This Delicate Rate We've Made: The Darren Hayes / Savage Garden Rate - WINNER announced

What will win this rate?

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .
jtm

jtm

114.




























































































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California
Album track from ‘Truly Madly Completely’
Average: 6,42
Highest score: 1x8,3 (@Untouchable Ace), 4x8 (@berserkboi, @CorgiCorgiCorgi, @Sprockrooster, @jtm)
Lowest score: 1x2 (@Robert)

We are getting close to the top 100 so it's to be expected that soon the eliminations will start to affect all the albums. This time we lose the first of two songs from the first Savage Garden best of compilation ‘Truly Madly Completely’. This leaves ‘Secret Codes and Battleships’, ‘Affirmation’ and ‘The Tension and the Spark’ as the only albums not to have lost a song so far, with ‘Secret Codes’ and ‘Affirmation’ not having lost anything from their era at all.

But back to ‘California’. Like the second song on 'Truly Madly Completely' it is a solo song by Darren - we'll go into the details of how that came to be later on in this rate. I have no idea if this was ever planned to be released as a second single, but I guess due to ‘So Beautiful’ and the best of only selling OK numbers this would not have happened anyway. As mentioned in my commentary I really really would have liked to have a radio edit of this. But it was not to be.

@londonrain: ‘Pleasant but the production lets this down.’ (5.5)

@berserkboi: ‘The delivery lifts this!’ (8)

@rawkey: ‘It's a bit smug really, although sadly not in a 'We Are Smug' way.’ (4.9)

@Eric: ‘Santa Monica's younger brother or sister?’ (7)

@jtm: ‘I really like this, but this goes on way too long and really needed a good edit to bring it down to 3 or even 4 minutes. The best part is the second verse.’ (8)

Listen here:

 
jtm

jtm

113.






















































































































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The Pressure
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 6,43
Highest score: 1x9,8 (@rawkey)
Lowest score: 1x3,5 (@londonrain)

So here we go with another cut from the by this point almost legendary album ‘We Are Smug’. ‘The Pressure’ leaving means we now only have ‘Never Be The Same Again’ left in this rate, and at this point I think the only remaining question is how fast this will drop out as well. Will it make the top 100?

Reading the commentaries the consensus seems to be that ‘The Pressure’ is placed quite a bit higher than the rest of the album for a reason:

@londonrain: ‘Maybe I need more time with this or something, but I just don’t love the song.’ (3.5)

@CorgiCorgiCorgi: ‘The We Are Smug tracks have been very hit or miss for me, but this one's really captivating.’ (8)

@rawkey: ‘Low-fi and lovely. I'd like an updated version as a duet with John Grant please!’ (9.8)

@Eric: ‘Doesn't fit with the rest of the album, which works in its favour!’ (6.7)

@jtm: ‘A perfect closer and one of the best songs on the album. This took a while to click, but I never skip it now.’ (8.5)

Listen here:

 
jtm

jtm

112.







































































































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Falling At Your Feet
B-side from ‘Spin’
Average: 6,46
Highest score: 1x10 (@Eric)
Lowest score: 1x4 (@jtm)

We say goodbye to another of the ‘Spin’ b-sides.

‘Falling At Your Feet’ was used as a b-side to "Insatiable" in both the UK and Australia. The quality is quite demo-like but this got some good scores and commentaries from you. I’m not sure why I rated it that low. The first line alone deserved a higher score I think.

@londonrain: ‘Awww.’ (7)

@Eric: ‘An 11 contender (mainly for the nostalgia - check out the live performance at Capital FM on YouTube to be transported to a different era). I'd forgotten how much I loved it, it's so joyous and effortless. Definitely going to try and track down my CD single with this on, or hope Ebay has a copy!’ (10)

@jtm: ‘I love the verses but the chorus is a major let down and the song as a whole is also not up to much’ (4)

Studio version:



Since @Eric mentions it, here’s the live performance:

 
jtm

jtm

111.





























































































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In Your Eyes
B-side from ‘Spin’
Average: 6,47
Highest score: 1x7,5 (@Eric, @jtm)
Lowest score: 1x4 (@marie_05)

The scores for the last batch of eliminations are all incredibly close to each other. Someone rating it slightly lower would have made quite a difference here. Anyway, we lose yet another ‘Spin’ b-side, this time a cover version.

Wikipedia: ‘Available as a B-side to "I Miss You" in the UK only, cover of the Peter Gabriel original. The song was recorded for intention of use on "Spin", however, it was cut when Hayes claimed he wanted "all original material".’

Not too much commentary for this one:

@londonrain: A sweet choice of cover.’ (6.5)

@jtm: ‘I didn't know this was a cover for a long time. One of the better Spin b-sides’ (7.5)

Darren’s version:



Peter Gabriel’s original:



Let me stop with this rather underwhelming elimination for today. I'll do another three or four tomorrow and after that we're close to the top 100 and I'll probably stay with the two per day rule. (Also, most optional tracks / b-sides will be gone so the coming eliminations might warrant more discussion.)
 
phoenix123

phoenix123

I'm still getting over the loss of Good Enough.

I think I really connected to the lyrics at the time. Everybody wants to feel good enough for someone. I also like the meandering outro that everyone seems to think is overly long.

If I woke up late
Couldn’t get out of bed
If I bought you a café latte instead
If I lied when I said 32 inches was the size of my waist
And if I admit every once in a while
Even though I dig alternative style
Occasionally I can be caught dancing to Britney
And can I confess
That art house doesn’t turn me on
But I like every single thing that Speilberg’s done (Except A.I.)

If I lost my job
And my hair fell out
If I made no sense
And I scream and shout
Would you laugh at me?
Never take a word I say seriously And if I’m out in the cold
Waiting in the back of the line
Too afraid to drop my name for fear of decline

Could you tell me I’m good enough? Could I be good enough?
If the going got worse and the worse got rough
The days became endless and harder than tough
I’d be good enough
Better than best would be simply to be good enough
If everything I give doesn’t seem like a lot
If it’s all that I’ve got
Baby tell me that could be good enough

I need to know that I could be good enough
Because everybody wants to feel good enough
 
Sprockrooster

Sprockrooster

jtm said:
So here we go with another cut from the by this point almost legendary album ‘We Are Smug’. ‘The Pressure’ leaving means we now only have ‘Never Be The Same Again’ left in this rate, and at this point I think the only remaining question is how fast this will drop out as well. Will it make the top 100?
Click to expand...
Such a random remaining track. Honestly if it wasnot for the sheer amount of b-sides We Are Smug would have surely been gone now.
 
jtm

jtm

110.




































































































































































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Ocean
B-side from ‘This Delicate Thing We’ve Made’
Average: 6,52
Highest score: 1x10 (@berserkboi)
Lowest score: 1x2 (@rawkey)

We continue with another song from the official part of the rate, yet another Delicate b-side.

This was the b-side to the digital ‘On The Verge of Something Wonderful’ single. Wikipedia lists this as an outtake from ‘Spin’ as well, which I think is weird as it does not sound at all like that era and also thematically doesn’t fit too well.

This is a favorite of mine, so I’m really happy to see a bunch of high scores and even a 10 (the taste, @berserkboi):

@londonrain: ‘The production on this pales in comparison to most of the era.’ (6)

@berserkboi: ‘The soft darkness of the atmosphere makes this really compelling!’ (10)

@rawkey: ‘He certainly loves a sea metaphor this, however, is one too many.’ (2)

@Eric: ‘Very spiritual - love Darren's recent Instagram post referencing this song’ (8.6)

@jtm: ‘Better than most ballads on Delicate and just a great song that should have gotten more exposure than just being a b-side’ (9)

Listen here:

 
jtm

jtm

109.



































































































































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The Heart Wants What It Wants
B-side from ‘Spin’
Average: 6,531
Highest score: 1x9,25 (@Remorque)
Lowest score: 2x5 (@Sprockrooster, @jtm)

As you might have realized by now, we are in the middle of another culling of b-sides and bonus tracks before we enter the top 100. The next three or four eliminations are also going to be fairly uneventful, but after that we’re entering controversial territory.

But let’s get to ‘The Heart Wants What It Wants’, a song I always forget how it goes until I hear that instrumental part before the first verse. Wikipedia: ‘It was included as a bonus track on the standard edition of "Spin" exclusively in Australia and Japan. The track was never released in the United Kingdom, despite being listed by some retailers as the B-side to "Crush (1980 Me)" before its commercial release. The track also appears on the Australian Tour Edition of "Spin".’

The jury:

@londonrain: ‘I wouldn’t skip this but I do see why it wasn’t added to an album.’ (6)

@rawkey: ‘Perfunctory bonus track, decent but not essential.’ (6)

@Eric: ‘Like the drama of the vocals and violins’ (8)

@jtm: ‘I don't think I ever listened to this much. It's fine but could be a little bit shorter.’ (5)

Listen here:

 
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