SONG REVIEW: Tighten Up (Electronic) — Forum Archive

19 Mar 2005, 18:46

Track number 3 from the debut Electronic album and a stomper of a track. The orchestral hits may sound a little bit dated these days but Marr's frisky acoustic guitar playing still sends a shiver down my spine. Barney's lyrics regarding "I used to be away but I ain't no more" could be about anything really, daft sod :)

Favourite bit for me, the chunky bassline (it's not Hooky but still sounds great) weaving it's way in the background and Barney's vocals obviously about a partner pissed off with him are great. Worst bit, it sounds a tad dated in parts, and the drumming is obviously sequenced but attempting to sound "live". However it's very much one of Electronic's finest overall: between 7 and 8 out of 10 for me.

What's everyone elses take?

Ally.

19 Mar 2005, 19:04

Favorite track from this album. 2nd overall to "Make It Happen". It moves well. The song sounds a little dated, but so do most of the tracks on this album IMO.

19 Mar 2005, 19:16

Cool synths (maybe a bit dated?). Love the first Electronic album. Not the best on the album but certainly holds its own. 7/10

20 Mar 2005, 03:10

The song is ace though Get the message is my favorite from their first CD. I was the only retard who managed to ruin the CD on Tighten Up. :shrug:

20 Mar 2005, 11:37

I don't like those horn-sounding synths but Marr's guitarwork is superb. One of my favorite tracks off the debut.

20 Mar 2005, 20:02

As much as i adore track 3, feel every beat does it for me :)

20 Mar 2005, 20:31

This is one of my favorite tracks from their debut. So what if it sounds dated. Barney has smooth, sweet vocals, and the lyrics are ambiguous. The guitar work and the synths are great. I don't have much else to say, other than this should've been released as a single, for it would've made a great dance track.

27 Mar 2005, 08:43

i thought the lyric was "There used to be a way but there ain't no more" and not "I used to be away..."

great song either way.

9 Apr 2005, 19:02

Love Tighten Up. Kind of a sad song.

We both need each other like, sister and brother, you mean that much to me...

Remember the moments we loved...

God I love this track. I'd say my 2nd fave off the album. It does sound a tad dated but that's hardly a complaint. Love the guitaring midway through. I'd say easily an 8 out of 10, but more like 8.5 or even 9.

I'm never gonna do what you want me to

Time to put this one on repeat. :nod:

10 Apr 2005, 01:03

The beginning synth sounds a bit like a grocery store jingle but otherwise a solid track.

18 Apr 2005, 13:51

This blue-eyed boy that wants to be wrote: This is one of my favorite tracks from their debut. So what if it sounds dated. Barney has smooth, sweet vocals, and the lyrics are ambiguous. The guitar work and the synths are great. I don't have much else to say, other than this should've been released as a single, for it would've made a great dance track.

Well I had the US promo of "Tighten Up" for a while, but eventually sold it - after all, it was just the album version and nothing else. But I guess that means they meant to release it for radio airplay at least here in the States.

edit- oops guess i was wrong. it had a single edit on it too. why did i get rid of it? ah, youth.

24 Apr 2005, 00:08

Lame

1 May 2005, 08:32

love the song, as i said in another post, that album is my fab 90's record, so.....love every track in it.

16 May 2005, 13:03

One of my top 3 picks from that album. Number one being "Try all you want" and 2nd goes to "Some Distant Memory" The strings at the end of that are mesmorizing.

More lyric confusion:

I thought the lyrics were:

"I used to be the wave, but I aint no more"

(I thought he was coming from the context of "New Wave.")

The orchestra hits have gone by the wayside, but still fit quite well with that song.

30 Sep 2005, 13:47

Fannytastic. First heard this on a Welsh bird's Walkman in Magaluff.

I have to agree though that Feel Every Beat is a classic on this album. Close your eyes, listen to the intro and you could imagine them closing a summer concert in front of thousands. Either that or the sun going down over the Manchester Ship Canal.

Yes, it does sound dated now, but memories never date and the album brings back beautiful memories. I listen to it about once a year now, and it always reminds me of sitting by the pool with that Welsh bird.

Memories...

3 Oct 2005, 16:50

Great song, lyrics should be:

"There used to be a way but there ain't no more Tell me why because we need it I used to run away but I can't no more 'Cause I feel that I can beat it"

25 Nov 2005, 17:49

Prolly my fave leccy track in existence, I think.

OK the plinky plonky synths sound a bit dated, but the reason I like it, is cos it could have been a damn fine NO song.

The guitar is gorgeous; even the bassline is pretty good.

Still not sure why they didn't release it as a single, cos it was a lot more instant than 'Feel Every Beat', and with far less cringeworthy lyrics.

28 Nov 2005, 02:32

I really like this song. The more I think about it the more the whole album stands out from the hundres I bought in the 90's. Everytime I go back to it I enjoy it - without fail.

4 Dec 2005, 08:07

dated shmated...who cares?! great song on a great album.

6 Dec 2005, 17:07

Chuckles wrote: dated shmated...who cares?! great song on a great album.

If memory serves me right I remember Q magazine giving this album 5 stars at the time. That's why Raise the Pressure and Twisted Tenderness were received with such disappointment by the music media. Disappointed - now there's another cracker...