Has a review of the Fire reissues on page 105. Concentrates on the music and is very evenhanded; It ***, Freaks ****, Separations ****, respectively. Worth reading ina shop if not for buying.
Was wondering if the reissues would get much of a review in the music press. Is it a full-length article or a sidebar thing? Generous ratings considering what they usually get from ''unbiased'' reviewers.
Wow, great stuff. The description of the alternate Blue Girls sounds totally different to the version I've heard. Maybe it's the long-lost original version after all then!
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
What a really well-informed, interesting review. (though I disagree with his lukewarm appraisal of side one of Separations). A nice nod to Suzanne Catty (sp?) from her ex too.
Wow, great stuff. The description of the alternate Blue Girls sounds totally different to the version I've heard. Maybe it's the long-lost original version after all then!
I have pre ordered 'It' since late September.Waiting time has been too long and the thing that worries me is that although the fire site says they are released on 13th February , there's no release date in that review(or did I miss something?)
Just listening on iTunes. Interesting. Please Don't Worry is definitely the version from the It sessions rather than the Peel one as advertised. Blue Girls isn't the long-lost original as suggested by the Uncut review, it's just an early mix with a different vocal (and there's no organ on it, what are they on about?). Sink or Swim, curiously enough, sounds to me very much like the Spice demo version (although I'd have to hear the whole thing to be sure).
Manon seems to be the Imminent 4 / Masters of the Universe CD version rather than the one from the Master of the Universe single, boo. And Death Comes to Town seems to be the same mix that's on Beats Working for a Living - no surprise there as that was the official finished version.
A mixed bag indeed...
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
I tell you something, I definately think that Little Girl With Blue Eyes on the Freaks album sounds alot more crisp - I think they have definately done a job on that one, cant quite tell with Seppy, but im almost certain that It and Freaks have truely been remastered.
I have pre ordered 'It' since late September.Waiting time has been too long and the thing that worries me is that although the fire site says they are released on 13th February , there's no release date in that review(or did I miss something?)
Fire issued a big PR statement on their website a few weeks ago before Christmas confirming the Feb dates. And monthly magazines always review stuff due out in the next few weeks but rarely give the date of them.
Yeah, for those skilled at recognising such nuances, is the remastering up to much? And if we have got the 'It' session Please Don't Worry after all maybe the itunes clips are an earlier draft of the tracklisting and we'll end-up with the Peel one and the more varied Blue Girls.
Don't use itunes but the previews are also on amazon so I've had a quick listen to the bonus tracks. It's so odd to hear something so obscure like 'Sink Or Swim', I never thought we would. It seems to have a vaguely lounge-style feel to Jarvis' vocals over a Duran Duran-esque backing doesn't it?!
And check out the alternate Separations cover:
Cosmic!
The graphic looks like a rejected poster advert for 7Up in the late 80's! Actually I think I can make out a Mickey Mouse round head and ears...
It's a real shame that Rattlesnake won't be on this. Beats all the other bonus tracks on Separations into a cocked hat and is as good as anything they'd done up to that point, My Legendary Girlfriend andCountdown included. It would seem strange if clearance from the group was an issue considering it plays over the credits of The Beat Is The Law DVD.
I thought the original Blue Girls was 'all about the guitars'. Is this not true of the clip...?
No, not at all. It's the album version, but a rougher mix with less reverb on the piano and a different vocal take. The original original Blue Girls, a completely different arrangment with guitars and drums aplenty, was wiped in the studio by all accounts.
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"Yes I saw her in the chip shop / so I said get yer top off"
Yeah, for those skilled at recognising such nuances, is the remastering up to much?
It's almost impossible to tell on these low quality samples, will have to wait until the actual cd's come out. If they sound good to your ears though that's all that matters.
There are three tracks on Fire's Soundcloud which might be a bit better for checking the quality.
For what it's worth, they sound pretty good. Less tape hiss on Little Girl, compared to MOTU comp, and MLG sounds clearer than on original CD (not difficult).