Customer Reviews

The Diaries of Private Henry Hill

5 star:		(6)
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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!

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!

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.

I was one of the lucky ones who got to come home. I saw my friends die. So glad to see this music. FINALLY. Someone "gets" it.

Having only heard WMD, I was interested in getting the CD. WMD is a great SONG. The CONTENT is great as well. With reviews such as the one by Maroon Bulldog, it appears to get its message across the skin barrier. Very few artists these days can do this, let alone provoke meaningful political debate.

Mr Bulldog, you sold me on this. I'm buying it. Mucho gracias!

What it have to do the point of view of a musician with his music quality? despite if the author is right or wrong what we must judge is his music. Some Maroon Bulldog "Liberals are Communists" is abusing of this place to censor ideas instead of comment music. People have to see how obsessed people spoils our liberty