Is Numb about to be PSB lowest charting single?

Message

dVTB · #91 Post by **dVTB** » Sun 29 Oct 2006, 6:32 pm

jamie1978 wrote:Its true, Numb was a total and utter flop by anyones standards

the lowest selling PSB single ever, probably (6000 first week sales must be a record low for any single released in the past 20 years).

I date to say 'I told you so' but it seems all too fitting

It was ALWAYS going to be a flop, it was a really bad choice for a single. I mean, REALLY BAD.

Please quit the "told you so" attitude. You were the one who convinced us all that we weren't going to get a 3rd single in the first place. You were proved wrong.

gareth · #92 Post by **gareth** » Sun 29 Oct 2006, 7:18 pm

dVTB wrote:
jamie1978 wrote:Its true, Numb was a total and utter flop by anyones standards

the lowest selling PSB single ever, probably (6000 first week sales must be a record low for any single released in the past 20 years).

I date to say 'I told you so' but it seems all too fitting

It was ALWAYS going to be a flop, it was a really bad choice for a single. I mean, REALLY BAD.
Please quit the "told you so" attitude. You were the one who convinced us all that we weren't going to get a 3rd single in the first place. You were proved wrong.

Hear hear.

And for lord's sakes, why aren't people just happy that we are still in a position to physically go and buy product by PSB? I doubt they will ever make a dent in the single charts again, but who cares. I'm sure they realise this and if, after 20 odd years of recording brilliant music, they want to release Numb - who's to argue with that?

If you really don't like it, don't buy it, but don't then come over all holier than thou about the whole thing not being in the top 10 for weeks on end.

Cheers

G

Kris · #93 Post by **Kris** » Sun 29 Oct 2006, 9:57 pm

Agreed also. If Numb had been a lead single then I could understand the hysteria regarding chart positions but this was the third single from an album that had already run its course. The only way of resurrecting Fundamental was to release a different kind of PSB song that would appeal outside of the fanbase, and Numb was arguably that. It failed but it was still the right decision as far as I'm concerned.

patrick · #94 Post by **patrick** » Sun 29 Oct 2006, 10:01 pm

! wrote:I'm just saying it isn't the worst charting single.

Comparing chart positions years apart is basically irrelevant. Was It Worth It likely outsold Numb by thousands of units.

! · #95 Post by ! » Sun 29 Oct 2006, 10:13 pm

patrick wrote:
! wrote:I'm just saying it isn't the worst charting single.
Comparing chart positions years apart is basically irrelevant. Was It Worth It likely outsold Numb by thousands of units.

I wasn't comparing, I was stating a fact that Numb charted at 23 and Was it worth it? at 24. Of course, Was it worth it? probably sold more than Numb but I'll defend Numb to the death especially when it comes to jamie1978 constantly having a pop at it.
If it never charted at all I'd still defend it!

Kris wrote:The only way of resurrecting Fundamental was to release a different kind of PSB song that would appeal outside of the fanbase, and Numb was arguably that. It failed but it was still the right decision as far as I'm concerned.

Exactly my point!

patrick · #96 Post by **patrick** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 12:00 am

! wrote:I wasn't comparing, I was stating a fact that Numb charted at 23 and Was it worth it? at 24.

Yes, but it's a "fact" that misleads toward an erroneous conclusion.

NJTom · #97 Post by **NJTom** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 1:57 am

I think one may have to think of Numb as a "loss leader" .... it opens up public consideration of the PSB to a larger scope ... if they released stomping dance tracks only, they'd get even less airplay and attention than they get now, beacuse to the non-fan base, it would just sound like the same thing over and over again.

As far as a next single, i agree Integral is technically a better song, but Soddom allows for more gimmicky Shopisms, and I can understand why EMI favour it.

Tom

Kiran · #98 Post by **Kiran** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 9:37 am

gareth wrote:And for lord's sakes, why aren't people just happy that we are still in a position to physically go and buy product by PSB?

But its not that easy though, is it? I think it is nonsense having to buy singles over the internet. I used to be able to walk into Woolworths and buy a PSBs single, but now it seems I can't. I shouldn't have to try and track down a PSB single on the week of release or the week after it has charted.

Minimal and Numb are the first singles I've not bought. Not because I haven't wanted to but because they are just too difficult to find.

dVTB · #99 Post by **dVTB** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 9:49 am

Numb proved to be a wrong single choice, yet I can see why PSB and/or EMI decided to try it with Numb.

I'm With Stupid was an uptempo track to promote the album with. Minimal was also uptempo, but it failed to make relevant chart impression, nor did it manage to stimulate Fundamental sales. If we were going to get a 3rd single, a different kind of song was the only realistic option.

Excuses and Casanova aren't single material, so this left only Numb and Indefinite Leave To Remain as options. Numb was used by the BBC when England was kicked out of the world cup...

Hence the choice for Numb. When I heard the radio edit for the first time, I immediately expected this song to flop. It's not only PSB's worst performing single, it's also their worst single. Yet, Numb is a good song on Fundamental.

kimphilby · #100 Post by **kimphilby** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 1:38 pm

it's also their worst single. Yet, Numb is a good song on Fundamental.

I agree with dVTB (there's a first). Whilst being far from their best work, the Fundamental and Concrete versions of Numb are inordinately superior to the horrible, horrible, H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E 'radio' edit. Mmmhhh, a radio edit which on its highest airplay chart week had an unwhopping 68 spins on UK radio. Why bother?

E-Mail Vampire · #101 Post by **E-Mail Vampire** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 4:47 pm

My main gripe is that if both PSB/EMI have wanted it as a single ever since 2003 then why did they not put more effort into promotion and distribution. Also dare I say more effort with making the video appeal to the general public.

PopArt · #102 Post by **PopArt** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 9:11 pm

There is an irony to all this. PSB hire a "Hit Maker" like Dianne Warren to write a track for them and it turns out to be a flop!

Somehow, I dont think it really matters all that much. It's been 20 years, they've just signed a new deal with Parlophone, they are on a huge World Tour (and playing venues they last played in 1991- i.e. their popularity hasn't declined that much).

Things for PSB aren't bad atall.

jamie1978 · #103 Post by **jamie1978** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 10:37 pm

dVTB wrote:
jamie1978 wrote:Its true, Numb was a total and utter flop by anyones standards

the lowest selling PSB single ever, probably (6000 first week sales must be a record low for any single released in the past 20 years).

I date to say 'I told you so' but it seems all too fitting

It was ALWAYS going to be a flop, it was a really bad choice for a single. I mean, REALLY BAD.
Please quit the "told you so" attitude. You were the one who convinced us all that we weren't going to get a 3rd single in the first place. You were proved wrong.

And when I found out that they wasted the opportunity of a third single by releasing THE WORST SONG POSSIBLE, I immediately said it was a mistake. I said it would utterly flop, and fail to sell more copies of Fundamental.

I was proved right.

Singles exists to promote albums. Not to satisfy the desires of strange fans who want a 'slow' single for the sake of 'balance'.

To be honest, anyone who defends Numbs release is totally detached from reality. It had 'failure' written all over it.

! · #104 Post by ! » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 10:41 pm

jamie1978 wrote:Not to satisfy the desires of strange fans who want a 'slow' single for the sake of 'balance'.

jamie1978 wrote:anyone who defends Numbs release is totally detached from reality.

jamie1978 · #105 Post by **jamie1978** » Mon 30 Oct 2006, 11:09 pm

PopArt wrote:There is an irony to all this. PSB hire a "Hit Maker" like Dianne Warren to write a track for them and it turns out to be a flop!

Somehow, I dont think it really matters all that much. It's been 20 years, they've just signed a new deal with Parlophone, they are on a huge World Tour (and playing venues they last played in 1991- i.e. their popularity hasn't declined that much).

Things for PSB aren't bad atall.

have they signed a new deal with parlophone?

what are the details?