Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Discuss any aspect of Soul Asylum, their music, and the band's members.
mystic_spiral_3
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by mystic_spiral_3 »

That's a cool story, thanks for sharing!

sheryl
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by sheryl »

I don't think it's really....what's the word I want..how can you say that thus and such a song doesnt fit on an album, when the inclusion of that song or songs may have altered the direction of the album and it's subsequent tone?

Candy may have been an entirely different entity if certain songs had been left off and others put on, making the fit of those songs different, so it seems a bit odd to me to say "this song doesnt fit with this album". i think what the album eventually becomes is very fluid.

A couple of thoughts, some of which I've stated before: I think the best songs were the songs that were left off. Dan and I disagree strongly here. I think Lucky One and Candy From a Stranger are fantastic songs that would have only made that album better, and would have absolutely changed the overall tone of the record, perhaps causing other songs to "not fit". And personally I think that leaving the title track off the record is just dumb weird.

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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by dells »

sheryl wrote:A couple of thoughts, some of which I've stated before: I think the best songs were the songs that were left off. Dan and I disagree strongly here. I think Lucky One and Candy From a Stranger are fantastic songs that would have only made that album better, and would have absolutely changed the overall tone of the record, perhaps causing other songs to "not fit". And personally I think that leaving the title track off the record is just dumb weird.
I totally agree with you, Sheryl, with your whole post, not just what I've quoted here. I also think Candy and Lucky One could have been the best songs on Candy if they'd been included. And Losin' It should have also been on the CD.

I don't really care if all the songs on a CD "go together" musically. In fact, I wouldn't want a CD to have all the same vibe or feel, I like the shock of a new style to shake things up. The "odd" songs on a CD are often what I find myself most looking forward to hearing, even if they're not my absolute favorite track on the CD, I still enjoy and look forward to them for their uniqueness in the tracklist. Good examples from previous CDs would be: We 3(actually all of Horse, because each song is different from the others, and each is special because of that, that sonic diversity is probably the biggest reason why Horse is my favorite CD), April Fool and 99%(I get such a kick out of these 2, they are simply drunken fun to listen to, without getting the hangover), I Did My Best. I also totally love the bonus tracks on the Japanese Promises Broken CD, which are some of the funnest SA songs I've heard.

Although Cradle Chain would likely have still been my favorite track on Candy, the title song, if included, would have been my "specially anticipated" track to look forward to, with Lucky One giving me a warm fuzzy feeling to bask in while taking a break from the energy of the rest of the CD.

The good thing about ripping all your music to your computer and using it as your own personal jukebox, is that you can include those ommitted songs in your playlist for the CD they should have been on. And I usually have Winamp randomise my playlist, so where each track goes on a CD isn't of much concern to me. In fact, Winamp just played Creatures of Habit, followed by Losin' It, then Close and Cradle Chain, and that progression was just fine with me.

If I ever get an opportunity to have a conversation with Dan, I will be hard-pressed to keep myself from chewing him out for keeping those songs and Never Felt Before off their respective CDs, but it would be interesting to find out why he didn't think they were "good enough", when, obviously, they are.

dells

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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by sheryl »

I like a CD to be diverse, too. I get very VERY irritated when I get something new and the whole thing sounds the same. I've been known to mutter mean things like "Why did you bother to break this song into thirteen parts, anyway?" and "CLEARLY that one song you wrote was so good you had to repeat it for 40 minutes." etc.

I bought a Snow Patrol cd that not only had an entire cd of songs that sounded exactly the same, but the songs all sounded like their first few seconds...he'd sing a line to a certain melody and then every single solitary line thereafter followed that exact melody line. It was so repetitive it was kind of like chinese water torture. Imagine a song made up, in it's entirety, of endless repetitions of the three first notes of Three Blind Mice and you'll have some idea what I'm talking about. I pulled it out after three songs and when I got home I put it in the microwave.

I love it when I'm suddenly surprised by something. I think that might be why I liked "watcha need" so much. I think it's a great song all on its own, but it was nothing like the rest of the album and i liked that. And SA does often do that, it's true. They get into a groove, you start to get used to it, and then they throw something entirely different at you. "Here ya go, try THIS then!" heh.

It's good.

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no1rockfan
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by no1rockfan »

sheryl wrote:I bought a Snow Patrol cd that not only had an entire cd of songs that sounded exactly the same, but the songs all sounded like their first few seconds...he'd sing a line to a certain melody and then every single solitary line thereafter followed that exact melody line. It was so repetitive it was kind of like chinese water torture. Imagine a song made up, in it's entirety, of endless repetitions of the three first notes of Three Blind Mice and you'll have some idea what I'm talking about. I pulled it out after three songs and when I got home I put it in the microwave.

I love it when I'm suddenly surprised by something. I think that might be why I liked "watcha need" so much. I think it's a great song all on its own, but it was nothing like the rest of the album and i liked that. And SA does often do that, it's true. They get into a groove, you start to get used to it, and then they throw something entirely different at you. "Here ya go, try THIS then!" heh. It's good.
Although microwaving the CD may have looked pretty, it didn't accomplish much. You can return things at a store. I've returned just a few, but they were album that I couldn't listen to either. I just told the store worker, "I cannot listen to this so I'd like and exchange or refund." Most people don't think of returning music, but it can be done. Why pay for a CD if you don't like it?

I agree with the curve balls that Soul Asylum puts in their albums. It's one reason I love them so much. Variety is an excellent attribute to an album. Queen and Radiohead learned that lesson early and stuck with the idea. That may sound silly to say, but I think it's important to compare some of the most successful acts ever to your favorite bands, to see if they have the potential for greatness. Soul Asylum has that greatness. (But we all knew that.)

Kradokk
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by Kradokk »

The wait for Candy was the longest wait of my life. Even tho TSL was far longer, the wait for Candy was maddening.

I got home, listened to the album a few times, and put it back on the shelf. Every year or two, i listen to it again, hoping to find the magic in it that others do, but I never can.

For me, its dead last as "worst" album. There isnt a single song on the album that I can connect with, and other than Laughing or NY Blackout, nothing on there i dont skip when it comes up on shuffle. I think the album is too smooth, too overproduced, and trying to capture a certain sound, rather than capturing the sound of the band.

Seriously, go back and do yourself a favor, and listen to the Overreactors show. THAT is what Candy could and should of been. Agressive, melodic, witty, smart, playful... all things I associate with Soul Asylum. CFAS as an album, to me, is just watered down, played safe, looking for a hit single, and a clear case of the record company dictating the sound of an album.

I will always wonder what was actually recorded on the first version of CFAS, the one with Andy Wallace producing (i think).

I would keep Creatures of Habit, Laughing, and NY Blackout, and ditch the rest.

Imagine for a moment...

Creatures of Habit
Laughing
NY Blackout
I know what to say/do
What we're dealing with
Success is not so sweet
Black Star
Dreams Deferred (how the hell is this not released?)
Losin it
Lonely for You
Up with You
Candy from a Stranger

Even go ahead and add your two favorite songs off the album, that I didnt...

Now THAT is an album that moves me, that is an album I can get behind, and that would be an album that would go down amongst their best.

10 years later, and I still can't see CFAS for what it is, only what it wasn't...

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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by sheryl »

Kradokk wrote: 10 years later, and I still can't see CFAS for what it is, only what it wasn't...

Amen. It's dead last for me, too, and the best it's gotten is that after all of these years, with judicious use of the skip button, I can listen to it without ripping it out and putting it in the microwave.

I forgot all about Black Star....was that left off of CFAS? I love that song, too.


Oh yeah, and speaking of the microwave....

That started years ago as...I don't want to say a joke so much....someone told me that a cd that had been microwaved was pretty, and it stuck in my head. One day I got a cd I didn't like and decided to try it. The light show was pretty entertaining too. Next time a cd didn't fulfill one of us looked at the other and we both yelled "MICROWAVE!!" and from that moment bad cds went for a toasting.

I know I could return them, and it would be a lot smarter, but over the years I nuked enough dreadful cds to make a really unique backsplash for my kitchen sink, in one of my apartments ;O)

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Twiddly Dee
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by Twiddly Dee »

[quote="
Oh yeah, and speaking of the microwave....

That started years ago as...I don't want to say a joke so much....someone told me that a cd that had been microwaved was pretty, and it stuck in my head. One day I got a cd I didn't like and decided to try it. The light show was pretty entertaining too. Next time a cd didn't fulfill one of us looked at the other and we both yelled "MICROWAVE!!" and from that moment bad cds went for a toasting.

I know I could return them, and it would be a lot smarter, but over the years I nuked enough dreadful cds to make a really unique backsplash for my kitchen sink, in one of my apartments ;O)[/quote]

How long do you nuke a cd!! This sounds like something me and my son would like to try...as we are always sticking things in the microwave to see how they will turn out...from marshmellows..and as of last night..sticks of gum!! We haven't done non-food items so this would be interesting to try...

Rusty
Don't want to be bored no more..
I know theres so much more

sheryl
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by sheryl »

I usually go around 15 seconds. I left one in for 30 once and it just looked corroded when it came out. I guess it depends on your microwave. Be aware that it's probably not really good for the oven. I've never broken one doing this, but I'm sure it's possible.

sheryl
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Re: Candy From A Stranger - 10 Year Anniversary

Post by sheryl »

Here....information on nuking cd's. I've been leaving mine in way too long! egad!

Directions

1. Place CD-ROM on a small paper cup in the center of the oven. The CD-ROM should be at least an inch above the bottom of the oven and far from the sides.
2. Turn out the room lights for best visual effects.
3. Caution! be ready to stop the oven when the CD-ROM starts to smoke. The smoke smells bad, and is probably bad for you.
4. Set the oven on high for 5 seconds.
5. Watch the pretty blue light show.
6. Turn on the room lights.
7. Look at the nifty fractal pattern etched into the aluminum.

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