Quench -- Love it or Hate it

October 1998

The Eighth Listening (JoelPY)

Honesty time. Yesterday morning, after listening to Quench (Q) twice, I was fully prepared to write a scathing anti-Q review. Work, of course, got in the way, and I didn't get around to it.

So after listening to it six more times, I'm still disappointed, but it has its moments.

First, I think Norm Cook's involvement has been a disaster. The "cleaner" beats to my ears translate to a consistently over-tempo disc that sweeps you along without giving you a chance to enjoy each additional piece.

The organic quality of previous discs is almost completely absent. That said, I think many many of the Q tracks will sound 100% better, and gain "life", when played live, where the musicians can be musicians, rather than slaves of the tempo machine. (I even think 2 tracks, at least, are using a drum machine part of the time <blecchh>)

Second, Paul's decision to monopolize the singing was, if nothing else, a little rash. While some of his tracks are good ("The Slide" "Window Shopping" "The Table" P10) few are actually supreme.

The most egregious sin is the new verses to "Dumb" which start off great (Jacqui and the planets) but collapse to insulting when Paul crokes "it don't take a telescope for you to loooo-uh-ooove me." I always kind of liked the song, now I've got to figure out a way to scratch out his line, so I can still enjoy Jacqui's beautiful voice.

Knocking out Dave and Jacqui (poor Dave) for so much of the album seems vaguely criminal, and then shafting Dave with "Pockets"

I have to imagine the B-Sides will be Jacqui doing what she does best (hmm, more MG Greaves covers?) and poor Dave gets to drink more beer.

This screwing of JA/DH makes the B-Sides on P10 even more curious ... it's not like the Motor Services Band had sung Rotterdam or Song for Whoever and deserved to get at least one decent track in 1998.

Third, some of the lyrics are so strained metaphorically as to be moronic. "The Lure of the Sea" has lots of great lines and thoughts -- the title lyric is, however, wretched, same with the "Suicide's an anarchist ..." series of idiocies.

"The Table" is great, because who the hell writes about singing tables -- a pleasant diversion.

"The Slide" has grown on me quite nicely, and I think will be the signature track of the disc that we remember.

"Window Shopping" is a great track, although the title metaphor/lyric should have stayed on the bar napkin and been replaced with -- any other lyric. It's a stupid metaphor.

"Your Father and I" will be great live, I don't love the way it came out of the studio, but it has enormous potential

"Pockets" and "I May Be Ugly" are just bloody awful tracks.

Fourth, I love the package design. Mercury, et al. have done a great job -- I even like my shitty grey piece of cardboard on the Ltd.

In summary, I returned to Miaow (an album I rarely listen to) this morning, just to see if I had been unfair to the "bad half" of it.

Guess what. "Worthless Lie" is better than everything on Quench. Particularly Perfect 10.

Roll on B-Sides

Re:  The Eighth (J. Maddocks)

I'm going to have to agree with Joel in some cases. I prefer perfect10 to all the other tracks though. Dumb would come in a close second,and I even like the new verse compared to the whole "b-side" version. I thought this was a very musically innovative album, but lyrically it fell in a Utah pothole (if you've never been to Utah, just imagine a hole in the road that's half a meter across and about 10-12 cm deep ruining your car). It does seem that they're trying to strech on those lyrics even though they've got some good one liners. Slide is good, probably, like Joel said, is the one that sticks the most to my liking. But overall Joel's review is correct in my opinion.

Thanks for being civil Joel!

Objective Review (J. Chumley)

I feel compelled to respond to the many negative reviews I have heard of the new CD. I think those negative comments are, at best, premature. That is to say, assuming they are coming from people who are(or have been) fans of the band.

It is probably unproductive to compare QUENCH (Q) to previous albums just yet. The reason for this is simple: we are still due two--maybe three--singles, and the b-sides that come with them. Not only will repeated play of the tracks chosen as singles inevitably raise our appreciation level for those songs, but the accompanying b-sides will no doubt further our interest in the album as a whole. By way of example, consider MIAOW. Would we look as fondly on that album if not for the b-sides? I think not.

Nonetheless, I will attempt to explain why I think Q is the second- or third- best album The Beautiful South has released.

On the subject of the number of tracks Paul sings: This is certainly nothing new. The Beautiful South has always been "Paul's" band. BITC is an anomaly in respect to the number of tracks that do not feature Paul on vocals. In fact, if I am not mistaken, there is only ONE track("Everybody's Talkin'") on MIAOW that does not include Paul. Yes, Dave has contributed more on prior albums, but he has contributed less. Jacqui was definitely featured more prominently on BITC, but her level of involvement on Q is very comparable to that on MIAOW. I see this as a non-issue, but I do want to point one thing out: If an album is judged by the singles, then there stands a good chance that Q will not be seen so much as Paul's work. Jacqui is an indispensable part of "Perfect 10," as she is on "How Long's A Tear Take To Dry," which seems likely to be released as a single. Throw in "Window Shopping For Blinds" or "Your Father and I" as singles and the vocals look a little different.

On the subject of alleged "bloody awful" tracks: First, please note that Q delivers TWELVE brand-spanking-new songs, plus a reworked "Dumb." Only 0898 can match this, with its twelve new songs. WTTBS has ten new songs, plus a cover("Girlfriend"). CHOKE has nine new songs, plus "Lips," which I cannot call a genuine song, and an instrumental. MIAOW and BITC each have eleven plus a cover. On sheer volume alone, Q outdistances all its predecessors. So, if there is a song or two you don't care for, just remember that it was a bonus, anyway.

"I May Be Ugly" falls into the same category as "Liar's Bar." You love it or you don't. I love them both, personally. I don't see how any fan of Paul Heaton's can't love his vocal performance in "I May Be Ugly." Lyrically, IMBU is very creative.

As for "Pockets," I think it is an average track. Yet, TBS is certainly not immune to average tracks. How about "Oh Blackpool?" Or "My Book"(incidentally, I think the biggest mistake TBS ever made was releasing this as a single instead of "I Think the Answer's Yes"), "I Hate You..."(where Paul sings like...well, like a walrus smoking blow), "When I'm 84," "Hidden Jukebox," "Poppy," and most of BITC? You don't have to look too terribly hard to find an average track on a TBS album--or on any album, for that matter. Bear in mind that Heaton/Rotheray had written well over 100 songs before Q. I am personally amazed that they are still able to write as many creative songs as they do.

Other ways Q stands apart from other TBS albums: diversity of sound - Just listen to "How Long's A Tear Take To Dry" and "Losing Things" back-to-back to appreciate this point. Then listen to "Perfect 10" and "The Slide" consecutively(which, incidentally, isn't hard to do). Maybe some people think this is a negative point, but I don't. I love a little variety in my music, even within the same band.

standout track - "The Slide" is probably the most poignant song TBS has ever recorded. It is a very powerful, very moving song. You can't compare apples to oranges, but you can safely say that "The Slide" is safely among the very best tracks ever by TBS.

Musically, I think TBS has matured quite a bit. I hear several sounds on Q that I have never heard before on any TBS album. I view this as a positive. After all, I don't expect them to sound the same in 1998 as they did in 1989. We have all matured quite a bit in those years; why shouldn't they?

Overall, I am very pleased with QUENCH. I was afraid at first(upon hearing the "Perfect 10" singles) that the band was running out of creativity, but I was way off base there.

Singles predictions? I think "How Long's A Tear Take To Dry" will be the next single, and I think it will do fairly well. This song has some 'country' elements to it. I like "Window Shopping For Blinds" to follow, and to be another top-ten hit. I'll go with a fourth single, "Your Father and I." Catchy tune. Maybe mid-twenties chart position. And now I'll go out on a real limb. I predict an unprecedented FIFTH single! For this, give me "Losing Things." I love the Brazilian-sounding beat, and I think it will play quite well to the masses. Another top-ten hit.

Whew. That's all I have to say. Thanks for listening.

My Q Opinion (L. Nakagawa)

The album arrived Thursday (thanks Ian!) and I gave it a cursory listen, but got a better opportunity to listen on the oh-so-exciting 2 1/2 hour drive from Fresno to San Jose on Saturday night. And, just as a disclaimer, I wasn't going to post at all, because I wasn't anxious to confirm (by what I'm about to type) that I am the biggest geek of all time. But, as I've already made that confirmation in real life (QUIET, Joel, Laura and Alex!) to a few LFWer's (must we use LFants, as clever as it is?), I figure I have little to lose. 

So. My opinion: I like it. A lot. Took a few listenings to get a feel for it, though. And I was a little worried from reading the other List members' reviews that I would be disappointed.

First, I have to agree with Joel's rant about sticking DH with Pockets. And not only because I'm one of those "female fans esp. fond of" him (although that does figure into it). To only have DH sing lead on 2 songs and the one of them be "Pockets".... I know, its all been said. But, sheesh! I mean, its not as if Pockets is as horrible as Pollard or anything.

I just feel... gyped, like I feel with Miaow. I like all 3 voices, but on Miaow (and this has all been discussed before too) I get tired of Paul singing lead all the time.

Really like Lure of the Sea. It has a 70's or maybe 80's nostalgic feel to it. Maybe that's why. Hmm...this just now hit me, so I have nothing to base this on, but it may be a little George Harrison-y(?) Maybe.

How Long's A Tear is really good. I also liked Look what I Found. I think those 3 (Lure, Tear, Beer) are the ones, besides P10, I liked the first time. Big Coin, which seems to be a Big Favorite, took a few times. Like 8. So, by listen 8 (which happened on the drive home to Fresno), I'm liking Big Coin, Table, Window Shopping, & Your Father & I. Oh, the Slides prolly in there, too.

And I like Dumb better with the new ending. So Dumb, too. In fact, I always skipped that track on the single (making You've Done Nothing Wrong the only song on I listened to with any frequency), but I like it now. I mean, I'd listen to Liar's Bar, but only once. Then after the first time through, I just repeat You've Done Nothing. Once of Liar's Bar is good, but enough, I think.

I mean, if you're driving down the streets of San Francisco with 4 other people, say, and you're having a dispute about Iris DeMent, and you have to play the single, just skip to the Iris DeMent song, I say! Then you can laugh at Joel, uh, I mean someone, all the sooner...

Now, I confess I don't remember Who said What in past Quench reviews. But...am I the only one who hears a very (Bob) Dylan-esque "thing" in I May Be Ugly??? It seems as obvious to me as the Liar's Bar/Waits "thing". That is, Paul doesn't sound like Dylan per se....the main difference being that Paul can sing. But there's that folk-y-tuneless-wandering-with-smokey-rasp quality.

And finally, the "big geek tip off" I referred to at the beginning of this post.... The beginning of Your Father and I really reminds me of the Jackson 5's "The Love You Save". You know, "stop! The love you save may be your own...." Okay. Its not a copy of the lyrical phrase like the Hold It Back "I've even pulled a cracker with the dog" and Table "Put me on a bonfire" thing that Katy (or Anna?) mentioned. But it just really reminds me of it. Anyway, thats the way I hear it.

Quenched (S.UltAltWavr)

With all this religious talk lately, I must say I've been reborn... that is, as a Beautiful South fan. Okay, Welcome To..., Choke, Shakespeare Wouldn't Mind and the B-sides of COUTC have been in frequent play, but I was severely disappointed with Blue is the Colour. I found it completely lifeless and quite boring.

So, I finally give in and buy Quench on ludicrously priced import ("A&B Online and they have Quench in stock for $10.96 USD or $16.99 CAN"--I guess I could have bought a couple of them!). Well, mine is the one with the cardboard thingy on it. How much is that one going for in the UK? Will it make me feel better?

Quench is really great. I'll give a more detailed review soon (as I expect many will in the coming weeks) . Right now I really like How Long's a Tear Take to Dry? and The Lure of the Sea ('cause it rocks!); and my favorite song by far is Your Father and I. I like Pockets and I May Be Ugly, which have been less-well recieved by some. I think Look What I Found in My Beer would sound better as a live-type demo (like Mini-Correct on the Good As Gold single), as it seems a bit mellow for what it wants to be. But I bet its great live; can someone confirm that? Window Shopping isn't driving me crazy, but it doesn't bother me either; and the same might go for the Table.

S. Burrows

Ho ho! Quench continues to grow on me. Whoever pointed out the similarity between 'Have You Ever Been Away' & 'I'm Losing Things' was spot on, but I love both so its not a problem.

My fave part on the album, the bit that makes my hairs stand up on end, is the break in 'The Table', "Put me on a bonfire watch me burn". 

I think Dave's been given the crap songs again (just as he was on BITC), so what was the last great 'Dave' song? "Domino Man"?  I notice that Paul get's a production credit - is this the first one that he's produced (rather than the band?). I much prefer the sounds used on Quench than BITC, especially the funky hammond sounding thing.

M.W. Zowie

Well after having quench for a few days (and listening to it several times)  I can say that it is a fine fine CD. Strong all the way thru, a couple of my favorite track being Table and Perfect 10, both very stong not to say that the rest of the album isn't just as good it's just those are the track that jump out at me the first few listings.

The biggest thing that I notice is that Sean must have one huge of a big ass bass amp, holy Hanna, there's some window shaking bass on that CD.

Also being a huge Briana fan and not really liking Jackie, but on this CD she is starting to sway me her way. I find that she really compliments Paul's voice very well.

Michigan Joe

Tthanks to Ian, I got my copy a while ago and have been taking it all in. I like it quite a bit and wasn't sure I would. BITC was probably my least favorite of all and I didn't have particulary high hopes.

I agree that Big Coin and How Long's a Tear have caught on with me very quickly and I am not very fond at all of Perfect 10. Maybe bewitched earned that #1 spot. 

It's interesting to me when I think about some of the reasons given for Briana's departure. Some of the songs are just more suggestive than I like. I mean do we really have to all think it's clever to make a song that's sexually explicit but doesn't COME OUT AND SAY IT? Seems a rather tired bit to me.

Shuttle.FR

I bet you won't get a lot of French reviews for "Quench," Nobody knows The Beautiful South over here.

So, I'm quite happy with this new album really: good songs, great lyrics, some catchy choruses, nice voices (thank god for Paul Heaton -- Dave Hemingway only get to sing two songs including the rather weak "Pockets"), and pleasant arrangements.

I don't know about the next singles + I'm usually awful at this : I thought "Mini Correct", "Hooligans..." on "Miaow" were great potential singles, and I'd never have imagined "Liars' Bar" could have been one... So no prediction. And, eh, don't you all think Jacqui and Paul vocals on duet songs sound a bit like The Carpenters at times? Or is it just me?

What are you thoughts?