Customer Reviews

Eternally Yours

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being Australian in the rock'n'roll circus entails that, save a few notable exceptions, you don't get credit for your music anywhere in the world, your homeland included. This means that if you happen to be a band that, in its original incarnation, put out three records that are absolute diamonds in the rough, you get summarily ignored by the musical apparatchiks and, over the years, only a few hardcore enthusiasts of great garage and punk get to sample the uncut pleasures you provided with the zeal of pursuers of the most illicit of substances.

The Saints are such an unheralded band. And Eternally Yours is one of those rare gems that only exceptional outfits are able to produce. What makes this album a classic is not that it was recorded almost 25 years ago, but that it sounds now as fresh as it undoubtedly did back then. It is, like the great records put forth by the Stones, the Real Kids, or the Ramones, timeless in essence. It wasn't created in response to rapidly changing trends instigated by corrupt multinationals, but out of the love for a style of music that could, can, or will never be eradicated: Rock & Roll. It was the product of the intelligent and sincere assimilation of whatever records Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey happened to enjoy as music fans, not of mindless, inept, and/or interested aping at whatever sold the previous season.

Eternally Yours brings about a more developed songwriting approach, and a fuller, richer sound, than the preceding and definitive (I'm) Stranded, but without losing its spontaneity and raw energy. This is rawk in its purest form. Buzzsaw guitars, courtesy of the great Ed Kuepper, hover and zigzag over the galloping rhythms generated by Ivor Hay and Alasdair Ward, while Chris Bailey intones in his deadpan drawl insightful tales of horror and/or disaffection in the Western World. There are three magnificent slow numbers in this record, and a molten horn section fuels a few other tracks. The closest bands in sound I can think of are the Ramones and the Buzzcocks, but the Saints were even greater and in a league of their own. They were smart guys and knew how to play. Even though they never took themselves too seriously, they never made a joke of their music. The Saints were destined for greatness and somehow, perhaps fittingly, fame, although not success, eluded them by a hair's breadth. They were 100% triumphant in their efforts.

The Saints formed around the same time the Ramones did. They fashioned music as exciting, and a hell of a lot more varied than the boys from Brooklyn ever blitzkrieged. They inadvertently transformed the face of modern music. And yet, they are virtually unknown. Like other seminal acts such as the Scientists, These Immortal Souls, the Stems, or Loop, the only Saints worthy of their salt followed their own counsel exclusively and disappeared, leaving behind a trail of obscure masterpieces. Precious few tears were shed in their wake. Now you have the extraordinary opportunity to partake of these amazing songs by one of the greatest groups of all time in all their jagged, incandescent splendor. And no, you won't have to kneel in front of an idol or light a few candles to be in direct contact with heaven.

I love the addition of the horn section in a couple of songs. Better song writing than the I'm Stranded album. A must for those who love that late 70's stuff like The Dictators "Bloodbrothers",Ramones"Rocket to Russia",Stranglers,Dickies,ETC.!!!!!Chris Bailey sounds like a punk version of Bob Dylan!!!I love it!

So, uh, if you thought the first Saint's album was cool, then check your pacemaker at the door before you put this one on the stereo. Ace bunny killer. An absolute classic of relentless and unceasingly catchy guitar rock. While the lyrics are comparatively highbrow, Chris Bailey's vocals are practically feral -- combined with Ed Kuepper's crushingly powerful guitars and a set of LOUD, LOUD speakers, and you've got a record to reckon with. At this point Bailey and Kuepper seem telepathically entwined; when they later had an inevitable falling out over artistic differences (or whatever...), the band went soft and postpunk, and while that stuff ain't bad, this record is amazing. One of the few seminal punk albums that still holds up when you're all grown up.

Just bought this on CD after almost 30 years of having it on vinyl. I was excited to see new photos and liners from Chris Bailey inside. But man, does Chris sell this one short! The way the notes are written make it seem like to him it's a distant memory that only partially succeeded.

I would call this one of the 3 or 4 LPs from that era that has held up repeatedly over time. It never gets old. The horns are absolutely killer and a shock to hear the 1st time. It ain't perfect, but the best LPs never are, are they? The vocals spit out, the "come on's" are too often and the guitar and horn don't perfectly synch, but the rush and excitably are completely intoxicating. Great songs, unique arrangements, and the willingness to toss in those horns made this a shocker when it first appeared (bought it in a bargain bin at the time!)

Like the best of Buzzcocks, Wire, Magazine, some Clash, this one holds up and will forever. Chris, you've continued making great music over andd over, but man, don't discount this one, it's fantastic!

So believe this is the Saints best album. I expected that it wouldn't be as good as (I'm) Stranded but its as good if not better than that album. And I am real critical on that one...

Great addition of horns to this album.First album was noisy, yet a great punk album.This album is even better than the"I'm Stranded" album. It shows growth within a punk dominated era. The Dictators "Bloodbrothers" also had that same growth after two albums. This CD is a must for someone into that era of music and it's artists like myself. "Eternally Yours" is one of those records you play again and again.

It took me a while but this a great album, it is loud,funny, it is just great. Always been hard to get and therefore grown into a frustration for a while. Don't tell me something I don't already know!!

Amazon lists this cd as having 25 tracks on it, but the version that I bought here in Australia has 27 tracks, but is very similar to the 25 track cd which is listed here. It cost me Au $10, I think...pretty cheap in any case. When I reviewed The Saints' debut album, I gave it 85/100 and thought it the most seminal of the punk pioneer's debuts. Having known and loved their song "Know your product" for years now, it's that song which made buying this cd 'do-able'...I took a chance that it would have other songs I'd like, and, well, I have been checking out the origins of punk recently, so why not buy it? Of the dozen or so punk/proto-punk albums that I've bought over the last few months, this is only the second one I am giving 5/5 too. The other was Stiff Little Fingers' debut, "Inflammable material". On first listen, I was leaning on giving this album 9/10, but on 2nd listen, I think it deserves full marks. First listen, the opening track especially, sounded like a sledgehammer...kind of what I imagine Iggy Pop's mix of "Raw power" might sound like. That's a bad thing...a sledgehammer with a pillow on tied to the end. I don't mind sledgehammer sounds, so long as it is nice and crisp and sharp. Anyway, on second listen, this impression of mine was not so pronounced. Why give this album 5/5? It's entirely listenable, from start to finish. It has the greatest punk song ever, in my opinion, with "Know your product" (Kurt Cobain has this song on his list of the top 50 records of all time, if my opinion doesn't carry much weight with you). It has great variety...tight, hard driving punk, along with quieter, accoustic songs. Nice variety, in other words. This album was released in May 1978 here in Australia, and in April 1978 in the UK. My cd features some liner notes. Lead singer Chris Bailey remarks on British xenophobia towards them at the time...they were put down by British writers because of their Australian origins. Ironically, The Saints refused to wear punk 'uniforms' like their better known peers...Ramones, Sex Pistols etc. How punk was that? The Saints were so punk they didn't want to conform? That seems to have killed their rise in the movement, after The Sex Pistols transformed it (for better or for worse). For the Wikipedia entry for "Know your product", it's noted that a certain BBC dj refused to play it. Bailey took that as a compliment. It's a shame that the BBC acted as a 'gatekeeper' to the public in those days, so that a great song like that couldn't be evaluated by the general public.



The best song (and one of only a few all time great songs produced by punk, in my opinion):



Know your product - like I said, this mix struck me as different to ones I've heard earlier...powerful, yet dull. Features a brass section with an absolutely brilliant, killer riff. Has grinding rhythm guitar and lyrically is about the cons of advertising.



Next best songs:



Untitled - a very nice song with accoustic guitar strumming. Features nice vocal melodies. A bassy track, it also features the electric guitar. Like the cool bit where the rhythm guitar kicks in with the chorus.



Next best songs (on second listen):



Memories are made of this - another song with nice accoustic guitar strumming. Also has the electric guitar. Mid tempo music with a cool, rapid punk-rap vocals. Vocal melodies are nice at times, too. Bass guitar is also nice on here.

Orstralia - on sites like this I'd seen positive comments about this song and how funny it is. Can't say that I found it particularly funny, but I quite like it as a song. The bass guitar here is notably cool. The brass section here also plays in a catchy way. Lyrics seem to be about apathy...perhaps you could describe this song as the older cousin to Midnight Oil's all time classic song "Power and the passion".

Private affair - almost on a par with the above two songs, this track reminds me in a way of Billy Joel's song "It's still rock'n'roll to me" in that Bailey has two voices on this track, doing the same kind of thing thematically that Joel did in his song. Unlike Billy Joel's song, this song is hard driving punk music and might be about not conforming...be it in punk or whatever...perhaps this is the band dealing with how they were rejected in the UK for not wearing the punk 'uniform' and doing what everyone else was at the time. Guitars grind away in this song and the singing is catchy. Bailey's vocals in the left channel are melodic and nice. His voice on the right channel is more punkified.



Best of the rest:



A minor aversion - yet another track which featured very nice accoustic guitar strumming. Electric guitar picks notes...lead guitar is very good in this way. A slower tempo song with nice bass guitar.



Best of the rest (on second listen):



This perfect day - a driving song with percusssive lyrics. Has a sort of rock trope at the start. Bassy track with good lead guitar work. Guitars sound spacey at times, which is a good change and change of tone too. Nice solo.



The rest (from the regular studio album, in order):



Lost and found - tight, hard driving punk song...up-tempo, with a good guitar solo. Bassy, but the level could be higher. Interesting bass guitar in any case.

No, your product - references The Kinks' classic riff off of "You really got me". A punk rocker with a good groove to it. Lead guitar, and lyrically sort of an illustration of teenage frustration.

Run down - driving rhythm, harmonica, bassy and I like how the guitar riff restarts after a pause. Intro starts off this way too.

New centre of the universe - another hard rocking and riffing song. Like the guitar tone/parts. Drum beat different in this track too.

(I'm) Misunderstood - clangy, jangly, hard driving punk song. Good bass and drumming. Lead guitar plays a solo here.

International robots - a fun punk song. Has quirky backing vocals which get doctored later on in the song. Has a good riff. Absurd kiddie type lyrics at times, as in "I"m a fridge and I'm real cool". Perhaps you can view this song as being very 'English'...think Cream spliced with The Dickies or something of that sort. Another song about not conforming...Pink Floyd's all time classic song "Another brick in the wall" might overlap, lyrically, with this song.



The bonus tracks (mine has 14. All of them are in mono). A few of them are:



The ballad - 16th track on my cd. Similar or identical to "Memories are made of this" on the regular studio album.

Champagne misery - a mid tempo song with a punk guitar style and restrained vocals. Track 20.

River deep mountain high - a high energy, up-tempo cover running to 3:55. The original version's hooks are retained, like the lick, but it is rock'n'roll spliced with punk, with the latter's grating guitars. Has a slow part. Track 24.

Do the robot - similar or identical to "Internation robots". Track 27.



Recommendations (from the first few years of punk):


U.K. punk:


Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable material
The Sex Pistols - Never mind the bollocks
The Damned - Damned, damned, damned
The Clash - The Clash (has some slow tracks and variety, like this Saints' cd does)



Australian punk:


X - X-Aspirations
Radio Birdman - Radios appear
The Saints - (I'm) Stranded



U.S. punk and proto-punk:



Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F
Ramones - Ramones
The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
The Stooges - Raw power
The Stooges - The Stooges

Could have been a killer album if it the tempo's hadn't been so rushed, and the vocals so overheated. And the recurring use of the phrase "Come on!", is really annoying. Very flawed.