Everything But the Girl - Idlewild (1988)

Gonna be a tough call for me between "These Early Days" and "Apron Strings."

god "Oxford Street."

But then again, "I Always Was Your Girl." And then again, "Oxford Street." Why did I start this poll?!

yeah, i'm gonna have a hard time with this one.

man this album is so gorgeous. it's like them doing sade, but with that british indie guitar sound slant. tracey is always such a joy to hear sing and this album has to be one of her best performances.

also this album has to be one of the best side twos of alltime.

right now it's a three way tie between "blue moon rose", "tears all over town", and "lonesome for a place i know."

I prefer the more kinetic, synthier version of Apron Strings which I first encountered on the soundtrack to "She's Having A Baby", but that song still gets my vote.

tears all over town just edging blue moon

I Always WasYour Girl, with the "you and me against the world" line, such a great tune. But the eloquent homesickness of "Lonesome..." Got my vote. Love this album.

ended going with my gut and voted "blue moon rose." what an absolutely fantastic album.

Speaking of Sade, they've got "Maureen," like "Blue Moon Rose" about a friendship changed by adulthood:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmMtCDo9afU

No-one else going to rep for Shadow on a Harvest Moon? That song is just gorgeous, the standout track of a perfect album.

What do the Britishes think of EBTG's career arc? Listening to their early albums yesterday afternoon, I realized I'd never warmed to them: Thorn sounds smothered, the arrangements cluttered. Idlewild is where they ease into their natural mode. Even The Language of Life sounds more assured than, say, Eden.

listening to this for the first time and i'm finding it very agreeable. never really got into them before - i'd tried eden before but it didn't click and i feel like i've surely listened to amplified heart and walking wounded before but can't remember a thing about them, will have to try those again

Those two remain their best

“Apron Strings” feels like the classic for its songwriting alone, but my summer-after-high-school mixtape was called Lonesome for a Place I Know. Going with that one.

It's between 'I Always Was Your Girl,' 'Blue Moon Rose,' and 'Lonesome' for me.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

i can't choose

Choose.

Ooh, picked this up on my last EBTG shopping trip. I'll play it again tonight.

Don't ever change. I call you Jimmy, they call you James.

*sparkling guitar figure*

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i went with "i always was your girl"

after going through a lot of their discography recently i think this is my favourite of theirs

Totally forgot I had a tube-station-sized poster of this album cover on my dorm-room wall one year.

Their songwriting didn't level off but their production skills improved; I'll take Worldwide, Amplified Heart and Walking Wounded

Also: The Language of Life is a fascinating stab at a big budget L.A. Anita Baker album that work.

*works

i just adore these sort of sophisti-pop arrangements, even more than what they did afterwards

I still listen to Temperamental as much as any of their discs. Love these guys.

yep

interesting results!

i also must concur re: temperamental — it's probably my second favorite album of theirs, after this one.