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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best, June 19, 2000
This review is from: Welcome to the Beautiful South (Audio CD)
Welcome to... is a classic. I too was introduced to The Beautiful South by Sassy (had to throw that in since another reviewer was as well!) and though I've liked all their subsequent albums, this remains my favorite. TBS is quite well known in the UK, but mysteriously underappreciated here in the US - if you're a Housemartins, Billy Bragg, Kirsty MacColl, or Belle & Sebastian fan, you will probably like them. Give it a listen!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a combination, April 25, 2000
This review is from: Welcome to the Beautiful South (Audio CD)
Great lyrics with great music - simple as that. The lyrics are cynical, sometimes over-clever, and always compassionate in a dark and brooding kind of way. And they always challenge you, without leaving the domain of popular music. A song like "Have You Ever Been Away" could so easily have been political (see for example, "Maggie what have we done" - Roger Waters in 1982), yet it isn't - it just makes you think, and occasionally laugh out loud. But that does not mean that the Beautiful South are just a thinking man's band - their music is great. On this album it is mostly quite soft, a good album to chill to in the evening, with some beautiful songs like Under the Covers, Sail This Ship Alone, and the opening track. The singing in particular is so pure that it makes a mockery of the more evil lyrics, a sweet & sour mix that works extremely well. This works as an album, too, with a great finish that, aah - makes you want to start all over again. I hate albums like that, because you never get to listen to anything else...but really, that means that I love it. If the idea of clever lyrics puts you off, listen to some of the tracks, and you will see that the music is good enough on its own to warrant thinking seriously about purchasing it. And if you do like good lyrics - I am thinking fans of Pink Floyd, or the Manic Street Preachers, or the Smiths (or any number of other "clever" bands) - then you really should go for it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Divine and perfect for anything at all., December 7, 1999
This review is from: Welcome to the Beautiful South (Audio CD)
This CD -- brought to my attention in my early teens by "Sassy" magazine (remember that, U.S. GenX ladies?) -- has everything going for it. Songs so catchy that I have replaced my copy of this album 3 times because of normally fab friends stealing it from me. Lyrics so smart and funny that I have actually spent the money to replace it each time. And melodies so sweet and weird that I never get tired of hearing it. I think that this is my favorite Beautiful South album as it hangs together the best -- the songs don;t all sound the same, but form a logical aural progression through the course of the album. The dark lyrics are offset by the lush melodies, and the nasty humor is offset by the self-depricating light laughs. Enjoy this relevant, moody, funny album from an underappreciated band.
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