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Rating: "If I could live one day/ again, that day will be the one".
And this is probably the day when the protagonist and narrator of the song is - perhaps - abandoned by his partner: something like that, in any case. The themes addressed in the songs of this Wedding Present album are intimate and minimal - yet bold and "in capital letters". These are "important" and somewhat adult feelings and situations - treated with the lightness of the everyday. You won’t find the penchant for literary citations à la Morrissey - but there is indeed technique, a lot of wit, and the awareness that the lyrics of a song are "something more". Perhaps there isn't that pleasant dreamy and vaguely eccentric feeling you can hear in much mid-‘80s indie-pop: David Gedge, frontman of the group and author of the songs, clearly has his roots firmly planted on the ground - and his ground is Leeds, the post-industrial North of England - but he is not entirely unrelated to a twee sentiment - evidence of this is his ability to address emotions from the weak side, in opposition to the machismo of so much contemporary pop-rock trinket. On the album, you can hear echoes of punk, the Fall - but without the social irony - and some angularity in the style of Gang of Four. The Wedding Present then rework a large part of the '60s tradition (Kinks, Beatles, bubblegum) adapting it to the sensitivity of their time: we are talking about a band that plays pop more or less as it has always been known, but at a frantic pace, with pleasantly battered guitars, yet orchestrated with the taste worthy of the "precise" XTC. One of the most entertaining tracks is precisely the cover of "Getting Better" by the Beatles, which appears in the Plus edition of the album, that is, the reissue that, in addition to the true George Best, includes some of the singles released later (most of which are absolutely remarkable tracks: "Not From Where I Am Standing", "Nobody Is Twisting Your Arm", "Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now"). Thanks to the validity of their songs, the Wedding Present will manage to break into the charts (but their first album with a major will be a traditional Ukrainian music album, what a bunch, huh?!); their sound is still present almost everywhere, even if few contemporary bands seem to have noticed.
In times of archaeology like ours, an album like this deserves a pleasant rediscovery. George Best was the 2007 album for your friend and humble narrator: he hopes it can be a pleasant discovery for you too.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 What Did Your Last Servant Die Of? (02:44)
Is that a letter you're hiding from me?
Well I think I'm being used again, let me open it & see
That's not what I wanted to hear
There's a time and place for everything & that time is coming near
Do you have to spend so much time on your hair?
Well couldn't you started earlier? Of course you've got things to wear!
No, I didn't pick up your coat on the way
Some of us have to work you know, have you been sitting there all day?
All that I've done for you
After all that I have done for you
03 Don't Be So Hard (02:43)
He became a man at twenty-three
& now he's got to take up all the seat
I never knew he was so bold
I really think she should be told
But that's what best friends are for
& does she have a best friend, anymore?
At home, she tells him little lies
Like she's not in the mood tonight
& when they're out with all his friends
He just forgets that she's even there
He's go this name on people's lips
He crushes fingers in his grip
& of course he shows that he doesn't care
If he chances to overhear
"Have you seen her without make-up?"
& "I don't think he's had
At home, she tells him little lies
Like onions always make her cry
& when they're out with all his friends
He just forgets that she's even there
04 A Million Miles (03:32)
I must have walked past this doorway thirty times
Just trying to catch your eye
You made it all worthwhile when you returned my smile
It all became worthwhile
Don't you feel a little cold stood by the door?
You know I'd really like to talk some more
Oh don't be worried about your friend--
I think she left some time around ten
What was her name, again?
You're not like anyone I've ever met
Do you see much of Charlie over here?
Oh I've known him off and on, for years
He's never mentioned you before
Oh that didn't come out right at all
And now I feel this small
That seems to be it
Don't get me wrong, but how are you going to get back home?
I'd be willing to walk that way
There's something I've just got to say
I'd walk a million miles today
You're not like anyone I've ever met
I kept bursting out with laughter all the way home
I had to tell somebody, and you just happened to phone
I can't think of anything else, no matter how I try
But, you know, I can't even remember the color of her eyes
06 Getting Nowhere Fast (01:43)
You're not looking forward and you are not looking back
You've lost your warranty, you'll never get your money back
My baby's buying me another life, getting nowhere fast
I am finished when I don't do what they want me to
I know them more than you, that's what the general public think
My baby's buying me another life, getting nowhere fast
It makes you feel good, you've answered all the questions right
You've won a holiday, that'll help you sleep tonight
My baby's buying me another life, getting nowhere fast
We are not looking forward and we are not looking back
We've lost our warranty, we'll never get our money back
My baby's buying me another life, getting nowhere fast
My baby's buying me another life
07 My Favourite Dress (04:14)
Sometimes these words just don't have to be said
I know how you both feel, the heart can rule the head
Jealousy is an essential part of love
The hurting here below and the emptiness above (ohh)
There's always something left behind
There's always something left behind
Never mind
Oh never mind
The tender caresses that bring out the man
I can't still be drunk at five, oh I guess I surely can
Slowly your beauty is eaten away
By the scent of someone else in the blanket where we lay (ohh)
There's always something left behind
There's always something left behind
Maybe next time
Uneaten meals
A lonely star
A welcome ride in a neighbour's car
A long walk home
The pouring rain
I fell asleep when you never came
Some rare delight in Manchester town
It took six hours before you let me down
To see it all in a drunken kiss
A stranger's hand on my favourite dress (ohh)
That was my favourite dress you know
That was my favourite dress (ohh)
08 Shatner (02:06)
Wear something bright & turn away
Imagine girls behaving in that way
Why don't you pack your bags & leave?
Look here's another bruise I didn't see
You can't say "it doesn't really matter"
This isn't t.v., he isn't William Shatner
Oh I've told you before
These days you look so pale & thin
Wave down a bus & let's be rid of him
You've spent this night beside you t.v. set
Remember when you used to laught at it
You laughed a bit
You can't say "it doesn't really matter"
This isn't t.v., he isn't William Shatner
Oh I've told you before
You can't say "it doesn't really matter"
This isn't t.v., he isn't William Shatner
12 Anyone Can Make a Mistake (03:20)
When I set foot upon the bus you laughed
And said, "That's the end for us"
Oh could a joke ever go more wrong?
If only you'd have come along
Oh but you must stop calling Jane
She is completely without blame
Do you have to ring her up so soon?
That's rubbing salt into these wounds
A little bit of what you fancy
Doesn't do you any good at all
Oh I know that now
I can't add to what I've said
I just completely lost my head
Do you want me here when you start to pack?
And are you leaving just like that?
Have you taken all you want?
Is that it? Have you really gone?
What can I say to change you mind?
There'll never be another time
A little bit of what you fancy
Doesn't do you any good at all
It's so clear to me now
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