The Album Review Club - Week #145 - (page 1923) - Tellin' Stories - The Charlatans

[mancity1]

A genre we haven't had before, emo. On the more melodic and tame side of it.

Got to be some Beefeater. Love some of their early stuff.

 

[mancity1]

As I've mentioned to a few folks -- those Mancs who were around for the LFTH Pistols' show or the birth The Smiths -- I was in college in Washington DC during the generally-acknowledged "birth" of emo in the 80s and acquainted (albeit casually) with some of the genre's originators (though they HATED the term). So always interested in music connected to or influenced by those early bands.

Beefeater is always one band I wanted to see live.

 

[mancity1]

Well this was a pleasant surprise. Overall.

Never got into Springsteen, never could. I get why he is rated, heard the hits, they are fine. Plenty of artists I like also rate him or claim to borrow from him, have done covers of his work, but it seems to have made no difference. Unlike Fog, I quite like the whole singer-songwriter, troubador, chanteur type in general, so it isn't that. I don't really know what it is, even after this album.

I kind of expected what to me is the usual Springsteen songbook, but the pop-funk sounds was an unexpected pleasant thing, and the first 3 songs were really enjoyable. Then Wild Billy's Circus story was fucking nails on a chalkboard, absolutely grated on me. Followed by 57th street, which is pretry much exactly what I was expecting, and did nothing for me. Then it goes back to quite pleasant music I can have on to a decent finish.

Won't have me exploring any further, but has given me more of an appreciation of his range and variety. 7/10.

Coat summarises the Boss for me as well I could so I won't add much. Don't get me wrong gives incredible grit and stamina in his concerts and many of my music devotee friends would go a long way to see him and have when money and time permits but his music does little for me and ironically like Fog I don't go much past Blinded by the Light as long as its Chris Thompson doing the vocals.

I wasn't going to vote as I don't often with albums I cannot get into but in this case I have an exception 6/10.

 

[journolud]

A good few years ago I asked for the then just released box set of Springsteen CDs, the days when I still had a CD player, which I think went up to and included Human Touch/ Lucky Town. Why? I'm not quite sure, I think there must have been a wave of Bruce coverage at the time, I thought I ought to be into him and after all Born to Run, The River and Philadelphia were great songs. I wasn't so sure about Born in the USA but I know that wasn't all about tub thumping nationalism.

Anyway, I don't own any CDS now and what I wanted to keep where transferred to digital. Not that you even need to do that nowadays. I just checked my music library to see what I did have on there from the Boss. Obviously this album for the purposes of reviewing and then the River and Nebraska. I can't say I remember being over impressed by either of those though. What I also have and actually do like are Western Stars and Letter to You. These seem somehow to be a different Bruce.

So what of the Wild, The Innocent etc. First impressions on revisiting this where that I really didn't get it. Subsequent listens have made it more palatable. I generally like songs that tell a story and relate to people. I guess though I struggle to relate to Bruce's subjects, I'm more of a kitchen sink drama of the Squeeze variety sort of guy, which isn't to say that some of Bruce's isn't affecting. Back to The River, it's simple and it resonates.

Musically this wasn't what I expected and isn't really my thing although I appreciated it more the more often I listened. The first two tracks are fine, although I could do without the change of style at the end of the E Street Shuffle and Kitty's Back started well then went in a different direction. Didn't like Wild Billy's Circus Story at all and after that it failed to really hold my interest. Sorry Bruce fans.

Interestingly was watching the War on Drugs Glastonbury set last night, a band who are talked of as following in Bruce's tradition. Not for me to say whether they share his vision and style but I get much more out of listening to them than I did from this.

Not a total write off but I'll stick to later Bruce. It's about time I listened to the other albums of his I still have in my "library" to see whether or not they stay or go. This one is going though and it's a 6.

 

[Coatigan]

We are on 9 votes, just waiting to see if there are any more coming in within the next hour or so, and then will sum up agead of the changeover.

 

[threespires]

We are on 9 votes, just waiting to see if there are any more coming in within the next hour or so, and then will sum up agead of the changeover.

I thought Weds was change over, am I losing my marbles?

 

[Coatigan]

I thought Weds was change over, am I losing my marbles?

No, you are right, I thought today was Wednesday. Your marbles win.

Which is good as I have neither the clues nor the write-up ready.

 

[threespires]

No, you are right, I thought today was Wednesday. Your marbles win.

Which is good as I have neither the clues nor the write-up ready.

lol - I'm glad it's not just me who does that sort of thing.

 

[Saddleworth2]

I thought Weds was change over, am I losing my marbles?

Yes but it’s always a Tuesday every third week if the month is July or November.

 

[journolud]

No, you are right, I thought today was Wednesday. Your marbles win.

Which is good as I have neither the clues nor the write-up ready.

I thought it was Wednesday which was why I wrote my review this morning. I've continued to listen because it was set up in the car but I don't think the score would have changed with the extra day. Good to be sure though.