Overview
The first three songs (which were included on promo versions of the boxset) are the most complete and mainstream songs. "Getting Your Way" begins with a dirge-like chord progression then intensifies with a swagger the band hadn’t focused on since early songs like "She Makes My Nose Bleed" and "Take It Easy Chicken". "Slipping Away” (also a single) and "Keep Telling Myself" are much more focused rock songs. From "Harris" onwards it’s clear that Mansun still retain many of their idiosyncrasies. "Love Remains" is a short punk pop song where glam rock drums and a distorted guitar drive the song. In recent interviews Paul Draper stated that if the band had stayed together and released the fourth album properly, they would have issued "Love Remains" as the lead-off single.
Track six, "Cry 2 My Face", is closest to the sound of Little Kix, but its changes in tone mark it as a development from that sound. "No Signal/No Complaints" begins with a short piece called "These Days" (which is collected in its full length on the third Kleptomania disc): it is also an example of Mansun’s previous style. Its negative lyrics and fractured progression are similar to the songs from Six, it is similar to "Special/Blown it" in many respects. Paul Draper states in the sleeve notes that "Good Intentions Heal the Soul" was always intended to conclude the album. The song is one of the singer's most open lyrics, throughout Mansun’s career; Draper had attempted to write lyrics which were more direct.
The album greatly pleased fans of the group who generally felt that it wrapped up the bands existence, or at least better than Little Kix would have.
The track listing for Disc 2 was decided via an online poll on the band's official website which allowed fans to choose between every one of the bands B-sides and non-album singles. Paul Draper also chose to include "When the Wind Blows" and "Decisions, Decisions", which weren't in the top 20 tracks voted by fans.
Read more about this topic: Kleptomania (album)