Taking Back Sunday Band • Page 194

New Again was obviously a major change in sound and style for the band. Combined with them not getting along with Fazzi and complications with producer and the overall gruel of making the album, the songs probably just leave a poor taste in Adam and Mark’s mouth that they just don’t care to revisit that period of their lives regardless if they enjoy the songs or not. Plus, it’s not like New Again had any major hits that they NEED to play for fans.

Hell, there are songs or albums that I enjoy but when I hear them they bring me back to a specific time or memory that I don’t enjoy recalling so I’ll skip said song or album.

 

The alt press feauture they did years back made it sound like the making of New Again was just a horrible process for half the band. Fazzi and Rubano were pushing in one direction, and I think it was Mark that really didn’t like Fazzi. The production didn’t go well and the producer did not like Fazzi’s vocals or something. I think poor fan reception is probably the main reason they don’t play most of those songs.

They seem to have a few songs throughout their discography they never touch though. Photograph is probsbly never going to be played unless they do WYWTB in full.

 

new again will be ten in 2019....

 

And there is not a chance in hell they do anything to commemorate that

 

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED

 

They have. Twice. It’s on Netflix

 

Timberwolves was on at the gym. That caught me by surprise haha

 

I still think they should play "Sink Into Me". I have no real reason why, but I love that track.

 

Probably the worst song on NA

 

TAYF
You Know How I Do
Bike Scene
There’s No I in Team

WYWTB
This Photograph Is Proof
One Eighty By Summer
Little Devotional

LN
Makedamnsure (given)
My Blue Heaven
Brooklyn

NA
Swing
Carpathia
EMG

S/T
Best Places
It Doesn’t Feel a Thing
Call Me

HI
Flicker Fade
Beat Up Car
We Were Younger Then

TW
You Can’t Look Back
Fences
I Felt It Too

 

I have a feeling they might split up all 4 of the OG line-ups albums between the 2 nights, or Fred might make an appearance. If they had any old members back at all, I feel like he would be the most likely candidate.

 

They might also do something that The Bouncing Souls did a few years back for their holiday shows where they let fans audition for drums, guitars, bass or vocals to perform with the band at the shows. I’d definitely look into that haha

 

Idk how many more ways we can rank this band’s songs but I will always do it

TAYF
Ghost Man
You Know How I Do
You’re so last summer

WYWTB
One Eighty By Summer
Decade
Bonus Mosh II

LN
Spin
Miami
Error: Operator
Shoutout to Sleep

NA
EMG
Swing
Sink into me

S/T
It Doesn’t Feel a Thing
Best places
Since you’re gone

HI
They don’t have any friends
Better homes and gardens
We Were Younger Then
^id like to reiterate that if you get rid of Like You Do then this is the best 3 track run in their discog

TW
All excess
Fences
CCR/YCLB

 

Not that I don't agree with the rest of your post, but I don't hear the major change at all, unless you mean the decreased presence of dual vocals?

I'd say they've barely changed stylistically from Louder Now to Tidal Wave. The latter's americana influence was a welcome addition though, and they've thrown a few curveballs on each album. El Paso strikes me as a good example of them branching out, and it still goes off.

 

I mean, the decreased presence of dual vocals was a BIG change in sound and style in my opinion.

Also, throughout their first three albums, many of the songs had 'breakdowns' midway through the song where the song would completely slow down before picking back up and the second half of the song would almost sound completely different from the first half of the song. There was pretty much none of that on Louder Now or past Louder Now, with maybe the exception of Flicker, Fade, We Were Younger Then and You Can't Look Back (maybe a few others I'm missing).

 

the dual vocals are somewhat there on New Again, it's just less pronounced and buried in the mix sometimes. i love that album but hate the production. no doubt it's less, but it's there. Fazzi's voice also didn't separate itself how John and Fred's did.

that album needed a different producer.

 

Yeah, Adam has said that the producer for New Again was not the right fit for them and their sound. The bass sounds amazing on that record but everything else about it sounds bland in terms of mixing and tones. IIRC in the AP 2011 interview, it was said that Rubano or Fazzi had brought in a friend to either overdub Eddie's guitar tracks or to add/record guitar parts that weren't originally in the songs, and they hadn't consulted Adam, Eddie or Mark about it. So I imagine those aspects of the record and the recording process really soured with the band overtime.

I still love New Again. Like most records, it's got some really good songs and some bad songs, and it also has 3 incredible B-Sides that i think would've helped the record leave a better impression on their fan-base as a whole.

 

in my mind, New Again was a failed attempt of reinvention because Fred just left and no doubt soured the band's reputation. already fans were split on John Nolan vs. Fred, so yet another iteration of the band was exhausting. a lot was riding on New Again being great and it really wasn't and that's when the band's reputation really fell, in my opinion. (not to mention their contemporaries surpassing them career-wise, except for The Used lol)

 

Maybe their contemporaries were surpassing them at the time but I think they've weathered the storm better than most at this point.

 

Ironically, New Again was probably their most well received album by critics.

 

The b sides on New again are incredible. Crazy they didn’t make the album

 

I agree. As messy as the split with Fred was and then the split with Fazzi/Rubano, I think they realized that reuniting with John and Shaun was the only way they could keep the band going, and that in itself was a huge gamble at the time. They've said before that if the reunion hadn't worked out then the band would've been done.

S/T aside, they've managed to create their best work since reuniting with them and haven't tried to recapture anything from the previous records.

Side note, apparently it was between Fazzi and Andy Jackson of Hot Rod Circuit to replace Fred. I do wonder sometimes what a TBS record with Andy would've sounded like.

 

Haha I can't say I've listened to a new Used record in it's entirety since Lies for the Liars.

 

I heard also Sal from Envy on the Coast, who chose to stick with Envy on the time, which would have been interesting.