Pop Will Eat Itself - "Wise Up! Sucker": Classic or Dud?

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I've never felt so justified in having loved something in Grade 6 that I hadn't heard since then. A great lost single of the late 80s.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 23 September 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Is the whole album like this?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 23 September 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Does anyone sing through megaphones anymore? Except Fred Durst maybe?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 23 September 2004 03:39 (twenty-one years ago)

OH YES IT IS. (slight x-post)

Except when it's even better.

Not like I care or anything.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 September 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, I never knew Miles Hunt sang backup on this.
Classic, duh. Most PWEI singles were excellent.

"Wise Up Sucker" and Orbital's "Satan" are different sides of the same coin -- the coin of DANCE MUSIC THAT ROCKS HARDER THAN 99.5% OF ALL ROCK MUSIC. One's more hip-hop, the other is more techno.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 23 September 2004 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I really hate to say it, considering Pop Will Eat Itself were my favorite band from 1989 to 1992 or so, I have many t-shirts to prove it, but I don't think they've aged that well. Other somewhat similar bands like their often name-checked Renegade Soundwave or even Meat Beat Manifesto still stand up to repeated listens by me but I can't listen to PWEI except for nostalgic reasons. Some moments strike me as more timeless, I specifically love the many versions of 92? F (the 3rd degree), the version from Cure for Sanity w/ the female vox as well as the punkier version w/ their own vocals I used to have on a 10".

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 23 September 2004 06:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic++.

― Sexual Air Supply (Autumn Almanac), Thursday, 23 September 2004 07:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh god, such a classic.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Thursday, 23 September 2004 10:46 (twenty-one years ago)

SUPER CLASSIC (except of course for the overrated-even-at-the-time "Def Con One").

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Thursday, 23 September 2004 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I love it
I love it not yeah
I love it
I love it not yeat
I love it
I love it not
Wise up, gimme all your cash.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 23 September 2004 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

NOT NOW JAMES WE'RE BUSY

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 23 September 2004 11:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Finally seeing them live in the mid-nineties and then having them do this song was some kinda highlight.

*nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh
yeaaaaa*
WISE UP!
*riff from hell*

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 September 2004 11:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Aaahhh, that wobbly bassline in "Not Now James..".

Very happy memories.

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

"Not Now James We're Busy" is seriously one of the greatest songs ever recorded (easily my favorite from the album).

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:21 (twenty-one years ago)

classic.

mark e
ageofchance.com

― mark e (mark e), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Noting Complete Agreement with Dan about "Not Now James We're Busy".

(and mark e)

― Jedmond (Jedmond), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

"Not Now James We're Busy" is seriously one of the greatest songs ever recorded

No question of it. How to amuse/bemuse oneself -- compare/contrast the song with BAD's contemporaneous "James Brown."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

PWEI released two untouchable albums (_Day Hour This_, _Cure For Sanity_) and two very good albums (the two after _Sanity_). I've never been a huge fan of their pre-_Day Hour This_ material with the sole exception of "She's Surreal".

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Classic, classic, classic, especially the afore-mentioned "Not Now James...".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Best use of "The A-Team" theme song ever?

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Thursday, 23 September 2004 12:49 (twenty-one years ago)

the 12" version of this at the end of the album is my favorite song of theirs from what I've heard.

"Get the Girl, Kill the Baddies" and "Can U Dig It" are almost as classic.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Thursday, 23 September 2004 13:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Hm, the rest of the album sounds more like dated 80s pseudo-rap than insanely catchy and driving Depeche Metal. I'll give it time though.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Thursday, 23 September 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

"Depeche Metal" = genius!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 23 September 2004 21:31 (twenty-one years ago)

"Satellite Ecstatica"!

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Thursday, 23 September 2004 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

"Screaming Like a Maniac!"

I thought Depeche Metal was either the Deftones or Linkin Park.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 September 2004 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, this can be like the XTC thread!

Smashing Pumpkins are Depeche Grunge
Covenant are Depeche EBM

etc.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 23 September 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I listened to This is the Time etc etc et bloody cetera the other day to see if it was as ace as I remember. And the singles certainly are, esp "Wise Up!"

The only things that let that album down are the cacky pop-hating (ooh! slagging off Rick Astley! you big brave rebels!) and the fact that most of the non-singles are stodgy filler.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 23 September 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I really hate to say it, considering Pop Will Eat Itself were my favorite band from 1989 to 1992 or so, I have many t-shirts to prove it, but I don't think they've aged that well.

I recently listened to Cure for Sanity for the first time in a long time and was surprised by how well it aged. I was able to listen to the songs with fresh ears---the basic form of all the songs was remembered, but all the details had been lost in my memory. Normally, any sort of pseudo-rapping done by a British white guy in the early 90s is just unbearable, but PWEI weren't trying to be something they weren't, weren't trying to be hip hop, so it works.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 23 September 2004 22:54 (twenty-one years ago)

they had DREADLOCKS didn't they?

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:03 (twenty-one years ago)

No, it was more like, to quote an MM mention at the time, 'an imitation of the Brazilian rain forest after hack-and-slash techniques'

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

you know, when I listened to it recently, I couldn't hear any dreadlocks. recording technology of the early 90s left much to be desired.

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Lucas digitally removed the dreads on the copy you got.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

hahahaha

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

http://ubl.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGPORTRAITS/music/portrait200/drp000/p002/p00240pdn05.jpg http://ubl.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGPORTRAITS/music/portrait200/drp000/p002/p00240pdn05.jpg http://ubl.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGPORTRAITS/music/portrait200/drp000/p002/p00240pdn05.jpg http://ubl.artistdirect.com/Images/Sources/AMGPORTRAITS/music/portrait200/drp000/p002/p00240pdn05.jpg

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Pop Will Repeat Itself.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 September 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Weren't they the first band to start the brand-name, name-checking genre with stuff such as "Can You Dig It"?

They were certainly pioneers with the guitar/samplers axiom and I loved the irony of "There Is No Love Between US Anymore".

― herbalizer12 (herbalizer12), Friday, 24 September 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think PWIE pre-dated "my adidas"

― rex dart - eskimo spy, Friday, 24 September 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

The only things that let that album down are the cacky pop-hating (ooh! slagging off Rick Astley! you big brave rebels!)

nb this is a shout-out to The Wonder Stuff rather than an actual Rick Astley dis (I'm sure there's even quote marks around it in the lyric sheet)

the entire catalogue is classicer than classic* but This Is The Day still stands out as their best album.

*and crucially no-one has seriously embarrassed themselves with their post-split output! nor have they yet dragged themselves around university halls to tarnish their reputation, touch wood.

― kit brash (kit brash), Monday, 27 September 2004 03:01 (twenty-one years ago)

nb this is a shout-out to The Wonder Stuff rather than an actual Rick Astley dis (I'm sure there's even quote marks around it in the lyric sheet)

True, they're alluding to "Astley in the Noose". But Rick Astley was sickly crap.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

THIS IS THE LAW (Don't! Argue!)

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:31 (twenty-one years ago)

and the publishing company? Vestan Pance wasn't it?

― Porkpie (porkpie), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:38 (twenty-one years ago)

(BTW _Cure For Sanity_ is the better album OK thx)

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Vestan Pance: That was the songwriting credit, I believe!

― OleM (OleM), Monday, 27 September 2004 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

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