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Track Listings
| 1. Singer Sing |
| 2. Words You Used To Say |
| 3. Wait For Me |
| 4. You Turn My Head Around |
| 5. Teen Angel |
| 6. White Horses |
| 7. Me & My Babies |
| 8. Say Goodnight |
| 9. Crystal Blue |
| 10. The Sun Is Still Sunny |
| 11. Our Love Will Still Be There |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The thoroughly excellent sophomore release by the two best-looking members of Luna should make any fans who bemoaned that group's demise happy as hell with its lovingly crafted cocktail hour visions. Back Numbers offers up perfect rainy day music on every graceful, laconic song. The album recalls the sophisticated, decadent sounds of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra throughout. Unsurprisingly, Hazlewood is covered on one song here but this is no cheesy retro exercise; in fact, no one has mined this type of material with such originality since Nick Cave approached it in the 1980s. Each song is imbued with a subtly different style, with nods to the hazy psychedelic folk-rock of Opal and Clay Allison on numbers like "Say Goodnight" and the steampunk synth washes of Sonic Boom (who performs on the album) and Suicide on "Singer Sing." Other numbers like "The Sun Is Still Sunny"--awash in sophisticated strings, hushed dual harmonies, a dash of piano and Mr. Wareham's warm and melodic guitar lines--don't sound like anyone else, at all. Huzzah! --Mike McGonigal
Product Description
Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips are best known for being one-half of Luna, one of the most critically acclaimed rock bands of the past two decades. Back Numbers, picks up where their debut album, L'Avventura, left off, with the spotlight on Dean & Britta's vocal interplay on originals like "Words You Used to Say" and "Wait for Me," along with covers of '60s gems such as The Troggs' "Our Love Will Still Be There" and Lee Hazlewood's "You Turned My Head Around." 2007.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By anomalogue
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a stunningly beautiful and consistent album. It is not just sugary pop, either. True--it is very accessible music--but to penalize it for that, or even to apologize for its straightforward prettiness, is silly and superficial. Unlike much accessible music, "Back Numbers" starts pretty, but hits deeper and deeper with repeated listenings.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By JG
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'll admit it took me a while to get used to Luna. At first, I dismissed them as Velvet Underground clones (insert funny story about revealing my age here: the first time I saw them around 2000, I told the 30-something guy next to me at the show "these guys sound just like Velvet Underground". He says "who"?).
Then, Luna evolved, began sounding more like, well, Luna, and became a really good jam band. At the end of their run, they had more of a late Tom Verlaine sound than early Lou Reed sound (if I recall correctly, Mr. Television did, in fact contribute to some of Luna's later records), and Britta's influence became more pronounced.
Dean and Britta's first album is drop dead gorgeous, and served as a soundtrack for the entire lazy summer of 2003. It still sounds great now. I sent that record to a friend of mine, who sent me an email commenting "it's really mellow, but great". I replied something to the effect that's about what you can expect from a couple who write songs about Valium by the seaside, and themes along those lines.
I've only given "Back Numbers" a couple of spins, but so far, the mellow psilocybin trend continues. Oddly, itunes puts in the "easy listening" category. I think that's far too simplistic of a description, since there's a lot going on below the "easy listening" part if you just pay attention, but, you can also put this on as background music.
Echoes of Lou Reed and Tina Weymouth abound, but the album continues developing what's becoming that unique Dean and Britta sound.
Summer is just around the corner. "Back numbers" is already a strong candidate to become the soundtrack for the (hopefully just as lazy) summer of 2007.
Then, Luna evolved, began sounding more like, well, Luna, and became a really good jam band. At the end of their run, they had more of a late Tom Verlaine sound than early Lou Reed sound (if I recall correctly, Mr. Television did, in fact contribute to some of Luna's later records), and Britta's influence became more pronounced.
Dean and Britta's first album is drop dead gorgeous, and served as a soundtrack for the entire lazy summer of 2003. It still sounds great now. I sent that record to a friend of mine, who sent me an email commenting "it's really mellow, but great". I replied something to the effect that's about what you can expect from a couple who write songs about Valium by the seaside, and themes along those lines.
I've only given "Back Numbers" a couple of spins, but so far, the mellow psilocybin trend continues. Oddly, itunes puts in the "easy listening" category. I think that's far too simplistic of a description, since there's a lot going on below the "easy listening" part if you just pay attention, but, you can also put this on as background music.
Echoes of Lou Reed and Tina Weymouth abound, but the album continues developing what's becoming that unique Dean and Britta sound.
Summer is just around the corner. "Back numbers" is already a strong candidate to become the soundtrack for the (hopefully just as lazy) summer of 2007.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
While Dean & Britta aren't making groundbreaking music here, it's safe to say that they've got a very strong collection of songs here and a nice follow-up to "L'Avventura."
Like their 'debut' (of course, the duo had already been working together on the late Luna material, but "L'Avventura" is the debut of Dean & Britta as a 'new act'), these are slow, massaging tunes that'll get into your head and stay there. I put this CD into my computer's CD-Rom drive and when iTunes brought up the album info, they called it 'Easy Listening.' I wouldn't go that far, but there is definitely an easy quality to Dean Wareham's music since the end of Luna, and Britta Phillips is a perfect melodic accompaniment to Wareham's meager vocals.
The songs are all poppy and very listenable. This album doesn't ask for much from you as a listener, and so it's no surprise that I've been putting this on quite frequently...it's just so NICE to listen to. The lyrics are benign and often just subtly witty. And above all, the album is full of a kind of sentimentality (almost cliche) that the artists themselves seem to be well aware of, which gives them a certain ability to take liberties with what *would* otherwise be boring pop cliches. In other words, yeah this music has some sentimentality to it, but Dean & Britta are a couple of easy-going musicians and they don't take themselves too seriously.
Dean & Britta have pulled it off with the same success that "L'Avventura" saw and the result is this incredibly enjoyable "pop" from the periphery of the genre.
Like their 'debut' (of course, the duo had already been working together on the late Luna material, but "L'Avventura" is the debut of Dean & Britta as a 'new act'), these are slow, massaging tunes that'll get into your head and stay there. I put this CD into my computer's CD-Rom drive and when iTunes brought up the album info, they called it 'Easy Listening.' I wouldn't go that far, but there is definitely an easy quality to Dean Wareham's music since the end of Luna, and Britta Phillips is a perfect melodic accompaniment to Wareham's meager vocals.
The songs are all poppy and very listenable. This album doesn't ask for much from you as a listener, and so it's no surprise that I've been putting this on quite frequently...it's just so NICE to listen to. The lyrics are benign and often just subtly witty. And above all, the album is full of a kind of sentimentality (almost cliche) that the artists themselves seem to be well aware of, which gives them a certain ability to take liberties with what *would* otherwise be boring pop cliches. In other words, yeah this music has some sentimentality to it, but Dean & Britta are a couple of easy-going musicians and they don't take themselves too seriously.
Dean & Britta have pulled it off with the same success that "L'Avventura" saw and the result is this incredibly enjoyable "pop" from the periphery of the genre.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought this album immediately, mostly out of obligation, because I love the band Luna so much (their old band), and wasn't sure what to expect from the post-Luna couple. Dean Wareham is not a young pup anymore and I didn't know how much he had left after 2 decades of greatness, but this album totally renewed my faith, and in fact is better than some of Luna's album, and more impressive is the way this album doesn't feel like a Luna album while still having the same feeling, with Dean's notes floating in the air and never hitting the ground. Pretty much every song is beautiful and well crafted with a hint of fun in much of the material without ever sounding like the two are forcing it, both sounding very natural together. Overall, I would say that the parts are maybe stronger than their sum; the album is good and the songs do fit well but somehow I don't consider the album great, just very good. Another thing that I love about Dean is that he always makes albums where every song is a least solid, and the music is great to play in all situations and far many audiences. Like much of Dean's work, this is one of those albums that is great to put in the background if you have a couple of friends over or are having a conversation and just need some sophisticated music to liven and enlighten the mood.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By N. Donohue
Format:Audio CD
Highly recommended for fans of quiet, catchy, intelligent pop. And absolutely meant for cocktails on a sultry evening. I liked it on first listen and was ultimately seduced by the record, catching myself humming some of the tunes on my way to work and other things that I don't normally do. The combination of Dean's Les Paul sound that characterized earlier Luna work, the sexiness of Britta's voice, and the nice addition of vibes and various other backing instruments (including electronic stuff that I normally don't endorse) are a great combo, and Wareham's wit and vocals keep the affair from getting too sugary as some other reviewers have suggested.
Not quite Luna, but I guess that's the point, isn't it?
Oh, and here's a bonus - Be sure to catch them on tour - the material from Back Numbers sounds great live, and their earlier Dean & Britta standards (Ginger Snaps, Night Nurse, Knives from Bavaria) really come alive in concert. Plus you'll get a couple of Luna and Galaxie 500 numbers.
Not quite Luna, but I guess that's the point, isn't it?
Oh, and here's a bonus - Be sure to catch them on tour - the material from Back Numbers sounds great live, and their earlier Dean & Britta standards (Ginger Snaps, Night Nurse, Knives from Bavaria) really come alive in concert. Plus you'll get a couple of Luna and Galaxie 500 numbers.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Work
Dean and Britta produce another beautiful album together.
Makes the perfect complement to a chill evening with dinner and wine.
The music sets the mood.
Makes the perfect complement to a chill evening with dinner and wine.
The music sets the mood.
Published 5 months ago by Brian R Beckey
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mellow Candy Floss For My Mind
Wow, This one caught me by surprise. I friggin love this record. It's dreamy, mellow, intelligent, psychedelic goodness. Read more
Published on March 20, 2010 by Gaberman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect from start to finish
I just love this CD. These guys are genius and there isn't anything else quite like it out there. Guaranteed enjoyment from start to finish.
Published on November 13, 2009 by J. Marsh
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very nice
There's some outstanding stuff here, particularly Singer Sing, Crystal Blue R.I.P., and The Sun Is Still Sunny. Read more
Published on August 22, 2009 by lawgiver4feh
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent second album from Dean & Britta
I have to confess that I lost track of Dean & Britta when Luna broke up, but my interest in them was renewed recently after reading Dean's outstanding memoir "Black Postcards" and... Read more
Published on June 25, 2008 by Paul Allaer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful
I've been a Luna fan for a long time -- they basically ushered me through college in the 1990s, and I was there for their last show. Read more
Published on May 18, 2008 by D. Tannenbaum
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hooks into You
Play this on the laptop through iTunes and the genre comes up as "easy listening". In fact, Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips were half of alt-rock favourites Luna who folded in... Read more
Published on June 21, 2007 by Stephen Saunders
3.0 out of 5 stars
Getting warmer... warmer... warmer...
This CD is a solid set of songs that maintains continuity throughout, a rarity these days. A caveat however is that one person's "understated" is another's "boring". Read more
Published on May 1, 2007 by Invisigoth
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dream a Little Dream
Great follow up to L'Aventura which was a personal favorite from say the past five years. Back Numbers picks it right back up and sounds like Mazzy Star on Prozac. Read more
Published on April 20, 2007 by JBT
3.0 out of 5 stars
solid but a bit too sugary for my taste
As a fan of Luna, I was underwhelmed by Dean and Britta's first CD. This time around, this is a much better CD -- there's a concerted effort to flesh out the sound of each track. Read more
Published on March 26, 2007 by techmannn
