I’ve already raved about the Watchmen in these pages. What a band, I love ’em! So when I picked up this 2CD set in the 3 For $10 bin on my trip to Toronto with Mike this year, it seemed a no-brainer that this would be awesome!
I was half-right.
For CD1, which is 8 new songs and a remix of their hit song Stereo, they’d lost their drummer, Sammy Kohn. Allow me to quote Wiki about what happened for this portion:
The loss of their drummer and original member would alter the band’s songwriting and sound. With Kohn gone, the various Watchmen hooked up their Macintosh computers with Pro Tools software and began experimenting with samples, backbeats and tape loops to create a collection of electronic tracks shot through with the band’s trademark melodies. This change in direction divided fans and critics.
I’m looking at my notes, made as I listened to this, and after Holiday, track 1, I wrote “Um, guys?” And after track 2, Absolutely Anytime which was the single, I wrote THIS IS NOT DADDY’S WATCHMEN.
OK, OK. That’s harsh. It’s still interesting enough, and their trademark melodies are there, but as for the drum machines I say NO THANKS!
Ahem.
For CD2, all was forgotten as I got 9 tracks of hits spanning their first four studio albums. Fuck yeah! Kinda sad, isn’t it, when I’m way more excited about a CD of songs I already have and know that I love?
All respect to the Watchmen, they are/were one of Canada’s hardest-working, most-deserving-of-success bands, and their albums up til this point (2001) kicked all kinds of ass. But a drum machine? I think NOT! How hard would it have been to find another drumer, in this country? Fuck, I would’ve done it for you! For FREE!
keepsmealive 
Oh God, I remember this. Absolutely Anytime. I heard that on the radio, and my fickle ears went NEXT! Harsh, but I’m with you. Sammy has such a great sound on the skins. To replace him with an effn machine was a shame. And that AbsAnytime was not their finest hour, imo.
LikeLike
Yup to all of that. It was a true test of my allegiance to all things good about the Watchmen that I did actually sit through that whole CD.
It pained me to have to type that, just now, considering what could have… no, should have been.
LikeLike
I forgive them. But, yeah. Not their best effort.
LikeLike
Yeah, gimme time, I’ll forgive ’em too. Good on ’em for trying. But I’m not likely to go back to this one anytime soon.
LikeLike
So that second CD, is it the old hits newly recorded? Or is it the original hits?
I’m well on record as NOT being a fan of music made by machines. Tesla used to have a slogan on all their albums. Maybe they still do? NO MACHINES! That was on every album.
LikeLike
Near as I can tell, CD2 is just tracks pulled from the albums. Not re-recorded.
If you can’t pay a drummer to sit at the back of the room and keep time for you, it is time to hang ’em up!
LikeLike
They probably thought it was an opportunity to tap new creative grounds, good or bad. I’m thinking of when the Pumpkins kicked their drummer out and put out Adore next. Awful.
LikeLike
Yeah maybe, but it didn’t do much for me.
Huh. I remember liking Adore, at the time. Haven’t heard it in years, though.
LikeLike
I didn’t. It crossed the line for me, with those damned programmed drum beats. Especially when prior to that, they had such a fucking good drummer.
LikeLike
I’d have to hear it again. I am blanking on it completely, now.
LikeLike
Do you have it? I only have one Pumpkins, the greatest hits. Jen has a couple.
LikeLike
No, I don’t have any of their stuff here right now. I used to own it all, the albums, a bunch of singles… part of a purge, clearly.
LikeLike
I wonder if it was one of the purges I benefited from!
LikeLike
Could be! At this point, I couldn’t say for sure, though.
LikeLike