Customer Reviews

Un

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chumbawamba is not just for sports venues anymore.

All those who only know their song "Tubthumping" (To refresh your memories: "I got knocked down, but I get up again" and the ever popular sung-list of "He drinks the whiskey drink, he drinks the vodka drink" etc.) owe yourself to investigate Chumbawamba's newest album, "Un". This obviously overlooked (based on the dearth of Amazon reviews and votes) collection is being ignored by those behaving as if there is no politically informed, intelligent but also groovalicious dance music being made. The band has developed their characteristic sound into something that treats serious topics with a light touch, a very good thing to do. "Everything You Know Is Wrong", "The Wizard of Menlo Park" and other tracks add to the discussion of cultural topics buzzing in the news and in modern life, using sound clips to great effect. It appeals to the revolutionary in me who'll join the revolution only if I can dance to it.

Another reviewer here rightly got the main point of the album as "Wake Up". It never ceases to amaze me how much we humans love to be unaware (but, you know, "pleasant" and "good"). And then we get to be "shocked" by events anyone with a library and an hour a day to learn about the world could generally have seen coming. I've recently noticed pundits commenting on how the upcoming elections may well come down to a vote on people's fears. In brief, I fear less when I'm more awake, and music like "Un" helps. Fear less, folks, and seek out Chumbawamba's eye-opening music. (review originally posted 7-29-94, revised, 9-16-04.)

I would claim this album is more catchy than "Anarchy" and "Shh!" despite being less "angry". Chumbawamba have created a record which is fantastic to listen to and sing along to whilst maintaining a very politicized message.

I would also contradict another reviewer who claims that the song "We don't want to sing along" is pro-Columbine killings. For a start, Columbine is only mentioned in the liner notes, whilst bullying is mentioned prominently in the song, and secondly, Columbine is only used as an example of the societal effect bullying can have. If you did want a controversial Chumbawamba position, they dedicated a track to Ulrike Meinhof of the Baader-Meinhof terrorist organisation on "Slap!"

Overall, this album is a huge improvement over the milder "Readymades", and cements Chumbawamba's new, more melodic style.

This group had one big hit and I hope it was enough to finance all their big (important) ideas and ideals. I have never seen such a commitment to real truth in advertising. They believe in one world and promote it ruthlessly, with a really nice beat.

I have everything I have been able to find on lp, (including Jesus H. Christ), or cd and I am mainly missing only Danbert's Unfairy Tale. I would love to hear it. I have/love the 7" single, (sorry for measuring), "Bigger than Jesus", size queen? I am sure I could download it, but I don't do that, I am wary of virus issues.

Back to this amazing new album. All the quality music and harmonies we expect are there, but the message I get is "Wake Up". Jack Kerouac tried to get the message across the U.S., many years ago, but few responded. Maybe this cd will not fall on deaf ears. My absolute favorite track of mine is "Everything you know is wrong". I work in a factory making auto parts and am often found questioning orders, issues, etc. This fits my situation to a tee and the whole missing WMDs, etc.... I also am a massive fan of Michael Moore and love the track, "We don't want to sing along", about the horrible Columbine tragedy. I cannot condone violence, but I cannot condone bullying, it is a sad part of my country's culture. I will never sing along.

Thanks so much for the track "I did it for Alfie", this incident of a beheading of a Thatcher (Ms. Reagan?) statue was unknown to me, but a welcome bit of info as her American soulmate was laid to his rest. It is relief to know his body can do no further harm , hope his followers do not sanctify him too soon or ever, no one needs it.

This is not so much a review as a rant, it reminds me of Lou Reed on the 1978 album where he says, "Are you political Lou?, Give me an issue and I'll give you a tissue, you can wipe my a** with it."

Chumbawamba is the only band I know of currently that has significant content on every track.

David Bowie said in 1973, "Until there was rock you only had god". Till I heard Chumbawabma I only had rock, now I have politco-art-rock.

Dada-dada-dada,
Duchamp rules!

Fantastic album from a fantastic band.

Just to clarify the bizarrely mistaken impression given by one reviewer on this site - Chumbawamba do NOT claim the Columbine massacre was 'justified because the kid was teased by his peers and now he's getting back at them', that is a complete distortion. The band do point out that Harris & Klebold gave the fact that they were made fun of as their reason for carrying out the massacre, but Chumba go on to say that they "weren't heroic wimp avengers" and "were full of hate and racism". The point the band are making, in their own words, is that "Death didn't surface out of a void".

This band are intelligent enough to try to understand such terrible events, and to see the bigger picture, rather than to settle for mind-numbing platitudes and the pathetic over-simplifications served up by the mass media.

For wit, insight and warmth served up with seriously danceable tunes, look no further than Chumbawamba.

"At the end of the day, my priority is to see change come about...."

So starts the 5th track off of the "Un" CD by this "one-hit-wonder" band. Or so you thought.
When I bought their Tubthumping CD, I did it solely because of one party hit located on it, the well-known song by the same name. I have since become a big fan, going on to buy their next two releases.
The beauty with Chumba is that you don't have to be an anarchist to like their music. They combine music from around the world to create a melting pot of beautiful sound. With Un, which is a bit more poppy than the other two, and definitely more spanish-influenced, if you ask me, they have again scored. Their lyrics invite you to think about the global epidemics that have occured and continue to, around the world- not merely sit back and jam to the songs. This CD also has a hint of traditional music from Europe, which makes the experience that much better. Their sound is different, unique, and yet so familiarly cozy. In a culture where pop music is barren of any lyrics bearing any weight of importance or meaning, their message, even teh mere fact that there is something more than nice music, is beautiful. That is what will keep me a fan of theirs, anarchist or not.

My favorites from this CD are: Wizard of Menlo Park, Everything You Know Is Wrong, Be With You (my favorite of the CD), When Fine Society..., A Man Walks Into a Bar, and We Don't Want To Sing Along. I highly reccommend you listen to these songs at the very least. ;)

Un is a calmer album than most Chumba faire, but most of the tracks are very catchy. They have a medley of many of the tracks available on their website that gives a pretty good feel for the album.
As to the specifics, the first track has kind of a "beats" feel to it, and mixes in some "world music" voices as a background for parts of the song. It's very catchy. The second song feels closer to normal Chumba faire, with really nice word rhythm and elements that lightly resemble hip-hop. Its lyrics explore the recent pie-on-politicians happenings in europe. The third song uses some chanting (Arabic?) as an occasional voice in a song about the selling of culture. It's well put-together and has a strong musical background. The fourth song is about government secrecy, and has a mix of hip-hop and French feel in its background. Selective bleeping of words add to the humour in the song. The fifth song has a Spanish motif, singing about idealism and love. It doesn't fit so well into the overall album or Chumba's style. The sixth song has an eastern european sound, singing about hypocracy of upper-class liberals. It captures the genre well, and is good listening. The seventh song is about Cuba, and has a kind of similar feel to the sixth, except is more voice-heavy and sounds a bit more jazzy. It's one of my favourite songs on the album. I'm not familiar with the particular substyle of music the eigth song is incorporating -- it's clearly a type of folk music, and it is a catchy song, singing about Buy-Nothing-Day, a day of purchase-abstainence promoted by the magazine "Adbusters". I'm not entirely certain if it's making fun of it for not going far enough, or if it's approving. The ninth song uses another folk music style, and is a lighthearted activism song. The tenth song has a Bossa-Nova-style rhythm, and is, unfortunately, unremarkable. The eleventh song is about activists who put themselves into danger, and mixes a number of typically australian instruments with strong voice parts. The last song is a reflective, slow song with occasional voice pairs that peek out of the folds of the song like the hidden rebels in society it sings about.

Overall, this is a very strong and enjoyable CD, with very little not to like, and a number of things that will stick in one's head for days after a listen.

Despite the title, Un is still distinctly Chumbawamba, and that's a good thing. Trumpets, which had prominent roles on many of their other albums have been mostly replaced by other instruments such as accordions (though trumpets are still present in numerous places ('When Fine Society Sits Down to Dine,' 'We Don't Want to Sing Along)). But as I said in the opening line, Un is still distinctly Chumbawamba. While I like all the tracks on the album, my favorites would probably be 'Wizard of Menlo Park,' 'Just Desserts,' 'Everything You Know is Wrong,' and 'A Man Walks Into A Bar.'

Not quite a five-star album, but there is no four and a half rating. Well worth one's money.

I've been a fan of Chumbawamba for some time. This album does not disappoint. My favorite songs on here include "Rebel Code," and "On eBay," though the rest of the tracks are also worth a listen (or three). There's way more to this group than "Tubthumping."

For those who only know Chumbawamba from the Tubthumper days, you owe it to yourself to try this album. It is in my opinion better than anything they have done previously. There would have been so many potential singles on this album, I find it hard to believe it has slipped by unnoticed.

the UN sessions are very hilarious...in a good way. the songs are very catchy, and the messages the song leaves, the impressions you get from each song, are very ominous and hilarious, all at the same time. "never trust a man with egg on his face" yodels, and a horse connected to the devil are very intriguing to grasp. i recomment UN to those who have a fun time listening to full entire albums, 'coz that's the only way you're going to appreciate UN for what it is.