The Diaries of Private Henry Hill

Blow Up Hollywood | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: July 4, 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: MJ12 Music Label
• ASIN: B000FEBUXW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,712 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Pledge

2. WMD

3. Bombs Away

4. Charge

5. Shock and Awe

6. Puppet

7. Salvation

8. Shots Fired

9. Requiem

10. TDK

Editorial Reviews

Review

“For fans of Radiohead, solo-Dave Gahan/Martin Gore, and Messrs Waters, Gilmore, Wright and Mason." --Amplifier Magazine, September 2004

Product Description

Based on the journals of Henry Hill, a soldier who died tragically in the Iraq War, this concept album narrates a first-hand account of the transformation of a real man from citizen to soldier to killer to martyr. With the release of “The Diaries of Private Henry Hill”, their 3rd studio album, this talented and intricate collective of musicians express a musical style that is unparalleled. With this dvd release, Blow Up Hollywood takes us on Private Henry Hill’s surreal journey as he joins the army out of necessity rather than patriotism. Cleverly disguised as a pop song, the album opens with WMD, (Weapons of Mass Destruction). The melody is optimistic but the message is not. The accompanying video’s animation serves again to sugar coat its biting commentary on the Iraq war. Henry slowly assimilates to his new military persona in the chilling and warped tracks "Bombs Away" and "Charge", only later to feel deceived, shamed, and despondent by the tragedy of war in "Shock and Awe" and "Puppet." In the finale, “Requiem,” Henry gives up his puny American life in the futility of war. As listeners move through “The Diaries of Private Henry Hill,” it vacillates from song to song to bring out the depth of the raw emotion of Henry’s journal entries, from minimalist to full blown orchestral ambience. The music is simultaneously progressive and retrospective, blending layered sonic landscapes, developed melodic movements, and deeply emotional sensibilities. It draws from the core creative values of the classic rock greats and yet lives on its own plane, peerless and alone. With this album, Blow Up Hollywood have made the quantum leap from critical pariahs to their current rarified status as Americas most challenging rock band for true music junkies.

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece!, July 4, 2006

By 

Autumn Rosette - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diaries of Private Henry Hill (Audio CD)

A friend in the military had recommended that I purchase this CD, and it brought tears to my eyes the first time I listened to it. "The Diaries of Private Henry Hill" is an utterly brilliant account of war as seen through the eyes of a soldier. The music is intense and moving, and takes the listener on an emotional journey from the inital rush of fighting for a cause, to the lonliness and confusion that arise from being isolated from loved-ones, surrounded by despair. With this new release, the band has created a true piece of artwork that has made me fully appreciate the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women. This CD is a must-have for anyone who loves masterful writing. My personal favorite, "CHARGE" is absolutely phenomenal!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Compelling listening. If you like THE WALL, get this pronto!, December 2, 2006

By 

Paul Watson (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Diaries of Private Henry Hill (Audio CD)

Being a Pineapple Thief/Porcupine Tree/Pink Floyd/Riverside etc Fan, I was
advised to check out 2 bands I had'nt heard of before. One was Chroma Key (Havent got round to them yet) and the other was B.U.H. Diaries of Henry Hill was my 1st exposure to the band, and the experience of this piece of glorious musical output has convinced me to get the other 3 CDs of BUH currently available. For once, the music samples on Amazon and CD Baby do not give the album full justice. It is that type of album that you have to play from start to finish. Track 1, "The Pledge", is basically the pledge of Allegiance of America spoken by what seems to be a young female. The next track,"WMD", gets the ball rolling. I am sure it is many a BUH fans favourite, being a very catchy rhythmic number with a pulsating drum beat. It tells the story of Henry Hill's intro to the army and his 1st hand experience of the war in Iraq. It is all in positive mood, and I cant help repeating the whistling part at the end. If I was to compare this song to anything, it would probably be to Porcupine Tree's "Pure Narcotic". "Bombs away" is an Acoustical song with back harmonies. The vocals remind me of Donovan Leitch, and the actual song surely must pay homage to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (eg "Mother").Samplings are generously, but not over generously mind you, and in this case it is the Helicopter at the end of the track. "Charge" is another favourite, and again it has a catchy rhythmic beat to it. The vocals are soothing and really fit the mood to the concept of the story.Another comparison in the vocals here would be Cat Stevens. "Shock and Awe", an instrumental, at just over 8 minutes is again in the same league as "The Wall". Offhand, I cannot think of a sadder melancholic piece of music in my life. I can completely understand a previous reviewer shedding a tear or two to this CD. Beautiful intro by way of slow guitar backed by piano and then dominated of course by some immense Saxophone. I am not a fan of the Saxophone, but as is the case with Pink Floyd, there is an exception, and this is definitely one of them. "Salvation" is the heaviest track on the album, and probably the angriest to boot, or maybe its just out of desperation. The DVD features two animated tracks, including WMD, and a short piece of Studio footage, but the footage is actually kind of animated in itself. i.e. it uses some special blurry effect so that you can visualise some of the band members and the engineers etc, but you cannot directly distinguish their features. At the same time, there is no mention of the Band members on the CD, no photos or credits, just a contact website address. It seems to me that this band is ego-less,mystical and to top it all off absolutely phenomenal. I LOVE THIS BAND!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!!!, July 4, 2006

By 

chris deegan (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Diaries of Private Henry Hill (Audio CD)

One of the best CD's of the year. This band continues to release not only outstanding music but in the case of "The Diaries Of Private Henry Hill" one with an important message. The DVD is a great companion piece as well. For those of you new to this band check out their first release. Headphones recommended.