Customer Reviews

Five Men In A Hut (A's, B's and Rarities 1998-2004)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a Gomez fan since 2002. I heard "Shot Shot" on Radio Paradise, and I was instantly hooked. I loved the sax, the drums, the vocals, the funky stops and starts, the electronic feel, everything. I vowed to buy In Our Gun. Then, same radio station, different day, I heard "Rex Kramer", with its cool harmonica and guttural growl of a voice, and was convinced I'd discovered another amazingly cool band. Turns out that not only was that also Gomez, but it was on the same CD as "Shot Shot"! I went right out and bought In Our Gun that day. I was an instant fan, and have been ever since. True story. Another true story is what happened the day I gave Five Men in a Hut a listen. I was facing the laborious and boring task of putting away a couple cord of wood. It was going to take me a few hours, filling a cart, lugging it up a hill, stacking it in a shed. Luckily, I checked my mailbox and realized I had just received my copy of Five Men in a Hut via Amazon. I dug out my CD player (yes, no iPod, not yet) and actually ran to the store for some batteries. I popped in Five Men in a Hut to while away the hours. Oh. My. God. I was absolutely blown away. I love this band even more now, if that's possible. I think this album is so brilliant to me because I've only been a fan of their recent work, and their earlier canon has eluded me almost entirely. Not including their live album, I had heard only six of the studio tracks on this compilation. I had a lot of catching up to do. And what a treat that was! The best thing about the band is how many different styles they touch, while still sounding like Gomez. They skew rock, blues, electronica, psychedelia, and whatever strikes their fancy into their own brand of utterly cool music. What kind of music do you like? You'll like Gomez. Plain and simple. A few things struck me while listening, and dancing, and singing at the top of my voice as I put wood away. First, this does not even cover their whole catalog. Not to say it doesn't do them justice, because I think it does. It's a wonderful mix of their material, which sounds great together. Even their latest stuff, which I also love, and shows a similar songwriting formula at work, while reaching a maturity and consistency not realized on their early work, would sound great with all their older stuff. I can't wait for the career-spanner. Secondly, I love Ian and Tom's songs, but I thought I liked Ben's voice the best. Now I'm not sure. I love them all. In fact, some of Tom's song's are my favorites, and I never realized it. This band is truly amazing. They made my day of wood-stacking go by fast, and at the same time, garnered a fan for life. As the second disc ended, one of the newer tracks brought things to a close, "Diskoloadout". It brought back the same kind of funky horns and cool beat that made me love "Shot Shot" so much. I got the same adrenaline rush I did the first time I heard the band, and realized I had fallen for them all over again. Cheers, gentlemen. Can't wait to see what's next!

. . .and while you're at it get all of Gomez' stuff. Jesus they are one truly amazing band--three kickass vocalists, Ben Ottewell, Tom Gray and Ian Ball, who all play wonderfully quirky guitar to great effect, and then there's exceptional bass by Paul Blackburn and drums by Ollie Peacock. Their lyrics and arrangements are almost surreal, evoking a transplendent quality that points up their Beatles/Stones/Kinks/Who influences, while at the same time somehow establishing their sound as totally original. That they are not megastars is not only a true shame but it is also a sad commentary on what I think is the abysmal state of radio and the music industry in general.

After listening to this album (over and over), I can't believe that How We Operate was the first time I'd ever heard them on the radio. I hope they go back to producing their own work- Gil Norton is brilliant, but so is Gomez. Now that they have broken through, I'd love to hear more of their layered work. It's wonderful how good this sounds with earphones on and no distractions.

THis is one the best Gomez's work, definitively. They are loyal to The Beatles heritage, you can trace their influence in many of the tracks,as Oasis, Coldplay and The Killers. Highly recommended

Gomez has a wonderful sound that I can listen to often. There are several tracks on this album that beg to be listened to over and over again. This is one of my driving cds that I keep in my truck. Buy this cd and any other Gomez cds you can get your hands on.

This album proves how talented and how clueless Gomez is. The "throwaways" on this album out sparkle a lot of the more "famous" Gomez songs, Steppin' Out, Champagne For Monkeys and Coltrane in particular. Worth the purchase price. An interesting mix of Gomez "hits" and B-sides. Enjoy

Gomez's creativity and breadth of material is stunning and amazing. They tackle all kinds of music, using their odd instrumentation, gimicks and noises, but it all remains pleasantly listenable and mesmerizing. And unless you catch of couple of lyric phrases that identify them as from the UK, you'd swear they are straight from Laredo, TX or San Diego!!

The "rarities" cuts on these two discs show an even broader picture of the music that is Gomez, and you can also get a good sense of the individual styles and contributions of the three extrodinary writers/singers/guitarists that are Ben Otwell, Ian Ball, and Tom Gray. And the rest of the band contribute the perfect necessary rhythm and percussion foundation to carry the whole package.

If you are like me, and you are always wanting to hear something OTHER than the top-40 pop junk that is radio today, then this CD (and "Abandonded Shopping Trolly") is for you!