What does it sound like?:
I was surprised to realise it’s now twenty years since the release of this album – how those years have flown by. No anniversary is left unmarked these days of course, so here it is in expanded form, now running to four cds. As a debut album it still sounds very strong, and I recall it seemed quite a breath of fresh air in the somewhat stagnant rock scene at the time. It’s hard rock sound harks back to the seventies heyday of bands such as Thin Lizzy, but things have been given an upgrade for the nineties, and there’s always some tongue in cheek humour lurking among the hook laden riffs and choruses. I Believe in a Thing Called Love is the one most people will associate with the band, with Justin Hawkins trademark falsetto vocals making the song stand out from the crowd, but there’s plenty more in similar vein and equally as good. The first cd is the pick of the bunch, with the original album plus a selection of demos which include the likes of the aforementioned I Believe and the immortal Black Shuck. The second disc rounds up waifs and strays – singles, B sides and various non-album tracks, the best of which is their Christmas hit. Overall though, there’s rather too much repetition of the same core songs in slightly different iterations. Discs three and four are live shows from Wembley in 2004 and Knebworth and The Astoria the previous year. These are decent enough shows, The Astoria one being the best for me, but again there’s a lot of duplication as the set lists don’t really differ that much. On the whole, I’d say the album has stood the test of time pretty well, and actually it’s refreshing to hear it again after quite a while, although the two cd version is the one to go for if you’re a casual rather than hardcore fan.
What does it all *mean*?
As a debut album this was always going to be a hard act to follow, and indeed the band never quite hit these heights consistently again,
Goes well with…
Reimagining the classic seventies rock sound for the 21st century.
Release Date:
Out now
Might suit people who like…
Not taking yourself too seriously, having a good time.
Under the humour it’s a genuinely great album, dismissed too often as a novelty. I saw them live at a festival here in Australia just after it came out, booked before anyone had heard of them so they played in the early afternoon. They wiped the floor with any other live band I saw that day. Justin Hawkins is a genuinely engaging and charismatic front man.
JH’s YouTube channel is excellent. Funny, thoughtful and charming.
Agree, however the click-baity video titles usually don’t do the content justice.
Yes I agree too …usually an interesting watch.
My younger brother-in-law, upon first hearing it, said “I immediately threw all my other CDs in the bin.”
One of the most complete debut albums I ever heard. No filler, every track a killer. Each album the followed sadly less so.
I’ve mentioned this before on here but I used to work in Our Price, and when that Christmas single came out all the stores were instructed to play it ALL DAY on a loop. I’m afraid I can’t stand The Darkness ever since!
I think the Christmas single was a mistake. Prior to that, I think they had managed to present themselves as a 70s Queen-type hard rock band who could write a good chorus and didn’t take themselves too seriously. But I think that the Xmas single and the video (especially the video) tipped them into novelty act territory and they never really got out of it.
It’s a shame because I have a lot of time for them. When this came out, my brothers kids loved them. Whenever I hear I Believe in a Thing Called love, I always think of playing 10 pin bowling with my nephew. Music for good times.
I’m probably guilty of always treating them as a novelty act! I think a lot of people did, even before the Christmas single. The Queen comparison is a good one, but I think The Darkness moved more into comedic territory.
I should say, I’m saying this as one who has never taken the time to listen to them properly, full disclosure here. I quite liked I Believe In A Thing Called Love but wasn’t really inspired to seek the album out (and that awful cover didn’t help – yeah I know it was done with irony, but even in 2003 a tacky naked woman is still a tacky naked woman… !).
It’s a terrible cover. I was going to say that even in the 70s and 80s no rock band would have done something that bad, but then I remembered the Scorpions.
The album is good fun. Played a bit more straight than the singles, but not that much more.
Oh and for God’s sake, nobody google “Scorpions album covers” without the Safe Search turned on.