Texas - The Conversation (2013) (deluxe edition)
Texas - The Conversation (2013) (deluxe edition)
Rock | 2cd | EAC Rip | Flac + Cue + Log | covers
PIAS PIASR350CDX | rel: 2013 | 540Mb
Rock | 2cd | EAC Rip | Flac + Cue + Log | covers
PIAS PIASR350CDX | rel: 2013 | 540Mb
It’s something of a surprise to find yourself with a new album by Texas in your hands. Although the band never officially split up, their fans and followers might have been forgiven for thinking that 2005’s indifferently received Red Book had finally closed the book on the group’s career, especially following the massive brain aneurysm suffered in 2009 by guitarist Ally McErlaine, and the fact that Sharleen Spiteri seemed to be busily occupying herself with such nostalgia-fest solo projects as 2008’s Melody and 2010’s The Movie Songbook. But, lo and behold, McErlaine thankfully bounced back from his collapse and so, now, have Texas, emerging from their extended hiatus with a tour in 2011 and then heading to the studio to make a new record a whopping 25 years after their Southside debut.
What’s especially pleasing about this narrative is that the resulting album, The Conversation, proves to be the band’s best, most beguiling work since their late ‘90s heyday. Texas were never hip, in the eyes of the press at least, and their music, sometimes treated with snobby disdain, seemed to be viewed by many as irredeemably ersatz. But on 1997’s blockbuster White on Blonde the group successfully merged their influences to deliver one of the best albums of the ‘90s, a spectacular, hook-strewn set of soul-inflected pop/rock songs whose popularity (five successful singles and more than 1.8 million copies sold in the UK) was more than matched by its quality. The Conversation looks highly unlikely to repeat that success in terms of chart impact and it’s not, ultimately, as strong a record, lacking the quirkier touches and more opaque lyrics that have allowed White on Blonde’s songs to endure. Still, it’s a pleasing album that shows that Spiteri and co. haven’t, after all, lost their touch and finds the band playing to their strengths in a way that their more contrived, less organic last releases failed to do.
Texas have collaborated with Richard Hawley on The Conversation and the Sheffield bard’s presence shows through in the echoey, gently textured, rather Owen Bradley-esque ambience that several tracks on The Conversation exhibit. The band’s restored confidence is evident in the title track and lead-off single: a tight, catchy affair boasting a twitchy, swampy guitar hook (and a cool Peter Mullan-starring video, to boot) that finds Spiteri demanding some honest communication from a reluctant partner. The equally infectious “Dry Your Eyes” serves as an appropriate follow-up with brisk drumming and warm, sighing backing vocals accompanying the track’s portrait of a moment of sympathetic exchange between pals. These opening tracks set the tone for the album: short, punchy songs that never risk outstaying their welcome.
A complaint often made about Texas is that their work fails to transcend its inspirations. That’s true of a couple of songs on The Conversation: “Big World”, for one, wears its “Proud Mary” inclinations a tad too proudly for comfort, while “I Will Always”, though seductive in context, is finally just too generic a country waltz. But, as on White on Blonde, what’s compelling about the album is the artful way in which the band will take a familiar lyric or motif and then twirl it into new territory, meaning that while the influence is apparent the song still feels fresh. Just as White on Blonde‘s “Say What Your Want” borrowed part of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” to create a pristine new pop song, so the languid, country-ish “Maybe I” riffs on “Always on My Mind” only to dispense a chill all its own, as Spiteri’s fine, restrained vocal takes stock of a rocky romance, concluding ominously: “Maybe I didn’t mind / Maybe I didn’t cry / I needed everything to die.” The driving “Detroit City” starts out suggesting Blondie covering The Killers but the song’s gorgeous, swooning chorus and strident climax are irresistible, matched only by the tender, soaring “Hearts Are Made to Stray” for uplifting appeal.
The low-key, quietly affirmative closer “I Need Time” is less distinguished, but it’s compensated for by the lovely iTunes bonus track “Where Do You Go”, an exquisite item that would have made The Carpenters proud. The album’s deluxe edition also comes complete with a welcome (though somewhat murkily recorded) live set from one of the band’s 2011 shows that serves as a creditable greatest hits package in its own right.
The Conversation is a welcome return, then. This isn’t the album to convert the cognoscenti to the Texas cause, but those willing to listen without prejudice will find in these warm, well-crafted songs a perfectly seductive soundtrack to their summer.~Popmatters
Track listing
cd1: The Conversation (37:16)
01. The Conversation (2:45)
02. Dry Your Eyes (2:42)
03. If This Isn’t Real (3:17)
04. Detroit City (3:43)
05. I Will Always (2:26)
06. Talk About Love (3:29)
07. Hid From The Light (3:33)
08. Be True (3:16)
09. Maybe I (2:38)
10. Hearts Are Made To Stray (2:45)
11. Big World (3:22)
12. I Need Time (3:20)
cd2: Live In Scotland (41:19)
01. I Don't Want To Be A Lover (5:34)
02. Summer Son (4:09)
03. Halo (3:54)
04. In Demand (4:23)
05. The Conversation (3:06)
06. When We Are Together (3:56)
07. Once In A Lifetime (4:06)
08. Say What You Want (3:46)
09. Black Eyed Boy (4:04)
10. Inner Smile (4:22)
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011
EAC extraction logfile from 22. May 2013, 11:37
Texas / The Conversation
Used drive : hp DVD A DS8A8SH Adapter: 0 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 1024 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\FLAC\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "COMMENT=%comment%" -T "BAND=%albuminterpret%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albuminterpret%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" %haslyrics%–tag-from-file=LYRICS="%lyricsfile%"%haslyrics% -T "DISCNUMBER=%cdnumber%" -T "TOTALDISCS=%totalcds%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" %hascover%–picture="%coverfile%"%hascover% %source% -o %dest%
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 2:44.56 | 0 | 12355
2 | 2:44.56 | 2:41.47 | 12356 | 24477
3 | 5:26.28 | 3:17.26 | 24478 | 39278
4 | 8:43.54 | 3:42.63 | 39279 | 55991
5 | 12:26.42 | 2:26.09 | 55992 | 66950
6 | 14:52.51 | 3:28.53 | 66951 | 82603
7 | 18:21.29 | 3:33.00 | 82604 | 98578
8 | 21:54.29 | 3:15.45 | 98579 | 113248
9 | 25:09.74 | 2:38.15 | 113249 | 125113
10 | 27:48.14 | 2:45.01 | 125114 | 137489
11 | 30:33.15 | 3:21.69 | 137490 | 152633
12 | 33:55.09 | 3:20.31 | 152634 | 167664
Track 1
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\01 - The Conversation.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 100.0 %
Extraction speed 1.6 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 521D41D1
Copy CRC 521D41D1
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 2
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\02 - Dry Your Eyes.wav
Peak level 97.5 %
Extraction speed 1.7 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 489D7385
Copy CRC 489D7385
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 3
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\03 - If This Isn’t Real.wav
Peak level 95.6 %
Extraction speed 2.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC F4B6643F
Copy CRC F4B6643F
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 4
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\04 - Detroit City.wav
Peak level 96.1 %
Extraction speed 2.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC C2F2BCD4
Copy CRC C2F2BCD4
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 5
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\05 - I Will Always.wav
Peak level 94.5 %
Extraction speed 2.1 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC C32D77DA
Copy CRC C32D77DA
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 6
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\06 - Talk About Love.wav
Peak level 97.5 %
Extraction speed 2.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 961402A4
Copy CRC 961402A4
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 7
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\07 - Hid From The Light.wav
Peak level 96.8 %
Extraction speed 2.5 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 86CE74F3
Copy CRC 86CE74F3
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 8
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\08 - Be True.wav
Peak level 94.6 %
Extraction speed 2.6 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 461430F5
Copy CRC 461430F5
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 9
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\09 - Maybe I.wav
Peak level 94.1 %
Extraction speed 2.6 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 57FA909C
Copy CRC 57FA909C
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 10
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\10 - Hearts Are Made To Stray.wav
Peak level 92.4 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 99.9 %
Test CRC 15DE3619
Copy CRC 15DE3619
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 11
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\11 - Big World.wav
Peak level 93.6 %
Extraction speed 2.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 6B1BD8DC
Copy CRC 6B1BD8DC
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 12
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD01 The Conversation\12 - I Need Time.wav
Peak level 96.3 %
Extraction speed 2.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 07679A18
Copy CRC 07679A18
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database
No errors occurred
End of status report
–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.3
[CTDB TOCID: pn.StYB8SY2aPrWbRwocACY6Ths-] found, Submit result: pn.StYB8SY2aPrWbRwocACY6Ths- has been confirmed
[993fb0f6] (1/1) Accurately ripped
==== Log checksum 642507307DDD4E0B9A1A13194DE386967A3E9B978D9B24CA2C734FAB22582AC1 ====
––––-
Exact Audio Copy V1.0 beta 3 from 29. August 2011
EAC extraction logfile from 22. May 2013, 12:23
Texas / Live In Scotland
Used drive : hp DVD A DS8A8SH Adapter: 0 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 1024 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\FLAC\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "COMMENT=%comment%" -T "BAND=%albuminterpret%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albuminterpret%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" %haslyrics%–tag-from-file=LYRICS="%lyricsfile%"%haslyrics% -T "DISCNUMBER=%cdnumber%" -T "TOTALDISCS=%totalcds%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" %hascover%–picture="%coverfile%"%hascover% %source% -o %dest%
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 5:33.55 | 0 | 25029
2 | 5:33.55 | 4:09.21 | 25030 | 43725
3 | 9:43.01 | 3:53.72 | 43726 | 61272
4 | 13:36.73 | 4:22.58 | 61273 | 80980
5 | 17:59.56 | 3:06.01 | 80981 | 94931
6 | 21:05.57 | 3:55.59 | 94932 | 112615
7 | 25:01.41 | 4:06.37 | 112616 | 131102
8 | 29:08.03 | 3:45.53 | 131103 | 148030
9 | 32:53.56 | 4:03.54 | 148031 | 166309
10 | 36:57.35 | 4:22.01 | 166310 | 185960
Track 1
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\01 - I Don't Want To Be A Lover.wav
Pre-gap length 0:00:02.00
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 1.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 49057F8D
Copy CRC 49057F8D
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 2
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\02 - Summer Son.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 2.1 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 8F385DAE
Copy CRC 8F385DAE
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 3
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\03 - Halo.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 2.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 4E68C05C
Copy CRC 4E68C05C
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 4
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\04 - In Demand.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 2.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 467BFD3E
Copy CRC 467BFD3E
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 5
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\05 - The Conversation.wav
Peak level 92.1 %
Extraction speed 2.4 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 89F3B0F1
Copy CRC 89F3B0F1
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 6
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\06 - When We Are Together.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 2.6 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC DE7F65A3
Copy CRC DE7F65A3
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 7
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\07 - Once In A Lifetime.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 2.8 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC EB2F078D
Copy CRC EB2F078D
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 8
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\08 - Say What You Want.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 2.9 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 52D11A8B
Copy CRC 52D11A8B
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 9
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\09 - Black Eyed Boy.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 3.0 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC CDAB30CF
Copy CRC CDAB30CF
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
Track 10
Filename C:\Users\HSH\Pictures\Texas\CD02 Live in Scotland\10 - Inner Smile.wav
Peak level 94.4 %
Extraction speed 3.2 X
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC 4A03E392
Copy CRC 4A03E392
Track not present in AccurateRip database
Copy OK
None of the tracks are present in the AccurateRip database
No errors occurred
End of status report
–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.3
[CTDB TOCID: KV5IXSxrTqRA8LTEGjYXiup35O0-] found, Submit result: KV5IXSxrTqRA8LTEGjYXiup35O0- has been confirmed
[16c33e29] (1/1) Accurately ripped
==== Log checksum CB611006DACE6938A24A07E6DAC412B81CC8B8F0ED7399F002AF2761FDDA28AB ====
[CUETools log; Date: 2014.04.15. 15:12:46; Version: 2.1.4]
[CTDB TOCID: pn.StYB8SY2aPrWbRwocACY6Ths-] found.
Track | CTDB Status
1 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
2 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
3 | (66/67) Accurately ripped
4 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
5 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
6 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
7 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
8 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
9 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
10 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
11 | (67/67) Accurately ripped
12 | (66/67) Accurately ripped
[AccurateRip ID: 00106ca7-009a1495-9308bb0c] found.
Track [ CRC | V2 ] Status
01 [19e5a4b2|9028da53] (07+82/89) Accurately ripped
02 [04877c28|14346448] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
03 [8d0acfb9|afd48daf] (06+81/87) Accurately ripped
04 [3476c91d|176a7f2a] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
05 [302eeeb8|c5496b8c] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
06 [f4a21e0d|cc2c5a37] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
07 [4d6b2130|03a56526] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
08 [c8bfcd36|042658dc] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
09 [5a65b8c7|e171c83f] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
10 [a2d55af2|7116ee79] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
11 [6415daac|edb8781e] (06+82/88) Accurately ripped
12 [818da261|92dd6a75] (06+80/86) Accurately ripped
Track Peak [ CRC32 ] [W/O NULL] [ LOG ]
– 99,9 [FBD5695B] [645C50EB]
01 99,9 [521D41D1] [6B74E57F] CRC32
02 97,5 [489D7385] [B1DB0C14] CRC32
03 95,6 [F4B6643F] [89CC39AD] CRC32
04 96,1 [C2F2BCD4] [4A3FBF89] CRC32
05 94,5 [C32D77DA] [46951FBA] CRC32
06 97,5 [961402A4] [C2C4F475] CRC32
07 96,8 [86CE74F3] [26309B6D] CRC32
08 94,6 [461430F5] [77336F4D] CRC32
09 94,1 [57FA909C] [813F3983] CRC32
10 92,4 [15DE3619] [24EB9F15] CRC32
11 93,6 [6B1BD8DC] [992D26E1] CRC32
12 96,3 [07679A18] [F91BAAEE] CRC32
–––––––––
[CUETools log; Date: 2014.04.15. 15:13:05; Version: 2.1.4]
[CTDB TOCID: KV5IXSxrTqRA8LTEGjYXiup35O0-] found.
Track | CTDB Status
1 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
2 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
3 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
4 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
5 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
6 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
7 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
8 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
9 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
10 | (37/37) Accurately ripped
[AccurateRip ID: 0010056b-007e5382-8409af0a] found.
Track [ CRC | V2 ] Status
01 [4491c06d|7b9ed3a1] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
02 [e85a18aa|d25b99f9] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
03 [3c5c3bce|932146b3] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
04 [e94d1600|346949f7] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
05 [0ae4589a|9cb340cf] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
06 [d2f67df1|b7207de8] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
07 [8751a735|df4e8df4] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
08 [afd9f824|f750c0e9] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
09 [95caae8d|d3a8a89c] (04+49/53) Accurately ripped
10 [f2cc6a98|0d64f188] (04+47/51) Accurately ripped
Track Peak [ CRC32 ] [W/O NULL] [ LOG ]
– 94,4 [EAC18264] [727A83FE]
01 94,4 [49057F8D] [ADD71381] CRC32
02 94,4 [8F385DAE] [B17A5ACA] CRC32
03 94,4 [4E68C05C] [A1CA97A6] CRC32
04 94,4 [467BFD3E] [BFD55259] CRC32
05 92,1 [89F3B0F1] [F529730E] CRC32
06 94,4 [DE7F65A3] [F38A6194] CRC32
07 94,4 [EB2F078D] [40087540] CRC32
08 94,4 [52D11A8B] [ACD64639] CRC32
09 94,4 [CDAB30CF] [65C90F49] CRC32
10 94,4 [4A03E392] [CF738FFB] CRC32
original uploader unknown