Customer Reviews

Sold for a Smile

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

 

 

The Gandharvas have the ability to float your head off your shoulder and away, as displayed on the popular single from their last album, with an airy, drifting shower of sound--unfortunately that ability is put to use only once or twice on this album. Instead, we get entertaining music with sparkles of that possibility. You just wish they'd let go of the tight hold of the reign over these songs, and be off where they may. They do let loose on the closer Diaboloney and in a rowdy, uncouth way--but they would do best to do more as they do on Waiting For Something To Happen/Reprise, which fades in on itself before a fuse is lit and the song burns brightly from the inside out.
The Gandharvas would sound better for me if they let their dreamy side wash over all the nasty edges.

The Gandharvas have had three very different sounding albums. "Soap Bubble..." was a poppy induced grove album, "Kicking in the Water" had a great first 5 songs, that are as timeless as the Wonderstuff, but "Sold for a smile" is the heaviest sound the band has come up with. Paul Jago's vocals still chime and are in perfect tune with the music, while Jud Ruhl's guitar leads can give you shivers. Watching the Girl, Hammer in a shell, and Sarsaparilla come up as favorites still two years after I bought it! This album is one of the best to come out of CAN in a few years, and should be given a spin.

This CD still gets me going after some 3 years. Downtime and Watching The Girl are everyones favourites, but you can get into the rest just as well. 5 stars for this one!

If you are currently a fan of this musically innovative Canadian group, you will love their third album. Sold For a Smile leans toward the harder-rock side of the Gandharva repertoire, and Paul Jago's musical genious shines through especially on songs like "Waiting For Something To Happen" and "Shells". A fledgling Gandharva listener might enjoy their second album, Kicking in the Water, more than this one.

Sold for a smile, the gandharvas'third album is a much more straight-ahead album than their previous works, but it is still full of great songs throughout. Some fans of Soap Bubble or Kicking in the water may find it a sell-out of sorts, but in my opinion the gandharvas still remain Canada's greatest talent. Songs like "Shells" and "Milk Ocean" are a throwback to some of their earlier music, while " Diaboloney" shows a hard-rockin side to the band which in the past hasn't been present. Singer/lyryicist Paul Jargo has one of the most beautiful and diverse voices in alternative music today. The rest of the band is equally talented, creating some very powerful imagery and a thick, layered sound. Seeing the band live is an experience everyone owes to themself to witness. They put a whole new spin on songs you already thought couldn't sound any better, and they rock too. The Gandharvas deserve way more recognition than they get, and I'm sure one day they will. Buy this album!

The whole record is Great! the Gandharvas are a really talented Canadian band that deserves more recognition. I've seen them live a couple of times and that, coupled with the talent of their music, has definately made them one of my favourite bands! Pick this one up! it's great!

Bar far the Gandharvas worst album. I saw them live dozens of times during the 90's. If you like the First Day of Spring, then you might like some of their other songs too. But "Kicking in the Water" really captures their live sound, and the essense of the band. Buy that album instead, and download First Day of Spring from somewhere else. "Soap Bubble" is an OK album too, but not solid top to bottom. I was majorly dissappointed with Sold for A Smile. So much promise from such a great band, but this album simply doesn't connect.

I only just learned today who sang the song"First day of spring", but I had to write and tell people it is probably the best song in the world and I am currently trying to find the cd so I can listen to this group in its entirety.

Too bad the single wasn't available. The rest of the album sounds like really bad Blind Melon. The Canadian music scene is hopeless. It should be broken up and incorporated into the American music scene.