vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 27, 2011 22:16:39 GMT 1
gezza76's thread on number 2s makes the point that "Ten Storey Love Song" may have been the better song to release from "Second Coming", rather than "Love Spreads". It was a more immediate song, certainly, and may have put the Stone Roses at the top of the chart had it been first out.
Are there any examples of which people can think where what was patently the "wrong" single was released from an album?
I can kick off with a classic one:
The first single from that peerless LP "Happy Birthday" was NOT the title track, but a far less commercial Steve Severin production. I've no idea why - perhaps Martin Rushent was still sprinkling oofle dust on the eventual single - but for a group that had just brushed the charts putting out "A Day's Wait" rather than the obvious hit was a curious move. A deliberate attempt to build momentum?
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Post by raliverpool on Oct 27, 2011 22:53:25 GMT 1
A song so awful it effectively killed a highly successive UK band's momentum and career.
Mind you the album "Waking Up with the House on Fire" was terrible, but it had one great song on it which was released as the third single in the USA after the follow up "The Medal Song" had bombed; the 1985 USA#32 smash hit, that would have been a far bigger hit except US MTV refused to play the video, probably because it makes Lady Gaga at her most pretentious and self indulgent seem as adventurous visually as Adele:
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Post by Earl Purple on Oct 27, 2011 22:54:26 GMT 1
I recall a single called "Dead Pop Stars" that preceded "Happy Birthday".
I also questioned whether Morrissey would have got a #1 had "First Of The Gang To Die" been the first release off "You Are The Quarry" rather than "Irish Blood English Heart".
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Post by thehitparade on Oct 27, 2011 23:10:20 GMT 1
Yeah, I'm not totally sure you can count debut albums in this because there's always the fear of "wasting" the big hit before they're famous enough.
I was about to suggest this:
Actually, watching the video I realised it was still a pretty good track, but clearly lacked the commercial appeal of the later singles off the album, which are two thirds of their Top 40 hits in the UK.
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Post by Earl Purple on Oct 27, 2011 23:22:01 GMT 1
Talking Heads have had 3 hits and the obvious one that wasn't is Psycho Killer
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Post by suedehead on Oct 27, 2011 23:28:38 GMT 1
gezza76's thread on number 2s makes the point that "Ten Storey Love Song" may have been the better song to release from "Second Coming", rather than "Love Spreads". It was a more immediate song, certainly, and may have put the Stone Roses at the top of the chart had it been first out. The fact that I have no recollection of Love Spreads but remember Ten Storey Love Song very well makes me think gezza is probably right.
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Post by suedehead on Oct 27, 2011 23:30:53 GMT 1
A song so awful it effectively killed a highly successive UK band's momentum and career. As a pacifist at heart I should like this song on principle. However, it is absolutely dire.
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Oct 28, 2011 6:49:19 GMT 1
I recall a single called "Dead Pop Stars" that preceded "Happy Birthday". Yes, it wasn't an album track though. I also questioned whether Morrissey would have got a #1 had "First Of The Gang To Die" been the first release off "You Are The Quarry" rather than "Irish Blood English Heart". Good one, the latter never got much airplay, the former was very radio friendly.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Oct 28, 2011 9:57:57 GMT 1
Mine would be The Sundays - They released 'Cant Be Sure' which was a fantastic song but why they never released 'Heres Where the Story Ends' in the UK which would have given them a top 40 hit I will never know.
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Post by raliverpool on Oct 28, 2011 18:03:14 GMT 1
^ But Can't Be Sure topped the John Peel Festive 50 in 1989 beating the Stone Roses; Happy Mondays; Wedding Present; the Pixies; Inspiral Carpets; James, etc.... hardly floppage or a wrong choice IMHO.
In my view this thread should be about momentum killing lead singles, which killed or harmed a previously successful act's album campaign dead. (i.e. 1989's B-52s Cosmic Thing album: releasing Channel Z as the lead single does not fit, because subsequent singles Love Shack & Roam were massive hits anyway).
But a another good example for me is Howard Jones 1986 album One to One.
He made the mistake of releasing as the follow up to his biggest USA hit (USA#4/UK#16 No One Is To Blame (single remixed by Phil Collins featuring his added vocals and percussion)), this dirge "All I Want" as the lead single where it reached UK#35 & USA#76, and the album fared accordingly poorly:
When he really should have released the much more uptempo "a-ha-esque" follow up single first "You Know I Love You... Don't You?" (USA#17/UK#43):
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Post by Panda on Oct 28, 2011 18:57:35 GMT 1
I'll offer Ash - Jesus Says. After a very successful debut and a string of top 10 hits, they returned with the not very commercial Nu-Clear Sounds, seen by some as an attempt at career suicide.
This was the lead single and reached the top 20 but the second single Wild Surf, might have been a better choice, being much more radio friendly. Ludicrously, that was released just before Christmas and failed to reach the top 30.
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Post by Smurfie on Oct 28, 2011 19:28:06 GMT 1
A B-side that was much better than the A-side X 100:
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Post by thehitparade on Oct 29, 2011 14:06:16 GMT 1
Yes, I think the Sundays fit more into the category of extra singles that should have been released ('Can't Be Sure' was almost a year before the album) rather than wrong singles. Although I have got an Australian 7" of 'Here's Where The Story Ends'. And did I ever mention I went to the same school as David Gavurin?
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Post by thehitparade on Oct 29, 2011 14:08:12 GMT 1
Talking Heads have had 3 hits and the obvious one that wasn't is Psycho Killer Yes, but 'Psycho Killer' was released as a single, it just didn't sell. The same goes for 'Burning Down The House', their biggest US hit which bizzarrely failed to make the Top 100 here.
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Oct 31, 2011 13:32:54 GMT 1
Beyonce's Deja Vu (should have been Irreplaceable) is the first that comes to my mind...
I also remember Crowded House releasing Chocolate Cake as 1st single off Woodface, what a weird choice!!!
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Oct 31, 2011 13:51:47 GMT 1
yes borneonman that was weird but they made up for it later with 'woodface' being their most succesful album in the UK but I agree no thanks to 'Chocolate Cake'
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Post by Smurfie on Oct 31, 2011 15:49:00 GMT 1
Kim Wilde - Hey Mister Heartache
I always though this rather generic 80's slightly forgettable number was an odd choice as the lead from Close - especially when you had the likes of You Came and Never Trust A Stranger as follow ups.
A bit of a young Jesse Birdsall in the video too!
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Oct 31, 2011 16:25:09 GMT 1
^agree on the Kim Wilde one. And they did the same with same later album, they picked It's Here as first single instead of the far better Can't Get Enough of Your Love
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Post by PurpleCareBear on Nov 1, 2011 1:59:05 GMT 1
^^ I agree with both of you,although I have a soft spot for Hey Mister Heartache as it made me a Kim fan - it was the first Kim single I ever bought,and loved it's B side too. You Came and Never Trust a Stranger do sound like more obvious choices to be guaranteed hits though.
It's Here - I was so disappointed with it at the time. Nowadays I love it. Definite grower. Can't Get Enough is the album's standout track,and should have been lead single. It would've been a top 10 hit for sure !
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borneoman
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Post by borneoman on Nov 1, 2011 11:23:18 GMT 1
was thinking that one of the worst lead singles in recent times has to be Get On Your Boots from the latest U2... totally wrong and they paid the price... Magnificent should have been single #1
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