Re: Cowboy (2024 Remaster)
Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2024 6:31 pm
This was never my favourite album at the time, but I think I'm liking the bonuses on here more than on ISISIS and Wild! (I'm torn between the two as to which is my least favourite!).
I really like the TELEX mix of DSYLIKM - one of my favourite new mixes in a while. I like the stripped back sound and structural rearranging. It sounds a bit like listening to an 'unfinished' version with some of the tracks/layers missing, but in a good way!
The Blancmange mix of Rain is fine but doesn't excite me as much as I would have liked, but it's a good album filler on my imagined POP Remixed volume 2. Or maybe it's volume 3 now!
Like @mrblue, I too do actually quite like the 'experimental' Stealing Sheep mix (I think it's far more recognisable as 'Rain' than some remixes in the past have been of the tracks they were meant to be mixes of!), but I can see why some fans won't like it and I can understand the disappointment of such an unusual remix when there are very few new mixes and other albums tracks that could have been remixed instead.
I love the alternate mix of Magic Moments and the clarity of Andy's vocals (and especially some of the backing vocals). I was expecting something that we'd be hard pushed to hear what the difference is compared to the original, so I'm pleased we got this from the archives.
However, I do agree and think the original of MM should have been included as well, in the same way that I think the US album version of Oh L'amour should have been included in expanded edition of Wonderland. I feel like these remastered/expanded versions should be representative of both the UK and US (and international editions) editions of the albums.
Speaking of US versions - although I'm always thankful for the inclusion of things I haven't got already or didn't know existed, there was a very different US single mix of DSYLIKM that could have been included here, as well as the slightly different single/album version of In My Arms. Then there was the US only RH Factor mixes of DSYLIKM.
Still, overall, I found the package of extras more satisfying than those on ISISIS and WIld! - it's just a shame the Tiny Tour wasn't included. I would have been happy with it as an audio only CD if DVD is too much of an ask now. But I've got a theory about what might happen with it...
I really like the TELEX mix of DSYLIKM - one of my favourite new mixes in a while. I like the stripped back sound and structural rearranging. It sounds a bit like listening to an 'unfinished' version with some of the tracks/layers missing, but in a good way!
The Blancmange mix of Rain is fine but doesn't excite me as much as I would have liked, but it's a good album filler on my imagined POP Remixed volume 2. Or maybe it's volume 3 now!
Like @mrblue, I too do actually quite like the 'experimental' Stealing Sheep mix (I think it's far more recognisable as 'Rain' than some remixes in the past have been of the tracks they were meant to be mixes of!), but I can see why some fans won't like it and I can understand the disappointment of such an unusual remix when there are very few new mixes and other albums tracks that could have been remixed instead.
I love the alternate mix of Magic Moments and the clarity of Andy's vocals (and especially some of the backing vocals). I was expecting something that we'd be hard pushed to hear what the difference is compared to the original, so I'm pleased we got this from the archives.
However, I do agree and think the original of MM should have been included as well, in the same way that I think the US album version of Oh L'amour should have been included in expanded edition of Wonderland. I feel like these remastered/expanded versions should be representative of both the UK and US (and international editions) editions of the albums.
Speaking of US versions - although I'm always thankful for the inclusion of things I haven't got already or didn't know existed, there was a very different US single mix of DSYLIKM that could have been included here, as well as the slightly different single/album version of In My Arms. Then there was the US only RH Factor mixes of DSYLIKM.
Still, overall, I found the package of extras more satisfying than those on ISISIS and WIld! - it's just a shame the Tiny Tour wasn't included. I would have been happy with it as an audio only CD if DVD is too much of an ask now. But I've got a theory about what might happen with it...
