I finally got around to downloading some older Features songs from the mp3 website today and was shocked by what I heard. On first listens to Discotheque and Don't Lie To Me, I was hooked. While I don't think that Don't Lie To Me is as good as Discotheque, I am sort of surprised that I haven't heard of them being played within the last year or so. I think Discotheque is particularly remakable considering that they wrote it the day that the bootleg was recorded, as a result of the previous nights experience playing at the Outer Limits (a dirty place indeed). That song is so fucking cool. I noticed that they have transplanted the "I Wanna Go Home" part to more recent versions of Temporary Blues.

This leads me to our next discussion of which song should come back. Our last thread about this discussed Armani Suede, Serious, Stagecoach, and Harold, all of which have made it back to semi-regular rotation. Whether it was by the fateful hands of the gods, I don't know; but what I do know is that there seem to be some excellent songs worthy of revival. Share your input on this topic - if for no other reason, at least to get the messageboard out of it's current drought.

(Edited by richarddawson at 12:46 am on May. 16, 2003)

I must add Jurley and Oh My Love to this list. Do you sense a synth vibe going on here? I have never heard Jurley in concert, so I am not sure when it was last played. Perhaps JamieCarroll or Wiyum could help with that information. Oh My Love is simply underplayed. They performed it at the last Red Rose show for the first time in almost half of a year. It would be nice if they could re-learn these songs for a concert or two.

(Edited by richarddawson at 12:45 am on May. 16, 2003)

Discotheque is indeed an awesome song and i too was hooked. while it isn't one of my top 5 or 6, it definately deserves more attention than it currently gets... personally, i like it better than blow it out, harold, and a few others

Oh My Love should've disappeared a while ago. I'm happy where it is in its rare satus.

Don't Lie to Me came and went at the same time as Harold. Harold has been hemmed and hawed about so much that it's wrenching a return, but no such luch for that gem.

The last time I saw Jurley, Matt Pelham took a minute to remind himself of the chords for it. Rollum may have reminded him. As much as I love the song, that's an indicator that it won't come back.

Discoteque is a favorite of mine. I question the Outer Limit show thing that they mentioned in the 9/18/99 bootleg (though they had played there the night before). It is probably my favorite in this whole lot. I don't ever remember hearing it live, and its incarnation in Temporary Blues is about as close as we'll get, I'm afraid.

The Features have too many songs that they remember (i.e. Stagecoach, Serious to name a couple) that they don't play regularly. Those are the songs that get played occasionally, not the ones that they wouldn't remember if they tried (i.e. Jurley, Discoteque, Don't Lie to Me).

1. Welcome to the "Don't Lie to Me" fanclub, RD. It's one of my very favorite Features songs, and I cannot understand why it was tossed aside. It's just so understated and beautiful. I have tried my hardest to coerce them into playing it again, but my efforts so far have failed. I know that at least Roger loves the song, and I heard a rumor at one point that it was being re-worked, so maybe someday it will resurface. Until then, my live recording of it will have to suffice. I think they recorded this song with Tony and Kip of Venus Hum, but I don't think it ever was finished.

2. I like "Discotheque." But I like "Temporary Blues" better. I always heard that "Discotheque" was about The Connection.

3. "Oh My Love" has not been a rarity until the last couple of months. Just a few months ago, it was played every show. I love it. That bridge is unstoppable.

4. Jurley is dead. And that's the way it should be.

I love "Jurley" and will always state that while the lyrics are silly (but purposefully silly), every other aspect of the song is tops. The keyboards, the bass, the guitar and drums, every aspect of the song is catchy and rocking. It should be played again.

I would also like the see the return of "The Design" for at least one concert. "Oh My Love" needs to come back to 'every show' status, in my opinion. I want "Temporary Blues" back more often. I would love to hear "Paid to Think" live. "The Anti-Gravity Class of '93" would be great to hear once. Heck, "Treehouse Club" would be hilarious to hear once.

i would certainly like to hear "the design" come back. and i don't know that many other people would feel this way, but i think "attention" is a wonderful song and should at least be bumped up into rarity status. and "burma" should be brought at least for a little while. songs that i would probably just enjoy hearing once would be "paid to think" and "button my shirt." and of course i will continue, as hopeless as it may be, to yell for "your smile."
and i'm a fan of "discotheque" and "don't lie to me" as well. "i won't let you down" too.

I'd really like to hear Jurley and Your Smile, if only just once. Paid to Think would also be great every once in awhile. I could go without Serious, The Design, and Oh My Love. To my knowledge, I have yet to hear good quality recordings of Burma and Don't Lie to Me.

Nevertheless, I love the new stuff enough not to bitch about it too much. Now, when they retire Blow It Out, Someway, Somehow, and Leave It All Behind, that will be a different matter...

Such a horrific day will never occur, Carl, never...

I never much cared for The Design. Oh My Love is rare now? It has been awhile since I've seen The Features, hasn't it?

I would love it if they mixed it up occasionally with some rarities, but it is impossible to remember/practice their entire catalog. I remember hearing Paid to Think at every show. I remember hearing Jurley, Attention. They've had their time. I would like to hear Oh My Love (that bridge is awesome) more often and I've always loved Don't Lie to Me. There's no point to this post, I'm sorry.

i must confess i am not a fan of blow it out.

the last few shows ive been to have been chock full of rarities so im not gonna complain. okay a little. i wanna hear "paid to think".

oh, and i could SWEAR that i have heard jurley live recently. but looking back on the sets lists it looks like im just crazy.

(Edited by rachel1808 at 3:15 pm on May. 16, 2003)

1. Don't Lie is the retired song that most needs to come back. Much as it pains me to say it, probably more than Your Smile.

2. Temporary Blues is indeed better than Discotheque. This Connection/Outer Limits business adds to the reasons to doubt that the story on the bootleg is true.

4. Surely that is untrue! What would I do?

And Jurley was last played 5/4/2001, RD. http://pubweb.nwu.edu/~wfb623/features for all your "when did they last play" needs. Okay, so I'm behind, this quarter is killing me.

Will

you can be sergeant at arms. jamie's the Pres, I'm the VP, ceeze is the secretary & wiyum is the treasurer.

Regardless of whether it was actually about the Outer Limits or not, the lyrics to that song entertain me so much. I like it mostly because I feel the exact same way when I'm in a "dance" club. I hate all of the people who look exactly the same, theres a million beats per minute, there's a black light in my eye, there's lasers in the sky, and all in all - I'm a nervous wreck. As strange as it is, that songs speaks to me in ways that few other Features songs do.

There exists a moderately good quality concert recording of Burma. As for Don't Lie To Me, I have yet to find one other than the version on the mp3 page.

There probably isn't one, either. Don't Lie to Me came and went in a time when there was literally nothing in the realm of Features bootlegs. Blightman came around months later and started putting quality stuff out there, and since then other sources have emerged. I was on a constant search way back then (and before), and it yielded nothing.

Our best bet is to find a random demo like we did for "Stick Together," or if a band member has a sound board recording of a 12th & Porter show or something (both of which are highly unlikely).

OK, I can't get over this. The Features must bring Don't Lie To Me back to the populous. I have listened to this song over and again for the past two days. I mean, it could be a b-side for a single or something. Honestly, it's possibly album worthy, but it's too late for that. As you can tell, I have grown to be very passionate about this song. Just as JamieCarroll pointed out earlier, it makes no sense for this song to leave the Features catalog. I would love to think that they too realize how neat of a song that it is. It's just such a shame that people are missing out. I once heralded Harold, but I realize my mistake in that because this song is much more superior.

Like so many others, Pelham or Rollum doesn't like it. So it dies.

i never really liked jurley. the features have much better songs. it has been so fucking long since i have seen the features; i can't imagine oh my love being a rarity either. what a bummer.