I don't know. I was just thinking of an alternate universe where Mark and Eddie were cool original members, and then Fazzi, Fred, and Rubano took over the rest of the duties.
If this isn't exactly what they're planning when John comes back, I'm gonna be real sour. (Assuming we are just accepting the hearsay of Fred coming back for a bit as fact)
forever mad they nixed that version of you should have waited from that video because they said the riff sounded too much like Still Waiting. I don’t care if it did, the song sounded awesome with it!
Feel like the production fucked with a lot of songs in that album. All the bits we heard sounded rad. Final product was too sparkly I guess?
I will however point out that if you look at their website it is so obvious it was written by ChatGPT. "This isn’t a reunion. It’s a rebirth." "This is more than a band. It’s healing." "This isn’t just a casting call. It’s a collaboration." I think anyone who has used ChatGPT for writing will recognize that particular brand of corniness.
back to the topic of b-sides being better than album cuts, Up Against has been ruining the momentum of Louder Now for almost 20 years, and I can't believe that song made the album as-is. Brooklyn is so much better that it is unfathomable to me that UA made the cut for the first half of their major label debut.
Up Against is good and fun! If anything MBH messes up the flow/momentum. I love the song but it doesn’t fit there imo. in a sense, a lot of Louder Now has always felt to me like a disconnected collection of b-sides from a grittier, edgier TBS in a parallel universe but I love it for that. It’s the more polished songs like Ghost and Liar that almost feel out of place. Up against, error, 20-20, Miami, I’ll let you live - all rockin bangers. To that point, should’ve just kept Brooklyn and sleep and make it a 13 song album.
It's always weird to me that people focus on Up Against instead of Twenty-Twenty Surgery, which has worse lyrics and such a boring chorus. I at least like Up Against's energy, and the end of the bridge is awesome. Either way, I think Divine Intervention is a total dud and would be the first song to go. That said, I agree that the flow of the album (4-6 in particular) is strange and Brooklyn would've been much better in the #4 spot.