Magic and Medicine

Friday and penultimate C was the second album by cheeky bin dippers The Coral. You may recall I was not a fan of their debut and like the debut this album is my wifes, she suggested that I didn't have to listen to it and I said that breaks the rules.
I did listen to though, Magic And Medicine, and you know what, it wasn't half bad. Yes it still went for that "druggy bollocks" sound, but not as much as their self titled effort.
At times they even have stabs at proper songs, Pass it on and Bill McCai, sound quite pleasant, as does Don't Think You're The First. They almost blow it towards the end when they approach noodley on Confessions of ADDD, but even that isn't massively offensive. I must be getting old.
On the whole it was a middling album that performed much better than expected and that alone should garner a 10, but that is ridiculous, this is The Coral after all, its the coral and they still fall into that retro scouse sound that was hugely popular, and tiresome at the time, and that deserves nothing more than 4 out of 10.



Don't Think You're The First by The Coral

The Coral

A few years ago I went to V Festival here in Staffordshire. I can't recall all too much about it, bands etc. I do recall seeing the non Brody Dalle element of The Distillers. They weren't as pretty as the Brody Dalle element. I did see The Coral though and in all honesty it is 40 minutes of my life which I will never get back. They could play alright, trouble was that they played 20 minute jazz breakouts of their song. I recall I wondered aloud, "if I wanted this shit, I would go to Glastonbury".
Todays commute CD is The Corals debut, The Coral. Its not quite "if I wanted this shit, I would go to Glastonbury", its more the radio edit.
The Coral are hugely influenced by bands of the very late 60's, The Chocolate Watch Band being the most obvious, that San Francisco sound clearly had a huge effect on the Wirral, the chiming guitars, the beefheartesque interludes. But its a bit forced to be honest. It shouts ooh get me, I have smoked stuff, listen, thats me noodling, thats cos I'm HIGH on the druqs!!!!!1!!!!, you cant appreciate it, cos you aint high!
I wasn't high, I was driving, but the closest I get to getting high is taking ALL of the wrapper off my Magic Tree New Car Scent. I tell you it makes your head swim.
This album is my wife's she really liked The Coral, at least until that V festival and all the New Car Scent in the world wouldnt be enough to make them enjoyable.
This album isnt as bad as their live performance though, it presents the hit(s) Dreaming of You, Goodbye and Skeleton Key in their glory and the odd other track that isnt massively irritating. Its just that it gets on my wick after a while, its no better than Oasis trying to emulate people much much better than them that came before them, and doing it so badly.
I know bo diddley of course and the NME rates this as the 21st best album of the noughties, one of us is wrong. 2 out of 10.



Skeleton Key by The Coral