Have You Fed The Fish

Almost fittingly, as he is from the north, today I returned to Badly Drawn Boy and his 2002 album Have You Fed The Fish. Goughs third album and I think the last one that I bought, I may be wrong on that as although I have this on my ipod, I don’t recall buying it.
As I have said before I am a fan of BDB, I consider him to be a great songwriter, not good, great. Musically sometimes he faffs about, he doesn’t on this album, well not as much as on About A Boy, this in comparison is faff free.
It does contain one of if not my favourite BDB song in You Were Right and if the list I had done a few months ago extended to 100, that song would have featured.
However, even without the faff, this album is not nearly as good as his previous efforts and I find it difficult to listen to All Possibilities without thinking of Scots groupie, Edith Bowman telling me about the fantastic range of fridges on offer in my local branch of a leading electrical retailer.
This album features the drumming talents of Joey Waronker, you don’t know the name but you know his chops, trust me you do. This album also feature some musicians that enabled Blunt album see the light of day, fucking enablers.
Its rather telling that this album soundtracked a steady 70mph when I tend to be nearer 90 when NOFX are playing so for safety and law abiding purposes Badly Drawn Boy is the tops, well until I play my wifes Natalie Imbruglia, but then that might be responsible for a different crime. 6 out of 10.



You Were Right by Badly Drawn Boy

The Hour of the Bewilderbeast

Badly Drawn Boys debut today, The Hour of The Bewilderbeast. Released in 2000 it won a Mercury Music Prize.
I have to say it was a lovely album this morning, lasting the entire journey and as I wanted to sit and listen to the entirety of the final track, Epitaph, I remained sat in my car for 2 more minutes.
I don’t think it’s a flawless album and there are distractions dotted throughout but it is by far Damon Goughs best work. The singles and there was a lot of singles that appeared on this album, well it certainly seems that way, but the singles are arguably amongst his best releases, Pissing in the wind in particular.
The album itself is pitched partway between melancholia and sentimentality, but mainly melancholia. He appears to have regrets, and if I listened to lyrics properly I could elaborate on that but the subject matter almost entirely throughout is negative, Disallusion, Pissing in the wind, but I don’t think that particular outlook is restricted to Hour of The Beweilderbeast, it’s a reoccurring theme for Badly Drawn Boy.
One day I assume that Damon Gough, like Steve Jones may be considered our greatest contemporary songwriter, till that day Chris Martin flies first class with shopping lists scribbled on the back of his hand. 8 out of 10



Pissing in the wind by Badly Drawn Boy

About A Boy

Badly Drawn Boy today, his original soundtrack to the film About A Boy. The film is based on a Nick Hornby book, when me and Kev worked at a certain music megastore Hornbys High Fidelity book was passed about a lot. Kev owned the copy and there was a waiting list for it. After finishing it, in something like 3 lunch times I bought my own copy and reread it, and my well thumbed edition has been around a few people too. But this isn’t the soundtrack to High Fidelity, this is the soundtrack to About A Boy.
I like Badly Drawn Boy, actually I need to clarify that, I like Badly Drawn Boy on record, I saw Badly Drawn Boy live in 2000 and after the Happy Mondays, the worst gig I have been to. Diabolical.
So the CD, as soundtracks go it isn’t The Harder They Come but it is pretty good, its enjoyable, its not a great but it makes a pleasant car journey and if anything I didn’t particularly want it to end. I guess that’s a good indication of its quality. At times and a thing that he does, it does shift to noodley bollocks and that 70’s sitcom theme tune style that he pops on to albums, but give him a guitar and a piece of paper and he does come up with some beautiful songs, Silent Sigh was the lead single from this if I recall without the aid of Wikipedia, and also Something to talk about and in my opinion those are as good as anything from The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast. 7 out of 10.



Silent sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

The Boys

Peter has a bag of pennies, as any band with a harmony of more than two parts is compared to the Beach Boys, and somebody somewhere seeks him out and gives him a penny. The same happens when The Alarm are compared to U2, or somebody somewhere confuses Cliff Richard with Elvis Presley.

I am not a liker of The Beach Boys. Other boys should be given as much attention. No, not the Pet Shop Boys and their anthemic albino anemia ridden pop, nor the Backstreet Boys (although the Backstreet Pet Shop Boys would be worth a look simply for rare animals). I'm tempted to put forward The Oakridge Boys, just for William Lee Golden's glorious beard, or possibly Badly Drawn Boy for being able to include the words ipso facto (a certain effect is a direct consequence of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a subsequent action such as the verdict of a tribunal) in a song. The Beastie Boys deserve a special prize simply for still being around 22 years after the release of their first album, although none of them can match The Blind Boys of Alabama., who got together in 1939. Of the founding members, Clarence Fountain still plays when his health allows.

Higher Ground by the Blind Boys of Alabama