Up Against the Legends

The Legends | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Lakeshore Records
• ASIN: B0002W4SSQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,056 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blown away, January 21, 2007

By 

tvcritik - See all my reviews

This review is from: Up Against the Legends (Audio CD)

I love everything I've heard from Johann Angergard and he's a really nice guy to talk to to boot. People who think the top 40 or Billboard or Grammy related "artists" are where it's happening just have no clue. And don't forget that Grammy gave Starland Vocal Band Best New Artist Grammy over Elvis Costello and also choose Milli Vinilli as Best Artist in another year so why would you want to listen to Grammy winners when you could be listening to the true Legends?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the hardest working man in rock 'n roll..., May 18, 2006

By 

M. Lohrke (Saratoga Springs, UT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Up Against the Legends (Audio CD)

...isn't james brown. it's johann angergard. the legends is relatively new band for me. it's surprising i hadn't heard them sooner because i love johann's other two bands, acid house kings and club 8. so, oddly enough, i love the legends, too. i don't know how he manages to split his time between three stellar pop bands, but somehow he does. he could probably front five or six and still continuously churn out top quality hits.

the legends debut album isn't *that* radical a departure from his other projects. the majority of the songs are upbeat, snappy, and sincere. one never gets the feeling that johann's songs are contrived, silly, or anything but authentic. he's a fan of 60s pop, but also contemporary pop and takes the best of both worlds to form something that sounds familiar and new (oh, that wretched rock critic cliche). what's different about this album is that johann stretches the bounds he normally imposes on himself, allowing for richer textures and deeper atmospheres than you'd find on any AHK or club 8 record. it's also a slightly more agressive record (though not necessarily heavy). the guitars are cruchier, the vocals less polite, but the hand claps and tambourines are ever present. in this way johann manages to inject a little of his former self in to the legends. angergard borrows from early 'modern life is rubbish' era blur ('call it ours'), the jesus and mary chain, ('your song'), and it's a precursor to the heavily-saturated, tones on tail & early cure inspired 'public radio,' their second album.

as previously mentioned, johann may be the hardest working man in pop. how he continues to release so many consistently satisfying, catchy records is a marvel. it's a shame more people aren't familiar with work. if you like your pop interesting, melodic, interesting and sincere with a dash of goth-boy cynicism, 'up against' the legends is your ideal jumping off point. a great record.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Personal Favorite From 2004, February 10, 2006

By 

UncleDunkel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Up Against the Legends (Audio CD)

If you like the poppy/melancholy sound of The Smiths, you'll love this album. My personal favorite track is #5, Nothing To Be Done. The light fem lead vocals that come in on the second half of the song send shivers up my spine every time I hear it. The entire album is teriffic. If you like the style, every song on this CD will grow on you eventually.