The Sugarcubes - Life's Too Good (To Poll)

(sub-poll: Which cover variation(s) did you/do you/would you own?)

http://i40.tinypic.com/wivixk.jpg

No denying the wonder that is "Birthday," but this really comes down to "Mama" or "Deus" for me. The deep red urgency of "Mama" vs. the just-this-side-of-brilliant Einarisms on "Deus."

"Delicious Demon" has that great revved up ending. "Sick for Toys" has Bjork singing the chorus like Robert Smith ca. Seventeen Seconds. Dangit, so many good things about this record.

"Mama." It's been my go-to track for too long not to vote for it now.

deus is far and away my favourite. einar's best vocal part too.

Went with "Fucking in Rhythm & Sorrow" for its positive message.

Hey me too. Also cos it rocks like fuck.

'Deus' is my actual favourite, but I am voting tactically.

Great, great album, went for Coldsweat. And I've got the green cover, didn't realise there were others.

Deus vs Coldsweat for me. Deus for Einar, Coldsweat for Bjork.

I might vote for Blue Eyed Pop since no-one else seems to care for that song

like the remix of it on "it's it" better

"Coldsweat"

oh man, I'd forgotten that I love every single one of these so much

me too! haven't listened in years and yet it seems like just a summer or two ago this record took over my life for a summer. Has it really been 20 years?

Deus I think, but I'll have to dive back in to make sure.

"Traitor" (3:08)
"Birthday" (3:59)
"Mama" (2:56)
"Coldsweat" (3:15)
"Deus" (4:07)

I guess one of these... argh

I've got the green cover, didn't realise there were others.

Green is standard. The others were available on the vinyl pressings ca. 1988 (and I think on the recent vinyl reissues too).

I think Motorcrash is my favorite, nice bouncy fun.

I remember very distinctly when this came out, the cover art for this and related singles really caught my eye. There really weren't albums at that time with such crazy flourescent colors. I think I bought it on the strength of the cover alone without knowing anything about the band or what to expect from the music.

I bought the green one, which I don't think I have any more. When I listened to it, I immediately thought, "Wow, this chick has a great voice, but why do they let that dude do all that weird talking. If they'd just let her sing without interruption, they'd be much better!" Ha ha, Bjork, you crack me up.

This is the best album in which Bjork has been involved. Voting for "Birthday", but I love "Blue Eyed Pop" and "Deus" too.

I think it's a toss-up between this and Post as to which is the best Bjork-related album (Ex:El too, if being on two songs counts).

This was the first CD I ever bought.

Birthday and Deus were the only ones I could ever stand to listen to. Birthday, no contest.

When I listened to it, I immediately thought, "Wow, this chick has a great voice, but why do they let that dude do all that weird talking. If they'd just let her sing without interruption, they'd be much better!"

Weird, I think Bjork is much more unlikeable w/out Einar's chattering.

Did Einar ever release the solo album he was working on?

lol Wikipedia:

His sexuality has been the subject of some confusion. In 1989, media reports announced that Benediktsson and his (male) Sugarcubes bandmate Bragi Ólafsson had entered into a civil union agreement in Denmark, which was widely reported as the first gay marriage in pop music history. This was a hoax perpetuated by the alleged newly-weds themselves, who sent a fax to One Little Indian (their management in England) announcing their marriage. The office staff, never knowing what could be expected from this unruly, barbaric bunch, took their announcement at face value and released the story to the press. However, neither man has given any further indication that they identify as anything but heterosexual and it is understood that with marriage came a pair of state-funded contact lenses, which were very costly at the time, hence the incentive to unite.

RYM says he released Ghostigital in 2003. I've never heard it, though.

http://www.myspace.com/einarorn

^_^

okay I don't know what was behind the creation of "Icelandic Version" but wau

I'm going to take that and mix it with some Bjork songs to make my own Sugarcubes album.

Haha, you know what they say - never marry for contact lenses...

I had the green version, on cassette and CD. "Motorcrash" for me. I probably listen to "Birthday" more these days, but "Motorcrash" was the first Sugarcubes/Bjork song I fell in love with & a sentimental favorite, and perhaps the only tolerable Einar Orn vocal I can think of (by virtue of being so brief and having no dramatic inflection).

Weird, I think Bjork is much more unlikeable w/out Einar's chattering.

too true, it's the fundamental problem of her solo career.

I voted for Blue Eyed Pop. It's just fabulous.

To be honest, I didn't think this album held very well as a cohesive whole when I bought it, and I never had the slightest urge to listen to it again. In the past year or two, though, I've dug up a few tracks from it and I'm surprised how well they hold up today. Certainly "Birthday" hit the indie world like a ton of bricks when it came out as a single. Suddenly everyone wanted to know who that girl was! It now occurs to me I saw them live, as well.

Constant top 5 favourite album ever, always. Yeah, it's dated but it's still jawdropping. 'Birthday' or 'Deus' or 'Blue Eyed Pop' or 'Delicious Demon' or 'Motorcrash', depending on the day. I'm going to go 'Motorcrash' 'cause I think it won't get the props in this.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

sick for toys

do any of these have zero einar orn on them? because that is what i would like to pick

Don't think he's on Birthday, is he?

He's not on every song. That's why he is a genius; he knows when to pipe up and when to hang back.

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

i really really need to listen to this album...

Yes, you really really do.

to this day, when i pinch myself or stub my toe or do something semi-painful my first words are "i say ouch, this really hurts" as close to einar's intonation as i can manage.

he knows when to pipe up and when to hang back. - yeah, I think you might be OTM. I was dissing on Einar upthread, but now that I think about it, I really do appreciate his contributions to Motorcrash & Hit, in hindsight at least. I need to give this whole album another spin before committing to that, though.

Talk about peaking early, it is really too bad that they couldn't keep up the creative momentum after this record. The other two have their moments, but are a far cry from LTG.

Here Today... has almost no moments iirc. I haven't listened to it since the 90s though, so maybe I should go back and re-evaluate.

I liked this band until I heard "Deus," that was it for me

that was it for me

By "it" you mean your conversion from liking the band to LOVING THE BAND FOREVER AND EVER?

no, I mean "I had the birthday 12" and thought it was cool but once I heard Deus I thought 'my bad, these guys suck'"

LOL...yeah they didn't exactly fulfill the promise of all the suspense people had about this album finally coming out. But there are still some mighty nice songs here such Motorcrash, Mama, Coldsweat. I haven't heard the rest in eons.

"Mama" is the best song on this album by far. At least right now.

Deus!

dne

This album is so all about "Birthday" and "Mama", if you don't love those two songs you are dead inside IMO

you can't be safer
you can't be more secure
than with a breast in each palm
than with a breast in each palm
that's the way I was born
and that's the way I want to die