Uncertain Emotions...

 

The The - Uncertain Smile [EPC A13-2787 UK 1982 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC]

To compliment last week's Soul Mining post, I thought now would be a good time to get some of the associated singles re-ripped, these versions are very different to the eventual album tracks having been  recorded with other musicians a year earlier, and the rawer/experimental edge to these singles reveals more about Matt Johnson's transition from Burning Blue Soul to Soul Mining.

This stripped back version of Uncertain Smile kicks off with some treated vibes (& some deliberate wow & flutter) before that unforgettably familiar melody kicks in. I've always felt that lyrically this song is Johnson's finest -  the track actually began forming as a part of The The's second single, Cold Spell Ahead in 1981. This version runs very close to ten minutes in length. The The purists will be all over the two flipside tracks as well.

A1 Uncertain Smile

B1 Three Orange Kisses From Kazan

B2 Waitin' For The Upturn