Metamatic Forums News and Announcements John Foxx news 20th Century: The Noise

The track is definitely called Splendour - and the artwork reflects that.

It's likely that whoever first submitted the track-listing for this album to Gracenote called the last track Quiet Splendour by mistake.

The artwork to Orphée is more ambiguous as it calls the track both Splendour and Quiet Splendour.

We decided to drop the word Quiet from the title as it's different to the track Quiet Splendour which first appeared on Cathedral Oceans II.

Rob

It's interesting to know that it's been called both.

Thanks for clearing that up Rob.

I have a Windows Media Player Plugin which extracts the info directly from the CD.

I've also just tried it in my car which is not connected to the Internet.



Sorry for being so picky.You probably can tell that being layed up with my bad leg I've got too much time on my hands...😀

Brian

Just to clarify

SPLENDOUR as featured on Orphée and now on 20th Century is a DIFFERENT TRACK to that called QUIET SPLENDOUR which is available on Cathedral Oceans II

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Orphée/release/446488

The SPLENDOUR track was completed in April 2000 and released on Orphée in July

"... with its almost blindingly beautiful bright white starry synth and its heavily treated and layered male vocals in back like a chorus of angels chanting, all slowly unfolding over the course of the track like a dream of paradise, lighter than air yet graver than eternity.”

There have been several references in the past to the Orpheé track being called (Quiet) Splendour, and as Rob says, even that release is misleading.

Try archiving this stuff... *eek*

That's so true Martin.

There is a also a Foxx lyric with the phrase Quiet Splendour somewhere as well but I can't remember where but suspect something on The Shape of Things.

Brian

It was bugging me for ages.

It's from An Ocean We Can Breathe.

"And there's a quiet splendour
And there's a silent sender
And there's an ocean we can breathe
There's an ocean we can breathe"

Brian

It was indeed Brian.

And I wrote out the transcript for that entry

I received my copy of '20th Century: The Noise' today. Just listening to it at the moment.

My first thoughts on the release...

Nice packaging as always.Then we come to expect that from Metamatic Records.

In terms of the contents. Plenty has already been said about the same old tracks appearing time again on compilations, so I won't go into that. For me the first eleven tracks suggest a straight forward collection of the singles and a selection of B-sides. However no singles from 'The Golden Section' or 'In Mysterious Ways.' Instead we get 'The Hidden Man', an album track. Then we're off to '97. Does anyone know the reasoning behind largely ignoring TGS and totally ignoring IMW? I would like Metamatic Records to release the definitive singles collection, preferably including the edited single version of 'Endlessly' from 1983.

Finally, do we know any recording information regarding 'Musique Electron'? Do we know what year it was recorded, for example?

Musique Electron was the working title for a body of work first referred to in 2005, out of which Tiny Colour Movies emerged. The other tracks (of which 'Musique Electron' is one) have variously been referred to ever since, and some go back to the days of My Lost City. At least from 1983.

Since 1997, names like 'Urban Motets', 'Musique Electron', and 'Imaginary Music' have been used to describe the same body of various treated piano pieces. It is my belief that some of this has been released as London Overgrown and The Quiet Man, as well as perhaps various other tracks.

That's the collective term.

I wonder if Rob can throw more light onto the history of this specific track? I would imagine it has not necessarily had a name until recently, being just one of many 'similar' and connected pieces...

Thanks for your thoughts on Musique Electron Martin.

It makes you wonder how many finished/unfinished/sketches of tracks are 'in the vaults' just waiting for a suitable means of release.

I have to say i'm not that excited about this compilation I would have preferred a definitive singles collection like this:

Slow Motion
Quiet Men
Underpass
No-One Driving
Burning Car
Miles Away
Europe After The Rain
Dancing Like A Gun
Endlessly
Your Dress
Like A Miracle
Stars On Fire
What Kind Of Girl
Enter The Angel
Dislocated
Never Been Here Before
Broken Furniture
Drive
Destination
Evergreen
Evangeline

For the CD 1 track would have to be dropped and I would take out "Drive" as "Broken Furniture" has been included from the same EP.

.....thoughts?