Down in Albion

Babyshambles | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rough Trade Us
• ASIN: B000CSUMN0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,757 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. La belle et la bete

2. Fuck forever

3. A’rebours

4. The 32nd of December

5. Pipedown

6. Sticks and stones

7. Killamangiro

8. 8 dead boys

9. In love with a feeling

10. Pentonville

11. What Katy did next

12. Albion

13. Back from the dead

14. Loyalty song

15. Up the morning

16. Merry go round

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Ex-Libertines mainstay Pete Doherty is as well known for his auto-destructo personality as his music. That fervent dedication to the notion of rock star as tortured addict/poet/savant has made him the target of as many barristers and tabloid reporters as music critics in his native UK, sucking supermodel girlfriend Kate Moss (whose cameo on the opening "La Belle et la Bete" here) into its opiate-fueled vortex in the bargain. But no amount of genuflecting to the junkie pantheon can disguise the bristling pop strengths of Doherty's brilliant Babyshambles debut. Expanding his former band's jones for new wave and English music hall with a sharp, tossed-off literary sense, some potent Jam/Clash-bred social consciousness and musical edge (not surprising to find the latter's Mick Jones reprising his Libertines production duties here), the inspirations now span Ray Davies (the pop tart "32nd of December") and Rasta ("Pentonville"'s spare dance hall, the blue beat of "What Katy Did Next" and sleepy "Sticks and Stones"). Doherty's stream-of-consciousness ethos yields an oft slovenly sprawl that stubbornly defies deconstruction. Yet on tracks that range from the energetic punter's lament "Killimangiro" and nihilistic hook-fest "Fuck Forever" to the unlikely anthem "Pipedown," Albion's confessional melancholy, and the gorgeous dissolution of "Up the Morning," Doherty proves he's about considerably more than slouching artfully towards oblivion--or the next tabloid headline. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Down in Albion is the highly anticipated debut album from Babyshambles, featuring Pete Doherty (formerly of The Libertines). The sixteen-track album was produced by Mick Jones and mixed by Mick Jones & Bill Price. The album contains the bands Top Five UK hit "Fuck Forever" and a new recording of their first Top Ten UK single "Killamangiro". Other songs on the album include "Albion", "Pipedown", "Loyalty Song", "What Katy Did Next", "32nd Of December" and "Up The Morning".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pete Doherty's London Calling, November 27, 2005

By 

Nick Fulton (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down in Albion (Audio CD)

Babyshambles dive head first into the 1970's punk scene. With the help of The Clash's Mick Jones, this sounds like Pete Doherty's "London Calling". It's simply stunning, even with the inclusion of Kate Moss, who gets a vocal credit on `La Belle Et La Bete' and a song writing credit for `What Katy Did Next'. Unfortunately the media's tabloid trash talk could have an effect on Doherty's best work. If only they knew how to report happy news.

With sixteen songs this could well be Babyshambles attempt to emulate The Clash. The songs certainly contain a late 70's punk sound and the band has the image to accompany it. By far this is better than anything recorded by The Libertines; it's much more creative in almost every way.

So forget the drugs and bad publicity, no one criticises the greatest bands from the past for their drug use. Drugs have managed to create some pretty amazing songs. They waited till late in the year to release "Down in Albion" but it's one of 2005's best

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Chaos, December 2, 2005

By 

Pearl Hunter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down in Albion (Audio CD)

This CD is so poignant and raw. In my opinion, it has a lot more to offer than the Libertines ever did. We should all get past the paparazzi image we have of PD and sit back and listen to this beautiful mess. It is hands down my favourite album of this year.
We have heard many of the sounds before but the honesty of this work goes beyond comparisons to The Clash/The Only Ones.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Debut, October 23, 2005

By 

Lily (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down In Albion (Audio CD)

This CD is a solid debut from the Babyshambles. It's not a classic like Up the Bracket, nor not as good as anything the Libertines produced, but it's a good, recommended album. A little track-by-track review for all of you salivating to hear this.

La Belle et Le Bete: When I heard Kate Moss was to be singing on this song, I was...well, put off, to say the least. However, her vocals are very short, and a high point of the song. She intones "Is she more beautiful than me?" several times and adds feeling to the song. Lyrics are excellent, Drew's bassline is killer, and Pete sounds normal. 9/10

F**k Forever: I've always liked this song, and I like it even better on the album than on the single. It's rocking, with lots of guitars. 8.5/10

A Rebours: The best song on the album. Pete wrote this one ages ago, but has continually changed it. The final version combines A Rebours with Curtian Call and I Will Fall for a catchy song that you could imagine the Libertines singing. 10/10

32nd of December: A much more chill song than some of the other fare on the album, but easily one of the best. Artful, emotional, and excellent. 9/10

Pipe Down: YES! A big guitar song. Like F**k Forever but better. From Pete's opening yells of "PADDY PUT THE PIPEDOWN!" I was drawn in. I was never crazy about the live versions (Pat, please don't sing. It's unbecoming), but this is excellent. It's currently my favorite driving-at-85-mph song. 9/10

Sticks and Stones: This song is probably one of the oldest on the record, second to only Albion. I could be wrong though. Orignially an acoustic song, this verison keeps the acoustic bits but adds some reggae feel. It works. I like it. Not love it. However, the famous line "Don't look back into the m*********king sun" is still delightfully nasty. 8/10

Killamagiro: Eh...I like the single version better. This sounds like it does live--ie, less than stellar. 7.6/10

8 Dead Boys: This is a good song--I really like it. Probably one of the most emotionally sung songs on the album, and the rawest too. 8.5/10

In Love With A Feeling: I've never been crazy about this one. It's kind of boring. But fine. 8/10

Pentonville Rough: A reggae rap? It's so weird. It's cool in a bizare way though. 6.8/10

What Katy Did Next: Bad verses, catchy chorus. 7/10

Albion: The orginial version of this song, from the 2003 babyshambles sessions, by the Libertines, is fantastic and acoustic. This version is...electric. And fine. It's good. I was very happy. 8.9/10

Back From the Dead: Not much to say about this one. Average. Good though. Catchy. 8/10

Loyalty Song: Formerly called "What Did I Dream," this song is still pretty good. I like this version, it's much better than it is live. 8.5/10

Up The Morning: This is where it gets weird. Pete said that this is the best song he's ever written. Er...what? It's a nice song and whatnot, but it's sort of...odd. Boring, almost. Sort of Floydian. 7.7/10

Merry-Go-Round: Acoustic! FINALLY. YAY. This song is a nice chill conclusion to the album. Love the minute long drum solo at the end, though it makes me miss Gemma. 8.3/10

Overall, this is no Libertines album, but it wasn't going to be. Naysayers, Pete Doherty's still got it!