Customer Reviews

Now That's What I Call Quite Good

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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I own over 800 CDs, from Frank Sinatra to Cypress Hill. If there were a fire in my house, this is the first CD I'd save. Brilliant musicianship - listen to the angelic acapella versions of the Isley Brothers "Caravan of Love" or James Taylor's "You've Got A Friend". Lyrics that are paradoxically deep and light. A wonderful combination of covers and original works.

If you've got this far you probably know by now that the lead singer went on to front the almost equally brilliant Beautiful South, and that Norman Cook, the bassist is now better known as Fatboy Slim, Pizzaman, AND Beats International. But don't expect any trace of Fatboy on this CD.

Their wit is all self-effacing. Consider the title: a parody of the Now That's What I Call Music compilations that are now the rage in America but were hugely popular in the UK at the time of this release. The album notes even boast of selling an incredible 75 copies in New Zealand!

This is the group that the Barenaked Ladies based themselves on. In fact, BNL toured England as the opening act for the Beautiful South, and the South were originally scheduled to do the opposite on the last North American tour.

Folky without being corny, clever without being self-important, and endlessly listenable, this CD is going to be one of your all-time favorites too.

After Billy Bragg came the Housemartins, born of the working class ethic in Hull with the left wing morals of Marx and a belief in honesty. With their self-defacing merchandising ("The Housemartins are quite good" badges etc) and a fearless attitude to expression of politics. They left on a high with this album. Although many people didn't understand the satirical barbs against the evils of thatcherism and capitalism in general, they remain an excellent example of agitrock born of the disallusionment of the late eighties.

Introduced to the band in college back in early 1987, I instantly connected with what I viewed as a "happy version of the Smiths". Looking back, I'm not sure why I made that connection, but a lot of people seemed to have done the same thing. Always upbeat and fun, the Housemartins squeezed 2 albums and more of a compilation+extras (this album) out of their three years together. If you're looking for one album to buy and you don't own their first two, get this one. It has the hits, plus some great acapella and slow numbers that are simple and beautiful.

When I first heard the Housemartins I thought they were trying a bit too hard to cash in on the Smiths, but then again, in the US, that would mean cashing in on nothing much. Still, like the Smiths--and the Beatles before either of these great 80s groups--this was an English band that tapped into US rock influences but drew equal amounts on English music hall and skiffle.

If you like melodic, guitar-driven rock in a popular presentation (accessible and memorable), this is the ticket. And this CD is a very large collection of songs for one disc.

If you were a Smiths fan and didn't notice the Housemartins, now is the time to discover them. There was apparently more songwriting talent in the HMs, much of the group could sing (better harmonies), and the politics were much more straightforward but most definitely old labor left.

I got my first taste of the Housemartins in the late 80s and time hasn't diminished the joy of listening to the band.

This particular album has some many great tunes it's a real bargain for the price. Even if you own the other two albums, you have to get this because it includes songs that are unique to this album.

Buy this album and enjoy years of listening!

If you are into real music made with pasion and conviction about what real music is, then this is the cd to listen to. Do not hasitate, just buy it and even learn to like it if you didn't yet. It is really really good music

I received my purchase fairly quick and the quality of the product was as it was stated online....Will definitely purchase from this site soon

I've always been a fan of 80s alternative music, but somehow missed The Housemartins (I think they were popular - and that's a relative term - while I was living in South America, which is probably why I missed them). But I heard "Happy Hour" on the radio and loved the catchy-upbeat-80s sound of it. And after listening to all the clips here on Amazon I really liked what I heard. I see them compared to The Smiths, and I guess the sound is similar, but it's not moody like The Smiths were. In some ways I thought it similar to Madness - with the humor, anyway. Maybe a cross between the two?

At any rate, this is good music (quite good, in fact). I like the more mainstream sounds like "Happy Hour," "I Smell Winter," and "Bow Down." But I also like the a cappella songs "He Ain't Heavy" and "Caravan of Love." The gospel-sounding "I'll Be Your Shelter" was nice, too. In all, there are only a few songs I usually skip. But one note of caution: a little goes a long way. The songs are very catchy and have a strong tendency to get stuck in your head for days and could, possibly, drive you absolutely crazy (my son complained about "Happy Hour" for this reason). So, for me, I seldom listen to the whole cd at once anymore.

a lot of folks tend to draw immediate comparisons to mid-80s brit bands like the smiths, aztec camera, and billy bragg. the comparisons are fair (to a point), but what a lot of people seem to miss is that the housemartins are just as much a decendent of motown soul and gospel than any prevailing trend of the era (see: 'caravan of love,' 'he ain't heavy,' 'i'll be your shelter,' 'bow down,' 'lean on me') and used a lot more piano, harmonica, and brass than any of their contemporaries. maybe this is what the housemartins stand out so much in an otherwise relatively drab british music during the mid-80s. they perfectly married classic pop sensibilities, soul/gospel, northern soul, paul heaton's perfect lyrics and virtually reinvented the perfect three-minute single (in fact a lot of housemartins' songs come in well under three minutes).

much like the beautiful south after the housemartins, paul heaton shows why he's one of the best (if not the best) lyricist of his generation. and the great thing about the housemartins is that heaton's bandmates provided impeccable pop masterpieces for paul to sing over. and what a voice he has. the highlights include 'happy hour,' 'sheep,' 'me and the farmer,'think for a minute,' 'build' (a personal fave of mine), 'we're not deep,' and an absolutely rousing version of 'i'll be your shelter' (again, hard to imagine a blue-eyed brit with pipes like paul's).

if you've not heard the housemartins before, this is just as good a place as any to start, though i do recommend 'london 0 hull 4,' and 'the people who grinning themselves to death,' both excellent albums in their own right. but 'now that's what i call quite good' captures the highlights from both albums, adds some b-sides, rare stuff, and covers (their cover of 'caravan of love' was their only #1 single--remarkable considering the band's comprised entirely of anglo/caucasian kids).

bassist norman cook would go on to become fatboy slim, and vocalist paul heaton and drummer dave hemingway would go on to form the beautiful south. the housemartins shone brilliantly for a few short years, but their legacy should, and hopefully, outlive them all.

The Housemartins are just one of those slightly overlooked bands stemming from the mid-80's. Typically British in their lyrics their music is a self described "garage gospel". I've always enjoyed listening to them -a wicked sense of wit , up-beat tempo and great guitar and piano arrangments make the Housemartins brilliant fun to listen to.... especially during winter weather.