5 comments about Soulmates Never Die: Live in Paris 2003.

1. This DVD is exactly what I expected it to be. It's awesome and like many other people say if you are a hardcore Placebo fan than you would love this. You hear your favorite music and you get to know the band better you realize they are humans like us and very funny. Brian has an incredible harmonica solo in Protege Moi and it is so incredible. It is definetly worth your money.



2. I'm a hardcore Placebo fan and i've loved them long before they ever released this DVD, but let me say it's worth the buy.
   
   Soulmates Never Die is a compilation of their live footage from their 2003 concert in Paris to which they played to THOUSANDS of diehard fans. I, personally, wish I could've been there to see such an amazing performance.
   
   Brian's ecclectic voice is so gorgeous and his androgynous style shoots forth from the stage. He keeps the energy high and the crowd screaming for more.
   
   Stefan's "gay dancing" (as Brian so coyly named it) amused the crowd during the intro to "Taste In Men." It amused one lucky fan a bit too much as he ran onstage and tried to pull Stefan away with him, causing Brian to burst out laughing.
   
   Not much to say about Steve, hiding away behind his drum kit. THe most amusing part about the shots of him is the fact that everytime he hits the snare he blinks. Otherwise, the DVD is mainly focused on Brian and Stefan.
   
   Amazing live performance and the special features are a great extra. There is a 25-something mini-Documentary of the band along with some hidden easter eggs, like Brian's B12 shots in his behind (which are delectable, to be honet.)
   
   All "easter eggs" are explained on Wikipedia.
   
   This DVD is definitely worth the buy. I recommend it to any Placebo fan, old or new.



3. I am so happy with this purchase! ^_^
   Amazing songs, great ambiance (audience participation!) Molko in all his sweaty glory ;)
   Excellent track listing...they weren't kidding when they said this was Placebo's best performance (yet).
   I think the standout performance is "Protege-moi," where the entire band gives it their all, and Molko delivers a heart-felt, soulful harmonica solo.
   Get it get it get it get it!!!
   :D



4. Great songs, great performances, great camera work. One of the most beautifully shot concert DVD's i've ever seen. well worth whatever price.



5. If you have a home theater 5.1 you are going to enjoy it to the maximum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 comments about The Libertines.

1. The Libertines have had a turbulent 12 months since the release of their debut album, Up the Bracket. Co-frontman Pete Doherty was awol from the band when he was arrested for burgling bandmate Carl Barat's flat, and subsequently jailed. But that's beside the point (except for those still foolish enough to equate drug addiction and petty crime with bona fide rock'n'roll credentials). All the credentials the Libertines need are there on Up the Bracket. Like the Kinks, the Jam, the Smiths and the arty, questioning wing of Britpop, the Libertines view Britain afresh. Theirs is an eccentric collage of island life - Boadicea and Chas and Dave, Sherlock Holmes and Sid James - in which wry cynicism competes with romantic idealism. It's an assertion of cultural identity that is witty and vibrant rather than dim and bullish, and it's best captured on the raucously stirring Time for Heroes: "There's few more distressing sights than that of an Englishman in a baseball cap. We'll die in the class we were born, that's a class of our own." The Libertines' strength - and their weakness - is a sense of barely contained chaos. Their boozy, last-orders punk thunders along the thin line between swagger and stagger, and the latter often hobbles their live shows. Whether they become greats or just one of those great what-ifs that Britain specialises in depends on whether they regroup, but they have the talent and the belief. Shamelessly intelligent, stylish, wayward and complex, if they don't shoot themselves in the foot, they can shoot for the stars.



2. I expected more from the Libertines - but that's what I get for putting my hopes on a heroin junkie. I like Doherty's voice and the CD has some pretty good tunes, especially the opening track, "Can't Stand Me Now". But it's like they're still trying to find themselves, and most of the songs don't hit the mark. But it's worth a listen now and then.



3. If the title of the first Libertines album came from 'Hancock's Half Hour' there would be no comedy the second time around. A fist fight between Doherty and Barat on the first day of recording in the studio, security guards sent in by the record company for the rest of the recording sessions and the lawyers still arguing about who wrote what (this is the only album I own where there are no songwriting credits).
   
   It all starts pretty much perfectly though. 'Can't Stand Me Now' has Barat laying into Doherty and then Doherty's version of events in a call-and-response classic for the indie scene. Doherty sounding particularly troubled: "No, you've got it the wrong way round/You shut me up and blamed it on the brown/Cornered the boy kicked out at the world...". The talk of keeping it together and the assertion of "I'm still in love with you" sounds so much like wishful thinking though and something like what might have been. Great harmonica.
   
   'Last Post On The Bugle' follows in typical infectious Libertines fashion. Crystal clear production courtesy of Clash legend Mick Jones. If anything the production values here are stronger than on 'Up The Bracket'.
   
   'Don't Be Shy' is the shocker though. A most focused start, all tight and controlled although Doherty soon loses the melody and the plot. Any semblance of the song retaining its shape and structure soon goes and the listener is left with...well, a most addictive mess. The song unravels, sure, but at the same time its fascinating. The disintegration is compelling somehow and leaves me wanting to go back to it. Mmmm...
   
   Similarly, the nod to 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers at the end of 'The Man Who Would Be King' draws you in but this time in a knowing way. It's all good.
   
   Except it isn't unfortunately. Clearly much of this is touched by the hand of God but it cannot quite rise to the heights - the sustained heights - of 'Up The Bracket'. And there's the problem. If there is one. To talk of low points on a Libertines album shouldn't happen and yet here we have 'Arbeit Macht Frei', the too-obvious if nicely frenetic 'Narcissist', the ordinary-sounding 'The Saga' and 'Tomblands' which is great but too reminiscent of 'English Civil War' by...The Clash.
   
   If all this seems unecessarily harsh then yes, I accept that but it's all borne of an idea that The Libertines were destined to be among the all-time greats. Something to do with the legend and the perverse perfection of releasing two all-time classic albums and then (in whatever circumstances) splitting up. Think Joy Division. And this album is just missing something, something that could have sealed the myth forever. As it is we're left with one great album and one very nearly great one...There is nothing much wrong with almost all of this in reality. And it is clearly music for the ages.
   
   So what will become of the Likely Lads? Well, it already seems to be turning into a story of diminishing returns and a story of something like alchemy being mysteriously missing.
   
   The saddest thing about this album, this band, is the sincerity with which Doherty sings "It's important to me..." as the album draws to a close...save for the secret acoustic track with its lament of "Nothing but memories...". Indeed.



4. Given the circumstances, it is surprising that The Libertines were actually able to complete recording their second, and final, studio album. During and after their tour for their debut album ("Up the Bracket"), Pete Doherty had begun to steadily increase his indulgence in drugs and associate with an unsavory crowd. Barat and Doherty went to the U.S. in 2003 to promote The Libertines and work on new material. In New York, Pete and Carl both got tattoos of the word "libertine" on their arms, signifying their commitment to the band. However, Carl grew tired of Pete's addiction and dropped out of their recording sessions (which Pete continued by himself). Pete began to play more gigs separately from the band and refused to play with The Libertines on their tour of Europe. A whirlwind of unfortunate instances occurred afterwards, eventually leading to Pete breaking into Carl's apartment and stealing several items. Pete pled guilty to burglary and was sent to jail, but ended up being released after a fairly short amount of time due to judges' decisions and making amends with Carl. The same day he was released from Wandsworth Prison, Carl and Pete played a gig at a pub and they then began to work on new material for their second album.
   
   The recording process of their self-titled follow-up album was chaotic and unpredictable, as Pete's further descent into addiction and tensions between band-mates threatened The Libertines' stability. Pete wavered between being in and out of rehab and also began to form another band, Babyshambles, around the same time. The Libertines played their last show on December 17th, 2004 in Paris, France, without Pete. Afterwards, The Libertines dissolved and the members have gone on to separate bands; Pete remained with Babyshambles, Carl formed Dirty Pretty Things with Gary Powell (and a new bassist, Didz Hammond, as well as Anthony Rossomando, who had been a replacement guitarist for Pete in The Libertines), and John Hassall went on to form a band called Yeti.
   
   While "Up the Bracket" had a lot of firey, Clash-like energy, "The Libertines" is much darker and more introspective. Both "Can't Stand Me Now" and "What Became of the Likely Lads" are about Carl and Pete's love/hate relationship. Even though there are songs that don't seem to be directly about the two of them (like "Narcissist" and "Tomblands"), the prevailing mood of the album is much more somber than anything off of "Up the Bracket". Certain tracks that feature Pete as the main vocalist, like "Don't Be Shy" and "The Ha Ha Wall", are sloppy and sound a bit improvised. Though Pete and Carl tend to have a slurred, thick-accented tone in their voices as it is, these tracks are unfortunate testaments to the fact that the band was steadily falling apart.



5. This album would have been better as an EP, as all the tracks aren't superb. As the Libertines exclaim in Can't stand me now, "Have we enough to keep it together?" They sound like the current Oasis, even with side projects Babyshambles and Dirty pretty things. I haven't picked up either of these releases, and I'd wait on another libertines release if they haven't officially broken up yet. Quit the drugs and encourage the drinking as they did shots at a show in Boston. Both albums together probably have sold less then the combined sales of this album, so make another Libertines release. The emotion is far from drained, and the liquor is strong. They could both be kings if they made another album like Up the Bracket, which is still in my player to date or even a release combined sound of Up the Bracket and this album. But even with all the drama and controversy, there is not another group of songwriters, let alone Bright Eyes, that compare to Dorehty and Barat.

3 comments about Late Night Tales.

1. My first of this CD series. Very cool mix CD. All the tracks flow and span across several genre. Good stuff.



2. When I first heard this cd I was kind of shocked by the intro. Human League at the first glance is 80's but this version from the Armada was off the hook. Superb intro. All songs fit smoothly into eachother. I love this CD.



3. this is a second time of duo groove armada COLLABORATION with late night tales series (used to called another late night) as good as expect from.

5 comments about No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rebellion.

1. The one thing Rhino Records did get from the Sex Pistols (Johnny Rotten/Lydon) was the name of this box set. The way I heard it (from a music insider) is that Rhino wanted to include the Sex Pistols but when Johnny Rotten/Lydon was asked about the inclusion of a song, His reply was simply "NO THANKS!" So don't blame Rhino, they did a great job! On the other hand, Johnny, you are just rotten!!!!!!!!!



2. Bit of controversy about the worth of this box set, which seems about right given the subject matter. But I think it's okay for a 4CD overview, which can only be fairly shallow and a bit random, no matter how thoughtfully compiled. If you got really serious, for example, you'd need a full CD, or at least a solid half of one, just devoted to Australian bands. I mean, for starters, no Birthday Party? Huh? In fact The Saints are the only inclusion, with their most routinely anthologised track and all. But of course by then you're looking at ten or twelve CDs in a box costing several hundred dollars, which might be overkill.
   
   And what is punk music anyway? If you mean what "punks" actually listened to at home, which Rhino sort of seems to (e.g. Devo, Cure), then including no ska-dub-reggae seriously misrepresents the era, too. But hey, Cherry Bomb and Another Girl Another Planet and Roadrunner and Chinese Rocks all made the cut, so I'm happy. What's there is pretty good. It's a decent blast from the past, and it certainly brings back the time for me, weird though it was. Even the bad and pointless stuff is acceptably representative.
   
   It would also, I think, make an excellent one-stop-shop introduction for someone born in the 1980s or 90s, because of rather than despite it's scattershot and sometimes unsatisfactory nature. Punk was a glorious, disjointed, and genuinely absurd mess from go to whoa, and no one really knew what it was about even while it was happening, so in a sense this collection is VERY faithful. (Ending the set with Love Will Tear Us Apart is perfect in so many ways.)
   
   But then I'm probably in one of Rhino's target demographics, i.e. middle-aged baldheads with ruined livers who miss hearing some of the songs, but don't particularly want to devote what's left of their lives (no future really starting to kick in at this point) to collecting them all over again.
   
   (But ignoring the Pistols and PIL must just be a legal issue, surely? Or else, yeah, too insane.)



3. Lets get one thing out of the way, the music is timeless.
   
   Last I heard "punk" was not a style.
   It's obviously a cash-in aimed towards hot-topic punks that enjoy name-dropping obscure bands as if it meant something. These songs are great yes, but the albums they came off of are even better. To dillute the whole life of these bands to just one or two tracks is an absolute shame. If you don't care about history or music feel free to get this.



4. This boxed set has many great and classic punk songs. I would recommend it particularly to young people today who didn't live in the late '70's. Back in '78 or so, some of this type of music is what really got me interested in rock'n'roll to begin with. I think it's a great collection, but Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, and some others who were really not true punk rock, don't really belong on this set. However, it's good to see many of the New York (CBGB) bands here. This is the true rebellious music of the 1970's, just like rockabilly was in the 1950's, even though the genres and styles are completely different.



5. this is punk at it's worst (best):}
   Punk for all and all for punk

5 comments about Like Cats and Dogs.

1. I love all of Catherine Wheel's records. I am at present collecting all the B-sides not appearing on this record because quite frankly the songs collected here are amongst the best, if not the very best work that this extremely talented and much neglected band ever accomplished.
   
   Rob's vocals on this record are just as breathy and wistful as on the wonderful 'Ferment' and just as powerful and dynamic as on 'Happy Days'; The impression I get here is that 'LCAD' is a collection of songs written by a band in a more experimental, free-flowing mood.
   
   This mood works and in my opinion works better than much if not everything else I have ever heard in shoegaze or any other genre. I must admit that a few of the slow burners here took me longer to appreciate but I think that that was just because I was younger and less advanced with my musical tastes.
   
   A perfect album to listen to in the rusty haze of autumn or on a long road trip at night; Let the washes of feedback and lighter touches of Brian Futtter's guitar draw you into this simply amazing collection of songs by a truly great band.
   
   Enjoy...



2. Maybe when I hear what purports to be a "B-sides" album, my expectations are lowered, but I truly enjoy "Like Cats and Dogs," quite a bit more, in fact, than Catherine Wheel's uneven prior album, "Happy Days." The only portions of "Like Cats and Dogs" that have a "B-sides" feel to me are the beginning, namely, Heal 2 (wasn't Heal 1 enough?) and a decent cover of "Wish You Were Here" (with the clever inclusion of a harmonica); as well as the "hidden track" at the end (which consists of three harder rockers, including a faithful rousing cover of Rush's "Spirit of Radio").
   
   Everything in between holds up as a full-blown original studio album which, for the most part, shows off the quiter side of CW. Standouts for me are "Mouthful of Air" and "Saccharine." My favorite song on the album is "Harder than I am," which might have fit nicely into either "Happy Days," or CW's subsequent album, "Adam and Eve," where it would have been perfectly placed after the incredible song "Broken Nose."
   
   For all you CW fans, "Like Cats and Dogs" isn't a mere curiousity, but an indispensible part of your CD collection.



3. Bands generally release `B-sides' or `rarities' non-albums as albums, when they don't have enough material to release a full-length proper studio album. Such albums are strictly meant for fans, as they contain desultory songs, without being paid much attention to. As a matter of fact, everything suffers in such albums, right from the packaging and artwork, to the songs themselves. Probably that is why such albums have names like "B-SIDES AND ODDITIES", or "DEAD LETTER OFFICE", etc., to make their contents obvious.

   "LIKE CATS AND DOGS", is a very different album. It is different in the manner that it has been treated by CATHERINE WHEEL (CW) like a normal studio LP. It is actually supposed to be a B-sides album, though it is unlike one. This particular album is as good as any other CW album. Generally B-sides albums sound a bit like every preceding album by the artist, since such albums contain residues of the previous albums. As with "LIKE CATS AND DOGS", however, it has a totally fresh sound, something CW never sounded like before. Moreover, the sound in this album seems to have evolved from its immediate predecessor, "HAPPY DAYS". The sound of "HAPPY DAYS" seems like an obvious evolutionary result of its immediate predecessor, "CHROME". So, in a way, this album is actually a proper studio album!

   This album has a much milder feel to it than "HAPPY DAYS". After the guitar-wrenching "Heal-2": the shorter version of "Heal" from "HAPPY DAYS", the album enshrouds itself within poignancy. What follows is a string of moody tracks, made beautiful by Rob Dickinson's voice and the minimal use of any other musical instrument except for the ambient-producing ones. It is in this lull, where one of the best-done cover-versions can be found: the simplistic version of PINK FLOYD's "Wish You Were here", sung passionately by Rob pays an apt tribute to the great band, which probably has a great influence over CW. As if conceptually done, the second half of the album is much less moody and much more grungy; the sound, CW is best known for. In spite of every track being a standout, noteworthy are tracks, "Mouthful Of Air"(from the lull side of the album) and "Tongue Twisted" (from the noisy side of the album.)

   Right from the songs themselves, their arrangement, down to the really smart cover and the artwork, "LIKE CATS AND DOGS" is indeed an album of `album' songs, rather than an album of `non album' songs. The small note in the lyrics booklet, by the band and the band manager, starts with the lines, "It's always been important to us that the extra tracks we record for singles be as good as anything we do" - a description, which best fits "LIKE CATS AND DOGS".




4. Before the epic Adam & Eve, CW threw us this bone to let us know that the Talk Talkish breakdown in "black metallic" was influential. It is clear that they thought mellow songs on their 1st 3 cds would scare folks off. I remember getting the highly abrasive Happy Days and being bummed that the scorching edge never really backed off. They can write great barn burners and I love that, but his b-sides comp showed us that the boys can really shiver our spines with less rocking ditties. Of course the next album, Adam & Eve, brought the house down and mixed all their ways into one.

   Check out "Car" for a great summing of Rob's inner voice. The Floyd cover is 2nd only to the original. Don't even mention the Telethon version. The hidden Rush cover works well too. The rocking songs near the end are over the top balls to the wall, dropping my review to 3 stars. Heal 2 is just Heal without the mellow parts.




5. Discounting Mr Geneva's dementia, it's noteworthy when a band can release "B" sides that are superior to 98% of the "A" sides by other 90's ensembles. Although a tad uneven, Like Cats and Dogs showcase the amazing sonic depths and heights this Brit foursome attained at the peak of their creative career. Buy this after you've digested their great studio albums (minus Wishville.) I also agree with other reviewers: give it a few spins, for CW is an aquired taste well worth time and effort. CW makes music that convey emotions and ideas; LC&D contains the grade "A" remnants of their hard-to-classify, yet diversely amazing studio efforts from 1992 to 1997. An interesting cover of Rush's "Spirit of Radio" is a nice unlisted plus, with Rob Dickenson wisely not attempting to emulate the screechy Geddy L of yore. Baileyboy

5 comments about Gala.

1. The title of "Gala"'s first track, "Sweetness and Light", is sneakily deceptive, as Lush never were so shallow as to sink into power-pop territory, and thank God their aims were never blatantly commercial because we might never have gotten music so complicatedly uncalculating. The best of the 15 tracks (both versions of "Scarlet" and "Thoughtforms", the hushed "Sunbathing", the brilliant "Hey Hey Helen") are underscored by a sadness that is never worked out (it's like a musical residue), yet the conception of the songs is far from morose. Lush terrifically energizes their soundscapes with a dreamy poppiness that is winning and still complex, and the songs here tend to change with the listener's mood, like a mood-ring you come across and never want to let go of. B+



2. This band burned bright for an unfortunately brief period. Gala is a great collection of songs from one of the best bands of the so-called shoegazer movement . As far as the songs go, there isn't a dud in the bunch but Sweetness and Light and De-Luxe are absolutely gorgeous songs, both among the best of all time. This is a great time capsule for a band that ended under the most heartbreaking of circumstances.
   
   Blake Ruiz



3. This is one of my favorite albums. For the last 16 years, I've found it very hard to file this away owing to its sheer sonic goodness and sharp production coupled with a dreamyesque sheen. Great stuff! Obvious comparisons to The Cocteau Twins have and will be made as it seems apparent to me that Lush was largely influenced by them. But Lush retool the formula CT laid out and adds a few flourishes and edges to their particular composition.
   
   Like The Cocteau Twins, Lush possess a strongly original sound. One that weaves a hypnotic tapestry around swirling atmospherics and shimmering guitars. One exposure to "Sweetness and Light" and I was awestruck. "Thoughtforms", "De-Luxe", "Hey Hey Helen", "Scarlet", and more all conjure a most alluring spell that binds the listener to a rapturous forray in listening. I'm also quite fond of Spooky, the follow up to Gala as well. Well worth a sample.



4. Hearing Lush is like stepping out of a creeky old barn into the bright sunlight on a hot summer day on fram in England. Their music is a waking dream that floods the senses with light and pure magic.The wet vocals and flanged guitars are what an LSD trip may be like without actually doing the drug. The band disbanded in 1998 but this album will live forever as Reprises best collection of previously released Lush eps while they were on 4ad.
   There can never be another band like this.
   Penny Ella Vodka
   Reviewer Extraordinaire



5. this album confused me greatly when i first heard it. the dreamy guitars and wistful melodies floating around the bouncy drums and throbbing bass...and those beautiful, haunting vocals, which seemed so buried in the mix that there were times when i had to strain my ears to listen closely. i loved how mysterious it all sounded. i was already becoming a Cocteau Twins fan, and this album reminded me of them...but in a much more rocking sort of way. Lush has the power to contrast their lovely blissful numbers with sngs like "Leaves Me Cold" and "Downer" which seemed to spark a bit of a more violent and jagged mood. and that kind of contrast left me cold for awhile...eventually, i grew into this album and i looked forward to hearing the future albums from this band. i was sad when they broke up, because by the time they released Lovelife, i was really hooked! recently, after years of having having this recording on cassette, i was pleased to be browsing a bargain bin and come accross a copy of Gala on cd. it's been great to rediscover the wonderous world of this album and take a trip back to the glory daze of shoegazing.

5 comments about Stanley Road.

1. This one seems to get great reviews elsewhere, but to me it typified Paul's 1990s fear to recreate any diversity of sound. The montonous accoustic style of music here didn't please me nearly as much as his Style Council days.
   Having said that, it's just a matter of personal preference.
   I still think there are some great songs on this album, named after Paul's childhood neighbourhood.



2. Honestly i love Whirlpools end and the title track. The changing Man is also very good. But overall i think this is my least favorite Weller album. I love the first two albums and Heliocentric because they are more varied and are not so bland. I know this is his "mature" album but it sounds like a Clapton or Winwood solo album- the guitar solos and jams are just recreations of those artists works. I know this is a special album for most Uk fans but ill take Wild wood over this anyday. However Whirlpools end is stellar and maybe one of his best solo songs. The other ballads are so "safe" and predictable in my eyes- the playing is all live sounding and very good but ive heard it done better on early Traffic albums. As an ode to the past its done well but without anything new. Weller still is the Uks best songwriter of the last 25 years hands down and he still continues to write some amazing songs..



3. With Stanley Road Paul Weller has managed to prove to his fans and his critics that he is still an important musician even in his solo days. He hasn't just written 12 good songs, instead, he's written one great album. A factor in any great album is the overall feel that perpetuates each song, making them all feel as though they deserve their place and complimenting the songs that come before and after them.
   
   A mostly guitar driven album, Weller fuses good solos and riffs with his usual effective lyrics, often ending a song with a long instrumental that gently ushers in the next song, which gladly and competently carries the album along. However, there is the occasional song that primarily uses the piano evoking another great feel. Though these songs are quite different from the guitar based ones, they seem to come at just the right points in the album so that, not only are they a nice change of direction, but also they effortlessly fit in. To truly appreciate this fine album start at the beginning and just let it play on to the end. It far outweighs the sum of its parts, and as these parts are so good, you're in for a great journey.
   
   The Changing Man- This was a hit in the UK and is a good indication into how this album will sound. There are some great little examples of guitar work going on here, more will follow throughout the rest of the tracks.
   
   Porcelain Gods- This songs brings the mellow vibe with its gentle electric guitar opening. The highlights are the lyrics; `How disappointed I was to turn out after all, just a porcelain god, that shatters when it falls'.
   
   Walk On Guilded Splinters- Another slow bluesy track that follows on nicely from the previous. Again, the lyrics shine above all in this song. Wellar really does have a way of writing some interesting lyrics and his delivery of them are always great. The track ends with a slow jam that trickles to the end. Not a great tune, more of a little jam session that made it onto the album.
   
   You Do Something To Me-From the beautiful piano intro we immediately know that we are going to hear something different in this song than wat was heard in the previous tracks. Simple and effective lyrics and likewise in the piano and guitars make this song so beautiful. A major standout on the album, absolutely heaven.
   
   Woodcutter's Son-Back with a rocking guitar intro, a piano quickly joins in and we're back with a more upbeat tempo. This tune is quite catchy, and Wellars gruff voice shines throughout. Again, another track that ends with a long jam.
   
   Time Passes-A lovely intro, great lyrics and a lovely mellow feel to it. I always forget about this track whenever I think about this album, but when it comes on I just fall in love with it all over again.
   
   Stanley Road-The intro will have you tappin your feat to the piano and drum, another catchy little number. Despite the fact that this is the title song, it isn't anything too special. There is nothing wrong with it but there isn't that certain somethin that makes it stand out.
   
   Broken Stones-Broken Stones is another simple yet beautiful track. Wellar can write great songs with great guitar parts that rock and groove but songs like this prove he can strip it all down and write a track that has the beauty and passion that other artists can.
   
   Out Of The Sinking-A very bluesy song and once again some good lyrics. This song really suits Wellar's style of singing, I find he has a really underrated voice.
   
   Pink On White Walls-I really like this song, though it is by no means one of the best on this album. It surely is underrated, it is borderline mediocre but i think it just manages to get on the right sode of the line.
   
   Whirlpools' End-Overral I dont rate this song, but there are some good parts to it. I find it really gets good about 2 minutes in. I do love the jam that appears at the end for at least 4 minutes. Would be nice to play along in the studio.
   
   Wings Of Speed-The final song is a strange one to end with, it has a gospek feel and almost sounds like nothing else on the album, save for the piano that was present in some of the songs. I really love this song, again simplistic and beautiful, Paul's voice holds it's own and the background singing is just fabulous. This song is too short, it needs to have a few more minutes of it. I just love it.



4. I will never forget the time when I first heard the Jam. I was about 12, 1981, and I was down in my neighbors basement in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was one of seven catholic kids, and he somehow ended up with a copy of In The City. It was the coolest thing I'd ever heard. It wasn't long before we were spray painting a piece of styrofoam in the same manner as the front of the album. Weller has been a huge part of my music heritage ever since.

   Stanley Road finds Weller at the peak of his "3rd" life. To me, it's his defining moment as an artist. Weller hits the perfect notes with his 3rd solo album, an album filled with just enough artistic personal statements to sketch a portrait as rich as any singer-songwriter that I'm aware of. Porcelain Gods? Changingman? Pink on White Walls? In the Distance? Street With No Name? All classic, defining Weller moments. Who is Weller? Listen to Stanley Road. ala " I know I come from Woking & you say I'm a fraud, but my heart is in the city, where it belongs".

   I was lucky enough to have this album as a companion on a rail trip through Europe when it first came out. Everytime I hear it, it reminds me of the hills in Italy and nights on the balcony overlooking the Amalfi coast. This album has the same rare capacity Weller's 1st album, In the City, had, that is, to define a time and a place. Pink on White Walls? How else to you explain the buildings in Italy?

   "Don't waste your time, don't hesitate, life is but a moment you can't wait, Go and have your fun, go and lose your mind, but can you get back to the ones you left behind?"

   Good Question!




5. I have to confess that this is the only Paul Weller album I own. Frankly I loathed the Jam like I loathed every band that I assumed was part of the punk movement that set serious, well-played rock music back 20 years. I never liked Paul Weller's persona.

   But this album is utterly magnificent, recalling much that was great about 60s/70s RnB music. It would seem that before writing this album, Paul Weller thoroughly absorbed the entire Traffic portfolio. Take the achingly beautiful 'You Do Something to Me': the piano chord sequence is very, very similar to 'Crossing the Line' on Winwood/Yamashta's wonderful GO album of 1976. Weller's vocals veer between Winwood's own soulful style and the gruffer technique of Capaldi or even Eric Clapton.

   The stand-out track for me is 'I Walk on Gilded Splinters' -- I just love the way the whole song disintegrates three-quarters of the way through, and then guitars start appearing from different locations in the stereo mix, while the wonderfully recorded drums come from a different direction. Strangely reminiscent of Jan Akkerman in one of Focus's very rare heavy moments. (By the way, Oasis's Noel Gallagher plays acoustic guitar just on this track, and his contribution is frankly negligible.)

   This album is incredibly highly rated by British listeners. US readers may be unaware that this album was judged No. 66 in the All-Time Top 1000 albums survey of 1998 -- sandwiched in between SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE at No. 65 and THE DOORS at No. 67. That may be too high a mark-up, but this is an outstanding album nonetheless. It is a sheer pleasure to be forced to retract a previous negative view of an artist. This won't the only Weller album I own for long!

5 comments about The Redwalls.

1. Forget the old criticism that The Redwalls were a Beatles/Dylan ripoff. These guys might have worn their influences on their sleeves a bit too much, but with this disk, I believe they have defined their own sound, which is a very listenable, likable and accessible guitar, bass, drums sound. It still has echoes of the 60's/early 70's but I don't listen to this and say, "they sound like The Beatles". This band should by all rights be huge but they do not get the respect they deserve. "Modern Diet" is as good as anything you hear on the radio, but I have only heard ot twice in Chicago (their hometown) on WXRT. They are excellent songwriters, singers and musicians. I really hope that their next disk is embraced by the rock and roll community because it would be a shame for them to fade into obscurity. Can't wait to hear more of The Redwalls.



2. I bought this album after I listened to all the 30 second preview clips available through this site and iTunes. The preview clips sounded promising, oh boy was I wrong. The honest truth about this band is that they are your typical "wanna be " type group. We've all heard these kinds of groups in various formats Some bands can pull it off rather well (i.e. Black Motorcycle Rebel Club) but others stumble......this band stumbles. By the 5th or 6th track of this album, you will be asking yourself "what happened to the originality I heard in the preview clips"? I was asking myself the same question. Each song as a whole is highly repetitive without any sort of creative twists in songwriting (which I wasn't expecting being this as another knock off band of a past era). Listen to the first 40 seconds of each song and poof, you just heard the entire song......just without it being looped over and over a couple of times. Bottom line is this, if you're desperately looking for some "new" material in the lines of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or whatever your favorite knock-off band is, then you might find some appeal in this album. But for those of us who were looking for some intelligent songwriting and an album that isn't 60% filler material, then I suggest you look elsewhere.



3. I heard this group on the Jay Leno show and liked their sound, even though i'm an older rock & roll fan. I then went to Amazon to listen to other cuts from the album. Needless to say, i found the songs to my liking and ordered it. Their instrumental work isn't as accomplished as a group like Kings of Leon...which i purchased in the same way...but their vocals and harmony are great. I look forward to more work from them.



4. The Redwalls
   
   Redwall's new album is simply the creme de la creme of rock music. I love Alternative Rock, but I consider this just plain old rock music.
   
   The sound of this band is very familiar. It's almost like they've been around forever, even though it's been less than 10 years. Some people compare them to the Beatles, and after listening to some prior albums I can hear some that influence. But I think their look and the four man band thing also has something to do with it. Really, this music is something unique to them.
   
   There's something unique and polished that Redwalls has that you don't hear too often. They don't go outside themselves, they seem to play like they are comfortable with where they are at with their music. And the result is just good music.
   
   This is their third album that I know of, and their previous two are definitely on my short list. Still, this is their first album to really capture my attention. There's been so much good new music over the past two years it's almost overwhelming.
   
   For Fans of:
   The White Stripes Icky Thump
   The Strokes Heart in a Cage
   Spoon Girls Can Tell
   The Wallflowers Bringing Down the Horse
   Wilco Sky Blue Sky
   
   Definitely check this out. You won't be disappointed.
   
   Enjoy!



5. De Nova was an amazing album but got slagged by critics for sounding too much like The Beatles. For those that wrote them off before, give them another chance because this album is proof that they have found their own sound while not ditching their influences. So refreshing to hear an album nowadays in which every song on it is good. I highly recommend this to anybody who is into The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Strokes, T. Rex, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, or just anybody that likes really great rock music.

5 comments about The Coral.

1. This Liverpool band gives a new, refreshing and rollicking spin to old tunes and invents new sounds in the process. Much fun to listen to and makes you want to get up and dance!



2. As many of the other reviews have said, I first The Coral on the Conan O'Brien Show. I was interested, and actually went and bought the album a few days later even without hearing anything else from the album. This album is definitely different than most music being released today, but it's clear to me where they got their sound from. Only a few of the reviews I read mentioned early Pink Floyd and/or Syd Barrett, and to me, this album sounds A LOT like the early Pink Floyd era. The short, wacked-out, psychedelic songs clearly have the Syd Barrett signature sound, especially "Skeleton Key". Almost every song has some resembelence to the early Pink Floyd days. Sometimes its a guitar riff, sometimes a certain lyric, but in either case, it's similiar. I'm not calling the Coral cheap rip-offs of Syd Barrett, nor am I saying this is a bad album, I'm simply saying that if there had been no Syd Barrett, the Coral probably wouldn't be a blessing for us today, which is simply, something different from all the other junk out there today. this is a breath of fresh air, and it's definitely a good choice.



3. This was a great unique CD, with familiar 60s garage band sound. I recommend it to anyone who likes that type of music.



4. I had never heard of The Coral but their song Dreaming of You is featured in an episode of Scrubs. It is a damn fine pop song and I had to check out the rest of the album. So...no other song on the disc sounds remotely like it. This disc seems like something put together by late 60's and early 70's acid/psychedelic bands. I hear influences by early Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Santana, Donovan, maybe some Moody Blues and Jefferson Airplane. No one song has the same exact sound influence but it is all so groovy and funky. You would never guess by listnening that it was a modern artist or recording.
   
   So that is a description, but does it rock? Hell yeah. I first listened to it in my car but if you have a pair of headphones, jam it on your MP3.
   
   I am just old enough to recognize the roots of this stuff but not quite old enough to have been in my musical prime while those roots were in the forefront. I like bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and the like and as another reviewer said, this is not that sound at all. I do see some minor connection to the White Stripes, but mostly due to a persistent heavy bass line throughout this album.
   
   So to summarize:This is real retro rock. The era is 60's/70's psych rock as opposed to 80's punk & garage, but truly cool music. I am going to definitely try another disc from The Coral after completely digesting this one. And "Dreaming of You" is probably one of the better pop songs I have heard recently.



5. Imagine Arthur Lee and Jim Morrison sailing across the world in Captain Beefheart's ship, wreaking havoc and looting the musical riches they encounter in order to concoct the best, most bizarrely tuneful music on earth and you might be close to what the Coral's brand of psych pop sounds like.
   
   They composed this unnaturally assured debut while no one in the band was even 20 and that surely lends their music a youthful effervescence rivalled by nobody in these days of studied posturing and mechanical songwriting- they put across the tremendous fun they must have had making this album.
   
   I was initially drawn to this band because it was the very first time I saw anyone being actively influenced by my favourite band- Love, but I've become a Coral fan basically due to their blending formula in which the only rule seems to be that, as long as there's quality in it, every genre can be absorbed and consequently transformed in heady and highly entertaining pop music.
   
   In addition to their adventurous nature they write truly memorable songs, of which the supremely catchy "Dreaming of You", "I Remember When" and "Goodbye" are sterling examples, without totally abandoning a more gnarly and obscure side ("Skeleton Key", the bonus track "Time Travel").
   
   Who would have thought that the best album of the 21st century would mostly reach for inspiration from almost 40 years in the past?
   The Coral's debut does just that and settles the band not as promising hopefuls but as more than qualified contenders for the title of most vital band in the world.

5 comments about 154.

1. Wire's 'Pink Flag' is a timeless slice of arty Brit Punk. 'Chairs Missing' adds some interesting textures and melodies to their formula. 154, however, is a royal mess of an album. Sure, it's got some great Enoesque sound noodling, but let's not ignore the bloated, pretentious white elephant in the room. The album is infested with spoken "poetry" pieces that make Jim Morrison's worst rants sound inspired. And even the songs with nice melodies are contaminated by awkward lyrical attempts at self-awareness and edgy detachment. There's so much hype with regard to Wire's first three albums, but I'd say all of them are overrated. Compared to some of their contemporaries--like the effectively moody Joy Division, and the more experimentally daring This Heat--Wire just seems like middle of the road post-punk to me.
   And while the first two albums are nonetheless enjoyable, this one goes to great lengths to exemplify why Wire just isn't that special.



2. "154." What to say about this masterpiece? To be sure, I am a Wire fan. As such, I write with a bias which favors the musical product of this band. The framework of Wire's compositions are rooted in intelligence, often wielding depth and complexity from minimalistic resources. I will always hold deep admiration and pleasure for their songs, which reflect the many corridors of human thought and feeling, translating those findings into incredible music. Wire is so much more than your typical "Baby, baby." (Incidentally, I am not knocking "baby, baby" songs. They're great, too.) Having said all of that, "154" is Wire at maximum command of all their musical prowess and charisma. I recommend this album for the listener who is exhausted with the trite and overused formulas that run rampant on the radio and TV. "154" is for those who want a little something different... and excellent.



3. No other record ever made swings as widely as this one: Raw Power (Two People In A Room), Nervous Poetry (The Other Window), Euro Pop (On Returning), Glory (Map Reference) and such a force that sounds like the end of all life, yet you wish it could go on after it is over (A Touching Display). There has never been, nor ever will be, a record quite like this. To describe 154 is to photograph heaven. Lyrically and musically ahead of any other post-punk band by light years, this is the disc I would be stranded with. If you don't have it, get it now, and be ready to re-adjust your views on life.



4. A CLIFFORD HODGE REVIEW
   This is one of the overlooked classics of the post-punk era, and probably belongs on the top 20 list with NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, the first CLASH album, PIL's SECOND EDITION, etc., yet it even gets underrated by WIRE fans. This has a dark, bass sound, associated with groups like JOY DIVISION, but with a more ominous-sounding vocal style. Probably darker than JOY DIVISION, SISTERS OF MERCY, THE CURE, etc., it may have been considered just too gloomy, although it is not so much depressing as it is oppressive, hammering at you more like a series of short Jonathan Kane compositions, but less repetitious, and with deep vocals invoking strange dream-like images. This should be the album for which WIRE is remembered 80 years from now. The LP on original release in 1979, contained a bonus 7-inch, but the CD has 4 extra tracks not on the LP. This is a must-have for fans of progressive punk/new wave.



5. According to AllMusic.com regarding the extra tracks: "The original 1989 CD issue by Restless Retro features four bonus tracks from an experimental EP issued with some copies of the vinyl LP." I don't know why Amazon lists these tracks on the remastered CD, they're not there.