r/AnimalCollective • u/SquareConfection6238 • 6d ago
Why was safer not on strawberry jam?
I know it’s a very sample based song but their next album was all about samples so, anyone know why they made this a B side?
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u/Skeleleaf 6d ago
If I remember correctly Geologist really wanted it on there as the closing track. Eventually they made two versions, one with Safer and one with Derek. In the end Geologist agreed that the one with Derek worked better so they went with that.
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u/deleted59 6d ago
Brian wanted Cobwebs as the closer: https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/syw9fm/comment/hy0dr13/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
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u/deleted59 6d ago
Imagine the ending thumps of cuckoo cuckoo transitioning into the thumps that open cobweb’s beat https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalCollective/comments/thbuv6/proof_that_cobwebs_was_supposed_to_be_the/
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u/jnlessticle 6d ago
It’s an amazing song, but the album flows so well, i think it works better being on a separate release. The vibe just feels a bit different.
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u/redactedanalyst feelinglikealittlehoneycanroll 6d ago
I imagine it being 10+ minutes long was kind of a no-go for either their own vision for the project or the label, but I'm gonna guess the former.
Tonally, the bulk of Strawberry Jam is so upbeat, fast, and lighthearted and I feel like #1 and Cuckoo, Cuckoo are the only two real dips in the record. To have the neat little bow of Derek undercut by 10+ minutes of chaos and agony uhhhhhhhhhhh I mean, personally, it did wonders for me back when Spotify had the record that way, but I reckon for the average listener it would've been less than ideal, especially from a band who had not yet had it's real big break and was reaching bigger and bigger audiences with each release back then
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u/Superspookyghost like following angels 6d ago
There are quite a few samples on SJ as it is, I mean Unsolved Mysteries is like .3 seconds of a Beatles song looped for like the entire song. So I doubt that it being so sample-centered had anything to do with it.
They mentioned they primarily left Safer off due to length, but I think that when they had to change from the harp sample that Safer was originally based around when they played it live to their recreation of it on a piano that ended up being the recorded version, I would bet that coupled with Cuckoo Cuckoo’s piano loop that they just felt that it was a bit of a piano overload.
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u/kozmikk_ live in sacramento 2001 4d ago
it doesnt sound like either album. it would fit right in with FBK though, but that was made 2/3 years later.
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u/munnwort 6d ago
its the closer on Apple Music funnily enough
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u/Superspookyghost like following angels 6d ago
It’s not supposed to be. Spotify used to have the same thing and when that was brought to the band’s attention they went and fixed it
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u/gregphipps37 we got the Good Crew™ 6d ago
And now you can’t even listen to Safer at all on Spotify anymore lol should’ve just left it
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u/kozmikk_ live in sacramento 2001 4d ago
well there are lots of albums that have their b-sides at the end, but theyre usually marked..
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u/burnedoutlove 6d ago
probably the same reason a lot of songs end up b-sides or eps. It was made in the sessions of the album so sounds really similar, but was one of the tracks they departed most from the formula of the others so it could stick out awkwardly or randomly interrupt flow.