Tuesday night's gig at The Forum in Melbourne was a night I will never forget for many reasons. The only lowlight for me, came when the band started playing a song with a working title of 'Lucky Lola'. When Neil got to one of the verses, I found myself singing along word for word and then all of a sudden it hit me. He was singing a verse from the song I know as "Twice If You're Lucky".

Initially I thought that the lyrics may have been altered and swapped about during the creative process but when Neil sang "you will love this one", my heart sank. This sure sounded like the same song lyrically but musically, it was totally different.

I found myself thinking, what's happened to the gorgeous guitar work, especially that brilliant chord towards the end? Had they *gulp* really ditched my favourite new song completely or were they just trying out new material??

I seriously hope it's the latter but I guess only time will tell. Is anybody else a big fan of TIYL and what did you think of the (possible) new version?

Heard the new version at the Sydney gig last night, and love it's new incarnation. I really hope they keep the new arrangement.

It's like two songs in one, and only at the end, they bring back the old chorus. It's much more rewarding that way in my opinion... hold off the big climax. C'mon... it's like foreplay,... a bit of teasing first...

Hmm..it's a tough one. The chorus in the new version is quite good, but the verses are a bit ho-hum in part because it seems they have slowed the song down and it seems to just wander along until the chorus. Could benefit from faster tempo I think. Maybe they could do an 'I Walk Away' style-transplant job. Use the old verses with the new chorus and the old chorus and guitar interlude as the bridge as well as outro...

Indeed, this is an interesting one. I purposely hadn't listened to any of the new songs on YouTube, and Tuesday night was the first time I'd actually heard any new material.

Of the new songs I heard, "Lucky Lola" was one standouts. I somewhat had the impression that it almost had two choruses, one after the other, and I really liked how it kicked up a gear when it hit the "everything is broken" bit.

After watching "Twice If You're Lucky" several times on YouTube, I'm leaning towards my memory of "Lucky Lola". Though, I've listened to "Twice If You're Lucky" on YouTube enough recently to suitably blur my impression of "Lucky Lola". So maybe "Twice If You're Lucky" is the better song, and I'm overrating "Lucky Lola".

Yes, I know I'm rambling.

It'd be rather useful if someone posted a clip of "Lucky Lola" on YouTube, so we could compare the songs against each other... and I could revise my opinion.

I too am a big fan of the original but I haven't heard the new version yet. It sounds like Neil wasn't completely happy with it in it's original form.
I know from my own (amateur) songwriting experiences that sometimes if you tinker with a song too much you can lose some of the immediate essence of it. Although I'm sure Neil doesn't need my expert opinion

I haven't heard the new version yet, but I know EXACTLY how you feel! I really liked all the new material, but I REALLY loved 'Twice If You're Lucky'. If they scrapped all the new material and kept just 'Twice' I still would have been thrilled.
Alas, it was not meant to be.

I much prefer the original too, there's just so much magic that the latter version doesn't caputure of the original. I prefer the rockiness, the lyrics and the harmonies. I think Neil's flaw as a songwriter is that he continuallly tampers with his output, sometimes it works, but sometimes it also results in a creative decision being made that is second best. For me, the new version of TIYL is characteristic of this.

I too was a little saddened that 'Twice If You're Lucky' has been pulled apart. At the 1st Melbourne show I was looking forward to it and my heart also sank during 'Lucky Lola' when I started singing the words to something I assumed I had never heard.

Oh well, I am sure I will get to like the new incarnation. BTW 'Isolation', 'Turn It Round' and 'Cars Collide' are fantastic. Can't wait for album #6!

I'm very interested in the new version. Of the five songs I heard live in D.C. ("Twice if You're Lucky," "Isolation," "Turn It Round," "789," and "Either Side of the World"), I found "Lucky" the weakest by far--still a good song, but not as strong or memorable as the others. So I am very intrigued by what the band heard in it and what changes they made.

Not that I'll know for a while. I'm not listening to a thing until the album comes out.

-Comp

Of all the new songs I heard live in D.C. "Twice if You're Lucky" was the only one that I can still singing to myself (and I haven't heard it since). It struck me as the stand out track from the new bunch and I remember afterwards worrying that CH might have trouble capturing it's energy in the studio. I'll be sad if they've retooled it into a new song because I thought it had classic Crowded House potential.

Perhaps someone in or near the band will read this thread and realize what an impact the original version had on their fans and encourage the band to reconsider things. After all, I think when you're in the band writing and rehearsing all the time it can occasionally be hard to judge when you may have struck the right chord (pardon the pun).

I haven't head the new rendition yet.... Should I listen?

I really love Twice if You're Lucky on the you tube version from the 9:30 club. I also heard it at the LA shows recently. I guess this is the same problem people had listening to EIH songs from the Tabac shows and then not liking the album versions. Difference here is that we are getting tweaks before the album even comes out.

ooooooh no

no



EDIT1: NO!! NO!! NO!!! This can't be happening.

EDIT2: Why would they do it - that song was so perfect, it knocked the top of my head off at the Fillmore - I wanted so much to hear the finished version, and now I'm not going to!! It's not fair!!

EDIT3: Can't they at least record a finished version of the original arrangement as a b-side or a bonus track, even if they go with "Lucky Lola" on the album there could be a Special Edition release that also includes "Twice If You're Lucky"?

EDIT4: I deliberately only listened to the Youtube version of this song once or twice, I didn't want to become too attached to songs-in-progress, but when I saw them do it twice in SF they just CRUSHED it - I FELL IN LOVE with this song. It's my favorite one. I will love this one. Now it may be gone. This makes the whole prospect of the new album sad for me now.

EDIT5: I guess I'm being childish. These songs are Neil's to do with as he pleases. They don't belong to me. I'm sure whatever the other version is, there will be things in it that I also like. I'm sure the album itself will have many other highlights.

Oh I do like the version played at the 9:30 Club. It immediately drew me in and I felt a buzz in the room for that song as opposed to say the reception to "789". Once the new songs hit youtube, I was convinced that "Twice" was the standout of new songs.

From then on, I've snuck a bit of "Twice" off the youtube shelf every once in a while for some sunny medicine. Just humming the melody gives me a "perma-grin".

Now I have not heard Lucky Lola, but I agree with Mr. Sadly. If the boys think that Lucky Lola is the way to go, I hope they give us "Twice" in some form, in some way: a B side; the box set. I hope I hope I hope!

Edit: I am being childish too but the song really boosts my spirit.

Count me in as one who thought Twice If You're Lucky was the standout among the new songs.

However, I will reserve judgment until I hear whatever it is they've done to it as Lucky Lola.

I thought the first version was one of the most catchy, instantly likeable, danceable songs Neil has ever written. Maybe the lyrics could have done with some work, but it really didn't matter that much... the vibe of the song was enough.

Although the new one is sounding uncomfortable to me (as in different, unfamiliar, the pieces not fitting), from I've heard, it stands a chance of being better... It takes the song a step forward from being just an immediate pop song (not that that's a bad thing). If that's any indication of the direction of the new album, then I'm happy. The guitar riff and 'babe' are still there

I'll be glad of the occasions I heard the old one though - this is why I have decided not to avoid the YouTube newbies - they may never come around on an official album, so I'll lap them up right now

I loved Twice If You're Lucky also. Nobody's heart sank more than mine when it was changed to Lucky Lola. But I knew it would change and the new arrangement is relevant to the time, as always.
Even sadder, in my book, were maybe the reasons why Twice was pulled apart. But I don't feel that Lola is at all lucky ;-(

You can feel things rhyme
still they die with the passing of time
bury the truth
it comes sometimes to haunt you
let it hug you when it's true
you know

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Sadly:
ooooooh no

no



EDIT1: NO!! NO!! NO!!! This can't be happening.

EDIT2: Why would they do it - that song was so perfect, it knocked the top of my head off at the Fillmore - I wanted so much to hear the finished version, and now I'm not going to!! It's not fair!!

EDIT3: Can't they at least record a finished version of the original arrangement as a b-side or a bonus track, even if they go with "Lucky Lola" on the album there could be a Special Edition release that also includes "Twice If You're Lucky"?

EDIT4: I deliberately only listened to the Youtube version of this song once or twice, I didn't want to become too attached to songs-in-progress, but when I saw them do it twice in SF they just CRUSHED it - I FELL IN LOVE with this song. It's my favorite one. I will love this one. Now it may be gone. This makes the whole prospect of the new album sad for me now.

EDIT5: I guess I'm being childish. These songs are Neil's to do with as he pleases. They don't belong to me. I'm sure whatever the other version is, there will be things in it that I also like. I'm sure the album itself will have many other highlights.

I agree with all 5 edits there. I think Neil was being too critical this time around.

quote:

Originally posted by ash1296:
He was singing a verse from the song I know as "Twice If You're Lucky".

I just listened to that again. You know what? That song's so perfect that we've already got it, it can't be ruined. The other version will hopefully come out great too! I can't wait to hear what they've done with it.

A shame to lose that as a chorus. Because that's just such an unstoppable high - and it hits stronger each time it comes back during the song.

Something magical, honey!

Ultimately, we can't lose. Let's put it in historical perspective: "Love And Success" and "I Walk Away" are both songs. Each is a whole song. The question in my mind is whether any reconfiguration/retooling/recycling of "Twice If You're Lucky" will ever be able to make TIYL look like the "Love And Success" half of that equation...

I hope it's not taken as hyperbole, but I'd say the song that can do that will be better than anything Neil's yet done!

And if so, I anxiously await.

Neil has written plenty of "perfect pop songs". As catchy as "Twice If You're Lucky" is, it does seem a little like, well, history repeating. I don't see the point in trying to achieve the same thing over and over again. Artists that try to do that get stuck in a rut.

I sincerely hope Neil dares to be adventurous enough to keep the new version of the song. He actually did say, after singing the new version at the Sydney gig, that, "We're doing a few new songs tonight. They probably won't sound anything like how they'll end up on the record. We're trying a few things out." So I don't think it's locked in anyway.

People - don't judge the new version without having heard it. It's easy to get attached to an earlier version I suppose, but it's Neil's every right to change things.

If y'all recall... "Fall At Your Feet" was two completely different songs, stuck together at the suggestion of Mitchell Froom. You gotta let experiments happen to allow magic to take place. If you had heard "Hole In The River" before the band-jam bit was added, you'd probably think it's inappropriate too... but now its a much treasured part of the song.

Mr Sadly - the chorus is not lost, in fact, it's become much more important and spotlighted by being the climatic bit at the end. It gets repeated a few times. In my opinion, it makes the chorus stand out MUCH more, in the new arrangement, than the old.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Sadly:
The other version will hopefully come out great too! I can't wait to hear what they've done with it.

Mr. Sadly, check your private messages...

I don't mind the new version, but much prefer the original overall. I think the new verse would actually go better with the chorus from Amsterdam...speaking of which, try playing Amsterdam sped up 30% if you have the capability to keep the original pitch. Afterwards you won't be able to stand listening to it at it's original speed again!