The unheralded genius of "The Vanishing Spies" by Frank Black

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You know when you havan't heard a song for years, and then you hear it again, and you wonder if all the other stuff you've thought was great over the past few years maybe isn't as great as you thought? Yeah.

― roger adultery, singer for The Who, Saturday, 11 September 2004 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

um, this is easily my least favorite track on the first half of Teenager Of The Year. Possibly my least favorite on the album.

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 11 September 2004 18:06 (twenty-one years ago)

it's rather slow and interminable

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Saturday, 11 September 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

its no "headache"

― Space Is the Place (Space Is the Place), Saturday, 11 September 2004 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

apparently the greatness is unheralded because no one likes it...

― frankE (frankE), Saturday, 11 September 2004 22:49 (twenty-one years ago)

apparently. Oh well, more for me!

― roger adultery, singer for The Who, Sunday, 12 September 2004 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

If only liking songs were a zero sum equation.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 12 September 2004 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)

nearly every song on this album has taken turns being my favorite including this one

― (Jon L), Sunday, 12 September 2004 00:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to listen to this song a lot. I'm somewhat shocked anyone could like teenager and not this track since it's always been one of my favorites. It might be slow but his vocal performance is very spirited. Plus there's the delivery of that spoken line "that’s just how some things don’t materialize."
Too bad Frank went on a ambitionless suck streak after this album.

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Sunday, 12 September 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, weird about that. Altho his first record isn't so hot either, from my recollection. Are there ANY other good Frank Black records?

herbert you pretty much nailed what I like about the song - the way he sings it, it sounds like he just wrote it, and was still way into singing it. And of course, the way he says "materialize" is just SO Frank Black somehow

― roger adultery, singer for The Who, Sunday, 12 September 2004 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Are there ANY other good Frank Black records?

I've been surprised by how good some of the more recent FB stuff is.

See

Frank Black C or D? and
Frank Black Mix Tape Suggestions / POX

for more recommendations.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 12 September 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, beautiful song. Not as good as Speedy Marie though - love song in the form of an acrostic? Yes please!

― Crackity (Crackity Jones), Sunday, 12 September 2004 17:52 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

i listened to this album for the first time in probably 2 years or so last night. it is ABSURDLY good.

― m. (mitchlnw), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i seldom get that sense that i'm hearing complete and utter right-ness unfolding before my very ears, but this did it.

― m. (mitchlnw), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

'two reelers' twists itself into two knots that sound so gorgeous when they unwind it renders every mope-rock alt-exercise in tension and release moot

― m. (mitchlnw), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah this is a pretty damn good album, "Freedom Rock" is prolly my favorite song from it.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Teenager of the Year is probably better than a few of the Pixies records, really. (I think I like it better than Bossa Nova for sure and maybe Tromple Le Monde too)

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never understood the high esteem in which TOTY is held by some people - I thought it was rubbish then and, having just listened to bits of it in a spirit of 10th anniversary reappraisal prompted by this thread, it's rubbish now.

Actually..."I Could Stay Here Forever" is playing now and this isn't bad.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

i really never have to hear a pixies record again, and kind of hope i don't actually.

― m. (mitchlnw), Tuesday, 5 October 2004 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

m otm - I just put 'Fiddle Riddle' on a mixtape for the car. It really is a pretty great record. Glad I came back to it

― roger adultery, singer for The Who, Wednesday, 6 October 2004 00:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Great album overall. "Ole Mulholland," "White Noise Maker," "Thalassocracy," "Speedy Marie," "Headache," "Superabound," "Freedom Rock," etc. etc. etc.

― manthony m1cc1o (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

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