First and Last and Always 40th Anniversary: What Do You Expect?

[ruffers]

Gary Numan is releasing a limited edition bobblehead to celebrate the anniversary of the release of Telekon.
https://numanstore-us.company.site/prod ... p731154526

Eldritch, you know it makes sense.

[Ocean Moves]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

[ribbons69]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

[Ocean Moves]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

Its not my favourite either - just sounds like somethng random a record company would do

[Husek]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

Me neither, you can clearly hear where the tapes were cut and pasted together, I'm not against the idea of making a long train per se, but the final result they delivered is just...terrible.

[Pista]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

With you there.
It really lacks the immediacy & punch that Train has.

[GC]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

Me neither, you can clearly hear where the tapes were cut and pasted together, I'm not against the idea of making a long train per se, but the final result they delivered is just...terrible.

I always thought that the original post was tongue in cheek. Nobody seems to like Long Train and a recurring Visioin Thing misprint. (First and Last and Awlays?)

[Husek]

I've never liked Long Train.

Me neither, you can clearly hear where the tapes were cut and pasted together, I'm not against the idea of making a long train per se, but the final result they delivered is just...terrible.

I always thought that the original post was tongue in cheek. Nobody seems to like Long Train and a recurring Visioin Thing misprint. (First and Last and Awlays?)

I mean, it was a joke, but we are very vocal about two things and we won't miss the opportunity to drop daily reminders about them:

-- How much Long Train Suck
-- How much You could be The One is an underrated gem.

[MoBetaBlues]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

Me neither, you can clearly hear where the tapes were cut and pasted together, I'm not against the idea of making a long train per se, but the final result they delivered is just...terrible.

I've never noticed the tape cut and paste in Long Train! When is it?

[mh]

I like Long Train.

[deirfiur]

I like a long bath

I like Long Train.

[Husek]

I've never liked Long Train.

Me neither, you can clearly hear where the tapes were cut and pasted together, I'm not against the idea of making a long train per se, but the final result they delivered is just...terrible.

I've never noticed the tape cut and paste in Long Train! When is it?

You could argue that the first 'cut' is around 0:48, but it's smoothed out by the vocals on top, which can honestly be seen as an aesthetic choice.

2:17 -> 2:19 is the real copy-cut, where there's a slight BPM change, the drum voicing is different, and you can clearly hear that the intro part belongs to a different studio session, maybe a different era altogether. At 2:19, the "normal-sized" train kicks in.

I think there's another cut later but I really don't feel like listening to the next 5 minutes of this version of Train.

For the record, I absolutely love Train, one of my favourite songs, especially the "modern" live version, I specifically dislike Long Train lol.

[sultan2075]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

I've never liked Long Train.

I love Long Train, honestly. It's long, repetitive, got a groove. Right up my very specific alley.

[MoBetaBlues]

Me neither, you can clearly hear where the tapes were cut and pasted together, I'm not against the idea of making a long train per se, but the final result they delivered is just...terrible.

I've never noticed the tape cut and paste in Long Train! When is it?

You could argue that the first 'cut' is around 0:48, but it's smoothed out by the vocals on top, which can honestly be seen as an aesthetic choice.

2:17 -> 2:19 is the real copy-cut, where there's a slight BPM change, the drum voicing is different, and you can clearly hear that the intro part belongs to a different studio session, maybe a different era altogether. At 2:19, the "normal-sized" train kicks in.

I think there's another cut later but I really don't feel like listening to the next 5 minutes of this version of Train.

For the record, I absolutely love Train, one of my favourite songs, especially the "modern" live version, I specifically dislike Long Train lol.

Thanks, i shall have to sit and listen to it properly!

[eastmidswhizzkid]

I like Long Train.

Purely done so that in the heady days of mid-80's remixes Andrew could have an "Amphetamix."

[Ocean Moves]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

People have started talking about the merits of Long Train - just wanted to say, in case it got misunderstood, my mention of it being included
on a F & L & A re-issue was simply because it seemed like the kind of "tone deaf" thing a record company would do - add a track that
doesn't have any direct continuety with the actual track listing of the album, with the aim of adding interest in a re-issue
(oh, and make spelling mistakes - why ? because they did that on the re-issues around 2006)

[eastmidswhizzkid]

A re-release of F & L & A on Vinyl, with Long Train added to the end of the track list, and various spelling mistakes

People have started talking about the merits of Long Train - just wanted to say, in case it got misunderstood, my mention of it being included
on a F & L & A re-issue was simply because it seemed like the kind of "tone deaf" thing a record company would do - add a track that
doesn't have any direct continuety with the actual track listing of the album, with the aim of adding interest in a re-issue
(oh, and make spelling mistakes - why ? because they did that on the re-issues around 2006)

Absoluelty. Like, I have no problem with YCBTO being added at the end of VT - if you like the song it sort of seems to belong there. if you dont then there's no pleasing some people.. However to follow YCBTO with the other -and in some ways better, but incorrect- version of When You Don't See Me is simply bloody annoying. Similarly its been so long now since i listened to the LP of Floodland that if Never Land wasnt followed by Torch Untitled Sandstorm & - satisfyingly- Emma i would feel robbed (ive always hated The Sisters -rather than The Sisterhood's- version of Colours). To ruin the perfect end to the album by then tacking on the other mixes of This Corrosion shows utter ignorance & lack of propriety with regard to the content.

[Nikolas Vitus Lagartija]

The band and WEA may have done nothing to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of FALAA, but on my blog I did a post looking back at the mixed reaction at the time to an album now hailed as a classic: https://sistersfan.blogspot.com/2025/0 ... -last.html

[MrChris]

Very interesting, thank you!

[GC]

The band and WEA may have done nothing to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of FALAA, but on my blog I did a post looking back at the mixed reaction at the time to an album now hailed as a classic: https://sistersfan.blogspot.com/2025/0 ... -last.html

Thanks. Always great to read your posts.

[The Violet Hour]

The band and WEA may have done nothing to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of FALAA, but on my blog I did a post looking back at the mixed reaction at the time to an album now hailed as a classic: https://sistersfan.blogspot.com/2025/0 ... -last.html

Thank you for posting your insightful articles as always; a lot of fascinating information to unpack as I'm reading this, WFAW and soon Paint My Name about those days.

[Phantasmagoria]

The band and WEA may have done nothing to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of FALAA, but on my blog I did a post looking back at the mixed reaction at the time to an album now hailed as a classic: https://sistersfan.blogspot.com/2025/0 ... -last.html

Great read. Thanks for sharing.