Down in Albion [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Babyshambles

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2006)
• Original Release Date: December 20, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Rough Trade Us
• ASIN: B000CSUMN0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #128,467 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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

9 of 10 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!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars just some nice tunes, December 14, 2005

By	Loose Cannons - See all my reviews

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

Without a doubt Babyshambles is a refreshing thing for british rock n' roll. There's really no big 'deal' behind Pete Doherty and co.'s music. Simple, mostly acoustic-driven songs, with some unbalanced, but contageous singing by Doherty, who is undoubtly at his best when it comes to lyrics and presenting them, he's very talented! F*cked up on drugs all the time, but Pete's a good musician still and it's the main thing, but the drugs do play a pretty big role in his lyrics. There's definitely no big statements here, no real classics, nothing over the top, nothing really original sound-wise, although Doherty doesn't remind me of anyone else, and that's of course just a good thing. The music is at times very raw and aggressive, like on one of the highlights 'F*ck Forever', which is Nirvana with a british singer, the soft to loud dynamics work well here...but the main weight is on the softer songs, with yet a few more faster rockers like 'Bacardi'. The spotlight is on Pete Doherty all the time, and the music never shadows his voice and lyrics, but I think it's just for the best, being the great poet that he is.
The whole drug-fashion and don't-give-a-f*ck attitude that Doherty seems to have is a bit scary and pathetic, and I'd hope he would calm down a bit, and he isn't THAT young, so in a way I don't support Babyshambles at all, but the music wins, and folks, these are just some nice tunes! Definitely worth to check out!!!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative Genious, January 3, 2006

By	Radiohead-Head (Bristol UK) - See all my reviews

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

A lot of people I know have been put off this album for one reason, 'Pete Doherty is a complete waster'. Maybe true in some respects, but he has certainly wasted no talent on this album. Do not be put off buying 'Down In Albion', because of the press. 'Down In Albion' may not follow the basic structure of your typical album, it may have too many songs, Doherty may sound like he sang the vocals for this album after one of his 'benders'. But it works.

The album only takes a couple of listens to appreciate how good it really is. Babyshambles have picked up punk rock, where The Clash left off. There is not a bad song on the album, although a lot of people dislike Pentonville, listen to it a couple more times and you will realise, like the rest of the album, that it is creative genious.

The songs that really stand out on this album are, 'F**k forever', 'Albion', 'Pentonville', and 'Loyalty Song'.