The Loving Kind

[Nervously]

Vocal is fabulous. Further evidence of how Andrew Dawson destroyed what could have been a great album (except for the atrocious lyrics to Winner)

Do we know yet if this is the first demo of Vocal, without any input from Dawson? The problem, I think, is that the sound of his productions is too stripped down for PSB. Besides, at the time he didn't seem to have a lot of familiarity with the PSB catalogue, a bit like Higgins; unlike Higgins, though, at least Dawson actually tried to balance his sound with the PSB own thing, but it was a tricky mission and the results inevitably varied from good and original (Leaving, Requiem) to odd and forced (Ego music, Hold on, the short mix of Woods). It doesn't surprise me that after working with Higgins and with Dawson they chose a producer like Price, who's much closer to their universe...

I wholly disagree - I think Higgins understood PSB. Dawson is a bland US product that produced a bland PSB album. This demo is evidence of how vanilla he made them. Price is a bit of a one-trick-pony too, which is why stretching him over three albums could take it a bit too far.

I'm with Bulldog on this one- I'm assuming this "Vocal" demo is pre-Dawson involvement. It sounds, well, like a demo, and we we know PSB demoed all the songs they had in mind for the album before sending them to Dawson. So it seems unfair to drag him into this whatever your feelings about the album.

[b2311e]

I can't help but think the brass in the Vocal demo sounds a bit like this

[Drico One]

Listening to the demo of Vocal, I take my hat off to Stuart Price. If this is what he had to work with, then he's solely responsible for the spine-tingling euphoria and serotonin rush that the album version delivered. The demo is fascinating, but it's bizarre: the mismatch between Tennant's communal lyrics and the overweening menace of Lowe's accompaniment is stark. Price seems to have replaced the foreboding and bombast with a joyous ecstasy. Tennant sounds disembowelled on this, lifeless, and rambling - simply because the music is so overpowering and nefarious that he is drowned out, banished to the dark recesses of the backing track.

The Loving Kind is such a great piece of insistent bubblegum pop. If this was what they came up with prior to working with Xenomania, then it seems that Neil and Chris pretty much devised the entire track themselves. For some reason, I had the impression that Xenomania wrote significant parts of the Girls Aloud version, but seemingly not. Of course, Neil's lyric is more complicated than the single version, but that's to be expected and enjoyed. To get Girls Aloud to sing "disinclined" was an achievement. Expecting them to croak out "much maligned" as well was pushing it... They'd have been in danger of an education and we couldn't be having that.

Their last self-penned top 10 single. A nice way to go out.

Drico.

[TallThinMan]

Listening to the demo of Vocal, I take my hat off to Stuart Price. If this is what he had to work with, then he's solely responsible for the spine-tingling euphoria and serotonin rush that the album version delivered.

Well we don't actually know that he's solely responsible. His suggestions may have creatively inspired Neil and Chris to contribute large parts of the rework too. They already proved with Opportunities, Don Juan, It's Alright et al that they're pretty good at radically reimagining a track.

Lots of folk here seen to rate The Loving Kind. What exactly is the appeal? To me it's one of the least interesting songs in the entire PSB canon. It's a competent pop song but there's nothing about it that grabs me.

[Dog]

The Loving Kind is such a great piece of insistent bubblegum pop. If this was what they came up with prior to working with Xenomania, then it seems that Neil and Chris pretty much devised the entire track themselves. For some reason, I had the impression that Xenomania wrote significant parts of the Girls Aloud version, but seemingly not.

I had assumed this is post Xenomania. It's a mix rather than a demo which suggests it's further evolved.

[Spittingcat]

The iTunes track info credits Higgins&Co as co-composers.

[KingofRome]

I can't help but think the brass in the Vocal demo sounds a bit like this

oh my god! you are so right on point!

[Drico One]

Listening to the demo of Vocal, I take my hat off to Stuart Price. If this is what he had to work with, then he's solely responsible for the spine-tingling euphoria and serotonin rush that the album version delivered.

Well we don't actually know that he's solely responsible. His suggestions may have creatively inspired Neil and Chris to contribute large parts of the rework too. They already proved with Opportunities, Don Juan, It's Alright et al that they're pretty good at radically reimagining a track.

No, we don't know that he was solely responsible, but on the balance of probabilities he surely had something to do with the transformation of the track from menacing and incongruous to euphoric and joyous. Even if he only made suggestions that inspired - which is what all good producers do anyway - then I doff my hat to him. The final "sound" of Vocal on Electric is very much in keeping with the Price template, so I don't think it's a stretch to suggest his contribution was significant to the success of the album version. Of course, Neil and Chris deserve credit too. Even if they did nothing else to the track itself, they picked Price to produce. So, all things considered, good work all round. That's not to say that it's impossible that a euphoric version was given to Price and he had little to do to the album version except make it fit in to the general sound of that record - but there's no evidence that was the case. On balance, I'm happy to give him credit for this one. His mixing of the vocals on the single version is still dreadful, mind.

Drico.

[Drico One]

The Loving Kind is such a great piece of insistent bubblegum pop. If this was what they came up with prior to working with Xenomania, then it seems that Neil and Chris pretty much devised the entire track themselves. For some reason, I had the impression that Xenomania wrote significant parts of the Girls Aloud version, but seemingly not.

I had assumed this is post Xenomania. It's a mix rather than a demo which suggests it's further evolved.

That's a good point. Yet, I can't help think that it's not that evolved as the vocals, for example, are really rough. But, yes, I think it probably is post-Xenomania for the reasons given.

Drico.

[Drico One]

Lots of folk here seen to rate The Loving Kind. What exactly is the appeal? To me it's one of the least interesting songs in the entire PSB canon. It's a competent pop song but there's nothing about it that grabs me.

I can't speak for a universal "appeal" - so I won't try to suggest that you are wrong about The Loving Kind - but I will describe what I like about it and why it appeals to me. In essence, it's hugely catchy and full of hooks, it doesn't hang around in revealing them, and doesn't outstay its welcome. It's also replete with Tennantisms that I find endearing. His use of the word "disinclined" speaks volumes. Neil is always disinclined about something or other. He was disinclined to stay in Suburbia, disinclined to conform to others' expectations, disinclined to play football, disinclined to smile on Top of the Pops, disinclined to play live, and disinclined to leave Vocal in the grim state it was in prior to giving it to Stuart Price.

There's also that bit in the middle about a Monday morning platform and losing his way - how utterly PSB: lost in urbanity while pondering whether or not to take the train.

Drico.

[Tom Angel]

Lots of folk here seen to rate The Loving Kind. What exactly is the appeal? To me it's one of the least interesting songs in the entire PSB canon. It's a competent pop song but there's nothing about it that grabs me.

I can't speak for a universal "appeal" - so I won't try to suggest that you are wrong about The Loving Kind - but I will describe what I like about it and why it appeals to me. In essence, it's hugely catchy and full of hooks, it doesn't hang around in revealing them, and doesn't outstay its welcome. It's also replete with Tennantisms that I find endearing. His use of the word "disinclined" speaks volumes. Neil is always disinclined about something or other. He was disinclined to stay in Suburbia, disinclined to conform to others' expectations, disinclined to play football, disinclined to smile on Top of the Pops, disinclined to play live, and disinclined to leave Vocal in the grim state it was in prior to giving it to Stuart Price.

There's also that bit in the middle about a Monday morning platform and losing his way - how utterly PSB: lost in urbanity while pondering whether or not to take the train.

Drico.

Well that HAS to be my favourite dissection of a song I've ever read - the Monday morning platform moment is pop blues at its best. GirlsAloud version or not.

I have to take this moment to point you lot to the GENTS album - http://www.camelsandlions.com/blog/2016 ... cing-gents

They are everything to me now at 45 that Please was to me at 13. I urge every pet head to buy the EP and the album. It's beyond belief.

[Nina]

Their last self-penned top 10 single.

Drico.

How?

[Spittingcat]

Gents? Oooo… I like that.

Songs remind me of when Brian Eno was trying to be a pop singer.

Is that video supposed to be hilarious though? Because it is.

[MikeyC]

Lots of folk here seen to rate The Loving Kind. What exactly is the appeal? To me it's one of the least interesting songs in the entire PSB canon. It's a competent pop song but there's nothing about it that grabs me.

I can't speak for a universal "appeal" - so I won't try to suggest that you are wrong about The Loving Kind - but I will describe what I like about it and why it appeals to me. In essence, it's hugely catchy and full of hooks, it doesn't hang around in revealing them, and doesn't outstay its welcome. It's also replete with Tennantisms that I find endearing. His use of the word "disinclined" speaks volumes. Neil is always disinclined about something or other. He was disinclined to stay in Suburbia, disinclined to conform to others' expectations, disinclined to play football, disinclined to smile on Top of the Pops, disinclined to play live, and disinclined to leave Vocal in the grim state it was in prior to giving it to Stuart Price.

There's also that bit in the middle about a Monday morning platform and losing his way - how utterly PSB: lost in urbanity while pondering whether or not to take the train.

Drico.

Disinclined to cover his mouth when he yawned.

[glennjridge]

Normally I always feel the demo is inferior to the final studio version, but I must say I much prefer the "Vocal" demo. there is a brooding cinematic feel to the backing track. where as the final studio version sounds like a cookie cutter club arrangement, the demo version has an edge to it. the downside is...now that the music is so edgy sounding somehow...the clubby light hearted lyrics dont fit. still I love this