I think the PSB Remix itself is superb. Simply an extended version of the single. Reminds me of the 80's when that is what most of us expected a 12" mix to be,
There must have been a mix-up at PSB central. An Open Mind is clearly the A-side, No Boundaries is the 7" b-side and Dreamland should be the extra song on the 12". Nothing else makes any sense. The only thing is that I cannot explain why the bonus 12" song has remixes. When Dreamland starts I still expect to hear 'This is the summer of love, tonight the fiesta will come' Edit : The TWD remix works better than the original, it doesn't sound so bland.
Let’s not act like this is a bad thing. Regardless of how anyone feels about Steps as a band, there is no denying Summer Of Love is anything but a pop triumph.
Im glad its not just me. Have had an open mind in repeat all day Dreamland is perfectly serviceable though but the b-side is definitely better. Its 1996 all over again
I don't even dislike Dreamland, but I'm certain An Open Mind will end up with a higher play count. It's super catchy and feals a bit...easier? More natural? I can see why they chose Dreamland (more topical lyrics, Years & Years collab), but this is just really pretty.
I really, really detest Dreamland. It gets worse with every listen and the remixes don´t help. An Open Mind is much better and really saves the whole campaign from being dead before arrival. The opening line sounds like Robyn should file for royalties! I do appreciate the much deeper and nuanced production in the background. The voice pads that hark back to Love Comes Quickly and multi-tracked Neil are such a welcome distraction from the brittle and harsh vocal treatment of the past two albums. I´m not a fan of the synth-stab that substitutes for a chorus, that sounds a bit too cheap for me, but I´m sure it will win me over some time. The real MOMENT of the song is the chord-change from "ugliness in beauty...all the time". Bravo! But there is something strange, almost leaden about it. The theme of the song evokes a mental mix of Being Boring and The Pop Kids. Although it never touches the debth of the former nor the exuberance of the latter. So No Boundaries is the real surprise winner for me. Yes, it sounds like a Blancmange backing track with a bit of acid sprinkled on top. But I absolutely love the progression in the mood and -again- I adore the vocal arrangements in the background. They eleveate the song to something spectral. This needs a big, old, 1992 progressive house remix! One where the "Love has no boundaries"-sample repeats and builds and builds towards an epic breakdown that needs at least seven minutes to COME! I also appreciate the "I´m not the same as you, you´re not the same as me"-line. A much needed counter argument to the "we´re all the same"-fluff that keeps getting repeated everywhere, like a MANTRA, which this song is.
I love Dreamland in all its camp trash glory but An Open Mind is fucking incredible and definitely the superior track. No Boundaries feel like Paula’s My Love Is For Real on poppers and I’m here for it.
I know I'm not a fan of his, but even so, Olly's vocals are dreadful on this. So thin and weak. On a positive note, I can see why they collaborated and it makes sense. On paper.
The two b-sides are wonderful. Vastly superior to the actual single. Everything still sounds muddy in terms of mastering though, which is unusual for them.
People think this might be the new album cover... very mysterious. Anyway, where the eff is the announcement already?!
Is the cdsingle kinda limited ? Not available on almost all Amazon. Very scarce on Marketplace, too... what's happening ?
I'd say any CD single these days would have a limited pressing. There are a couple in the Roughtrade UK store.
MUSIK second run in London announced for Feb 2020 Leicester Sq theatre. Nice that it''s getting another outing! An Open Mind is a pure bop - if this is a taster for the album I am excited.
