What Does Anything Mean Basically? [Import, Original recording reissued]

Chameleons | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1985
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording reissued
• Label: Dead Dead Good
• ASIN: B000024HST
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,497 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Silence, Sea And Sky

2. Perfume Garden

3. Intrigue In Tangiers

4. Ruturn Of The Roughnecks

5. Singing Rule Britannia (While The Whales Close In)

6. On The Beach

7. Looking Inwardly

8. One Flesh

9. Home Is Where The Heart Is

10. P.S. Goodbye

11. In Shreds

12. Nostalgia

Editorial Reviews

1995 Dead Dead Good records release out of the U.K.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awe Inspiring, December 15, 2001

By 

David Whiting (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Does Anything Mean Basically? (Audio CD)

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.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Unknown Band Of All Time, April 1, 2002

By 

B. Greer (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Does Anything Mean Basically? (Audio CD)

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.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Album deserves 10 Stars!!!, September 3, 2002

By 

Victor Campos (Atlanta, Ga USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Does Anything Mean Basically? (Audio CD)

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)