Can I ask.... me being new and all that... what's the showdown??? Sounds fun!!
Travis' songs are randomly selected and paired up to go head to head in a showdown in which boardie's vote on their favorites. There's several rounds until one is crowned champion. Sometimes it's A-Sides, sometimes B-sides, we've also had a music video showdown. It's fun, but REALLY difficult to pick.
Luke, I'm assuming this showdown is to include A-Sides only?
Can I ask.... me being new and all that... what's the showdown??? Sounds fun!!
Funky lizard there
A showdown is where Travis songs battle it out. Basically songs are randomly paired up, these pairs are called 'battles' and boardies choose which song wins the battle. The winner goes through to the next round, and it keeps going until one song is crowned Showdown champion.
Luke, I'm assuming this showdown is to include A-Sides only?
Yes. Well... kind of. It'd be more accurate to say this showdown doesn't contain b-sides. It's a very scientific thing y'know, working out which songs to choose and which to exclude. You're going to be sorry you ever asked me lol.
*Puts on lab coat and takes out equation sheets*
Now, lets say that the criteria to get in to this showdown is "Album tracks and singles".
The first problematic song: The Distance. This song isn't a b-side. But is it an album track? I don't see why we shouldn't include this, but I think it'll mean we have to alter the criteria a bit to "singles, album and compilation tracks."
But what's this, a second problem track? Perfect Heaven Space. Now I have no issues with the fact its a hidden track (I've included Blue Flashing Light, Some Sad Song etc), because hidden or not an album track is an album track. But the problem is that I believe it was only released on the album in certain countries. It's not as easy as to say "all songs that ever appeared on an album can enter" because some versions of TIB had some 'b-sides' tagged on the end. So I guess we'll have to rather awkwardly define the showdown as including "any tracks released on an album that were not also released on a single". Thing is, I seem to recall in the Good Feeling era they released some a-sides as b-sides on singles too. And then what about that 12th Memory song, do we want to include that too? Urgh, ok I'm at a dead end here.
Problematic track number three! Sarah. In order to include Sarah, we have to try and prove it isn't a b-side. And in order to prove it isn't a b-side, we have to prove that J. Smith wasn't a single. Now I think an EP is supposed to be a mini album basically. I don't think J. Smith was ever released as a single - am I right in thinking it never entered the singles chart? The EP itself entered the album chart, right? I think so, I'm not sure. If it did enter the singles chart though, it was by all accounts a single, which not only means Sarah is a b-side, but poor old Get Up is now also in the crossfire considering the previous "any tracks released on an album that were not also released on a single" proposal.
Ok maybe "any tracks that featured on a release that was eligible for the album chart in the UK" would work? :P
And I bet you thought making Song Showdowns were simple...
I think it should be a non-b-side showdown, so all bonus tracks count unless they are only released in some countries. I think Perfect Heaven Space was on almost every copy, so include that, but don't put 12th Memory in unless you need to make up numbers. As for Sarah... I really want it included, but it could win the b-side showdown so is it better to wait?
Is there going to be a league first again to get rid of the no-hopers? And what about those aliens, are they going to try to abduct a-sides as well as b-sides? :P
Luke, do you think you have too much time on your hands?
LOL!!!!!
Oh man, Luke, I just laughed SO hard when you said you were putting on your lab coat.
That hurt my head. I am sorry I asked, but you do bring up several good points. I don't think Sarah should be included because it's a B-side, but Get Up should because while it's a B-side on the J. Smith EP, it's also an album track on Ode. I guess including all hidden tracks makes sense too.
I'm a bit confused about the songs on The Singles album. Were The Distance, Walking In The Sun and Coming Around all released as singles off that album? If so, I think we should add them because they're not B-sides.
As far as the extra tracks added to the end of some versions of TIB and The Boy, like 20 and Perfect Heaven Space, I don't think they should be added because they weren't on the majority of most people's albums and are viewed as B-sides/alternative tracks to most people.
I think it should be a non-b-side showdown, so all bonus tracks count unless they are only released in some countries. I think Perfect Heaven Space was on almost every copy, so include that, but don't put 12th Memory in unless you need to make up numbers. As for Sarah... I really want it included, but it could win the b-side showdown so is it better to wait?
Is there going to be a league first again to get rid of the no-hopers? And what about those aliens, are they going to try to abduct a-sides as well as b-sides? :P
Ah who knows, alien appearances are most unpredictable....
Yes, I'll most probably do a group stage first where people's least favourite songs are eliminated. Apart from anything else, the numbers need to be whittled down to 64 so that we'll then be able to pair songs right to the end.
I think Perfect Heaven Space should be included, and the 12th Memory shouldn't, I agree. Sarah being in a b-side showdown though... well, I'm just not convinced it is a b-side. Maybe a Travis member could enlighten us if they know the technicalities of such things... *looks around*
I think it should be a non-b-side showdown, so all bonus tracks count unless they are only released in some countries. I think Perfect Heaven Space was on almost every copy, so include that, but don't put 12th Memory in unless you need to make up numbers. As for Sarah... I really want it included, but it could win the b-side showdown so is it better to wait?
Is there going to be a league first again to get rid of the no-hopers? And what about those aliens, are they going to try to abduct a-sides as well as b-sides? :P
Ah who knows, alien appearances are most unpredictable....
Yes, I'll most probably do a group stage first where people's least favourite songs are eliminated. Apart from anything else, the numbers need to be whittled down to 64 so that we'll then be able to pair songs right to the end.
I think Perfect Heaven Space should be included, and the 12th Memory shouldn't, I agree. Sarah being in a b-side showdown though... well, I'm just not convinced it is a b-side. Maybe a Travis member could enlighten us if they know the technicalities of such things... *looks around*
Why wouldn't "Sarah" be a B-side? Because J. Smith was never really an official single? But it's still a B-side to the EP...right? So what else is it if not a B-side? lol. You're right, Luke, I think we need Fran to define this for us.
Luke, do you think you have too much time on your hands?
LOL!!!!!
Oh man, Luke, I just laughed SO hard when you said you were putting on your lab coat.
That hurt my head. I am sorry I asked, but you do bring up several good points. I don't think Sarah should be included because it's a B-side, but Get Up should because while it's a B-side on the J. Smith EP, it's also an album track on Ode. I guess including all hidden tracks makes sense too.
I'm a bit confused about the songs on The Singles album. Were The Distance, Walking In The Sun and Coming Around all released as singles off that album? If so, I think we should add them because they're not B-sides.
As far as the extra tracks added to the end of some versions of TIB and The Boy, like 20 and Perfect Heaven Space, I don't think they should be added because they weren't on the majority of most people's albums and are viewed as B-sides/alternative tracks to most people.
But was Sarah a b-side? i.e. was J. Smith a single?
Coming Around was a stand-alone single, and Walking In The Sun also was in a sense, but it was brought out the promote the singles 'album' (and, being a single 'n all, it was naturally on it!). That's why I've said we'll include singles as well. The Distance wasn't released as a single, it was rather oddly added on to the end of the singles compilation. But if we're going to include pretty much everything that isn't a b-side, we'll throw it in anyway.
Perfect Heaven Space isn't a b-side, but yeah could be considered an 'alternative' track. Thing is though, if we're going to include everything that isn't a b-side, then it technically should be included. Humm... it's tricky. Y'see, people who have it on the album (UK people for example) are naturally going to consider it in a different way to people who didn't have it on an album.
