[part 2 of 3]
'don't tell me'
mange tout
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of note, the Canadian LP of 'happy families' had a slightly different
tracklisting, but also added a different mix of 'blind vision' on it:
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Happ ... ase/709580
Blind Vision 4:23 - this version is not on this boxset.
as i mentioned before, this is my favorite album from them, very solid
all the way through, with a few tracks i didn't like, but it is by
far a great album.
all the different textures, instruments, and lyrics come together,
especially in all the singles, 'dont tell me', 'thats love that it is - game above my head',
'the day before you came', and the haunting 'blind vision'.
the album went gold, and was their most popular hitting number 8 in the UK,
4 of the 5 singles charted, with 'blind vision' getting to 10, and 'dont tell me' to 8,
which is one under 7 that 'living on the ceiling' got to. the abba cover of
'the day before you came' got to 22, and 'thats love that it is' got to 33.
there is still a question about the version of 'blind vision' that they
used here, it's most likely the single version. but they did fix the
album version of 'the day before you came'.
album
------------
Disc One
1 Don't Tell Me 3:31
2 Game Above My Head 3:58
3 Blind Vision 3:56
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note : appears to be single version, so not fixed on this remaster either
4 Time Became The Tide 4:49
5 That's Love, That It Is 4:22
6 Murder 5:58
7 See The Train 2:04
8 All Things Are Nice 5:00
9 My Baby 3:59
10 The Day Before You Came 5:51
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note : fixed, the prior release had the wrong version on it
mixes
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d1 11 Game Above My Head [Long Version] 7:11
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note : seems like its still the US remix
originally released as the b-side, and remixed on the
waves 12 inch uk single.
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Waves/release/117231
it was redone for the US 12 inch EP
for 'that's love that it is', so it is in fact the US remix here.
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-That ... ase/446974
an amazing song, and excellent remix
d1 12 Blind Vision [Long Version] 9:40
d2 14 Blind Vision [Instrumental/Dub Version] 6:42
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an excellent remix of the epic track, with instrumental dub version
from the US promo 12 inch:
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Blin ... ase/180863
another heavy hitting track, made superb by the remix
d1 13 Don't Tell Me [Extended] 6:23
d2 12 Don't Tell Me [Remix] 6:52
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note : the first version where the 1st verse is not sung, disc 2-13
ok, there's some confusion here. the disc 2-12 track is the actual uk
12 remix. however the US 12 release had 2 different 12 inch mixes.
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Dont ... ase/817344
the first mix had the first verse on it, and another remix with it missing.
the other remix here is the one with the missing verse
one of my all-time favorite songs, and remixes from them,
very clever, upbeat, and dancey all in the same song,
with a catchy chorus that you can't forget. love this song.
d2 7 That's Love, That It Is [Extended] 6:35
d2 13 That's Love, That It Is [Remix] 7:31
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Note : Still looks like the US remix for disc2-13
there were 2 12 inch releases for this song, one with the first
remix, and the second a limited re-mix. both were great.
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-That ... se/1473101
however, that's the version missing here.
the first 12 inch mix is there, disc 2-7, but the second is the US remix of the track.
a super up-beat, and catchy song, thats made for dancing
d2 11 The Day Before You Came [Extended] 7:59
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a very downbeat song, but made brilliant covering the abba version.
lots of tablas and eastern overtones to it. very wistful lyrics.
GENERAL NOTE : as with most demos, these are basically 4 tracks or so recordings
with the bare leads, bass, drums or computer tracks on them. they are also of a
much lower sonic quality. most are instrumental unless otherwise noted.
Also, most demos are rather short, and repetitive.
================================================================================
bsides and demos
----------------
d1 14 Vishnu [Short Version] 4:46
d2 8 Vishnu [Full Length] 5:20
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probably some of the worst examples of trying to mix
eastern music and western. ughh for both of them.
d2 5 Heaven Knows Where Heaven Is 3:24
d2 6 On Our Way To? 5:38
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excellent b-side instrumentals to the blind vision 12 inch
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Blin ... ase/296094
Tracks 5 & 6 music excerpt from the film 'Duet' engineered at Blackwing Studio.
'heaven knows where heaven is' is one of the most
beautiful, haunting synth instrumentals from them. just gorgeous.
'on our way to' is a nice deep, dark synth instrumental.
very menacing.
d2 9 Get Out Of That 4:27
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another b-side to 'dont tell me' single, ok, i was wrong
this is probably the worst vocal song they've ever done.
just terrible. maybe it was done for a joke. flat out
annoying.
d2 10 All Things Are Nice [Version] 4:11
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an awesome mostly instrumental song, but it does have
some vocals thrown in there, very intense. this is the
b-side of 'the day before you came' 12 inch
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-The- ... ase/315403
d1 15 Blind Vision [Martyn Ware Demo] 2:21
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a very bizarre low-fi version of the song, with very
little resemblance to the known version. the only thing
similar is the vocals. minimal keyboards and drums in it.
d2 1 How Time Became The Tide (Demo) 6:45
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a very different electro version, compared to the mellow dramatic album cut,
no lyrics, and very drawn out.
d2 2 If You Want To Be Hip (Demo) 3:47
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another interesting pseudo-instrumental, with some catchy sounds,
as a companion piece to 'all things are nice'.. better than some
of the album tracks
d2 3 It Never Rains (Demo) 3:16
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probably the best vocal demo from them, this should have been on
the album. very complete, and a nice midtempo song, with a
darker theme to it. excellent.
d2 4 Murder (Demo) 4:55
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a different take on the dark electro sound that is the album
version. not one of my favorites, but it has it moments.
the crazy vocal take makes him sound drunk, or screaming.
very haunting and demented.
live
------------
At The BBC
RADIO 1 SESSION [17.3.83]
d3 1. Time Became The Tide (RADIO 1 SESSION 17.3.83) 3:50
d3 2. Murder (RADIO 1 SESSION 17.3.83) 3:19
d3 3. Blind Vision (RADIO 1 SESSION 17.3.83) 4:17
d3 4. Vishnu (RADIO 1 SESSION 17.3.83) 4:45
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a very brief introduction to a few of the songs. nice backup vocals.
the takes are similar to the album version. great instrumentation.
maybe they are slightly slower in tempo. 'blind vision' is the
standout.
IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS [24.5.84]
d3 5. Living On The Ceiling (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:46
d3 6. Game Above My Head (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:01
d3 7. I Can’t Explain (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:09
d3 8. My Baby (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:17
d3 9. Blind Vision (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:26
d3 10. Don’t Tell Me (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:07
d3 11. God’s Kitchen (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 3:06
d3 12. Murder (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 5:31
d3 13. The Day Before You Came (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 6:18
d3 14. That’s Love, That It Is (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:45
d3 15. Kind (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 4:25
d3 16. Feel Me (IN CONCERT, HAMMERSMITH PALAIS 24.5.84) 6:00
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a short little intro to this concert starts it off, this show was also available
on VHS, DVD and a rare japanese laserdisc (which i ripped the audio from awhile ago).
https://www.discogs.com/Blancmange-Hell ... se/3440869
the track order is different, and it's missing 'waves', and 'i've seen the word',
although they added 'the day before you came'.
this is a great recording, and probably captures them at their peak. you can't
go wrong with the track selection, and energy that it captures. neils voice is
in great shape. a great concert to have in good quality.
individual results
============================
+ excellent album remaster, definitely their best album to me
+ excellent radio sessions, and live tracks
+ excellent remixes, and b-sides, good quality
o very good set of demos and alternate takes
o ok job on fixing some of the mistakes of earlier versions
- not a very good job of putting tracks together, on first 2 discs
- not a very good order for the tracks
- missing some major remixes and tracks (although there wasn't room for them)
=======================================================
overall, if you're a fan of this album - get this set
if you're a collector - you'll want this album also.
the remaster quality is very good, if you're concered about sound quality.
if you're a casual fan - you'll enjoy this album also, since it has such
a cohesive and complete feel to it. the mixes are also a great addition.
no downsides on this package, except for the several missing remixes. they
should have compiled them better to fit.
later
-1
'blind vision'
[part 2 of 3]