Customer Reviews

Waterpistol

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is kind of like a more grounded version of the Stone Roses debut...not as "mystical" I guess would be a good way of describing it, but it nonetheless reminds me of it (in a very favorable way). Also eschewing some of the more chime-pop (my friends say "cheesy") moments like "She Bangs the Drums" for songs that are more personal/everyday. Well, I'll stop talking about the Stone Roses now. If you like classic pop that isn't merely a retread then you'll like this album. For fans of the La's/Oasis/Stone Roses/Beatles/etc.

One more thing? High price (currently around 36 dollars) but a very good album. So if you can't find it cheaper, buy this instead of 3 other cd's. Unless they are Revolver/Pet Sounds/etc you'll probably be getting a good deal afterall!

If you've by chance made it this far then do not log off without buying this record. It is undoubtedly the best "lost" album of the last 20 years or so. The sheer quality of these songs make it the best album from the "baggy" era - better than those produced by the Stone Roses or the Happy Mondays. That's not to say it is a baggy album though. The songs are timeless. I have pushed this album on loads of friends who have all agreed in Michael Head's genius. 'Neighbours' , 'Hazy', 'Mood of the Morning' --- all classics. If you've ever liked any 60s bands like Love, or The Beatles, or any guitar pop ever basically, YOU SHOULD OWN THIS ALBUM.

I found this album at a Japanese record store listening station in the 90s. I really liked the interplay of acoustic and electric guitars and great harmonies and decided to buy it. Man, is this an outstanding album. I'm glad to see this album is finally available in the States, I've always thought it was a cut above HMS Fable and their later albums which were a lot more uneven. Every song has great hooks and harmonies and there isn't a dud on here. Ten years later this is still one of the greatest alternative rock albums I've ever heard. I had never heard of the album previous to this, Zilch, so I'm definitely picking that one up.

A lot of people will come on here and tell you every album under the sun is five stars and should be essential to your collection. I'm not one of those people, this is a real undiscovered gem.

I purchased 'Waterpistol' on a trip to England in 2001. I had fallen in love with HMS Fable the year before and was unable to find any other Shack albums here in the US. After listening to the opening track - Sgt. Major - I knew this was something special. This album, to my mind, is simply put, the best album of the 90's, if not one of the best to come out of England since the Beatles. Of course, that's just my opinion. Not a weak track here. And fate played a key role in it ever emerging - the whole album was nearly lost after a studio fire destroyed all the masters and the only DAT of the sessions was left in a rental car in California. As a result, it was released in 1995 nearly 4 years after it was recorded. It seems this was a record that was just too beautiful not to be heard.

If you like this album then try; "The Magical World Of The Strands by Micheal Head".It has a great version of 'Undesided' and is just as great an album as Waterpistol.

I first came in contact with Shack in 1999 - Natalie's Party was included on a CMJ sampler and I tracked down the album 'HMS Fable' (a fantastic outing by the Bros. Head too I might add) .... and then in 2001 on a trip to England I found Waterpistol. The first listen though I knew this was their masterpiece. From beginning to end, this is Shack at their finest. I can't pick a favorite song because each has a different, enchanting quality. If you are lucky enough to find a copy of this cd purchase it post haste! Fantastic!

Mick Head started out in the early eighties at the tender age of 16 with his much rated band The Pale Fountains. They caused such an uproar among industry execs that Virgin Records signed them for a then record fee of #120,000. Of course they flopped. Its taken Mick a decade to put this one out and what a shame nobody knows who he is. Its thought that Mick spent the last decade on Heroin,rising occasionaly to release such gems as Michael Head and the Strands and the first Shack album Zilch. The price here is a bit steep but if you cant find it anywhere else......This album is influenced by Love(the band),the Stone Roses,English folk and Love. Just listening to the first song Sgt.Major and you relise that all other indie bands smell next to this. Without a doubt the best British record of the 90's. There is also hope for future classics what with Shack signing with a major label. They released H.M.S. Fable in 1999 to much cheer-I found it disapointing leaning to much towards Oasis for its own good. Please, Please buy this record though, you will be glad you did.

Anyone who knows the story of Shack will know the drug addiction, record company indifference and sheer bad luck which has dogged them since their days as the Pale Fountains. Michael and John Head created this masterpiece in 1991, predating Oasis and the "Britpop" phenomenon by several years. Originally the studio where this was recorded burned down just days after it was completed, taking the master tapes with it. Luckily a record exec had this on Digital Audio Tape as he travelled across the USA in a hire car. He did however manage to LOSE it and then had to wait for 6 months to get it back. By this time the record company that had shown so much interest had gone under and it wasn't released till 1995 on Marina records in Germany.

All this said it remains an album of breathtaking assurance and harmony, one which the Head brothers have not (for me) replicated. Gorgeous layered harmonies, subtle vovcals and lilting acoustic guitars create a feeling of rare beauty. This isn't an easy album to come by but one that cannot be recommended highly enough. Buy it for a better life....

WATERPISTOL, a treasure of the mid 1980s, is one of the occasional series of works by Liverpudlian singer/songwriter Michael Head. Along with John, his brother, Head has through manifestations as the Pale Fountains, Shack and lately The Strands, provided a frustratingly brief catalogue of songs. The writing on WATERPISTOL is deeply personal, melodically complex, and lyrically inventive. Although the emotions on which Head reflects hang closely to experiences particular to an age in the development of man, nonetheless the themes on which he so beautifully reflects are universal: of love and loss; of change and friendship. From the airy, chiming guitars of Sgt Major - the CDs opener, to the gentle lyricism of London Town at its close - you are spared the bombast of mere statement, the rattle of aural stormclouds The arrangements vary, but each track has an inherent rythmn, be it the strumming of a rich acoustic guitar, or the open-production which allows percussion, guitar and vocal equal chance to be heard. Perhaps think of the Verve, or the Charlatans in their quieter moments as a comparison. WATERPISTOL ranks as a unique statement in British popular music. It is a rare delight, a treasure; it is Sunday morning and rainy Tuesday; the Beatles and the Stones. I like this album because it makes me hum for days afterwards. And every time I listen to it I never fail to be slightly surprised, and not a little bit nervous, of its unassuming assault on my emotions.

The story of this album is already told, so it's really about the music now. It's just brilliant. Following the debut "Zilch" and lost for years, "Waterpistol" delivers the extraordinary songwriting and everyman vocals of Michael Head. "Neighbours" is an absolute classic, followed by song after song of brilliant and soul-stirring authenticity. The capper, "London Town", sets the tone for many of the future Shack albums that end with an acoustic, intimate glimpse of life through the lens of Michael Head. "Waterpistol" is an unconventional album that was nearly lost in a fire, took years to emerge, and was completely worth the wait. A masterful work.