This Delicate Rate We've Made: The Darren Hayes / Savage Garden Rate - WINNER announced
- Thread starter jtm
- Start date
152.
Tear It Up
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 3,33
Highest score: 2x5 (@Remorque, @jtm)
Lowest score: 1x0 (@londonrain)
Ok, so you all really really hate this song. I’m not sure I have ever seen a lower average for the first song to go out in any rate.
To be honest, I was wondering in the last few days if it was ‘fair’ to include the We Are Smug album in this rate. It obviously was a free album, released as a gift to the fans, and no one would realistically hold this to the same standard as the rest of Darren’s output. On the other hand, the album is not without its highlights (in my opinion, yours may vary as I think we’ll see soon enough) and it is a part of the discography. And what we will see over and over again in this rate, there’s a lot of love for Darren’s music to be found here. So none of these low scores come from a bad place. It's just that you all really really hate this specific song.
But let’s hear what you have to say:
@londonrain: ‘I didn’t think I would be giving a zero in this rate, but here we are.’ (0)
@rawkey: ‘No thanks!’ (3.3)
@Sprockrooster: ‘I can't with these vocals.’ (2)
@jtm: ‘It's a bit subpar compared to the rest of the album, but the chorus still goes off quite a bit. I had this rated lower at first.’ (5)
Not me almost dragging the score down even lower..
So that’s that. Our first song of 152 to go out in this rate. With many more – and many many surprises – to come.
For those of you who didn’t rate all the songs, here’s your chance to listen to it anyway:
Tear It Up
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 3,33
Highest score: 2x5 (@Remorque, @jtm)
Lowest score: 1x0 (@londonrain)
Ok, so you all really really hate this song. I’m not sure I have ever seen a lower average for the first song to go out in any rate.
To be honest, I was wondering in the last few days if it was ‘fair’ to include the We Are Smug album in this rate. It obviously was a free album, released as a gift to the fans, and no one would realistically hold this to the same standard as the rest of Darren’s output. On the other hand, the album is not without its highlights (in my opinion, yours may vary as I think we’ll see soon enough) and it is a part of the discography. And what we will see over and over again in this rate, there’s a lot of love for Darren’s music to be found here. So none of these low scores come from a bad place. It's just that you all really really hate this specific song.
But let’s hear what you have to say:
@londonrain: ‘I didn’t think I would be giving a zero in this rate, but here we are.’ (0)
@rawkey: ‘No thanks!’ (3.3)
@Sprockrooster: ‘I can't with these vocals.’ (2)
@jtm: ‘It's a bit subpar compared to the rest of the album, but the chorus still goes off quite a bit. I had this rated lower at first.’ (5)
Not me almost dragging the score down even lower..
So that’s that. Our first song of 152 to go out in this rate. With many more – and many many surprises – to come.
For those of you who didn’t rate all the songs, here’s your chance to listen to it anyway:
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151.
Shit on the Radio
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 4,39
Highest score: 1x8 (@rawkey)
Lowest score: 2x1 (@londonrain, @Sprockrooster)
This is literally the song next to our number 152 on the We Are Smug tracklist, so for a lot of you this must have been a really traumatic sequence of songs. I also realize that I just barely avoided being in the top scorer list for the second time in a row and I feel like I have to mention that I am nowhere near the highest average scorer in this rate. It's just that I seem to have a soft spot for this album while most of you.. don’t.
At the very least, the average is higher than Tear It Up, though not by too much. As for the commentary, obviously great minds think alike -
@londonrain: ‘Um, what is this?’ (1)
@rawkey: ‘Prince? Scissor Sisters? Hot mess? I can't quite decide, but there is something addictive about it.’ (8)
@Sprockrooster: ‘Muffy sis, the cringe screeching.’ (1)
@jtm: ‘A mess of a song, but so addictive and so different from the rest of his music’ (7.5)
And here’s the song in question:
This is it for tonight. We’ll enter the top 150 tomorrow ddd. Which album will first lose a song tomorrow? Will the quirky side-project get some breathing space? Will we break that Sugababes record? Let’s find out soon.
Shit on the Radio
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 4,39
Highest score: 1x8 (@rawkey)
Lowest score: 2x1 (@londonrain, @Sprockrooster)
This is literally the song next to our number 152 on the We Are Smug tracklist, so for a lot of you this must have been a really traumatic sequence of songs. I also realize that I just barely avoided being in the top scorer list for the second time in a row and I feel like I have to mention that I am nowhere near the highest average scorer in this rate. It's just that I seem to have a soft spot for this album while most of you.. don’t.
At the very least, the average is higher than Tear It Up, though not by too much. As for the commentary, obviously great minds think alike -
@londonrain: ‘Um, what is this?’ (1)
@rawkey: ‘Prince? Scissor Sisters? Hot mess? I can't quite decide, but there is something addictive about it.’ (8)
@Sprockrooster: ‘Muffy sis, the cringe screeching.’ (1)
@jtm: ‘A mess of a song, but so addictive and so different from the rest of his music’ (7.5)
And here’s the song in question:
This is it for tonight. We’ll enter the top 150 tomorrow ddd. Which album will first lose a song tomorrow? Will the quirky side-project get some breathing space? Will we break that Sugababes record? Let’s find out soon.
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Now that I listened to it again I really noticed that screeching @Sprockrooster mentioned.
londonrain
Staff member
Eep, sorry @rawkey.
I disliked the album when I got it as a free download and finally revisited it for this rate, but wasn’t impressed. Maybe I need more time with it or something.
At least my two lowest scores of the rate are out first, so there’s that. Let’s hope that means my highest scores are the last songs standing.
I disliked the album when I got it as a free download and finally revisited it for this rate, but wasn’t impressed. Maybe I need more time with it or something.
At least my two lowest scores of the rate are out first, so there’s that. Let’s hope that means my highest scores are the last songs standing.
150.
Fire It Up
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 4,61
Highest score: 1x7 (@Sprockrooster)
Lowest score: 1x2 (@londonrain)
And the culling of We Are Smug continues. For a moment yesterday I was wondering if I had somehow started to rate the We Are Smug songs relative to each other, but then I noticed that I was among the lower scorers for this so I think I’m fine. It means that the tables have also turned on Sprocky who seems to be the biggest fan of this song in this rate. Well done everyone!
This song warranted even less commentary than the other two:
@londonrain: ‘NO.’ (2)
@rawkey: ‘Darren-lite and almost the weakest cut on the album probably for that very reason.’ (4.5)
@jtm: ‘My least favorite song on the album and I think the only one I'd usually skip. The synthline is good though.’ (4)
Risky click of the day:
Fire It Up
Album track from ‘We Are Smug’
Average: 4,61
Highest score: 1x7 (@Sprockrooster)
Lowest score: 1x2 (@londonrain)
And the culling of We Are Smug continues. For a moment yesterday I was wondering if I had somehow started to rate the We Are Smug songs relative to each other, but then I noticed that I was among the lower scorers for this so I think I’m fine. It means that the tables have also turned on Sprocky who seems to be the biggest fan of this song in this rate. Well done everyone!
This song warranted even less commentary than the other two:
@londonrain: ‘NO.’ (2)
@rawkey: ‘Darren-lite and almost the weakest cut on the album probably for that very reason.’ (4.5)
@jtm: ‘My least favorite song on the album and I think the only one I'd usually skip. The synthline is good though.’ (4)
Risky click of the day:
No great surprise that the We Are Smug tracks are leaving early. It's a marmite side-project.
I had the download, largely enjoyed it, and bought a signed CD when it got released a few years later.
I've always liked 'Shit on the radio' because there is so much shit on the radio. Also, the lines 'Kylie Minogue won't take my calls, I need to sell a few more records' were indicative of his career at the time and I like the self-depreciation/self-awareness.
It is not my highest scorer from the album though... no doubt we'll see those very soon.
I had the download, largely enjoyed it, and bought a signed CD when it got released a few years later.
I've always liked 'Shit on the radio' because there is so much shit on the radio. Also, the lines 'Kylie Minogue won't take my calls, I need to sell a few more records' were indicative of his career at the time and I like the self-depreciation/self-awareness.
It is not my highest scorer from the album though... no doubt we'll see those very soon.
149.
Can't Help Falling In Love
Bonus track from ‘Spin’
Average: 4,72
Highest score: 1x8 (@Eric)
Lowest score: 2x2 (@Sprockrooster, @marie_05)
I don’t think I knew this existed. Wikipedia says: ‘Available as a bonus track on the UK Collector's Edition of "Spin", cover of the Elvis Presley original. The recording only lasts 2:22, and only includes up to the second chorus of the song.’ I think I have every available version of Spin and even the rare ‘Too Close For Comfort’, but I’m not sure I ever came across this rather random bonus track. It’s something you’d expect on the Japan release, not the UK version I think.
Not surprisingly, this leaves as one of the very first tracks. It’s really not an essential part in the discography. The only surprising part I guess it that for the moment it stops the attempt of the We Are Smug album at breaking a rate record.
There’s some disagreement regarding vocals in the commentary:
@londonrain: ‘This is nice but would I pick it over the vast majority of his original material? No.’ (5)
@rawkey: ‘A rather pedestrian cover version.’ (5)
@Sprockrooster: ‘Garbage. Especially those vocals are a mess.’ (2)
@Eric: ‘Now this is a cover I have an attachment to - love the falsettos.’ (8)
@jtm: ‘It's a good version of a song no one needed another version of. The falsetto is bit much.‘ (4.5)
Here’s that elusive bonus track:
Here's Elvis singing the same song:
And for good measure here's the A*Teens:
Can't Help Falling In Love
Bonus track from ‘Spin’
Average: 4,72
Highest score: 1x8 (@Eric)
Lowest score: 2x2 (@Sprockrooster, @marie_05)
I don’t think I knew this existed. Wikipedia says: ‘Available as a bonus track on the UK Collector's Edition of "Spin", cover of the Elvis Presley original. The recording only lasts 2:22, and only includes up to the second chorus of the song.’ I think I have every available version of Spin and even the rare ‘Too Close For Comfort’, but I’m not sure I ever came across this rather random bonus track. It’s something you’d expect on the Japan release, not the UK version I think.
Not surprisingly, this leaves as one of the very first tracks. It’s really not an essential part in the discography. The only surprising part I guess it that for the moment it stops the attempt of the We Are Smug album at breaking a rate record.
There’s some disagreement regarding vocals in the commentary:
@londonrain: ‘This is nice but would I pick it over the vast majority of his original material? No.’ (5)
@rawkey: ‘A rather pedestrian cover version.’ (5)
@Sprockrooster: ‘Garbage. Especially those vocals are a mess.’ (2)
@Eric: ‘Now this is a cover I have an attachment to - love the falsettos.’ (8)
@jtm: ‘It's a good version of a song no one needed another version of. The falsetto is bit much.‘ (4.5)
Here’s that elusive bonus track:
Here's Elvis singing the same song:
And for good measure here's the A*Teens:
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londonrain
Staff member
Can’t Help Falling In Love is on the UK reissue so it’s not as obscure to me as it is to @jtm, clearly.
I like Darren. I like the song. This version is fine. It’s the kind of thing I’d expect to be a cute little interlude at a concert.
I just listened to Fire It Up again and... compared to all music in the universe it’s not awful, but it’s just so nondescript. The whole thing rests on that repeated “FIRE IT UP!”, which isn’t interesting enough to carry the song.
Similarly, Shit On The Radio is a cute bop in its own way, I guess, but against a discography of material I love an OutKast-lite midtempo was never going to do well in my scores. If we were scoring this in a versus rate it may have got a few more points from me.
Tear It Up is still trash, though.
I like Darren. I like the song. This version is fine. It’s the kind of thing I’d expect to be a cute little interlude at a concert.
I just listened to Fire It Up again and... compared to all music in the universe it’s not awful, but it’s just so nondescript. The whole thing rests on that repeated “FIRE IT UP!”, which isn’t interesting enough to carry the song.
Similarly, Shit On The Radio is a cute bop in its own way, I guess, but against a discography of material I love an OutKast-lite midtempo was never going to do well in my scores. If we were scoring this in a versus rate it may have got a few more points from me.
Tear It Up is still trash, though.
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He/Him
I see we haven’t eliminated anything I’ve rated yet.. I’ll call that a good start!
londonrain
Staff member
I feel like @Sprockrooster and I rated We Are Smug specifically to make sure that it didn't outlast any of our faves dddd.
(I promise I don't hate the whole album. I just think the ones we've lost so far are the worst of a mediocre bunch.)
Hm.. the reissue is the version with the much better cover so I do have that. It seems I never really played the second disc then.
@Eric: Too Close For Comfort is the brilliant tour film but also the name of a five track live EP (a Japan release) which I think overlaps with five of the seven CD2 tracks of the UK reissue mentioned above, if that makes sense.
Edit: Here‘s a link: https://www.discogs.com/Darren-Hayes-Too-Close-For-Comfort/release/3297736
@Eric: Too Close For Comfort is the brilliant tour film but also the name of a five track live EP (a Japan release) which I think overlaps with five of the seven CD2 tracks of the UK reissue mentioned above, if that makes sense.
Edit: Here‘s a link: https://www.discogs.com/Darren-Hayes-Too-Close-For-Comfort/release/3297736
londonrain
Staff member
Here's a link to Too Close For Comfort: https://www.musicglue.com/darren-hayes-1/products/too-close-for-comfort-tour-dvd-with-signed-card
It's the DVD+CD set from his 2002 tour promoting Spin.
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I think the worst Smug songs have left now. I quite like two or three of the remaining ones and don‘t mind the rest.
