Customer Reviews

What Does Anything Mean? Basically (2009 Remaster)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Chameleons have to be one of the greatest under-appreciated treasures of all time and it's a shame that they have never received the recognition they so richly deserve in the USA. Most fans of the Chameleons will typically site "Script of the Bridge" or "Strange Times as their favorite disc, but while these are indeed great discs, my personal fave is actually "What Does Anything Mean?" This disc transports me to another place each time I listen to it. Songs such as "Intrigue in Tangiers" and "Perfume Garden" showcase a surreal blanket of guitar and synthesizer enveloping beautifully poetic vocal melodies. While themes and moods can be dark, the absolute triumph of this effort is how uplifting this body of work is. These are songs that ultimately create a sense of childlike wonder and possibility. Anyone who has ever liked bands such as Echo and the Bunnymen, U2 or the Psychedelic Furs would be doing themselves an immense favor by taking the time to discover this band.

Either you get the Chameleons or you don't. Those who know and love this band understand that they were a huge and defining part of 80's and 90's rock and roll. Passionate and complex. Majestic and haunting. The power of Mark Burgess' voice is rivaled only by such greats as Ian Curtis and Peter Murphy. Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies are master craftsmen who create a deeply, dark swirl of multi-layered, sonic guitar driven bliss. I was fortunate enough to see the Chameleons in Los Angeles 2 years ago (they played a 2 shows in 2000) and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! The Chameleons maintain their place on that unparalleled, higher plane of rock and roll.

If you're a hardcore fan I highly recommend the Dali's Picture/Live in Berlin double disc. If you're just starting your collection then buy Script of the Bridge or What Does Anything Mean? first, Strange Times and The Fan and the Bellows after that. All of these releases are worth their weight in musical gold.

The Chameleons and the Music they created were the "Secret" soundtrack to my life(along with The Waterboys). Discovered the band in 1984 with Script of the Bridge, and a year later this album Flew into my life! Words can do this album no justice. It was the album only a few of my friends and I ever kept to ourselves. Were REM and U2 was a common topic of conversation, The Chameleons were a topic of Inspiration! Thank God I had the chance to see them live in 1987 and to have a chance to meet them, and How incredible still that on Sept 28th and 29th of this year they will embark on a US tour right here in Atlanta! Will I be there? Already have tickets for both nights! Will I be moved the way I was back in 1985 if they play any of those songs live? Lets just say I'm bringing tissues! Buy this album at any cost! I'm 34 years old now, and I can't imagine not to have had this album in my collection! (8:00pm Somewhere in Atlanta)

Personally I think this is the Chameleons' bst record - listen to tracks like On The Beach, Looking Inwardly, PS Goodbye and Return Of The Roughnecks, you'll see why.

It's a eighties years' pure sound (with all reververed guitars, keyboards and drums) They created an atmosphiere in this record that made it an emblematic one. The proof of it is this re-edition. The record is plenty of brilliant songs that bring us into those years

I often hear it argued that "Script of the Bridge" is the greatest album the Chameleons have released, which in my opinion is patently absurd. Yes, it is a phenomenal album. I hear complaints that this album wasn't mastered perfectly and to that end, I agree and hope that an eventual remastering is coming down the line.
That aside, what I listened to when hearing this album was the quality of the melodies themselves. It all starts with a synthesizer lulling you into a calm before the storm ... "Silence Seas and Sky", appropriately titled.
then you are hit with the blistering opening riff of "Perfumed Garden" which grows into a wall of sound. The swirling guitars and thoughtfull lyrics bring you into another reality. Garden is about the facade of pop music and how emptiness is preferred over meaning. Think of any pop star you know and try to decipher a strong message in their music and you can see what the intent of this song is. It stabs at mediocrity in the music business. This message was truly ahead of its time and was also a common theme in Morrissey's lyrics.
Quietness resumes and the sound of rain and a light guitar fading in with some very tactful strings introduce the next song and my favorite track on the album "Intrigue in Tangier's". Being a musician, I pulled this song apart piece by piece thinking it had to be complex but I found that it was indeed quite simple ... only a few chords. What made it so interesting is that the guitars layer upon each other and creating a swirling, reverberating, delayed panning smorgasbord of sounds and notes that with my eyes closed and a pair of head phones on, had my pupils darting back and forth behind the lids seeking out every noise and sound. The changes and vocals emphasize the urgency of the songs message which appears to be remembering the moments and coming to terms with mortality and precious the time you are given and how quickly that time passes.
"Return of the Roughnecks" and "Singing Rule Britannia" are reworks of similar chord progressions arranged differently and the guitar intro roars in another tapestry of swirling and weaving framework. The drums, though dated by the snare sound push the songs along at a mesmerizing pace.
"On the Beach", appears to be a song about seeing a ghost or something unexplainable and trying to come to terms with it. This tune sees the guitars mired in heavy effects and wash the listener into a welcome weariness as to not take away from the heavy vocals.
"Looking Inwardly" is probably the low spot on the album. It lulls with introspection and is a primarily bass driven song with simplistic guitars. The builds are what keeps the song from falling in on itself. This was my least favorite song on the album.
However, as quickly as the last track disappears into the ether, the next track comes forward to save you. "One Flesh" fades in with veiled power and then the guitars deliver you into yet another wall of sound. "With the Sun in your eyes" ... vocally, I found this to be one of the strongest songs and is easily my second favorite. The message it seems, is about staying in abusive relationships. The drums are tactful and lend well to some of the best musicianship on the album.
The band give the listener a breather with "P.S. Goodbye" which is tasteful on all accounts with all instruments including the voice. Not sure what the message is in this song but it appears as if Mark Burgess (The Lead Vocalist/bassist/lyricist) is trying to explain his muse.
The breather quickly ends and "In Shreds" begins. I have read somewhere that this is one of the first songs from the band. It belies some of their more punk rock origins (I'm guessing) and is a very dark song. "Ignored by you all, I stumble and fall, I suddenly knew
My life meant nothing at all, The whore in my bed, The noise in my head
The hole in my pride, It's coming and there's nowhere to hide". I remember hearing this song in clubs in the late 80's and early 90's which always elicited a huge response form the crowd. Hard to believe many of them didn't even know who the Chameleons were, and sad in a way.
The album finishes with a song that is sort of the happy ending, at least musically. "Nostalgia" again reflects on the passage of time and the worry that you may miss the moments and only be able to appreciate them when thinking back upon them. It seems like with a friend who was there and can help you recall. The guitars maintain the theme of layering upon one another and for some reason when I hear it I think of driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I must have had the tape on perpetual replay.
In short, This album transcends all other albums because it creates an audio tapestry and actually speaks to the listener much in the same way that OK Computer or Synchronicity did. The Chameleons never enjoyed mainstream success but the people they touched, they touched forever in ways that many other bands will never be capable of. This album exemplifies that sentiment and I wholeheartedly recommend it without reserve.

My biggest dissapointment with What Does Anything Mean Basically by the Chameleons has been the over-produced, washed-out, glossy manner in which the casual listener would hear upon first listen. Only after hearing many of the songs in their raw form via the John Peel Sessions or other BBC Radio sessions can one appreciate just how intense and powerful each song really is without the producer(s) which managed somehow to neuter and tone-down otherwise thunderous drums or intricate guitar work. Guitar hooks which should have catapulted the Chameleons to much more fame failed to be heard due to poor mixing. Excellent drumming was immasculated by the mid-80's hollow production style. Basically, to enjoy this album, one needs to hear all songs in their infancy first and then blast the album to actually hear the true structures of the songs. The second disc of this release makes up for alot of grievances with the actual album. The demos represent what the album should have been - recorded in their truer form without all of the studio gimmicks. It's not perfect, but it provides a bridge between sometimes very raw radio sessions and far too much production in the released album's recording studio.

This album somehow manages to be dreamy and intense at the same time. The whole thing is great, and even though the production is a bit murky, the songs are consistently top-notch. I've never ever heard a band that is able to create such an epic, emotional sound out of seemingly simple songs as these. The way the songs switch gears half-way, with mini-songs within songs, and the way the guitars chime away and the synth sounds move in and out is just mesmerizing.

The main difference between this album and the godly Sript of the Bridge is that this one lacks the dark, haunting ambience. Instead, it has a much lighter vibe about it, almost commercial-friendly. It's not a sell-out by any means- the songwriting and musicianship are still great- but the mood of the album is completely different, and personally, I prefer the aura of 'Script' alot more

Love the Chameleons. Great melodic music. I was very much looking forward to this CD. One big problem, the mastering (sound quality and range) is by far the worst that I have listened to in years. Tried listening to this CD twice. Pathetic. Tossed it in my junk box in the closet. Oh well.
PS: I spent over 3K for my car system and at home I have a bi-amped very good system as well, so it was not my sound systems.