The ChemBase

Happy 17 years to Push The Button!!!!! (And S2A)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYre2fQpEvn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

My memories around this album/era include:

- a once very rambunctious forum with no edit button. The internet was in its final stages of users remaining anonymous. The forum was often devoid of any moderation, so there was a freedom to say just about anything without repercussions. In general, I would say all the forum participants were decent people and or on good behavior, but there was certain members who liked to "Push the Button" on certain topics and created some very interesting times here on the forum.

Furthermore, congrats to those are still around from that era. You guys know who you are, and I don't express it, but thanks for continuing to hang out with me here. To those who have moved on, your names still ring around in my head. There was a lot of fun times here, thanks for sharing your time with us.

- Galvanize flash game, which I seemed to have misplace the link to...

- Artwork is very underrated.

- I wish I somehow gained the nerve and the confidence to go to Coachella 2005.

- I bought this album from Best Buy when they sold music in-store and actually had a half decent music department.

Quote from: Bosco on Jan 13, 2022, 21:49

Galvanize flash game, which I seemed to have misplace the link to...

You can't open it anymore on the webs if you find it. All up to date browsers (Firefox, Edge, Chrome, Opera, Safari etc) don't support flash anymore. Good for the interwebs, bad for the Galvanize game. Maybe if you have an old Netscape Navigator running you're in luck.
BUT i can help you => Download my galvanize.swf attachment, it's the game, and then download the Flash Player Projector (CLICK (https://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/debug_downloads.html)). You don't have to install anything, wouldn't be save anymore, but this Projector is a stand alone running piece of software which alows you to view old flash-files.
Now beat the shit out of that lizzard...


And somehow i also have an (official?) Believe screensaver (for Windows only, sorry Mac & Linux users) to share. But it's quit boring and bit overstrained with modern display resolutions.



Now my 5 cents on PTB:

• it's my least favourite album of them (https://forum.thechembase.com/index.php/topic,1231.msg25170.html#msg25170)
• Surface To Air is one of my favourite tracks of them, only Star Guitar is ranked higher. Could be on one but they refused to release a studio version of Snow/Surface
• i don't like Galvanize as a studio version, but live it's a banger - and it bangs a lot more mashed up with Leave Home like on Don't Think (damn that kicks ass and you instantly start dancing like no one is watching)
• Believe belongs to the best videos of them
• Hold Tight London is my second favourite track on PTB

I'm not a big Push The Button fan either. It and Born In The Echoes are the only Chem albums I can't listen to in full.

I would also love a Snow/Surface studio version.

Actually, it could be cool if Chems did something like Justice with Woman Worldwide, where they took their live show setlist and recorded it in studio form. It works as an awesome reworked hits/mash up album.

Quote from: ThePumisher on Jan 14, 2022, 15:15

• i don't like Galvanize as a studio version, but live it's a banger - and it bangs a lot more mashed up with Leave Home like on Don't Think (damn that kicks ass and you instantly start dancing like no one is watching)

I wasn't into Galvanize either. It felt slow and the Arabic sample was too unique for me, at the time. Eventually, I too, learned to appreciate this track in a live setting. It also helped to eventually hear it with some upgraded sound equipment. To Tom and Ed's credit, this has to be their most recognizable song and probably totally because of that sample. It's almost impossible to be missed at a sporting event here in The United States, let alone it's still used for commercials (Oculus was the last I remember.)

Quote from: neorev on Jan 14, 2022, 20:55

it could be cool if Chems did something like Justice with Woman Worldwide, where they took their live show setlist and recorded it in studio form. It works as an awesome reworked hits/mash up album.

I call for Burst Generator and K+D+B to be in there.

Quote from: Zesty on Jan 14, 2022, 21:02

I call for Burst Generator and K+D+B to be in there.

Hear, hear!
+1

Quote from: ThePumisher on Jan 14, 2022, 15:15

---

And somehow i also have an (official?) Believe screensaver (for Windows only, sorry Mac & Linux users) to share. But it's quit boring and bit overstrained with modern display resolutions.

There was also a really cool animation at the opening of the official website, at the time. It was inspired by the back cover art.
There were some clickable sections that emitted sounds extracted from some of the songs. I'm preetty sure I have this flash file saved somewhere in my backups...

I have never listened to this album.

when it came out I had been looking forward to a new album but the singles didn't grab me. I didn't have a lot of expendable income  at the time, and for some reason didn't pirate it, so I never listened to it.

some of the songs later grew on me - first the Boxer (which brought back great memories of the chemical brothers / charlatans remixes of past), and then via live shows Galvanize.

but to date there are songs on it I have probably never heard.

/story

Quote from: shakermaker on Feb 04, 2022, 00:17

I have never listened to this album.

...

to date there are songs on it I have probably never heard.

(https://c.tenor.com/Wlz5SjCvX5IAAAAC/bird-funny-bird.gif)

Quote from: shakermaker on Feb 04, 2022, 00:17

I have never listened to this album.

when it came out I had been looking forward to a new album but the singles didn't grab me. I didn't have a lot of expendable income  at the time, and for some reason didn't pirate it, so I never listened to it.

some of the songs later grew on me - first the Boxer (which brought back great memories of the chemical brothers / charlatans remixes of past), and then via live shows Galvanize.

but to date there are songs on it I have probably never heard.

/story

Change it, Hold Tight and Close Your Eyes are absolutely worth it!

Quote from: shakermaker on Feb 04, 2022, 00:17

I have never listened to this album.

Here you go!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJDGcxAf9D8

Shakermaker, since I consider you my responsibility, make sure you hear "Hold Tight London" from 'Push The Button' and the track "The Big Jump" on the 'Live 05' EP and you're good.

The album version is good ("The Big Jump"), but the live version you can feel the the fun they put into it.

Also, "Spring" (B-side) is worth checking out from this era.

I'm pretty confident you've probably come across "Surface to Air", and if not, "Snow/Surface to Air", is the superior version.

Quote from: Bosco on Feb 05, 2022, 08:39

I'm pretty confident you've probably come across "Surface to Air", and if not, "Snow/Surface to Air", is the superior version.

much obliged, Bosco! I will do my homework.

Bumping.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFLg66nS2mj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

---

20 years ago. Holy shit, take me back!


On Friday(?) morning release day, drove my new purchase of a used 91 White Chrysler LeBaron (first car) to my local Best Buy electronic department store. Walked up to the new release rack, and there she was. Push the Button! Gonna guess it was about $15.99 which was the "low" price for new music at big box electronic stores at that time. Any other niche record/entertainment store would probably have it at $17.99 if not more.

My first listen took place in my car, and although the vehicle was a convertible, I wasn't rolling the top down in the middle of an Illinois winter. I did a modest upgrade to my car audio system with a bare bones Pioneer cd player and speaker/woofer set. The audio still terribly rattled with anything I put at a relatively loud level. Either way, it felt amazing to have new Chemical Brothers in hand, the reward of independence (my car), and waste the day away having the album on constant repeat.

(https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NYEXj91PWu8l2v7eRfPh3lIHPKYeS9l_WHE3-jn_a0ZEbfAENjiDpNXB0sod3_xJArjjUQX9ByYFP8AMO0SpmQMmzhPyZWEjEhjKCv6DbeB_qHEnRXkW5OkarDHDqFk87878hyjYVHYH07UR4dlr5j2f9TybO4PjdCY=s0-d-e1-ft#https://d3k81ch9hvuctc.cloudfront.net/company/RSxxDA/images/0575d78b-8ab6-4d8f-a269-e19fd129ded4.gif)

https://merch.thechemicalbrothers.com/?_kx=WNiaWruu0Ryz95T_5gos7G79sejjmPMeIgv1qkEMmkE.RSxxDA

I hate to be a perpetuator of negativity - but I was pretty disheartened to read the sentence:

"The time has come! Celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Chemical Brothers 'Push The Button' with a new collection of merchandise items."

I do like the shirt with the track list on the back! But really? No anniversary release with a collection of demos or previously unreleased remixes or anything? I guess they never really dove into that the way folks like Underworld* and Orbital did - probably a TR Quality Control thing, which I respect - but I do ultimately just want to hear, and pay for, more Chemical music from the time I was most infatuated with them.

*Still waiting on the Super Deluxe version of A Hundred Days Off...

Quote from: Enjoyed on Mar 07, 2025, 20:23

I do like the shirt with the track list on the back! But really? No anniversary release with a collection of demos or previously unreleased remixes or anything?

Time to finally hear the full Kele vocal version of Believe! Even if it's just an acapaella. Maybe Kele would then forgive the Chems and make another stomper with them?

Gotta say the artwork for the PTB era is a favourite of mine. Yes, it's nicked from (inspired by?) the Paris '68 protests but it looks great.

Presumably this is the shirt you mean:

(https://merch.thechemicalbrothers.com/cdn/shop/files/WhiteTee_B.png?v=1739279939&width=1080)
So that's the back of the album cover, but the front of this shirt does't have the front of the album cover. Instead it just has the band name logo. Meanwhile, the black shirt has the front of the album cover on the front but doesn't have the back cover, it has...the band logo.
How about a shirt with the front of the album on the front and the back of the album on the back? Call me crazy...