I've posted this at PSB-online, too. Release and the fans...

[Guest]

I'm going to apologise in advance for this post, because I am going to be quite ill-mannered, and I will also beg my pardon for lack of order and correctness in this post.

I've been reading a couple of posts on here today, and although I admit I haven't been checking in often, so I've probably no right whatsoever to have any say at all, I'm going to.

Haven't you lot got over Release yet? I've noticed a couple of posts still going on about it, and how that the new album is rumoured to be guitar based, and "oh no, it might be another Release"...Can somebody PLEASE tell me what honestly was so terrible about it?

Was it so terrible because it was a little bit different? I would have thought that because it was taking a big step away from what has come before it would have been a little more appreciated. I believe it's versatility-the boys were showing us that they are versatile, and exploring other aspects of music, that they are not like the closed-minded, two-faced sycophantics that try to dictate how they should or should not write their music. It would be interesting see these same people (and you know who you are) say the same about Beethoven or Bach who were considered revolutionary in their time.

Also has anyone also considered how hard it must have been to write some of those songs? 'Love is a catastrophe', for example? And then taking the next step and sharing it with the fans-and all anyone has really been able to do is slag it off!

Yes, I can understand people having an opinion, but I do have the odd thought that perhaps it became a trend to dislike Release? How many people sat down and actually listened to it, right through? Who listened to 'Birthday Boy'? If you did-how could you not like it? It's a beautiful song. Listen to the lyrics for goodness sake! And 'The Night I Fell In Love'-clever reference to Eminem, I thought, and it was a risky sort of song to write, but they made it work.

I'm also drawn to something Indeedy said. There is liking something genuinely, and there's also buying something for the sake of PSB writing/performing it, etc. But when people are so flaming judgemental-you all claim to be "fans", so why are you all the very first people to put them down and to critisise? Constructive critisism I can understand-but outright put-downs? If you are so clever, why don't you write your own songs/music and do better?

It just makes me a little sad to see so many self-obsessed, bitchy, small-minded people...and I will apologise to the few of you that arent. A lot of you also seem to use this forum as a way of having a slanging-match at each other...That's hardly about the music or PSB, is it? And there really is no need to get so personal-at each other, or about PSB.

Perhaps I am just going a little overboard, and I am sorry. But I am having a vent. If I end up banned or black-listed, so be it. As a few people have so charmingly said, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and this is mine.

A few people would be advised to pull their heads from their behinds, have a look around, and realise that it isn't where the sun shines from.

Again, my apologies for my lack of manners, but I do feel it needed to be said.

[DJAMIX]

I like Release.

[Young Offender]

Release and Behaviour are my favourites!

[Eldritch]

If you are so clever, why don't you write your own songs/music and do better?

Suppose you hire someone to fix your plumbing and he manages to flood your apartment in the process. Now, can you criticize his work, since you're not a plumber yourself?

The thing is: if you pay good money for something, that gives you the license to become a critic yourself. Actually if you just devote 45 minutes of your time to listening to Release, that gives you the permission to love it to bits or slag it off – no matter how tone deaf you might be.

That said, I do love Release, even though they should have given the final tracklisting another re-think. Birthday Boy, London and You Choose are up there with anything they've done.

[Joemoz]

And 'The Night I Fell In Love'-clever reference to Eminem, I thought, and it was a risky sort of song to write, but they made it work.

Clever? How about toe-curlingly embarassing? Risky? No, just ridiculous. Making it work? Absolutely not unless you get some perverse pleasure from seeing a great lyricist like Neil go so low.

I don't think Release is all that bad. It has some reasonably good songs in I get along, Birthday Boy, London, Love is a catastrophe and Samurai in Autumn. The problem is that those are not nearly good enough to make up for the fact that the remaining five songs are either downright bad or just not up to scratch for a PSB album.

The point is that the expectations are always so very high, and often they have actually managed to live up to them or even surpass them. When the album came out, I remember that most of us seemed to rather like it, but after a year or two it has found a place near the bottom of most people's favourite PSB album lists.

[rabagast]

A majority of die hard PSB fans actually have an incredible conservative taste in music. The idea of "guitar-music" is frowned upon whereas prospects of "epic disco-stompers" wet the pants....

All the complaining of the songwriting on Release; there are some stunning songs on there (The Eminem song is a B-side though). Where they wrapped in walls of velvet sound and backed by 4/4 beats (Autopilot PSB) few people would have commented on the songs musical quality.

I quite agree with Neil's comment about the fans seing Neil and Chris as theese old tossers f*** up the "PSB project".

PS! I like Release. Count me in.

[Zeus On The Loose]

Birthday Boy is god-send awful. If I wanted poor man's R.E.M, I'd buy their b'side compilation.

[Eldritch]

Birthday Boy is god-send awful. If I wanted poor man's R.E.M, I'd buy their b'side compilation.

Would you settle for one copy then or throw caution to the wind and purchase 20 copies like you did with Release?

[Zeus On The Loose]

Nah, I'm now a bigger fan of Dsquared and tracking down Dsquared clothes as they arrive in the shops is my new sport and obsession.

Dean and Dan do it better!

[BlueSwan]

Home And Dry: dull
I Get Along: sort of OK in a bland sort of way
Birthday Boy: Fantabulous!
London: Brill!
E-Mail: Nice
The Samurai In Autumn: Decent
Love Is A Catastrophe: Masterpiece!
Here: Demoish
The Night I Fell In Love: Phil Collins
You Choose: Good

Overall, too many bland songs, but the album's got a nice feel to it. One of the best PSB albums to put on when you have non-PSB fans around. It's non offensive to the musical taste challenged.

[Joemoz]

A majority of die hard PSB fans actually have an incredible conservative taste in music. The idea of "guitar-music" is frowned upon whereas prospects of "epic disco-stompers" wet the pants....

I don't think it has anything to do with that. I like a lot of guitar music - such as Morrissey - in fact I like it better than the hardcore dance music that some of Nightlife is leaning towards, but the point here is that Release is not the sort of music that PSB do best. I certainly wasn't prejudiced before the album came out, but like I said, it just turned out to be not as good as the rest.

I don't hate Release, but I do hope that for the next album they will go back to their roots, so to speak, because they do "disco stompers" better than everyone else.

[jamie1978]

Release is nothing more than MOR soft rock for the gays. Coldplay Lite.

And no, I couldnt write any better myself - but I can certainly buy better music myself, which is all that really matters.

And, like everyone on this forum, I'm entitled to an opinion and to express that opinion. Release is also their lowest ever selling studio album, in case you hadnt noticed.

Those images of Neil on CDUK with buttoned down denim shirt, trying to look 'rock casual'..... ugh, save me. It was all so ghastly.

[joncool5]

It's an okay album ('Birthday Boy', 'Here' and 'You Choose' are all quality). The problem is that songs like 'Email' and 'The Night I Fell In Love' should never have been released and the album is a little bland overall. I liked it when it first came out but as time has gone by I've realised that it isn't dynamic enough and is something they would have frowned upon in the 80's.

[Kiran]

Yes, its an OK album. But I think there is nothing wrong with criticising it if you aren't fond of it. It's Ok to be a fan and not worship everything they do, that would just be a bit wrong.

[dVTB]

Release is my 5th favourite PSB album, behind all their four 90's albums.

Home And Dry: decent song and lead single
I Get Along: underappreciated anthem with very clever lyrics
Birthday Boy: album highlight, beautiful song
London: very good pop song, single worthy
E-Mail: nice song, very radio-friendly (could have been a single)
Samurai: nice, but totally out of place on this album
Love Is A Catastrophe: a song that needs time to get used to. It has its qualities.
Here: one of PSB's best songs in recent years, god-awful production, causing it to be out of place on this album
The Night I Fell In Love: Beautiful music, pity that PSB went into the pathetic rap dissing circuit. They should never have lowered themselves to that level.
You Choose: good album closer, which recently grew on me.

Always: too good to be a B-side
Sexy Northerner: great track, works well as a B-side
Searching For The Face Of Jesus: beautiful song. Should have been on the album.
Between Two Islands: it just goes nowhere. Worst thing PSB recorded since Electricity.
I Didn't Get Where I Am Today: a track that was screaming LEAD SINGLE...