Customer Reviews

Rialto

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rialto is the self-titled debut album of the British pop band Rialto, released in September 1998. They have since made two new albums, Night on Earth and Anything Could Happen. I heard about Night on Earth first, and it has the best reviews. However, all the sample songs I liked best came from Rialto.
Rialto is often compared to and undermined by Pulp's famous album This is Hardcore, but I listened to that entire album and wasn't impressed by a single song. Rialto is criticized for having too much filler. The feature songs are Monday Morning 5 19 (the first song on the album, and Rialto's best-known song), Summer's Over, and Untouchable. All three songs are excellent; Monday Morning has a great resigned-love tune, Summer's Over is reminiscent of yet better than Strawberry Field's Forever, and Untouchable's bold disco-style lyrics are on par with Mansun. However, the reviewers have got their summary of this CD all wrong; the songs mistaken for filler are simply more subtle.

They don't all start out with a catchy tune, and are easily skimmed over through the first few listenings. However, they all develop with unique twists of tune that will keep you coming back for more. In the end, it is always the more subtle songs that grow on you. After repeated listenings, Quarantine, Lucky Number, and When We're Together surface as the dominant tracks. Lucky Number is a true gem; the violent funky beat is a true surprise, and has become one of my favorite overall songs. Most CD's have only one or two quality songs, but this album has at least six really compelling songs - and the others aren't bad (by any means), they just aren't Earth-shattering.

Most albums have 1 or 2 good songs in it but this album has more than that. I keep playing this album over and over and I never get sick of it. Their songs have classic melodies. It gives you a sense of being in European cinema. Film Noir Music. It's dark, moody and cinematic but the melodies are so catchy. This is one of my favorite albums!

One of the best albums no one will ever hear. Rialto is terribly underrated, but worth checking out. The songs are beautiful, and not overbearing. A good mix, decent lyrics, and incredibly sexy. 'When we're together' is tops. That's all I can say. Buy it and see for yourself.

in the midst of the blur v. oasis v. suede v. pulp v. menswear v. sleeper v. echobelly v. verve v. longpigs v. gene wars of the second half of the 1990s, rialto's debut album barely made a ripple in the britpop pool. it's too bad because this was one of my favorite albums of the era.

starting off with the cinematic 'monday morning 5:19,' rialto seemed to be one of the few bands to pull of substance and style. the album's full of tight and memorable melodies: 'hard candy,' with its jangly guitars, 'untouchable' with its james bond-esque intro, and of course, the aforementioned 'monday morning 5:19.' i'm trying to think of some clever way to state this, but the band just looked cool. the seemed to master the popstar edict without the irony. they didn't try to be cool, they just were. there are, of course, a few throw aways on the album, but there are more than enough winning tracks on the cd to warrant purchase.

maybe there just wasn't room in the britpop canon for everyone (and how could there be with the sheer volume released between 1993-1998?). but if your britpop collection doesn't have a home for rialto, make sure to make a spot. they deserve it.

rialto may be gone for now (and ever), but they always seem to find their way onto the occasional mix tape/cd. thanks for a great record, fellas.

Rialto is truly a spectacular band. If you like bands such as Pulp, Gene, and Radiohead, then definitely buy this album now. The lyrics are wonderful, with the words forming stories that are really good. One of the best albums recentely, with the only real ciontender being Pulp's Hardcore. Buy this now.

It really is asinine to try and compare Pulp's sound to Rialto,like some of our fellow reviewers. How can one compare the deep sensual whispers of unrequited passion and voyeuristic intent to the cleaned up, naive, but very catchy boyish sound of Rialto? They are great...in their own right. Personally the rest of the albumn does not live up to the euphoric pain of "Monday Morning 5:19", but is worth listening to by far.

This CD is everything I expected but didn't get in Pulp's "This Is Hardcore." It's scary how similar these bands are, but sadly Pulp couldn't maintain the high level of "Different Class." Rialto sounds like several bands rolled into one, which is good and bad: good if you're like I am and can't get too much Britpop, bad if you get sick of derivative music. So who do these guys sound like other than Pulp? I detect traces of the Dandys, Blur (from their Parklife days when they were still a real British band & not boring American alternative copycats), the Verve, Fool's Garden, Octopus, and Oasis. Where does this CD rank in my opinion vis-a-vis other Britpop CDs? Not as good as the Dandys "Symphonic Screams," Pulp "Different Class," or Oasis "What's the Story..." Better than the Verve "Urban Hymns" and Oasis "Be Here Now" (which isn't hard to do).

Rialto evokes the sound of the post psychedelic Beatles with their soaring harmonies, especially in the song "Summer's Over". "Untouchable" is just incredible (guitar riffs in that sound like they came from Taxman) and the sadness of Monday Morning 5:19 reaches in and grabs you--have we all not waited for the person who never calls? "Hard Candy" is also excellent. Rialto's strength is in their harmonies, which are intensely melodic, and their guitar riffs, which come right from the British Invasion. If you like the Beatles, Oasis or other Britpop bands you will love this one.. take it from a confirmed Beatlemaniac. Thank God for internet radio since we will likely never hear this on narrow-casted US radio.

After seeing the epic and immensely stylish 'Monday Morning 5:19' on TV I rushed out to buy this album. I would have been better getting the single. 'Monday Morning 5:19' gets five stars easily, 'Summer's Over' and 'Untouchables' gets three, but most of the rest of the album is filler.

Comparing Rialto to Pulp's just as inevitable as comparing Muse to Radiohead, but NOT unlike Muse Rialto manages to sound a bit more than just a ripoff band. Wait a minute, what am I saying? Rialto's NOT a ripoff band, but an extremely original one, whose CD's just bursting with potential UK Top 40 hits (The two first singles, 1997's "Untouchable" & 1998's "Monday Morning 5. 19" were actually ones if I'm not mistaken). Everyone who likes Britpop should go out there, buy this CD & indulge himself/herself with wonderful mellodies & clever lyrics. Did I mentioned that "The Underdogs" sounds like the sequel to Pulp's classic song "Mis-Shapes"?