Drawn & Ready

Drawn & Ready

Track Listings

1. Everything

2. So Cold, So Lonely

3. Marionne

4. Afraid to Die

Tracks:

The Shining
Everybody's Stalking
Bewilder
Fall In A River
Camping Next To Water
Stone On The Water
Another Pearl
Body Rap
Once Around The Block
This Song
Bewilderbeast
Magic In The Air
Cause A Rockslide
Pissing In The Wind
Blistered Heart
Disillusion
Say It Again
Epitaph

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

In 2000, the techno-folk troubadour Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy, won the U.K.-based Mercury Music Prize, Brit-pop's blue ribbon award. His first full-length, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, is a song cycle relaying the life span of a romantic relationship with dry lyrical humor, soft-touch acoustic strumming, mellow horns, and gossamer strings. Repeated listenings are required, but like a down pillow, as your head sinks into this album, its warm comforts and rewards reveal themselves deep within a melodic cushion. --Beth Massa

Album Description

Debut full length from acclaimed singer/songwriter Damon Gough who collaborated with U.N.K.L.E. on 'Psyence Fiction'. Includes the single 'Another Pearl'. 18 tracks of futurist folk. Droll, yet touching, seldom immediate, but forever sublime. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Album Details

Eagerly-Anticipated 18 Track Debut Album from Damon Gough who is Badly Drawn Boy. Features a Collaboration with the Doves On: 'Pissing in the Wind'& 'Dissillusion'.

Customer Reviews:

Badly Drawn Boy... simply the best..........2006-03-15

The way he uses all kind of instruments and his lyrics are amazing... few have the genius this guy has.

I hated this at first, but it grows on you - this is unique and fun indie pop!.......2006-01-01

Anyone who's into indie pop probably has heard the name Badly Drawn Boy before (this album won best album of the year over Massive Attack's "Mezzanine" in the 1999 British music awards). I'll admit that at first I didn't really like this album as most of the songs weren't as instantly catchy as "Everybody's Stalking" and "Disillusion" (the two standouts and my favorite tracks on the album). If you give the rest some time, though, you'll find that not only are they unique and interesting, but they're all very good! Badly Drawn Boy, aka Damon Gough, has a pretty likable voice that suits the music very well, and although he's not perfect he does a fine job. Musically the album is pretty hard to describe - it's a mixture of indie rock, indie pop and other genres that I'm not sure how to describe. He uses some slightly unique instruments (the names of which I don't know) that give everything a strange and new sound. Basically, the whole album sounds fresh. The lyrics are also surprisingly good here and very memorable in some of the songs ("Disillusion" especially). I'm not entirely sure what all the songs are about yet, but I know that most people will like paying attention to his words. The only complaint I could possibly make about the album is that the production could use some work (the songs are a littly fuzzy and lo-fi, but perhaps that was his intention?). Despite any minor grievances I might have, "The Hour Of Bewilderbeast" remains a great album that all indie pop fans should own (non-genre fans will probably like it, too)! Absolutely recommended!

Highlights include:
"The Shining"
"Everybody's Stalking"
"Disillusion"
the rest are good, too

Great Album.......2005-11-04

Well, Badly Drawn Boy does it again. What a nice album, with so entertaining melodies. This is the kind of music you want to listen while traveling through a beautiful landscape. This is music to relax and to sing along. Just when you hear the first notes of "The Shining" your body shivers. It's such a complete album. My fave tracks are: The Shining, Everybody's Stalking, Camping Next to Water, Stone on the Water and Magic in the Air. If you like BDB previous albums, don't hesitate in buying this one. Also you might like to check Andrew Bird.

This is my favorite album ever--and that's saying something........2005-02-17

To me, it doesn't get any better than this collection of music. It's not even perfect, but that's part of what makes it perfect. My favorite songs in the world on this album, and I always keep coming back to it. The best of the best:

1. Once Around the Block (Track 9)--It's the best song I've ever heard, and it has been for about 5 years. Just put it on, turn it up, and let it surround you. Then take a left, a sharp left, and another left, and listen again.

2. Camping Next to Water (Track 5)--This one's melancholy and full of soul. Great to listen to on a grey day.

3. The Shining (Track 1)--Okay, listen to this one on a sunny day!--(or any day actually). Badly Drawn Boy just does whatever he wants with my emotions, and with this one, he makes me very happy.

4. Cause a Rockslide (Track 13)--The steady bass drum makes this one glide, and don't miss the "in-between" track at the very end.

5. Magic in the Air (Track 12)--Oh so sweet...without getting sappy somehow. It's like a an old-fashioned romance movie as opposed to a romantic-comedy.

6. Pissing in the Wind (Track 14)--This one has some twang to it, which I love. Also some great vocals, and I'll take anything with some harmonica!

7. Stone on the Water (Track 6)--Very smooth. Creates this delightfully eerie mood.

And the rest of the songs are equally fulfilling if not as masterful as these seven.

In another of his songs (from the "Live at Glastonbury" bootleg CD), "Sha La La", Badly Drawn Boy says, "Slick, sugar-sweet candy beats and some words that rhyme." And that's what he's done on this album. Sounds so easy anyone could do it. But he does it best.

Melancholy Euphoria.......2004-12-11

I remember vividly when I first listened to this album. It was the undercurrent of an entire sememster at college. I remember falling under its spell listening to it on my headphones. This is almost like an audial-drug experience, in that it alters your view of the world, making you feel like a different person while you are listening to it. Damon's melifluous, effortless, honeyed voice is complimented by the rich pastiche of sound that fills the tracks. This album reminds me of Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, by the Beatles, in the way that it pushes the boundaries of what's been done, exploring new terrain in sound by finding new ways to blend what we are already familiar with. It truly creates a new landscape of sound. Rarely are you so conscious of the color and texture of the sounds that you are hearing than while listening to BDB.

The mood acheived by Badly Drawn Boy alternates between melancholy and fun-loving, but he is always reserved, as if he is hesitant to push it to that next notch. But where other artists apex at their most intense moments (think of Mick Jagger's tenacious snarling), Badly Drawn Boy's finest moments are when his music induces a gestalt, as you realize the precise nature of the beautiful sounds you are hearing.

Average customer rating:

beautiful autumnal soundtrack
Badly Drawn Boy Makes Magic Again
Beautiful and interesting music
Didn't Know this existed
Breath taking

About a Boy
Badly Drawn Boy
Manufacturer: Xl Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

One Plus One Is One
About a Boy (Widescreen Edition)
Born in the U.K.
Have You Fed the Fish
Garden State

ASIN: B000062Y44
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Tracks:

Exit Stage Right
Peak You Reach
Something to Talk About
Dead Duck
Above You, Below Me
I Love N.Y.E.
Silent Sigh
Wet, Wet, Wet
River-Sea-Ocean
Spat
Rachel's Flat
Walking Out of Stride
File Me Away
Minor Incident
Delta (Little Boy Blues)
Donna & Butzon

Album Description

What's a budding musical genius to do in the pent-up lull between albums? Mercury Prize-winning singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy (nee Damon Gough), in his spare time between heralded debut THE HOUR OF BEWILDERBEEST, and a follow-up to be released later in 2002, approached the filmmakers adapting Nick Hornby's acclaimed novel ABOUT A BOY about the soundtrack for the film starring Hugh Grant. There's no question to the logic of the combination as Gough's sublimely literate, disaffected yet still charmingly breezy pop music fits the story of life's apparent losers at two stages of life, one an apathetic womanizer approaching his 40s, the other a bullied misfit boy passing into his teens, between whom an unlikely friendship ensues. A folky singer/songwriter scoring songs to help set the tone of a movie about unlikely friendship could stir up memories of Cat Stevens's unreleased soundtrack for "Harold & Maude," a fair enough assessment. In a similar fashion (but in its own way), Badly Drawn Boy's take on ABOUT A BOY weaves a mournful, yet upbeat tapestry drawing from its source material while managing to enrich the story itself. There are even some pop megahit hooks such as in the rolling "Silent Sigh" and in the head-bobbing, ostensible theme song "Something To Talk About."

Album Description

Soundtrack to 2002 film, based on the Nick Hornby ('High Fidelity') novel of the same name, starring Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz, & Toni Colette. Includes the singles, 'Silent Sigh' & 'Something To Talk About'.

Customer Reviews:

beautiful autumnal soundtrack.......2006-10-06

Like most of you who are reading this review, this wasn't my first BDB purchase -- that would go to Hour of Bewilderbeast. In fact, this was my 3rd BDB album purchase.

This album is amazing. Just different enough from his non-soundtrack albums to be interesting yet containing all of the things you love about him. On first listen, you may think the musical interludes are filler -- you'd be wrong, though. On subsequent listens, this album reveals itself as the perfect creation it is. I'd liken it to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On in the sense that all the songs have a very similar feel, and musical interludes have some melodies repeated throughout the album.

So buy this, jump in the car on a rainy, autumn day and prepare to be completely astounded by how good these melodies and songs are.

Badly Drawn Boy Makes Magic Again.......2005-12-14

This is the fourth BDB album I've bought and it's simply an amazingly brillant piece of musicianship. I've listened to this album a ridiculous amount of times and I never cease to enjoy every song on here. BDB finds a perfect balance mixing quirky instrumental tracks with an equal number of wonderful vocal pieces, creating an album rarely surpassed by musicians today. With enticing lyrics and catchy tunes, the soundtrack to "About a Boy" will please its buyers and delight any who take a moment to listen to BDB work his magic.

Beautiful and interesting music.......2005-09-22

A great soundtrack for the "About A Boy" movie. This eclectic, energetic, wistful music conjurs up a range of emotions depicted in the movie. My wife loves the CD too. Very original.

Didn't Know this existed.......2005-06-18

I've been looking for the soundtrack everywhere. It's one of the most original, uplifting, "gladdening" -as the original review copy reads - soundtracks out there. Love it!

Breath taking.......2004-12-25

THIS MOVIE IS A GREAT INSPIRATION FOR ANYONE TRYING TO TURN THEIR LIFE AROUND.

Average customer rating:

The Drawn and Quartered EP
Fair to Midland
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Inter Funda Stifle
Fables From a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times is True
Tierra Trágame
Live at the Fillmore
Fear of a Blank Planet

ASIN: B000JCETGK
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Tracks:

Orphan Anthem
Kyla Cries Cologne
A Seafarer's Knot
Abigail

Average customer rating:

Sorely Disappointed
The Best BDB Album!
Return to Bewilderbeast
Like a fine wine...
A new fan is born!

One Plus One Is One
Badly Drawn Boy
Manufacturer: Astralwerks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Chamber Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Born in the U.K.
Have You Fed the Fish
Born in the U.K.
The Crane Wife
About a Boy

ASIN: B0002IQGUI
Release Date: 2004-07-27

Tracks:

One Plus One Is One
Easy Love
Summertime In Wintertime
This Is That New Song
Another Devil Dies
The Blossoms
Year Of The Rat
Four Leaf Clover
Fewer Words
Logic Of A Friend
Stockport
Life Turned Upside Down
Take The Glory
Holy Grail
Don't Ask Me I'm Only The President* (exclusive to US version)
Plan B* (exclusive to US version)

Amazon.com

With One Plus One Is One, lovable, romantic, woolly-hat-clad eccentric Damon Gough has produced his best album since his glorious debut (The Hour of Bewilderbeast). With Badly Drawn Boy shunning LA in favor of a Manchester studio and with Andy Votel back at the production helm One Plus One is a wry, self-mocking, and exquisitely personal album that finds Gough re-evaluating the sudden fame that found him working with Joan Collins, recording soundtracks, and residing in California.

The opening title track sets the mood with Gough exhaustedly intoning "Back to being who I was before/ Open up your door/ Give me some peace/ Hold me now/ Everybody is waiting outside." Other highlights include the playfully clumsy rhythms of "Four Leaf Clover" and the epic and ingenious "Holy Grail," the latter coming complete with weaving flute, children's choir, pounding piano, and lyrics able to break a heart at half a listen. Charming, disheveled, and unpretentious throughout, One Plus One Is One is a superb comeback that will warm the hearts and delight the ears of his loyal fan base. --Christopher Barrett

Customer Reviews:

Sorely Disappointed.......2006-08-15

I do not like this album. The tunes on this are unimpressive, and the lyrics are monotonous and similarly unimpressive. I ordered it on reading a few reviews and let me make clear it is nothing like Bewilderbeast (which is excellent), if you are a BDB fan. I even think Have you Fed the Fish Today is a better album overall.

The Best BDB Album!.......2005-11-04

If I could I would give this album 4 stars and a half. It nearly apporaches perfection. If the hour of the bewilderbeast is an amazing album. This for me, was done with more effort. This album remindsme of being in a nice and comfortable bar listening to a guy playing his acoustic guitar and singing these songs. Easy to digest, easy to like. My fave tracks are: One plus one is one, This is that new song, Another devil dies, Year of the rat (probably my BDB fave), and Logic of a friend. This album won't dissapoint you. Give it a try.

Return to Bewilderbeast.......2005-09-06

One Plus One Is One is a return to the emotional modern folk sound BDB cultivated on the magnificient Hour of Bewilderbeast album. His previous two releases were a bit of a detour: they were interesting but didn't have the same emotional impact. 1+1=1 sounds like Damon Gough has gotten back onto the path of Bewilderbeast, but matured along the way and progressed from there into new territory. The album has nothing but great songs on it. The lyrics in "This is That New Song" about a failed relationship are wonderful. "Summertime in Wintertime" sounds like Damon is channeling Jethro Tull with some wild rock'n'roll flute. Another Devil Dies, Four Leaf Clover, and Holy Grail stand out as memorable favorites, but really it's hard to pick favorites because all the songs are so good.

Like a fine wine..........2005-07-19

Being a huge BDB fan, I really wanted to love this CD. He's extremely talented and refreshing compared to a lot of the junk out there.

Having listened to it many times through, I have decided this CD gets better with time. My first listen to One Plus One is One left me feeling dissapointed. I didn't like the direction he went in, and I felt like he was trying too hard after getting so much criticism with Have You Fed the Fish.

I gave the CD a rest, but then one day I felt like giving it another try. To my suprise, some of the songs I originally didn't care for, I started to like. As I kept listening to it, I really began to enjoy it.

Something tells me this CD will be on the extremes--Either you love it or hate it--Don't be too quick to dismiss this CD, though...give it some time. You just may end up really liking it!

A new fan is born!.......2005-03-07

I am new to Badly Drawn Boy. I discovered him, probably like many, through the film 'About a Boy',and was drawn in by his simple and yet effective melodies. I have been yearning for some mellow, guitar, songwriter kind of music recently, and this is far beyond that!
This album is wonderful. He has an amazing ability to write beautiful and melodic songs, many with just a string section, some great chords and a guitar. And yet there are also some epic songs on here, as mentioned before, 'Holy Grail' has a childrens choir and the song somehow works really well with all the funky experimental stuff going on.
This album is perfect for sitting and chilling to. I like to study to it alot! It has catchy upbeat tunes to keep you motivated, and yet it isn't at all distracting.
At least take a listen to 'One Plus One Is One' , 'This is That New Song' and 'Year of The Rat' to give you a feel for this album, and enjoy!
5 out of 5 stars!

Average customer rating:

String Theory
It's the melodies that matter!
Good for elevator music
Amazing!
Most pleasing!

Beatles Acoustic Guitar Solos
Stephen Bennett
Manufacturer: Cimirron/Rainbird Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Fab 4 on 6
Christmas: Acoustic Guitar Solos
Tunes
Revolution: A Rock Tribute to the Beatles
lisa lauren loves the beatles

ASIN: B000CAF7II
Release Date: 2005-07-01

Tracks:

Eight Days A Week
A Hard Day's Night
Hello Goodbye
In My Life
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Blackbird
Yesterday
Here, There and Everywhere
Strawberry Fields Forever
Penny Lane
Something
If I Fell
All My Loving
Hey Jude
All You Need Is Love

Album Description

I have loved the Beatles since I started playing guitar in the late '60s. Over the years I have put together solo arrangements of many of their tunes, those presented here and many others. For this recording however, I have gone back and reworked these 15 tunes so that they are as complete as I can make them. With some, I have tossed out my previous arrangments and started over from scratch. They are all in their original key, which sometimes presented a challenge, but I thought it was important that these tunes, which so many people around the globe know, be in the register the boys from Liverpool recorded them... sb

Customer Reviews:

String Theory.......2007-07-30

A fine collection of well chosen and performed selection of covers of the best band ever. Well worth listening to.

It's the melodies that matter!.......2007-07-29

Stephen found a way to play Beatles melodies on guitar in a way that few have mastered. Yes, it is only one guy! And, where else can you hear some of our favorite Beatles tunes played on a harp guitar? This is a fantastic collection and I hope he does a second Beatles cd (hint, hint). Some of my favorites on this cd are Blackbird, In My Life, and Hello Goodbye. There are places to hear these songs on the web if you look.

Good for elevator music.......2007-03-19

I had high hopes for this CD. Maybe that was the problem. I had imagined this would be something along the lines of the cover tunes the Bartron Tyler Group does in their Beatles renditions. Granted BTG is a group, Stephen Bennett is one person, so there's a difference. The biggest difference is BTG makes the songs their own. Stephen Bennett plays the songs almost unfailingly note for note in the exact tempo they were done by the Beatles. I might as well listen to the Beatles doing them. There's no venturing out here, no stylizing. For me, this was a big disappointment.

Amazing!.......2007-03-09

What an imaginative guitar player. This is one fingerstylist not to miss. Many musicians who play Beatles music go for a new direction from the original arrangements trying to be fresh and innovative. It takes something special to take the song arrangements we've grown up with--the multi-tracked recordings laden with orchestral parts--and do them all at once with only two hands on one guitar. Hearing one man do that is, in my book, fresh and innovative. Anyone can think up something new. Try doing it the way we know it--solo--and in the original keys no less and you've got one hell of a great listening experience.

Most pleasing!.......2007-02-09

This is one of my new favorites. Stephen Bennett is a master of many voicings with the guitar. A must have CD!

Average customer rating:

Let's hope this isn't a trend.
Not as good as his other stuff
"Born in the U.K." a departure but their best yet
Badly Drawn / Written / Produced / Thought Out Boy
Melancholy Piano Ballades Carry the Album

Born in the U.K.
Badly Drawn Boy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

One Plus One Is One
The Crane Wife
The Good, the Bad & the Queen
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Sky Blue Sky

ASIN: B000H4W2IM
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Tracks:

Intro/Swimming Pool Part 1
Born In The U.K.
Degrees Of Separation
Welcome To The Overground
Journey From A To B
Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind
Promises
The Way Things Used To Be
Without A Kiss
Long Way Round
Walk You Home
The Time Of Times
One Last Dance

Album Description

Badly Drawn Boy returns with his fifth studio album, 'Born In The UK', on 16th October. Whittling down nigh on 30 tracks to just 13 wasn't the easiest process, but his first album in 2 years is also his best to date. The first track to be heard from the album was the title track - 160-seconds of rollicking rock'n'roll which details the events that have shaped his life since 1969. BDB-watchers will note the reference to Gough's hero Bruce Springsteen. The first proper single from the album is one of the best songs Damon's ever written - 'Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind' comes out on 9th October. The song is a swelling, intricate, ballad that he feels is "tinged with seventies-ness, with Bacharach-ness. I can imagine Pan's People dancing to it. It's part Bond theme too. That's my experience of being a kid in the seventies". EMI. 2006.

Customer Reviews:

Let's hope this isn't a trend........2007-07-14

I've been a rabid BDB fan for a long time, and have always felt a huge connection to his music. However, this album's lyrics were appallingly cliched and canned, and the music seemed obvious and boring. I was thoroughly shocked and disappointed. Don't expect the same level of previous work.

Not as good as his other stuff.......2007-03-10

Seems a bit more radio-friendly than his other stuff. A bit too "poppy" for me. The songs built as you would expect them, but you don't get the feeling that they really deliver.

"Born in the U.K." a departure but their best yet.......2006-11-29

While not being a traditional BDB fan, in my opinion I think this is their best effort yet. My son turned me on in the first place and I have been hooked ever since. Some have critized the lyrics on this CD, however, there is no denying that the melodies on many of the tracks are fabulous. The piano and strings in "With A Kiss" are worth the price of the CD alone. Find a nice quite place and give a listen to "Promises" and "Long Way Around" and you will really appreciate Damon Gough's vocal talent. Overall, it's a good one!

Badly Drawn / Written / Produced / Thought Out Boy.......2006-11-10

In the song "Without a Kiss," Damon Gough sings "All the songs have been sung." As if to prove this sentiment, Badly Drawn Boy releases his most lackluster, disappointing, and all around boring work of his career. Before you stop reading, know that I am a BDB fan, from "Bewilderbeast" to "Fish" to "One Plus One." Even the quirky "About a Boy" soundtrack holds a special place in my musical heart. Sure, even those brilliant albums had a dud or two, but that's what the skip button is for, right?
Except not even the skip button can save "Born in the U.K.," an album that begins awkwardly enough (with a pseudo-philosophical, self-important question and answer session between Damon and himself) and ends...well, who knows where it ends. Most will be asleep by that time. This album is bad. Really bad. The one star rating is definitely earned, with the Polyphonic Spree-esque "Welcome to the Overground" and the slow tempo version of "Born in the U.K." being the only redeeming songs on an album destined for the bargain bin. Aside from those two "gems" (and I use the term "gem" loosely), the remaining songs are horridly generic.
Do yourself a favor, from one Badly Drawn Boy fan to another: put on "Have You Fed the Fish?" at full volume and avoid this album like the plague.

Melancholy Piano Ballades Carry the Album.......2006-10-26

Those who enjoy BDB's lovely piano-based ballades from previous albums will want to check out Born in the UK, which gives a heavy dose of the heavy-hearted piano songs similar to Wildebeast. The lyrics range from the mundane, two lovers going separate paths, to the more provocative--struggling to affirm life in the presence of evil and suffering. If you like this type of music, you might check out the similar crooning from Magnet, Page France, Ronderlin, Midlake, and Radio Dept.

Average customer rating:

I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over
You Can't Believe It, I know
Have You Heard Anything Else This Original Lately?
It's never gonna be like "The Hour..." get over yourselfs and take it for what it is
Very Good.

Have You Fed the Fish
Badly Drawn Boy
Manufacturer: Reincarnate Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

One Plus One Is One
About a Boy
Born in the U.K.
It's Never Been Like That
At War with the Mystics

ASIN: B00006LHW4
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

Coming In To Land
Have You Fed the Fish?
Born Again
40 Days, 40 Fights
All Possibilities
I Was Wrong
You Were Right
Centre Peace
How
The Further I Slide
Imaginary Lines
Using Our Feet
Tickets to What You Need
What Is It Now
Bedside Story

Amazon.com

The second full-length album (not counting his superb soundtrack to About a Boy) by Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy, reveals the true depths of his songwriting and arranging talents. While his debut, The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, knocked us dead with his fey, indie-folk-rock sensibilities, Have You Fed the Fish shows a musician striving for top-shelf greatness in the pantheon of British pop, à la the Beatles, Oasis, and Radiohead. Lush arrangements with strings, horns, a very grand piano, and guitars abound, with a richness rarely found in pop and rock music these days. Gough's songwriting is topnotch and by turns catchy and clever, stinging and personal. But you've been warned: this album gives us less of the indie-pop hero you may want to love, and more of a classic rock idol in the making. Beck/Elliott Smith producer Tom Rothrock is at the helm, and the glossy sheen that results may offend some lo-fi "slacker pop" aficionados. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over.......2006-05-16

Seriously, I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over.
It is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. I'm 37 and there have been alot of nights.

You Can't Believe It, I know.......2006-02-04

I know many true BDB fans will find this offensive but if it wasn't for this album, I wouldn't be a BDB fan. In fact, their other efforts are barely tolerable. For every thousand times I have played "Have You Fed The Fish" I have played all their other albums once. On the up side, if I had a top 100 alternative albums of all time list this little gem would definitely make the cut. If this is your only exposure to BDB and you like it. Be cautious with their other titles, they may bore you like they bore me.

Have You Heard Anything Else This Original Lately?.......2005-11-05

I love it when an artist is capable of having some fun with his career. Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) can be as serious as a heart attack, but he always sounds relaxed with himself, regardless of the topic. The net effect is that everything he records sounds so much more imaginative and creative, without drowning in the pathos that so many singer/songwriters utilize to express their innermost feelings. "Have You Fed the Fish?" is about as mundane a title as I can imagine, and yet the title track is bursting with energy, creativity, humor, and yes, perhaps just a touch of pathos. Throughout, the instrumentation is as imaginatively creative as the songs themselves. While a xylophone offers a distinct touch to one track, a full orchestra accompanies others. In either case, the instrumentation never bogs things down. In fact, some of the string-laden arrangements actually swing. Other songs betray a funky edge, too, ("Forty Days, Forty Fights"), but stylization is only a means to an end here, providing a basis and a bright atmosphere for the songwriting.

Overall, the mood is fun without becoming flighty, and reflective without becoming morose. It offers insight and entertainment simultaneously, in a manner that draws the listener in. A high point occurs when the short acoustic track "I Was Wrong" introduces "You Were Right". As the upbeat, reflective mood establishes itself, Gough shares a dream wherein he "was married to the queen, and Madonna lived next door. I think she took a shine to me..." Nevertheless, he remains true to himself, but then reflects on how he reacted when he heard the news about the deaths of a few celebrity heroes (John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Kurt Cobain, Jeff Buckley), realizing that he ultimately did nothing but sit in and watch the news on television. The track "How?" best sums up his perspective when he sings, "How can I give you the answers you need when all I possess is a melody?" After all, feeding the fish might sound brain-numbingly mundane, but not from the perspective of the fish. A- Tom Ryan

It's never gonna be like "The Hour..." get over yourselfs and take it for what it is.......2005-08-02

We all know about the comparisions being made to BDB's debut CD, "The Hour of the Bewilderbeast". We just have to get used to the fact that nothing BDB puts out there will be anything like it!

While this may not be better than BDB's first effort, it's a solid, good effort.

Forget "The Hour..." and all his previous work. This CD is filled with some great songs.

Favorite for me are:

"All Possibilities" (by far the best song on the CD for me)

"40 Days, 40 Fights"

"The Further I Slide"

"Born Again"

"How"

"I Was Wrong"

"You Were Right"

"Imaginary Lines" (I wish it was longer!) and

"Using Our Feet"

Be open minded! BDB is refreshing and completely talented compared to all the BS out there. Give this CD another chance

Very Good........2005-04-27

Badly Drawn Boy's second CD was fantastic. It's upbeat rythmes, catchy melodies, and orchestrations are addicting. Having said that it is not so much the same style as Hour of the BewilderBeast. Unlike his other albums it's missing it's tear-jerking masterpiece. However, I am a big BDB fan, and although it's not the same style as the first, I love it. Here's a list of my favorite songs on the CD.

1. Have you fed the Fish?: 4/5 Starts out kind of boring, then turns really friggin' great. The two second stages of this song are fantastic. This song will get stuck in your head, I garentee it.

2. 40 Days 40 Fights: 5/5 Really great song, this song is one of the reasons why I bought the CD. It has a interesting feel to it, and it's certainly a good one.

3. All Possibilities: 5/5 Best song on the CD. Awesome horn part, with a trippy string section, and an awesome bass. Has almost a disco feel.

4. How?: 3/5 This song is kind of boring, but there's a section in the middle that is probably my favorite moment in modern musical history.

5. Imaginary Lines: 3/5 Fun little song, but too short. I wish it was longer.

6. Tickets To What you need: 4/5 Good song.

Badly Drawn Boy makes great music and has awesome lyrics. He's a poet and that really comes out in his music. He also has a little thing called talent.

Average customer rating:

BDB's Best Yet
so good
Not his best
Born in the UK
Badly Drawn Boy's Sincerity

Born in the U.K.
Badly Drawn Boy
Manufacturer: Astralwerks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Crane Wife
One Plus One Is One
The Information
The Good, the Bad & the Queen
9

ASIN: B000IFRR44
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Tracks:

Intro/Swimming Pool Part 1
Born in the U.K.
Degrees of Separation
Welcome To The Overground
Journey From A To B
Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind
Promises
The Way Things Used To Be
Without a Kiss
Long Way Round
Walk You Home
The Time of Times
One Last Dance

Amazon.com

With a new record label behind him and his most elaborate and pop-oriented backing music to date, Damon Gough a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy tackles the subject of his youth in the United Kingdom on this quasi-concept record. The album, which was completely recorded twice, is clearly a watershed moment for Gough, whose lyrics about his native land are often enough unapologetically proud. With more than a little nod to Bruce Springsteen, Gough covers the '70s and '80s in his own country: the Silver Jubilee, nuclear fear, the Falklands War, and everything in between--all in a highly personal way. The piano plus backing band effect at times recalls Billy Joel and Ben Folds. "Welcome to the Overground," with its big, sunshine rainbow backing chorus and piano-driven groove, seems like a lead song from a '70s rock opera about one of the disciples, or some lost Up With People! song. Other tunes, such as "Walk You Home," have an almost yacht-rock sheen to them. Overall, when it doesn't allow sentiment to bleed into overt sentimentality, Born in the U.K. is a moving, cinematic effort. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews:

BDB's Best Yet.......2007-06-01

I was skeptical when I first bought this album because of some bad reviews I had read on this site and others. After the first listen I was about ready to agree with them - the album seemed to just be missing something that the others had.

But then it started to get to me. I listened a few more times and before I knew it I couldn't find a bad track on the album. A few more times through and I could declare this my favorite Badly Drawn Boy album yet. Don't get me wrong, I loved Bewilderbeast, About a Boy, and most of Have You Fed The Fish and One Plus One is One, but Born In The UK really does seem to gain something by removing some of the spontaneity from BDB's eariler efforts - as hard as it may be to believe.

The highlight tracks for me are:

A Journey From A to B
Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind
Promises
Without A Kiss - might be my favorite
The Long Way Around
The Time of Times
One Last Dance

Don't be mislead like I (almost) was by the poor reviews on here: This music is brilliant, and if you give it the chance you'll see. Don't let this one pass you by.

so good.......2007-02-18

This is the best thing I've bought in the last couple of years. I have absolute musical bliss when I listen to it on my ipod. Buy this- especially if you are already a fan- it won't disappoint.

Not his best.......2007-02-07

I loved the earlier BDB albums but this one is lacking something.

Born in the UK.......2007-01-09

Heard them live so I had to get the CD. Not bad - definitely not Bewilderbeast but has a few great songs.

Badly Drawn Boy's Sincerity.......2006-11-17

"Born In The U.K." sounds like a return to the more basic ballad style that was the structural strengths of "Hour Of Bewilderbeast" and "About A Boy" without sounding at all like a retread of anything he's done before. It's fitting that an album that involves reflecting on the past would bring Badly Drawn Boy back to his strengths.

Although I really liked "Have You Fed The Fish" and "One Plus One Is One", they didn't remind me of the reasons why I got into Badly Drawn Boy in the first place. Damon Gough's strength is in the sincerity of his voice and the honesty of his melody, but those two qualities seemed buried under heavy production and genre-skipping on "Have You Fed The Fish" and One Plus One"- exuding too much effort on the part of the artist to sound fresh. As eclectic as "Hour Of Bewilderbeast" sounded, there was cohesion of melody and approach- all so effortless yet striking; "About A Boy" was even more solid. That, for me, is the allure of those timeless albums.

Born In The U.K., maintains some of the big production values of the latter two albums, but this time he hasn't entirely allowed his ambitions get the best of his strengths. I'd say there are still a couple of over-produced missteps like Welcome To The Overground with it's cloying chorus singing the entire song, or Walk You Home Tonight gluing itself too closely to the 70's Philly Soul blueprint without bringing something new to it (it still a pretty good song though). But outside of those criticisms, this album is a return to form, and a subtle reminder that an artist can return to his roots without taking a step back.

Some of the highlights to this album are:
Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind; simple and epic all at once, the plaintive lyrics swirl gradually into hope and joy as the melody builds effortlessly into a final release. Also, straight from Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run song structure, the title song-Born In The U.K., is full of energy and vibrancy. The nostalgia of past and pride of the present- it shows the power of memory. Some of the other strong songs are Without A Kiss, The Long Way Round, Promises, and Degrees of Separation.

I agree strongly with a previous reviewer who said that this album takes more than one or two listens for it to grab you. It does not have the immediacy of his previous albums- the music is subtler and in that subtlety more power, sincerity and maturity than in previous efforts. So check it out, give it the time and it will be a rewarding listen.

Average customer rating:

like melting icicles
Delicate instrumentals made with a graceful touch and an invitation to float freely.
MICHAEL UPTON's igloomag.com REVIEW ::

Plans Drawn in Pencil
Isan
Manufacturer: Morr Music / M.M.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Electronic Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

IDM | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Experimental Music | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Humbucking Coil
Greedy Baby
Lucky Cat
Plume
Meet Next Life

ASIN: B000F3UIFE
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Tracks:

Look and Yes
Cinnabat
Yttrium
Roadrunner
Ship
Immoral Architecture
Amber Button
Five to Four, Ten to Eleven
Corumdum
Stickland
Seven Mile Marker
Working in Dust
Ruined Feathers

Customer Reviews:

like melting icicles.......2007-07-20

Sure, ISAN have a distinctive palette of sonic tools and melodic theory from which they rarely diverge. But how many great albums do most groups produce? This duo has consistently delivered. Imagine relaxing on the Danube on a clear day with little puffy clouds wafting along when suddenly your favorite music box from your childhood lazily floats by atop a clean, clear iceberg. What is this iceberg doing in here in the middle of summer? Pastels and primaries reflect through this ice cube and woo you into a dream state where you hear every leaf fall, and every dripping faucet, and they are all aligned in an accidental symphony. Not to say that Isan are scoring on accident. It takes four gifted ears to make something both pleasant and challenging, simultaneously deep and simple. This is like dragging a giant record needle slowly around a Zen rock garden. I hope Eno is listening. If you like ISAN then I suggest some Audio Dregs Recordings artists as well.

Delicate instrumentals made with a graceful touch and an invitation to float freely. .......2006-08-07

While the landscape of "dreamy" electronica has been quite flooded in the last several years there will always be those that rise above the flock in any crowded genre, and Isan are one of the few who do indeed float high above most of their peers. What makes Isan so special is the songs, using their laptops and keyboards to create airy melodies and lovely lucid washes of sound. While so many of their contemporaries have added forced vocals on top of their sounds, often big name guests, in order to break into the "next level" we're happy that Isan have kept it purely instrumental, as the songs they write feel totally complete as-is and allow us, as listeners, to bring more of our imagination to the songs. There are definite similarities to like minded and former label mates Mum, especially their first primarily instrumental debut, as well fleeting glimpses of Boards of Canada at their most blissed out, and perhaps like a less skeletal version of Colleen. We also keep thinking a lot about how Isan in many ways represent this generation's version of Durruti Column. Delicate instrumentals made with a graceful touch and an invitation to float freely.

MICHAEL UPTON's igloomag.com REVIEW :: .......2006-07-09

MICHAEL UPTON's igloomag.com REVIEW ::

(07.08.06) ISAN make very nice music. They have the lightest, crispest percussion in the universe and layer cheerful melodies over soothing chords. The beats are never in your face, the bass tones are soft and rounded. For me they're something like the aural equivalent of high quality chocolates - every chocolate tastes great, but the sweetness gets a bit much too consume in one sitting.

Plans Drawn In Pencil shows no great diversion from what ISAN have done before, but if you're looking for some relaxed electronica and are tired of your Boards of Canada records, this is a safe bet.
>> igloomag.com < <

Average customer rating:

Drawn Windows/Keefe Marzell
An outstanding collection of the incredible Vintage band's most impressive works
Smoothjazz.com Review

Drawn Windows
Keefe Marzell
Manufacturer: Comin Atcha Dist Grp
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

GRP | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Let It Ride
Smooth Urban Grooves
Doc Powell
Just Feelin' It
Metropolis

ASIN: B000FG66C0
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Tracks:

More is Pleasure
Now & Forever
Love Thinking of U
Vintage
Never Learn to Swim
Drawn Windows
New Jazz Swing
Through the Night
Enter Slowly
Goodbye Terome
Vintage (My Prospective)

Album Description

Smooth Jazz

Customer Reviews:

Drawn Windows/Keefe Marzell.......2007-02-15

I recieved this order so quick. The CD is wonderful. It was packaged in a manner to protect the CD. Thanks

An outstanding collection of the incredible Vintage band's most impressive works.......2006-07-07

Drawn Windows is an evocative new album from Keefe Marzell is an outstanding collection of the incredible Vintage band's most impressive works. Contributing a great tracklist to any music buff's personal collection, this showcase album includes: More Is Pleasure; Now And Forever; Love Thinking Of You; Vintage; Never Learn To Swim; New Jazz Swing; Through The Night; Enter Slowly; Goodbye Terome; Vintage (My Prospective); and the title track Drawn Windows. Keefe Marzell and Vintage carries their listeners through a blissful compilation of jazz, funk, spirit and emotion, all with an invaluable grasp of instrumental precision. Drawn Windows is very highly recommended for its jazz and funk style.

Smoothjazz.com Review.......2006-06-16

Detroit-based drummer Keefe Marzell has assembled a truly inspired group of musicians from both the secular and Christian genres of contemporary music for his debut disc DRAWN WINDOWS, and the quality of its contents is a testament to his belief in having his music embody two crucial elements...a spiritual connection and high emotional content. Both are here in abundance, as he and his collaborators have created a Smooth Jazz project that is far more than the standard stuff... It's infused with an exciting blend of funk, R&B, hip-hop, fusion jazz, and gospel. Keefe explains it this way, "The group is called Vintage because underneath the smooth jazz melodies, all of our music has an old-school funk feel. Everything we do is groove-based - not just rhythmic, but groovin'... We have to play with emotion. That's what makes all the difference." Indeed it does on this disc, from the title cut and first radio single, featuring the great Tim Bowman guesting on guitar, to the very cool "Enter Slowly," featuring the fine sax work of Lenny Price, to the cleverly titled "More Is Pleasure," spotlighting collaborator Marcus Abernathy's superb keyboard work on a tune written by Keefe and Morris Pleasure. So, all the ingredients are in place on this album...talent, creativity, and most importantly spirit. It all comes together effectively and dynamically from this dedicated, professional group of Detroit players. You really need to check Keefe Marzell's DRAWN WINDOWS out for yourself! ~SCOTT O'BRIEN

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Recommended Music:

Deck Wizards

Massenet: Manon (Highlights)

Mozart: Concertos for piano No20; Concertos for piano No27

Down in the Depths [Import] [Original recording remastered]

Lost You [CD-single] [Import]

Naciones Celtas

Lord I'm in Your Hands

Mix France: Brasil Expressoes Urbanas [Import]

Man Or Myth?

Complete Chamber Music

Jazz Music jazz-music-19