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The Other Two, "and You"
Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert’s New Order side project began very promisingly with the popular and critically acclaimed single "Tasty Fish" in 1990, but the collapse of Factory left the duo in label limbo. Three years later, this (the duo’s debut album) finally got released to lukewarm reviews and sales. Now that LTM has finally reissued it, I can confidently state that its unenthusiastic reception was entirely warranted. There are a number of remixes optimistically appended to this expanded edition to prop up the weaker songs, but they cannot hide the fact that this is a pretty bland effort (three versions of “Tasty Fish” aside).
It is telling that “Tasty Fish” was recorded and released on Factory in the heady days before its fall and that the rest of the album was assembled during its decline and death. It’s an infectiously fun, exuberant, and hooky pop gem from top to bottom and even features the characteristically inscrutable Factory sense of humor, taking its title from a fish and chip shop. Notably (but not surprisingly), its release spawned several dance mixes, landed Stephen and Gillian on the covers of some big music magazines, and was simultaneously hailed as the “single of the week” in both NME and Melody Maker. Given that the rest of the album was written and recorded amidst panicked meetings about the fate of Factory and The Hacienda and the stressful birth of New Order’s Republic, it is easy to see why that sparkling, wide-eyed vitality noticeably dissipated. Much of The Other Two and You seems palpably half-hearted.
That said, The Other Two and You is not a sloppy or inept album—it is merely a non-descript, formulaic, and toothless one. Everything sounds like it is in the right place and there are generally no obvious flaws, except for perhaps the lyrics (it is probably for the best that Ian Curtis did not live to see his former drummer write songs containing lines like “love is the greatest thing and there’s nothing else to live for”). There aren’t any painfully insipid lyrics in “Tasty Fish,” but that is probably because Jeremy Kerr from A Certain Ratio contributed them. The other problems with this album are a bit more nebulous: the songs have hooks (but they’re not hooky enough), Gillian’s vocals are pleasant (but not particularly charismatic), and the songs are energetic (but one-dimensional and instantly dated). Interestingly, the duo nearly landed Kim Wilde as their vocalist, which might have made quite a bit of difference in the fortunes of everyone involved.
Much like its vastly superior successor, The Other Two and You is front-loaded with the poppiest material (including the second single “Selfish” and the aborted single “Moving On”). However, unlike Super Highways, the remainder does not become more substantial and likeable—it just becomes more thumping and clubby. There is no hint of darkness or depth here at all, just frothy, featherweight pop. The six remixes included here are perhaps a bit stronger than the original material, but they are still for the most part pretty generic. As expected, “Tasty Fish” still sounds pretty great when remixed, but I was pretty surprised that Moby managed to turn “Moving On” into a somewhat better track by adding a slinky, propulsive bass line and downplaying the vocals. It is quite damning when Moby remixes a song and makes it more soulful than the original. Categorically, The Other Two and You is a lackluster and disappointing album. Anyone interested in O2 would be much better served by checking out Super Highways instead.
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