Customer Reviews

Expecting to Fly

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After hearing my radio buzzing to the sound of 'Slight Return', the debut single by the Bluetones,I began to feel my heart start to palpitate with excitement.You could hear the Rickenbacker guitar jangling loudly, the voice was reminiscent of a power-pop god of yesterday and the song itself was so catchy, that I went out and bought the album straight away on the strength of this song.
That was all of 7 years ago around the height of the Britpop phenomenon.The album debuted at No.1 in the British charts that year, and it was no fluke.
It is rare to find a debut album by such a young band (at the time) where the guitar work is as faultless as this and the songs so melodic and adrenalin-fuelled.The Bluetones should have been declared the young pretenders to the power-pop throne.
From the opening bars of 'Talking To Clary' to the final song of 'Time And Again',you are taken on an energetic journey through 11 unique songs that are equal part Byrds, Big Star and forgotten British greats like The Records.
Yes folks, it's that good !
Alas, the Bluetones never reached these dizzy heights again despite some very good follow-up albums.
If you are unfamiliar with their work, I urge you to seek them out.
Adam Devlin will one day be considered one of the best British guitarists of his era - as good as a Johnny Marr or a John Squire.Mark Morriss is an excellent vocalist with a lovely high tenor voice ideally suited to his material.The bass player and drummer are no less excellent.
For young boys to write and record to such a high level on their debut album is remarkable.
Do yourself a huge favour and get this album.

I bought this album back in 1996, on the strength of the Stone Roses soundalike single 'Slight Return'.

I expected an album of similar tunes, but I was wrong! Wrongly accused by the music press of being Stone Roses wannabies, The Bluetones have made an album of their OWN music. Sure, it's not groundbreaking - how many first albums are? But it has ensured that The Bluetones have a strong and loyal fanbase which ensured the success of their second album (Return to The Last Chance Saloon).

'Expecting to Fly' is the kind of album you can listen to in full over and over again. Standout tracks are 'Slight Return', 'The Fountainhead', 'A Parting Gesture' and 'Cut Some Rug'.

This album stands alone as a classic of the nineties. But don't be put off by the 'Britpop' label. This label was a term invented by the music press to encompass bands like Oasis, Blur and Pulp, which are bands with almost nothing in common.

Buy it. Now!!!

One of the great things about the Bluetones is that they are very distinctive like eg- the Smiths, not just because of the lead singers voice but also the melodic tunes and gituar riffs.

I have worked through the Bluetones collection the opposite way, starting with 'Science and Nature', then 'Return to the last chance Saloon' and finishing off with 'Expecting to Fly'. This album isn't to dissimilar to their other albums but thats not a bad thing. One feature that carries through the trio of albums is that each contains a 3 or 4 amazing songs, and the rest sound a little more boring and 'same-ish'. Hence 4 stars and not 5.

On this album the stand out track has to be 'Bluetonic'. It is amazing, its a highly charged melodic indie song and it shows what the bluetones are like at their best. Other top tunes include 'Things Change' and 'Putting out Fires'.

If you like the Stone Roses and the Smiths then you'll love this album. It's the type of album that you can just listen to from start to finish. Mark Morris' voice sounds like Ian Brown's but better.

The debut album from the Housnlow band is just a wonderful specimen of British guitar rock in the vein of the late, great Stone Roses. The opening track, Talking to Clarry, is 6 minutes of psychedelic beauty. Slight Return and Carnt Be Trusted are other examples of this stellar band taking off into the realms of dreamy-jangle pop. Other great songs like Vampire and Time and Again, give the album a dreamy yet scarily-undercurrent feeling. Just wonderful.

The Bluetones were one of the best of the bands associated with the 'Britpop' era. That term means nothing. It just means an era when good British guitar bands were plentiful and their albums sold well. I would consider The Bluetones to be the best of the power pop sounding British bands of the time. They are still going strong but amazingly, they've never delivered anything better than this, their debut. There are some amazing songs on this album - "Slight Return" is perfect pop, the guitar work on "Talking To Clarry" is excellent. There really are no weak tracks on this album. It went to No 1 in the British charts after "Slight Return" was a hit single. It deserved all of the accolades. I saw them live recently and they're a great live band. I met Adam Devlin after the gig and I bought him a drink. He still looks really young. I think he was only a teenager when this album was recorded. Listen to the guitar work and prepare to be amazed at his talent. He is great on the Rickenbacker. I would recommend this album to power pop, indie fans or Brit pop fans. There are a wealth of great British pop bands out there - Ride, Blur, Dodgy and of course The Bluetones. All worth a listen in my opinion.

This band sounds like... something you haven't heard in a long time. Like early Rush or BadFinger. Maybe a bit like early Bowie too.

I can't jump out there with a fat 5 star rating like the fans have done... but I think I can be fair.

The slower, leisurely songs work well. I especially like track #10. It has nice timing of breaks, with smoother vocals, and tasteful instrumental mixes. I'd say the musicianship is quite good. Most of the album is uptempo, with enough variety among the tracks to keep your attention on it.

Nitpick time. The vocals are kinda thin and wavery, which could be an acquired taste for some people. I'm surprised how much I have to turn up the volume on some songs, to hear what's being said. (Maybe it was a problem with the mixing.) The band does try to power chord their way out of the end of too many songs.

This album is great, it combines medolic and "nice" songs with real rockers. A must for all inde fans. Cut some rug is really good but my favourite is can't be trusted. the best on the album.

Brilliant, accessible, clever, lighter, Britpop. Buy, listen and enjoy. One of my favourite CDs. Every song's a winner. Amazing no one's put up a review before!