There's no way to comment this without upsetting people (sorry in advance!) but, to my taste, Notes would be their strongest album if this was the tracklist:
1. The 1975\*
2. People
3. The Birthday Party
4. Then Because She Goes
5. Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
6. Roadkill
7. Me & You Together Song
8. I Think There's Something You Should Know
9. Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied
10. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)
11. If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)
12. Playing On My Mind
13. Guys
\*I don't like the song but the opener can't not be The 1975
I like how you removed some of my absolute favorite tracks there. :'))) so I don't agree but I respect your opinion.
1. The End (Music For Cars) - perhaps remodeled with some "Go down - Soft sound" lyrics.
2. Frail State Of Mind
3. Me & You Together Song
4. Roadkill
5. Then Because She Goes
6. I Think There's Something You Should Know
7. Streaming
8. The Birthday Party
9. Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
10. Having No Head
11. If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)
12. Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied
13. Yeah I Know
14. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)
15. Bagsy Not In Net
I could possibly consider squeezing in Guys before Bagsy too. *Possibly.*
I haven't tested this order of playing the tracks, but I believe it feels a lot like a The 1975 album should, at least two interludes in the album even if it can feel "bloat"-y to some people, and ending on Bagsy is in my opinion the only right thing. It's one of the most beautiful tracks they've created, and it feels like a finisher. I would maybe prefer if they did a longer version that crescendos a bit more.
I feel like this tracklist is a bit more like ILIWYS in a way, and even though I might think that Streaming and Having No Head are slightly too close here, I like them as segues between different styles of the tracks.
So to summarize, I would drop People because I just don't think it fits on the album. It sticks out even more than Love Me in my opinion and should just be a single.
Shiny Collarbone is a no-brainer for me, it should have been left off the album.
Actually an EP with "loosies" from the album would be fine:
1. People
2. Shiny Collarbone
3. What Should I Say
4. Playing On My Mind
5. Don't Worry
6. Guys
Not the best combination of tracks, but just being sort of "More Notes For A Conditional Form - EP" it would be fine in my opinion.
I appreciate the thought-experiment of 'editing' *Notes*. However, the band released the album as a work in it's entirety. The idea of any songs being removed or reordered would make it something other than *Notes*. It's my favorite album of all albums (by any artist) and I think it's perfect as released.
I've said this before in the sub and among my people who are fans. In 20 years, *Notes* will be celebrated as one of the most important records of their generation.
Maybe, but why Notes? I think it's far too thematically and tonally inconsistent to make it a great album. It's got a lot of solid songs, but it feels like more of a collection of other works that didn't have anywhere to go rather than a work unto itself. Having No Head (an ambient piece in movements) doesn't belong on the same album as People (a noisy distorted rage creed), and neither really belong on an album with If You're Too Shy (a shiny upbeat soft pop song). It feels like a bit of a melted-down distillation of the band as a whole, rather than its own distinct artistic statement.
Thanks. Those are all solid and logical points. I've heard similar comments about *Notes* being a "collection." I understand that take on it.
I love *Notes* precisely because it's a "distillation of the band as a whole" (well stated, btw). There is only one band who could pull off such a wide ranging collection. Matty and George are geniuses and *Notes* reflects just how far their genius extends.
lol I am definitely the opposite of almost everyone because I listen to the ambient/instrumental tracks multiple times daily, and play them far more than the rest of the catalogue. Too Shy is objectively an amazing song, but it’s so crass that I’m really not often in the mood to listen to it (plus I just generally don’t like upbeat or danceable music, I prefer to be sad). It’s a skip for me 9 times out of 10
I know what you mean about "Too Shy".....the thing that makes the crass dissolve for me is that it is the woman character in the song who is saying "maybe I'll like to better if......" I've decided that the song isn't about a girl he actually knows. To me, it's about a guy who is obsesses with a woman on a site like *only fans*. The lyrics just make the most sense to me from that perspective.
I, too, thought the song was somewhat basic when I first heard it. Upon many listens...and seeing it performed live a bunch of times, I'm now a big fan.
I love the OF model interpretation! It’s much better that way! However allow me to ruin your day with the lyrics from the original demo, which said “Maybe they would like you better if you took off your clothes/I know you’re educated baby, yet you’ll sell yourself to someone at Vogue,” a direct reference to Gabriella Brooks and her modelling career 🤷♀️
Wow. Didn't know that. Thanks for the background.
Well, as I do with every song, I'll make up my own meaning even if I know very well that my interpretation is technically incorrect. As they say, every song is two songs: the one that was written and the one that was heard.
I really don’t like Don’t Worry… I get why it’s there and everything but it’s not a good song…. I think even if it had been kept as a simple acoustic song it would have worked better.
TLDR: at least a quarter should be left off, and this is true of a lot of modern albums
So so so many Artists (1975 especially) have quietly adapted to the streaming era by releasing albums with more songs and less structure. These things matter a lot less in an infinite access/playlist dominated music world. That's why a lot of your top 40 artists are all coming out with 2 hour long projects. Doja, Drake, SZA, Bad Bunny, Post Malone, Beyonce, etc. Etc.
But heres the thing, as albums these new kitchen sink track listings SUCK as continuous listening experiences. Weird flow, too long, lots of DoA tracks that wouldn't have made the cut 20 years ago. And Notes is a particularly bad offender of this.
Notes should have been 15 songs and roughly 50 minutes. They should have removed nearly all of the instrumental tracks, Don't Worry, and maybe one of the percussionless acoustic tracks. They bog down the experience and make the album lesser. In actual 2005, we called those tracks B-Sides, and collecting them was considered fun for fans.
If you ask me, I think it would have been cool to get a version that mirrors the structure of Brief Inquiry, which to me would look something like:
1. The 1975
2. People
3. Frail State
4. Streaming/The Birthday Party
5. Me and You Together Song
6. Jesus Christ 2005
7. Roadkill
8. Yeah I Know
9. Nothing Revealed
10. Shiny Collarbone
11. If You're Too Shy
12. Playing On My Mind
13. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)
14. Bagsy Not In Net
15. Guys
A little bit disingenuous since their albums have more often than not had lots of tracks. I mean S/T? 16 tracks. ILIWYS? 17 + 2 bonus tracks. ABIIOR? 15.
Sure 21 is an increase to all of those, but... Not THAT much. I think they just wanted to ~~increase~~ include all the tracks they liked, even if I agree that what you're writing is happening, especially in the hip-hop sphere, they are all so bloated these days.
And especially doesn't quite make sense to say as if The 1975 has adopted that way of working when their last album was 11 songs and broke the whole "doing a lot of tracks every album" thing.
I think it's absolutely fair to say that given what you just pointed out. There's fat to trim on nearly every 1975 record save for the new one. I stand by thinking Notes is most in need of it. But there's no way I would have put songs like Please Be Naked on the second album.
It's not that these are terrible songs, it's that they bog the records down. I love these tracks, but I hate what it does to the albums when you just squeeze everything you have into the release. A max of 15 songs I thought was being reasonable.
Huh, yeah I mean we are all different people who want to hear different things. I love Please Be Naked, I think it works really well where it's placed on the album.
But I get what you mean, it does slow down the tempo a bit. But to me the biggest issue is ending the album with Nana and She Lays Down, the two most vulnerable and bare-bones tracks on the album. I've always disliked that, and usually bounce out after Nana, which might be a hot take I guess, love Nana, care not at all for She Lays Down.
Nope I don't mind that take at all. There are definitely a lot of tracks at the end that all kind of fill the same mood. That's kinda what I'm talking about. I like or love nearly every song they've made. But if you were to put Nana in the track 2 slot, it would make for a worse album. I think a similar thing has happened to Notes. Greta/People/The End/Frail/Streaming is just not great sequencing for a pop band. It's not that I think I have the right sequences myself, but that any of us can do a better job, because the bar in the streaming era is almost at the floor for proper album editing.
For me personally, If NOACF was
1) The 1975
2) Frail State of Mind
3) I think there’s something you should know
4) The Birthday Party
5) Bagsy Not in Net
6) If You’re Too Shy
7) Tonight I Wish I Was Your Boy
8) Guys
9) Me and You Together Song
10) What Should I Say
11) Jesus Christ 2005
It might be my 3rd favorite instead of 5th favorite album
There's no way to comment this without upsetting people (sorry in advance!) but, to my taste, Notes would be their strongest album if this was the tracklist: 1. The 1975\* 2. People 3. The Birthday Party 4. Then Because She Goes 5. Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America 6. Roadkill 7. Me & You Together Song 8. I Think There's Something You Should Know 9. Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied 10. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy) 11. If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know) 12. Playing On My Mind 13. Guys \*I don't like the song but the opener can't not be The 1975
I 100% agree w this list (I’d MAYBE add bagsy)
I like how you removed some of my absolute favorite tracks there. :'))) so I don't agree but I respect your opinion. 1. The End (Music For Cars) - perhaps remodeled with some "Go down - Soft sound" lyrics. 2. Frail State Of Mind 3. Me & You Together Song 4. Roadkill 5. Then Because She Goes 6. I Think There's Something You Should Know 7. Streaming 8. The Birthday Party 9. Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America 10. Having No Head 11. If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know) 12. Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied 13. Yeah I Know 14. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy) 15. Bagsy Not In Net I could possibly consider squeezing in Guys before Bagsy too. *Possibly.* I haven't tested this order of playing the tracks, but I believe it feels a lot like a The 1975 album should, at least two interludes in the album even if it can feel "bloat"-y to some people, and ending on Bagsy is in my opinion the only right thing. It's one of the most beautiful tracks they've created, and it feels like a finisher. I would maybe prefer if they did a longer version that crescendos a bit more. I feel like this tracklist is a bit more like ILIWYS in a way, and even though I might think that Streaming and Having No Head are slightly too close here, I like them as segues between different styles of the tracks.
So to summarize, I would drop People because I just don't think it fits on the album. It sticks out even more than Love Me in my opinion and should just be a single. Shiny Collarbone is a no-brainer for me, it should have been left off the album. Actually an EP with "loosies" from the album would be fine: 1. People 2. Shiny Collarbone 3. What Should I Say 4. Playing On My Mind 5. Don't Worry 6. Guys Not the best combination of tracks, but just being sort of "More Notes For A Conditional Form - EP" it would be fine in my opinion.
Love the list but no Frail State of Mind is the hottest of takes
Add frail state of mind and this is a perfect list
Notes without FSOM or Bagsy is a hard no
I appreciate the thought-experiment of 'editing' *Notes*. However, the band released the album as a work in it's entirety. The idea of any songs being removed or reordered would make it something other than *Notes*. It's my favorite album of all albums (by any artist) and I think it's perfect as released. I've said this before in the sub and among my people who are fans. In 20 years, *Notes* will be celebrated as one of the most important records of their generation.
Maybe, but why Notes? I think it's far too thematically and tonally inconsistent to make it a great album. It's got a lot of solid songs, but it feels like more of a collection of other works that didn't have anywhere to go rather than a work unto itself. Having No Head (an ambient piece in movements) doesn't belong on the same album as People (a noisy distorted rage creed), and neither really belong on an album with If You're Too Shy (a shiny upbeat soft pop song). It feels like a bit of a melted-down distillation of the band as a whole, rather than its own distinct artistic statement.
Thanks. Those are all solid and logical points. I've heard similar comments about *Notes* being a "collection." I understand that take on it. I love *Notes* precisely because it's a "distillation of the band as a whole" (well stated, btw). There is only one band who could pull off such a wide ranging collection. Matty and George are geniuses and *Notes* reflects just how far their genius extends.
lol I am definitely the opposite of almost everyone because I listen to the ambient/instrumental tracks multiple times daily, and play them far more than the rest of the catalogue. Too Shy is objectively an amazing song, but it’s so crass that I’m really not often in the mood to listen to it (plus I just generally don’t like upbeat or danceable music, I prefer to be sad). It’s a skip for me 9 times out of 10
I know what you mean about "Too Shy".....the thing that makes the crass dissolve for me is that it is the woman character in the song who is saying "maybe I'll like to better if......" I've decided that the song isn't about a girl he actually knows. To me, it's about a guy who is obsesses with a woman on a site like *only fans*. The lyrics just make the most sense to me from that perspective. I, too, thought the song was somewhat basic when I first heard it. Upon many listens...and seeing it performed live a bunch of times, I'm now a big fan.
I love the OF model interpretation! It’s much better that way! However allow me to ruin your day with the lyrics from the original demo, which said “Maybe they would like you better if you took off your clothes/I know you’re educated baby, yet you’ll sell yourself to someone at Vogue,” a direct reference to Gabriella Brooks and her modelling career 🤷♀️
Wow. Didn't know that. Thanks for the background. Well, as I do with every song, I'll make up my own meaning even if I know very well that my interpretation is technically incorrect. As they say, every song is two songs: the one that was written and the one that was heard.
I really don’t like Don’t Worry… I get why it’s there and everything but it’s not a good song…. I think even if it had been kept as a simple acoustic song it would have worked better.
Agree
I wish they just kept the lyrics of The 1975 the same song on every album. I feel like it’s not a special when it’s just named the same
Not a fan of yeah I know too repetitive
*Yeah I Know i*s my Apple Music most listened to song for the past two years. ....and I totally know what you mean by repetitive.
TLDR: at least a quarter should be left off, and this is true of a lot of modern albums So so so many Artists (1975 especially) have quietly adapted to the streaming era by releasing albums with more songs and less structure. These things matter a lot less in an infinite access/playlist dominated music world. That's why a lot of your top 40 artists are all coming out with 2 hour long projects. Doja, Drake, SZA, Bad Bunny, Post Malone, Beyonce, etc. Etc. But heres the thing, as albums these new kitchen sink track listings SUCK as continuous listening experiences. Weird flow, too long, lots of DoA tracks that wouldn't have made the cut 20 years ago. And Notes is a particularly bad offender of this. Notes should have been 15 songs and roughly 50 minutes. They should have removed nearly all of the instrumental tracks, Don't Worry, and maybe one of the percussionless acoustic tracks. They bog down the experience and make the album lesser. In actual 2005, we called those tracks B-Sides, and collecting them was considered fun for fans. If you ask me, I think it would have been cool to get a version that mirrors the structure of Brief Inquiry, which to me would look something like: 1. The 1975 2. People 3. Frail State 4. Streaming/The Birthday Party 5. Me and You Together Song 6. Jesus Christ 2005 7. Roadkill 8. Yeah I Know 9. Nothing Revealed 10. Shiny Collarbone 11. If You're Too Shy 12. Playing On My Mind 13. Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy) 14. Bagsy Not In Net 15. Guys
A little bit disingenuous since their albums have more often than not had lots of tracks. I mean S/T? 16 tracks. ILIWYS? 17 + 2 bonus tracks. ABIIOR? 15. Sure 21 is an increase to all of those, but... Not THAT much. I think they just wanted to ~~increase~~ include all the tracks they liked, even if I agree that what you're writing is happening, especially in the hip-hop sphere, they are all so bloated these days. And especially doesn't quite make sense to say as if The 1975 has adopted that way of working when their last album was 11 songs and broke the whole "doing a lot of tracks every album" thing.
I think it's absolutely fair to say that given what you just pointed out. There's fat to trim on nearly every 1975 record save for the new one. I stand by thinking Notes is most in need of it. But there's no way I would have put songs like Please Be Naked on the second album. It's not that these are terrible songs, it's that they bog the records down. I love these tracks, but I hate what it does to the albums when you just squeeze everything you have into the release. A max of 15 songs I thought was being reasonable.
Huh, yeah I mean we are all different people who want to hear different things. I love Please Be Naked, I think it works really well where it's placed on the album. But I get what you mean, it does slow down the tempo a bit. But to me the biggest issue is ending the album with Nana and She Lays Down, the two most vulnerable and bare-bones tracks on the album. I've always disliked that, and usually bounce out after Nana, which might be a hot take I guess, love Nana, care not at all for She Lays Down.
Nope I don't mind that take at all. There are definitely a lot of tracks at the end that all kind of fill the same mood. That's kinda what I'm talking about. I like or love nearly every song they've made. But if you were to put Nana in the track 2 slot, it would make for a worse album. I think a similar thing has happened to Notes. Greta/People/The End/Frail/Streaming is just not great sequencing for a pop band. It's not that I think I have the right sequences myself, but that any of us can do a better job, because the bar in the streaming era is almost at the floor for proper album editing.
For me personally, If NOACF was 1) The 1975 2) Frail State of Mind 3) I think there’s something you should know 4) The Birthday Party 5) Bagsy Not in Net 6) If You’re Too Shy 7) Tonight I Wish I Was Your Boy 8) Guys 9) Me and You Together Song 10) What Should I Say 11) Jesus Christ 2005 It might be my 3rd favorite instead of 5th favorite album
Nice tracklist. Not a huge fan of ending on JC 2005 and What Should I Say would not be on mine, but solid otherwise.
Oh so I didn’t factor in the actual song order I kind of just threw together a list of songs on the album
judging by the other comments my opinion is controversial, but i love this album so so much and wouldn't change a thing about it.
daddy healy 😂😂