Thousands Are Sailing

[DzM]

Shoulda guessed - typical US promo nonesense. I was always a fan of UK import singles because the b-sides were usually non-album tracks. Never really the case here.

Well ... To be fair, I think part of this boils down to it being a "promo" rather than a "single." I don't recall the idea of a "sing;e" ever really catching on in the USofA (at least not in the way it did in the UK), but the USofA did have singles with an A side and one or two B side tracks. As Philip indicates above, this release was supposed to be promotional, not end-user consumable. Supposedly only 500 were pressed, etc.

Now here's something I don't recall clearly ... I'd swear that when my turntable worked and I was listening to this promo, that it was one Mr. Chevron on vox, not Mr. MacGowan. Is this my memory failing me, or is this actually correct? Is this the only "released" studio recording of The Pogues performing Thousands of Sailors with Mr. Chevron on vox (or is my memory entirely wrong about the vox work anyway)?

[philipchevron]

Shoulda guessed - typical US promo nonesense. I was always a fan of UK import singles because the b-sides were usually non-album tracks. Never really the case here.

Well ... To be fair, I think part of this boils down to it being a "promo" rather than a "single." I don't recall the idea of a "sing;e" ever really catching on in the USofA (at least not in the way it did in the UK), but the USofA did have singles with an A side and one or two B side tracks. As Philip indicates above, this release was supposed to be promotional, not end-user consumable. Supposedly only 500 were pressed, etc.

Now here's something I don't recall clearly ... I'd swear that when my turntable worked and I was listening to this promo, that it was one Mr. Chevron on vox, not Mr. MacGowan. Is this my memory failing me, or is this actually correct? Is this the only "released" studio recording of The Pogues performing Thousands of Sailors with Mr. Chevron on vox (or is my memory entirely wrong about the vox work anyway)?

Nah, pretty sure it's the album version both sides. It was, of course, a long-established US custom, with radio promo records, to have the same track both sides, typically in Mono and Stereo mixes. Although I'm not sure this is what happened with the "Thousands" promo, I remember the Radiators and Chiswick Records used to faff around with this idea on (7") promos. But clearly, there was nothing to be gained by putting otherwise unreleased tracks on promos and witholding them from the public. That way lies mutiny.

[DzM]

Now here's something I don't recall clearly ... I'd swear that when my turntable worked and I was listening to this promo, that it was one Mr. Chevron on vox, not Mr. MacGowan. Is this my memory failing me, or is this actually correct? Is this the only "released" studio recording of The Pogues performing Thousands of Sailors with Mr. Chevron on vox (or is my memory entirely wrong about the vox work anyway)?

Nah, pretty sure it's the album version both sides. It was, of course, a long-established US custom, with radio promo records, to have the same track both sides, typically in Mono and Stereo mixes. Although I'm not sure this is what happened with the "Thousands" promo, I remember the Radiators and Chiswick Records used to faff around with this idea on (7") promos.

Now I'm going to have to waste an hour or two reconnecting the turntable and suffering through the just-slightly-to-few-RPMs playback.

I'd swear I remember something about these tracks (or one of them at least) being somehow different than the album version, and I'd further swear that that something was vox.

Well there goes my Sunday.

[The Duke of Ingmar]

I just listened to both sides, I´d say they both are the album version (although it says 5:25 instead of 5:28 on the sleeve of the remastered If I should fall.) But it´s definitely Shane MacGowan singing.

[DzM]

I just listened to both sides, I´d say they both are the album version (although it says 5:25 instead of 5:28 on the sleeve of the remastered If I should fall.) But it´s definitely Shane MacGowan singing.

Poop. Guess my memory sucks.

[philipchevron]

I just listened to both sides, I´d say they both are the album version (although it says 5:25 instead of 5:28 on the sleeve of the remastered If I should fall.) But it´s definitely Shane MacGowan singing.

Track timing read-outs in the digital format tend to take account of the amount of time which elapses between tracks, typically three seconds, and adds it automatically to the running time for reasons I've never entirely understood. Perhaps it's because the total amount of digital storage must add up to 78 minutes or 81 minutes, or whatever it is. Pardon my advanced geek-speak.

[Doktor Avalanche]

Shoulda guessed - typical US promo nonesense. I was always a fan of UK import singles because the b-sides were usually non-album tracks. Never really the case here.

Well ... To be fair, I think part of this boils down to it being a "promo" rather than a "single." I don't recall the idea of a "sing;e" ever really catching on in the USofA (at least not in the way it did in the UK), but the USofA did have singles with an A side and one or two B side tracks. As Philip indicates above, this release was supposed to be promotional, not end-user consumable. Supposedly only 500 were pressed, etc.

Now here's something I don't recall clearly ... I'd swear that when my turntable worked and I was listening to this promo, that it was one Mr. Chevron on vox, not Mr. MacGowan. Is this my memory failing me, or is this actually correct? Is this the only "released" studio recording of The Pogues performing Thousands of Sailors with Mr. Chevron on vox (or is my memory entirely wrong about the vox work anyway)?

Nah, pretty sure it's the album version both sides. It was, of course, a long-established US custom, with radio promo records, to have the same track both sides, typically in Mono and Stereo mixes. Although I'm not sure this is what happened with the "Thousands" promo, I remember the Radiators and Chiswick Records used to faff around with this idea on (7") promos. But clearly, there was nothing to be gained by putting otherwise unreleased tracks on promos and witholding them from the public. That way lies mutiny.

Right. I was (unintentionally) mixing the promo with the commercial inasmuch as singles go.

I'd always heard the double A side promo was for radio station jocks' ease of not worrying whether they had the right side on the turntable...

[philipchevron]

I'd always heard the double A side promo was for radio station jocks' ease of not worrying whether they had the right side on the turntable...

That was certainly its original purpose, but after 1970, when Stereo was fast becoming the primary format but pop radio was still mainly heard on [mono] AM radio, it made sense to offer alternatives.

In the UK, BBC Radio One, by some distance the most important pop radio station at the time, was still broadcasting primarily in mono during the punk heyday, so the Radiators radio versions used mono/stereo couplings as well as shorter radio edits of the A side flipped with the full length version. By 1980, Chiswick Records/EMI were servicing radio with one-sided, mono, edited, no messin' copies of new Radiators releases.

[John C]

By 1980, Chiswick Records/EMI were servicing radio with one-sided, mono, edited, no messin' copies of new Radiators releases.

Straight in, no kissin'!

[PistolPaddyGarcia]

I hope that this song is very played on the current tour. Why no video was shot for this song?

[philipchevron]

I hope that this song is very played on the current tour. Why no video was shot for this song?

It will most likely be played everywhere except Drammen and Moscow, where the composer will not be in attendance. The Singer has been banned from carrying placards on stage. No video was shot simply because it was not a real single. We loathed making videos for songs that were singles, so nobody was ever going to succeed in persuading us to make any more silly films than were strictly necessary.

[MacPaddy]

I hope that this song is very played on the current tour. Why no video was shot for this song?

It will most likely be played everywhere except Drammen and Moscow, where the composer will not be in attendance. The Singer has been banned from carrying placards on stage. No video was shot simply because it was not a real single. We loathed making videos for songs that were singles, so nobody was ever going to succeed in persuading us to make any more silly films than were strictly necessary.

The composer, as in you?

[philipchevron]

I hope that this song is very played on the current tour. Why no video was shot for this song?

It will most likely be played everywhere except Drammen and Moscow, where the composer will not be in attendance. The Singer has been banned from carrying placards on stage. No video was shot simply because it was not a real single. We loathed making videos for songs that were singles, so nobody was ever going to succeed in persuading us to make any more silly films than were strictly necessary.

The composer, as in you?

Yes, the Drammen and Moscow gigs were late offers but by that point, I had other work in my diary.

[MacPaddy]

I hope that this song is very played on the current tour. Why no video was shot for this song?

It will most likely be played everywhere except Drammen and Moscow, where the composer will not be in attendance. The Singer has been banned from carrying placards on stage. No video was shot simply because it was not a real single. We loathed making videos for songs that were singles, so nobody was ever going to succeed in persuading us to make any more silly films than were strictly necessary.

The composer, as in you?

Yes, the Drammen and Moscow gigs were late offers but by that point, I had other work in my diary.

Oh... That's too bad! Who will be stepping in on guitar at these shows, then?

[philipchevron]

We have not decided this yet.