Customer Reviews

Free All Angels (download)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After their explosive entrance onto the music scene in '96, ASH faded away dramatically. I have to admit, after buying 1977, I wasn't interested in them as much and I didn't buy Nucler Sounds. Then I heard Shining Light, bough that, and then came the album. This is a record that takes you back to the summer, all those years ago when 'Oh Yeah' was the summer anthem. This CD reminds you about what ASH are all about. They have a new direction (i.e. Submission) but every track is a classic. So far this year I've bought albums by Stereophonics, the Manics and Linkin Park, and this is without a doubt the best of the four. I doubt that it will be beaten on quality of songs and lyrics, I'll have to check out Travis and Feeder first. I'm writing this review after wacthing their blinding performance supporting the Stereophonics at Donington Racecourse - the best day of my life. Tim Wheeler is a god, an extremely talented songwriter, lyracist and vocalist. Good on him, this (so far..) is THE album of the year. It's goo to have them back.

After the grunge burn-out of their last album, "Nu-clear Sounds", Ash have found their voices again. This is much closer to their best work to date, and has a lot of echoes of "1977" - a similar mix of melodic, memorable rock tracks, and some faster, harder examples such as Shark (which should be on the Gran Turismo 3 soundtrack)

The album opens with Walking Barefoot, which is swiftly followed by the two UK singles Shining Light (the full version, not the radio edit), and Burn Baby Burn. These three tracks alone should be enough to convince anyone to buy the album. Shining Light is one of the best tracks I've heard - great lyrics of pure devotion. Listen to these and life seems brighter in an instant.

There is loads of variety here - Candy is piano-driven and very different to past Ash; Cherry Bomb and Pacific Palisades are electrified fests of guitar rock; and There's a Star is a wonderful ballad.

If you liked "1977", buy this album. If you've never heard of Ash, buy this album. It's just a tremendous blast of upbeat rock.

When I first heard the rumbling of this group's latest album, I didn't think that it could live up to the hype, like most things nowadays. I mean being number one in England is one thing but being critically acclaimed as well. Usually, those instances are rare. Needless to say, I was seriously doubtful. But once I heard "Burn Baby Burn", the hype paled in comparison to how great the CD actually sounded. "Burn Baby Burn", "Walking Barefoot" and "Pacific Palisades" are great power pop punk music (think Beach Boys with punk attitude). For a change of pace, "Sometimes", "There's A Star" and "Candy" seems heavenly with lush orchestrations and haunting melodies. As the music played, I kept wondering why this disc didn't warrant a simultaneous release in the US when it was released overseas in 2001. There is not one filler song on this entire CD.

The included Extras are pretty good. The Ash Video Editor allows the user to create their own video compilation to their songs using video clips as well as still images from their recent tours. Loads of replay value, that's for sure. The DVD is modest in regards to navigation but is chock full of great eye candy like: the "World Domination" Tour documentary that runs about 20 minutes, the four videos from this CD, two live songs from their tour of Japan as well as three B-sides set to random images.

The total package provides the listener with both visual and aural stimulation that goes beyond the normal CD release. This CD left me with such an impression that I'm going to track down and buy their previous releases. It is that good. In this age of ready-made, disposable pop stars and overly produced songs, it's nice to see and hear a band that truly rocks period.

Leave it to the Irish to completely surpass the rest of the world's rock music scene. I picked up Free All Angels this summer and it stayed in my cd player until August. The songs are flawlessly crafted and, most importantly, composed and performed passionately. These guys (and really cool guitar playing girl Charlotte) remind me a lot of Weezer in their glory days, only they seem to be a little more serious rockers. They can shift gears from the straight ahead rock of "Burn Baby Burn", "Nicole", and "World Domination" to create sweet rock ballads like "Sometimes and even the pop-hook filled "Candy." Not only is the music cd almost perfect but the bonus dvd has great concert footage and music videos that you'll never see on that so-called "music channel". In short: Ash. Free All Angels. My best buy of the summer. Get it now.

I have been a fan of Ash since the early 90's with the release of Petrol. The three lads from Northern Ireland are talented, cute, and UNDERRATED in the U.S. 1977 gained them some new fans with songs like Girl from Mars and Kung Fu, from the Jackie Chan Rumble in the Bronx move. 1977, to date, is still my favorite Ash album, though NuClear Sounds, their least successful album, is a minor masterpiece. With NuClear Sounds, Ash added a fourth member, a female for that matter, sorry ladies, but Charlotte has proven many doubters wrong. With NS, they embraced a darker sound, even producing a, gasp, video that was banned in the U.K. (Numbskull), with sweet looking Tim Wheeler performing certain acts on a devil, but you'd have to see that for yourself.
FAA, which I bought last year on import, is a return to the "Ash Sound". Shining Light is Tim's dedication to this girlfriend, a beautiful song with religious references. Burn Baby Burn, their first US single, is catchy, and brilliant. Nicole, Shark and World Domination are pure Ash.

Actually, I shouldn't tell you about every song on the album, you can read professional reviews for that, but all I can say is, buy this album, it even comes with a free bonus DVD with concert footage, B-Sides, videos, and a tour documentary.
FREE ALL ANGELS, AND BUY THIS ALBUM NOW!!!!!!

This was without a doubt, the best album of last year that most people didn't here last year. But now that it's finally out in the U.S. you can experience what the UK critics called "Album of the Year." With their unique pop rock upbeat sound, almost every song on the album could be a hit single. String arrangements on songs like "There's a Star" and "Candy" add a more mellowed out sound, while songs like "World Domination" and "Shark" have a more punk sound. Lyrically this album is very solid. Unlike bands like Blink 182 and Sum41, this band actually writes original meaningful songs. "Nicole" is one of the more chilling songs on the album, as Tim Wheeler screams out "Nicole! I killed my baby but i loved her." The UK singles on this cd "Candy", "Sometimes", "Shining Light", "There's a Star", and the now US single "Burn Baby Burn" don't disappoint. Also, this band has some of the most interesting guitar solos I've heard, and also they're not long and drawn out. Basically, this band can appeal to just about anyone without selling out any of the artistic abilities. If you like this album, you'll also like "1977" by them.

On their third studio album, the irish pop rock act Ash find their own voice. Soft and sweet melodies can be found on the songs "shining light", "candy" and "someday" while the energy lies over their smash hit "burn baby burn" , "cherry bomb" follows with playful guitars and stories about the teen years. Their most powerful set to date "Free All Angels" may not find big audiences or radio play in the US, but watch out, it may take a while for your average rock fan to take them seriously. They topped european and asian charts with this album a year ago, and the DVD included in the Limited Ed. demonstrates just that. (incl. videos, concert footage and B-sides) All for all, Ash's rocks, in a pop kinda way. The mixing software included on the Cd is also a nice treat!

I happened to flip the channel to MTV2 one day a couple of weeks ago, and saw the last minute of Ash's "Burn Baby Burn" video. I had heard two Ash songs before that, "Jack Names the Planets" and "Kung Fu" off the Angus Soundtrack, but there was something so catchy about "Burn Baby Burn" that I bought the CD the day it came out.
I found that Ash is able to do something few bands today can do: make each song on their CD sound different and unique. There's no confusing one song on this CD with another. My favorites are: "Shining Light," "Burn Baby Burn," "Candy," "Cherry Bomb," "Someday," and "Nicole" (an extremely addictive song), but honestly there isn't a bad song on here. I still haven't quite figured out why I like "Candy" so much either, but I can't stop listening to it.
I hope they do get big in the U.S. We need more of this kind of music.

I have liked Ash for many years now. I even saw them play in late 1998 during CMJ. This was during the time of Nu-Clear Sounds which many people now think is they worst album. Ash was formed in Belfast around 1993 when the three fellows were still in school: Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton, and Rick McMurray. Their first mini-album Trailer was released in 1994. The band released their best album two years later called 1977 when they were all still teenagers. They were called Bratpop. Songs like "Kung Fu" and "Girls from Mars" made them famous. They got much more attention in 1998 when they added guitarist Charlotte Hatherley. Their record Nu-Clear Sounds tanked and their fans moved on to JJ72. Their experiment with being into New York City and heavy rock and being like an Irish Jonathan Fire Eater failed. They were quiet for three years. The drug addiction then started and Ash was getting calls from Behind The Music. They have come back with one of the biggest albums of the past year with Free All Angels. It beat out the new one by Janet Jackson in the UK charts.

"Walking Barefoot" still reminds us of Ash's fascination with NYC punk. It's a return to their earlier sound and is a very good summer song. Once you get to "Shining Light" you know that the excitement is back and all is forgiven. A catchy tune that is certainly has thoughtful lyrics and very catchy guitar playing. The big chorus of "Burn Baby Burn" reminds us of all we loved about Ash in the first place. "Candy" is a slow song that samples Scott Walker. It is really a step forward from heavy rock. "Cherry Bomb" and "Submission" are other songs that name checks some past punk songs like Runaways and Sex Pistols. It is classic Ash. The latter is the closest thing to a Primal Scream track I have ever heard them do.

"Pacific Palisades" is like a punk Beach Boys. It is about their experiences in California and sort of an echo of the opening tack. "Shark" is like The Ramones or The Damned. Apparently as a live act they are much like those early punk bands. Bring out the leather jackets and Flying V's please. "There's A Star" is another great slow song. Tim Wheeler has taken the reigns of the band's songwriting and has made something beautiful and lovely. Some bands get to their fourth album and it's a public burning. Ash has evolved. The album ends with the all out rocker "World Domination" which sums up all their last album in one song. The American release also includes a DVD and three bonus tracks. The tracks add nothing and are probably B-sides. I haven't seen the DVD but that sounds like a treat. We can all look forward to seeing Ash on this year's Area 2 tour.

With "Free All Angels" Ash finally hit their stride.Where "1977" was patchy(that being disguised by the handful of brilliant songs)and "Nu-Clear Sounds" simply weird "Free All Angels"is superb.
And it announces it all in the first track"Walking Barefoot" with Ash's usual mix of energy and harmony in (usually) equal proportions.
The whole album flows perfectly and by the time we get to "Sometimes" we realize Ash have now become more interested in making music rather than noise,yet without giving up on their peerless power("Nicole","Burn Baby Burn").They're really more listenable now controlling the unnecessary guitar fuzz.
"Fee All Angels" may well be the album which turns Ash in a global concern and with songs like "Shining Light" or "There's a Star" it's only fair they succeed.