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Electronic |
| Craig and Eddie own and cherish the following works. The most recent is listed first. | Go back to
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| Second to None: B-sides & Rarities
Craig put together this homemade collection as a birthday present for a buddy, a fellow longtime Electronic fan. Favorites are "Imitation of Life," "A New Religion," "Radiation," and "Second to None," but every track is good. They're all from the singles mentioned below. |
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 Late
at Night 01: Maxisingle Another two-part maxi release from the "Twisted" album. This time each has a bonus song. "Warning Sign" is a lovely, mid-tempo number, sort of like "Visit Me" from the "Raise the Pressure" album. The remix of "Make It Happen" is unexceptional. |
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 Late
at Night 02: Maxisingle The sleeve for this single fits inside Number 01, so the lightning shows through the window panes (see above). "King for a Day" is worth a listen, but clearly a B-side. The decision to have Sumner hoot in the chorus was a mistake. Still, it has great guitar work and a hook. "Come Down Now" was criminally mistitled; it turns out to be yet another rehash of "Prodigal Son," prehaps the worst song on the "Twisted" album. Here it's reduced to a pleasing dancefloor beat and a few howling vocal snippets. It never sounded better. |
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 Vivid
01: Maxisingle What's up with these "part 1" and "part 2" maxis? What a way to stick it to the fans. Of course Craig bought them both, because he loves the group. There's nothing special here. "Vivid" is actually shorter than on the album, which might be the first time a band put out a maxi to give its fans less music. "Haze" seems a lot like the album version except that Sumner's vocals have been sent through the distortion filters twice instead of just once. The mix of "Prodigal Son" starts off with a promising, hard-core dance beat but outstays its welcome after 10 minutes. |
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 Vivid
02: Maxisingle The first and third tracks are useless if you've bought the album, on which they appear exactly as here ("Vivid") or in a far better version ("Prodigal Son"). But the second track kicks it. Sumner is somewhere in the background humming and mumbling while centerstage Marr unleashes an instantly catchy, jangling storm of guitars and percussion. You'll wish Sumner had penned real lyrics to go with it. |
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 Twisted
Tenderness. Craig bought this CD hot off the English presses May 5, 1999. He'd be lying if he said the group's new clammoring, filtered sound was a pleasant surprise. It reminds Craig of U2's Pop. But if anyone is going to try to breathe life into guitar rock at the end of the 20th century it might as well be Johnny Marr. He and Sumner have crafted some dense, restless scorchers, mostly with playing times that guarantee they'll never see airplay (5:30 is average). Still, the title track, "Vivid," "Like No Other," and "When She's Gone" are exceptional and deserve their spots among the band's splendid repertoire. |
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| Craig just hopes the guys got out of their systems whatever drove them to write the twice-too-long "Prodigal Son" or to suffer what seems like a nervous breakdown halfway through "Flicker." Twice on the album the phrase "I can't find my way home" appears. Craig hopes they can before the next album. |  |
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 Raise
the Pressure. Craig can't praise this album highly enough. Every time he returns to it over the months since its release in 1996, it just seems to get better. "Forbidden City" and "For You" recall the best of The Smiths, while "One Day" and "Until the End of Time" rival anything New Order has done. And when it comes to that unmatched Electronic sound, nothing beats "Dark Angel," "If You've Got Love," "Second Nature," and "Freefall." Marr has such a knack for balance and melody, everything he lays down is a hook, and Sumner's formidable lyrical skills have never been on better display. |
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 Electronic. The group's debut was a runaway success in England upon its release in 1992 (a U.K. critics association voted it one of the Top 20 albums of the year), and it still impresses today. "Some Distant Memory" is beautiful enough a piece of synth pop to rival Massive Attack's legendary "Unfinished Sympathy." The driving guitar work of "Idiot Country," "Tighten Up," and "Feel Every Beat" is Marr at his best. The Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant supplies the lead vocals on the great "Patience of a Saint" and "Getting Away With It," while Sumner shines in all the other tracks. |
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 Disappointed:
Maxisingle. The Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant sings on this 1991 song, which appeared in the motion picture Cool World. He serves Sumner's dazzling lyrics well. "Gangster," on which Sumner sings, is also irresistible; this mix is an extended version of the one that would later appear on the album Electronic. |
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 Getting
Away With It: Maxisingle. A terrific song. "However I look / It's clear to see / That I love you / More than you love me." It seemed like every radio was playing this around the clock in 1990. Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys handles the lead vocals. "Lucky Bag" is a complex, up-beat instrumental. |
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| Feel
Every Beat The band's debut, and what a debut! No one knew what to expect from The Smiths' revered songwriter/guitarist and New Order's beloved songwriter/singer. The song begins with some rollicking guitar riffs, then...what's that? Rap? Sumner sneers through the opening lines with palpable attitude, and soon the joyous chorus rises up to take over. The instrumental "Lean" is pretty, and "Second to none" is so good you'll wonder why it wasn't included on Electronic. |
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