a piece of me' schtick.

I love The Beatles and as I've got older I've started to sympathise with Macca continually being on his back because he was one sanctimonious, moaning, hypocritical twat who wasn't half the guitar player that Macca was.

Yeah, get me.  And no, I wouldn't have preferred Eric Clapton to have been in them because, if anything, Clapton's even worse because he's thick and ordinary as well as po faced.

As a bit of balance towards both George and Clapton, in terms of the OP, I've come round to Savoy Truffle on The White Album in recent years, even though it's still George sneering at someone else's greed whilst being utterly unaware of his own.

wasn't ST about clapton's teeth actually?

anyway, a round of applause.

harrison wrote 'taxman', of course- one of his first whinging songs- but he couldn't manage to get enough bile into the guitar solo, so macca did it.
incendiary. & really that sums the whole thing up. they indulged him to the tune of over a hundred takes of 'not guilty' (another whinge- decent song, but a whinge) & then left it off 'the beatles' when he thought they hadn't nailed it, leaving room for some right old crap in its place. there was no pleasing him.

lennon's remarks about 'getting clapton in', for me, are indicative of harrison's low stature in the band- he can simply be replaced by another competent lead guitarist, & clapton's out of work now, isn't he? it's in here, somewhere-

http://amoralto.tumblr.com/post/68911122415/january-10th-1969-twickenham-film-studios 


MiddleRabbit

Quote from: a duncandisorderly on February 02, 2019, 11:51:50 AM
wasn't ST about clapton's teeth actually?

anyway, a round of applause.

harrison wrote 'taxman', of course- one of his first whinging songs- but he couldn't manage to get enough bile into the guitar solo, so macca did it.
incendiary. & really that sums the whole thing up. they indulged him to the tune of over a hundred takes of 'not guilty' (another whinge- decent song, but a whinge) & then left it off 'the beatles' when he thought they hadn't nailed it, leaving room for some right old crap in its place. there was no pleasing him.

lennon's remarks about 'getting clapton in', for me, are indicative of harrison's low stature in the band- he can simply be replaced by another competent lead guitarist, & clapton's out of work now, isn't he? it's in here, somewhere-

http://amoralto.tumblr.com/post/68911122415/january-10th-1969-twickenham-film-studios

Yeah, he wrote it after Clapton polished off a box of 'Good News' chocolates at his house.

Lennon had it right: Harrison was the least vital member by some distance.  Ringo was a lot more important in all sorts of ways.

another Mr. Lizard

Within You Without You is my favourite Beatles track. Dunno whether my Indian heritage (grandma on my dad's side was from Pune) might have influenced that choice somehow. More likely it was hearing Sonic Youth's cover version on the NME/Childline LP 30 years back.

As for the topic under scrutiny, its 'And This Day' for me. Like many CaBbers, I'm a huge Fall fan, and loved Hex when it came out. Considered it the best album ever made, in fact... aside from the fifteen minutes of sludge at the end. Until one revelatory spin of the album somehow opened my ears to the glories of the hitherto 'unlistenable' finale. Now one of my fave Fall numbers, and a joy to whistle in the shower.

phantom_power

Quote from: phantom_power on February 02, 2019, 10:42:10 AM
I always used to skip Fill Your Heart on Hunky Dory because I didn't like the start. When I got it on vinyl and so was forced to listen to it I realised it is fucking great.

On similar lines I used to hate the piano solo on Alladin Sane. The start was always my cue to skip to the next track. Now it is probably one of my favourite parts of any Bowie song

DJ Bob Hoskins

Quote from: another Mr. Lizard on February 02, 2019, 01:17:14 PM
As for the topic under scrutiny, its 'And This Day' for me. Like many CaBbers, I'm a huge Fall fan, and loved Hex when it came out. Considered it the best album ever made, in fact... aside from the fifteen minutes of sludge at the end. Until one revelatory spin of the album somehow opened my ears to the glories of the hitherto 'unlistenable' finale. Now one of my fave Fall numbers, and a joy to whistle in the shower.

I had a similar thing with Sister Ray on the VU's White Light/White Heat. I didn't dislike it as such, more that I didn't make it past the 7 minute mark for a long time. Nowadays it's not only my favourite song on that album, but the 17 minute original seems too damn short, so I tend to dig out one of the 30-40 minute live versions when I fancy some Velvets noise : )

Pseudopath

It's a relatively-common opinion, but Let Down struck me as turgid mid-album filler for my first few listens of OK Computer. Now it's probably my favourite Radiohead track (along with All I Need and Decks Dark).

thraxx


Daybreak on Second Coming, for me at the time of the record's release, summed up the half-arsed and wanky nature of the record.  I remember the first that I heard the baseline intro followed by the drums, then the guitar and vocal. Dear christ, I remember thinking, is this what they're reduced to?  A piss poor jam worse than The Crunge that no-one had the balls to say was fucking shit?

These days, I haven't changed what I think about the sing but instead find those thoughts reason to love the song.