Thirty-six years on and Adrian Wright's Time Goes By So Slow on Factory Records is still receiving the love it deserves. This Manchester classic (and its lovely B-side, Pillow Fight) will of course be appearing in one or two forms on the 'Parabolically Yours' set (Take 2), which is currently brewing nicely. The below review of FAC12 appeared recently in the Unsung section of the Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage site.
THE DISTRACTIONS
TIME GOES BY SO SLOW B/W PILLOW FIGHT
Had to write another review concerning another old '79 'skinny tie'
favorite. And this one appearing on Factory, a label not really known
for power pop at the time... Of course this wasn't the band's debut
record as I think they had a previous 12" on TJM.
Anyways this record displayed a different side to 'skinny tie' pop than
"Girl of My Dreams" by Bram Tchaikovsky which I reviewed previous. This
has more of a melancholic style, but not really the same kind as Joy
Division which was more desperate and emotionally damaged. I'm talking
more wistful melancholia, as in seeing an established relationship slip
away as well as other forms of loss.
So this 7" came with the usual understated-yet-elegant sleeve, with both
the spacious production (by Brandon Leon) and the music matching the
same approach. The a-side is a break-up song, the kind Greg Kihn said
'they don't write anymore' except with a bit more intelligence and
sophistication. Basically a deep longing for a love that was lost and
thinking of what could've been. "Oh I wonder why you had to go, the way
you had to go, time goes by so slow..."
The flip, "Pillow Fight", is a bit more 50's-ish, particularly with the
guitar -- I don't mean it being Rockabilly, think more Buddy Holly than
Elvis Presley. But still with that bright power-pop style of melodic
panache.
So this would be enough for the band to land a record deal with a major,
put out a relatively critically well-received album but then suffer the
loss of a key member. Their last single, "Twenty Four Hours" would be even more
on a sad note than this single. Still, "Time Goes By So Slow" is the
Distractions at their most memorable so far, although I need to find
their album which I haven't heard to this day...
Anyways this record displayed a different side to 'skinny tie' pop than "Girl of My Dreams" by Bram Tchaikovsky which I reviewed previous. This has more of a melancholic style, but not really the same kind as Joy Division which was more desperate and emotionally damaged. I'm talking more wistful melancholia, as in seeing an established relationship slip away as well as other forms of loss.
So this 7" came with the usual understated-yet-elegant sleeve, with both the spacious production (by Brandon Leon) and the music matching the same approach. The a-side is a break-up song, the kind Greg Kihn said 'they don't write anymore' except with a bit more intelligence and sophistication. Basically a deep longing for a love that was lost and thinking of what could've been. "Oh I wonder why you had to go, the way you had to go, time goes by so slow..."
The flip, "Pillow Fight", is a bit more 50's-ish, particularly with the guitar -- I don't mean it being Rockabilly, think more Buddy Holly than Elvis Presley. But still with that bright power-pop style of melodic panache.
So this would be enough for the band to land a record deal with a major, put out a relatively critically well-received album but then suffer the loss of a key member. Their last single, "Twenty Four Hours" would be even more on a sad note than this single. Still, "Time Goes By So Slow" is the Distractions at their most memorable so far, although I need to find their album which I haven't heard to this day...
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