Customer Reviews

Coral

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I spent the majority of the early nineties salivating with anticipation any new british band that carried a psychedelic side to them. Remember when you first heard the Inspiral Carpets? Stone Roses? Ride? Those bands led you to the past incrementally or haphazardly and you discovered The Teardrop Explodes, Echo & the Bunnymen, Syd-Barret, and you realized...there has been great music to find all along. Sometimes you just have to look harder. I was so anxious to hear the Coral after reading that they were from Liverpool and were embracing the Psych-scene. If you love the Teardrops, the La's, by way of early bluesy Captain Beefheart, this album will positively KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF. The vocalist sounds amazingly like Julian Cope. Syd Barrett is in there bouncing around too. Why is this so special to me? Maybe it's because I get a chance to appreciate all over again a new breed of bands that follow in the footestps of their forebarers yet have their own sound. The Coral provide a great soundtrack to the latest (and possibly greatest) resurgence of psychedelia (it's like the tide you know, ebbs and flows, always coming back). We need the Coral and their brethren if for no other reason than to celebrate the real joy of music for music's sake. forget the calculated hit-machine, this is the real deal. if your 20, new at college, get it. You will be on your way to being part of a worthwhile scene worth further investigation. Thanks to Amazon for having it available.

Well... talk about a surprise... I heard the song "Goodbye" on the radio a few times, really liked it, took a chance on the album... and boy am I glad I did!

I can't claim to be an expert on 60s psych music (I have a H.P. Lovecraft CD, some Doors CDs and early Pink Floyd, but not much else), but I can definately hear the influence in these guys. The vocalist doesn't sound a whole heap like Jim Morrison, but he *sings* very similar to Jimmy, and I would classify the Doors as the closest comparison to The Coral that I could come up with. People may call them clones, but if it's good music, it's good music.

As for the hype, well, I live in Australia and had never heard of these guys except for the one song I mentioned above, which was played a few times on an Australian indie station... 99.9% of Australians would have no idea who these guys are, so I'm certainly unaffected by any hype. This is just plain quality music, and very refreshing after the music of the 90s (with the exception of the likes of Radiohead, Tool et al), and even more-so, the shamefull 80s...Can't wait to hear what else these guys come up with on their follow up, but this is certainly a tough act to follow...

If you are interested in music that's a little "out there", yet whilst remaining wholly accessible, this is the cd for you!

If you didn't look at the booklet, you could almost envision seeing this album made thirty years ago, somewhere around the end of the 60's. It has a real timeless feel to it. At times it sounds kind of like the Doors - mostly because of the prominent use of the organ in some songs. At times though, it sounds kind of campy and pirate-y (hence the Arrr matey), but I can live with those couple instances. Overall very impressive debut. Good stuff.

Dangit, this is what I'm talking about. teens making absoluting fantastic music and making me look like a slacker. How on Earth do these guys do it? In the middle of a song you'll start to think "Hmm, what this needs is more Russian Dancing!" and Bam! They give it to you like the brilliant artists they are. It's enough to make me bitter. The Coral have that genius about them.

Really though, it's a brilliant cd. It's quirky, funny, and *perfect* for the music snob on your gift list (of course, he or she may have it already knowing the hype around these guys, but if you're in North America chances are they wont have it).

Okay, this is ramlbing now, so I'll end it by *strongly* suggesting you give The Coral a chance. Yes, they are getting a lot of hype right now, but they actually deserve it. Some songs are sort of like CCR, others have a very... Well, if I tried to go though all the sources they draw from I would be waisting your time. Buy the cd. You won't regret it (and if you do I'm sure you know at least one person that would love to get this).

I don't toss out 5 star ratings to everyone. This is one of the top 3 cds of 2002. This is exciting and different while referencing that witch came before it. Listen to Wildfire or I Remember When (great buildup) to see what I mean.

I have been waiting for along time for Britain to produce some great music again, i am a long time fan of old music and the coral just sound like they have come straight from the 'good old times '(being only 15 am goin of my dad although the music certainly was) They are a mixture of everything and are brilliant! I would like to see them become really big so that my generation can have some decent music played at them for once. the coral are easy to listen to with some great melodies and i love them. my dad actually approves of tehm which must be an all time first of my dad considering they are a modern band. Get their album and play it, you will soon understand!

People tend to hype the Coral as being influences by Pink Floyd and other greats...forget that hype.
The Coral's music can be compared to any 60's garage band, trying to make something noisy...yet, The Coral try to do it thoroughly.
The guitar sounds great without irritating distortion on it, and the classic organ is just the cherry on the pie. All songs sound original and quite good (Dreaming of You and Simon Diamond being the top picks here). The only downer is Skeleton Key, that was obviously picked as a single because of the heavy sound. It is in fact the only song that sounds "modern", which isn't a good thing on this album.

If you're into the sixties, like songs that aren't based on a gimmick (single guitar riff, excessive vocals, etc.) but that have a solid construction, and if you're not ready to throw the towel on rock music and accept groups like Puddle of Mud and Nickleback as talented groups, give these guys a push and buy the cd. They still have the rock 'n roll spirit!!

This album plays best in a jukebox in the middle of Santa Fe, 1889. These boys from Liverpool bring a splash of how music sounded when it was about tellin' adventures over a fire; Or how much his girl had [made him mad] the night before. Good Ol' fashioned rock ballads that could have been on any of the greatest classic western soundtracks. Reminds me a bit of Calexico but more legit.

This band is everything you would want. It's all about the music for them, not about trying to get fame. "Music has been forgotten and been replaced by attitude. I don't care about posing. I don't care about impressing people. I just want to impress myself." - quoted by James Skelly(vocals). Their music is everything but popular. I get sick after listening to the same kind of music. They decide to do the opposite, which makes their music stand out. Honestly I get very picky toward bands, cause there are so many. I have to say that these are one of my favorite bands, and I'll be staying a fan for a long time! ...

drunken pirate jingles galore in this one. A rousing debut album from these 21st century psychedelica revivalists. There's plenty of early syd barret on 'simon diamond' a song about a man evolving into a tree/plant. 'Goodbye' however is an ode to perhaps more of the west coast late 60's psychedelica than the northern english variety while 'dreaming of you' has a foot stomping groove both pulsating and mournful.

There's a bit of dub throwen in for good measure, a nursery rhyme with 'badman' and even some Lalo schfrin like guitars after final track 'calenders and clocks' concludes the album.

An extremely competent debut that provides ample proof that their is still a pulse in British music. It is both populists and experimental - challenging and refreshing.

Just when we thought the British music scene was in the doldrums along comes the most original and refreshing band for years. The musical influence knows no bounds - Madness, Sea Shanties, Captain Beefheart, Mothers of Invention, Cosack Dancing! The lyrics are witty if occasionally surreal.

There is never a dull moment in this brilliant debut. Another Mersey triumph. Buy it.