Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

Alfred and I were just discussing this via email:

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Soto: Also: do you like the '86 remake of "Don't Stand So Close to Me"? I'm not sure why it's so hated. The first minute – all brooding minor chord synth and silence – is quite wonderful.

Inskeep: For years and years, I've claimed to be the only person I know who actually PREFERS the '86 take on "Don't Stand So Close to Me" to its original, which I find I bit dull. The "remake" is weird, all minor keys and off-center vocals.

Soto: The original is watery pseudo-skank. You really [feel] as if something is at stake in the remake; and I love, love, love Andy Summers' guitar lick.

Inskeep: The original's fine with me, but doesn't excite me the way the remake does.

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Also, its video is essentially a skewed historia de la musica de Police in four-and-a-half minutes. And Sting looks pissed, which is often a good thing.