Bad choices for lead-off singles

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by R79, Sep 16, 2020.

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  1. Zombie Dodge

    Zombie Dodge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dartmouth, NS
    “Cleopatra’s Cat,” the first single from the Spin Doctors’ second album, pretty much stopped their career in its tracks.

    And a specifically Canadian example: “Twister” from the Northern Pikes’ Neptune. It was so blatantly obvious that the band and/or record company was desperately trying to release another “She Ain’t Pretty.”
     
  2. Mr. Bewlay

    Mr. Bewlay It Is The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous.

    Location:
    Denver CO
    You're missing out. You can always skip that track if it's that offensive. It's a great album, a top ten favourite of mine.
     
  3. Mr. Bewlay

    Mr. Bewlay It Is The Business Of The Future To Be Dangerous.

    Location:
    Denver CO
    I would love to see footage of that. The BBC probably taped over it.
     
  4. modela

    modela Forum Resident

    Location:
    Azusa, CA
    You think so? I'm not sure "Passengers" would be widely appealing in the US. I personally never liked the song and the anti-apartheid theme is obscure. "In Neon" didn't do that badly. It scraped the Top 40 and rose to #12 on the AC charts.
     
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  5. modela

    modela Forum Resident

    Location:
    Azusa, CA
    I think he did. "Empty Garden", "I'm Still Standing", "Cold as Christmas" and "Nikita" were excellent.
     
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  6. modela

    modela Forum Resident

    Location:
    Azusa, CA
    I think "Eminence Front" was the clear choice on It's Hard. It's the highlight of the album and one of their best songs.
     
    ARK likes this.
  7. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    They had enough talent as a band not to do another cover as a lead off, especially by the same band. They shouldn't even have recorded another cover and again, especially by the same band. At least Medal Health is part of their legacy.
     
  8. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    A few, yes. His Greatest Hits 3 is respectable.
     
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  9. Mother

    Mother Forum Resident

    Location:
    Melbourne
    Someone mentioned it earlier - Rattled By the Rush - Pavement off Wowee Zowee.
     
  10. Eric_Generic

    Eric_Generic Enigma

    Location:
    Berkshire
    I expect Passengers would have struggled in the US, much like You Take Me Up by Thompson Twins - from the same time - did...#44 after two big hits. Passengers has got a funny little rhythm and melody going on. In Neon was better suited to the US market/radio.

    EG.
     
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  11. Sconcho

    Sconcho Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    Or you could listen to someone who didn’t molest children.
     
  12. Hooperfan

    Hooperfan Your friendly neighborhood candy store owner

    Location:
    New York
    Yet it's one of his songs that the classic rock stations play constantly
     
  13. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Three of the better tracks on the album.

    Only things I would have changed are move "A Good Horse" as the lead single [more upbeat] and probably move "For What It's Worth" to the third single spot.
     
  14. m5comp

    m5comp Classic Rock Lover

    Location:
    Hamilton, AL
    I like "Back Together Again"; it's one of my favorite Hall and Oates songs. I had the 45 way back when, too.
     
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  15. 3coloursbeige

    3coloursbeige Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Not only was She Loves Me Not *not* a lead-off single for Faith No More's Album of the Year...it wasn't a single at all...which I always found odd...

    Star AD probably should've been released as a single from the previous album too...

     
  16. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

    They also had "Hold Me" up their sleeve - not ready for the album or first single but available for the second (they put it on the b-side).



    Ultimately, not the best album for singles. I wonder if Tore had been there maybe there would have been more commercial hit material (maybe that is partly why they broke away for this album).

    Apparently Tore was there at the early stages - I wonder if "A Good Horse" comes from those sessions?
     
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  17. Zombie Dodge

    Zombie Dodge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dartmouth, NS
    Reminds me of this famous cartoon from Spy magazine:

    [​IMG]
     
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  18. georgwithoutane

    georgwithoutane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    Not sure if anybody's answered you yet, but the Stones released Angie as the lead from Goats Head Soup, and I can imagine that was pretty strange. (I was negative-10 in 1973, so I have no idea.) Especially considering the lead singles from the previous two albums were Brown Sugar and Tumbling Dice, a syrupy love song with strings must have been very weird to hear from the bad boys of rock. Of course, it went to #1, so it's not even a question of whether it should have been released or not, but I'll say that my own personal alternate history of the Stones does not have Angie...
     
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  19. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    The album was intended to be more simple and rocking. Billy said he wanted an album with songs that would sound good in arenas. Well, he did play a good chunk of the album live, in 1980, and the songs worked.
    That said, the single did well, and certainly didn’t hurt sales. What would you have picked as the lead off single?
     
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  20. Hooperfan

    Hooperfan Your friendly neighborhood candy store owner

    Location:
    New York
    I think the only other option would be "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me"
     
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  21. RickH

    RickH Connoisseur of deep album cuts

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Yeah, I don’t dislike the song and it certainly achieved his goal of simple and rocking, so commercially speaking, it was actually a good choice. I guess, coming after “52nd Street”, the track just sounded dashed off the first few times I heard it. I would have preferred “It’s Still Rock & Roll” but I think that was the next single anyway.
     
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  22. daveidmarx

    daveidmarx Forem Residunt

    Location:
    Astoria, NY USA
    Oops! You're absolutely right about 'Do What You Want'. I knew that it was the lead single, but somehow had forgotten when I made the post. Even worse choice for a lead over Rich Girl. As for Camellia, it's not bad, but it's not really memorable either. The thing about 'Sara' is that it wasn't even planned as a single but some DJ played it as an album track and the boards lit up. RCA got wind of this and rushed it out as the third single, which became H&O's breakthrough hit. Makes you wonder what would've happened to them had that DJ not played 'Sara'.

    Head Over Water? Jeez... I like the song, but both Private Eyes and especially 'No Can Do' outclass it by a wide margin.

    I love the song, but 'Rich Girl' has "hit single" written all over it. Moot point as 'Back' was released following 'Rich' as pointed out above.
     
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  23. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Yeah, I always loved Passengers myself. Words could be more clear but I remember playing the album for the first time and that song standing out, just for its catchiness.
     
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  24. Welshman

    Welshman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Swansea
    I got my info from Wikipedia but don't know if that's accurate tbh. Either way, seems a crazy choice to pass over Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand or Wait Until Tomorrow as the only single.
     
  25. classicrockguy

    classicrockguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Livingston NJ
    At what point was "Sad Songs (Say So Much) released? That was the song everyone knew from "Breaking Hearts", which to me is by far his best 80s album
     
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