past perfect vs past simple

[Verona_82]

Hello,

I'm wondering if there is a stong need to use the past perfect simple in the sentences below. They seem to look perfectly correct from the grammatical point of view, but how many speakers would ever use the perfect forms in conversation?

1. He took the job that had been given up by a few people during the last year.

2. The boy said he would show me the bycicle he had been given as a present.

Thank you.

[Tdol]

I would use the active in the first, but keep the past perfect, though the past could be used.

The second sounds fine to me as it stands, but you'd hear was given used by some speakers too IMO.