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Astronomy For Dogs
 
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Astronomy For Dogs

The Aliens | Format: Audio CD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
Price: £15.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Astronomy For Dogs + Luna + Heroes To Zeros
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  • Usually dispatched within 7 to 12 days.
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Product details

  • Audio CD (19 Mar 2007)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: EMI
  • ASIN: B000NJWSCG
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 69,532 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Setting Sun 5:11£0.89
Listen  2. Robot Man 3:52£0.69
Listen  3. I Am The Unknown 5:28£0.89
Listen  4. Tomorrow 5:47£0.69
Listen  5. Rox 6:15£0.69
Listen  6. Only Waiting 5:24£0.69
Listen  7. She Don't Love Me No More 7:13£0.89
Listen  8. Glover 8:22£0.69
Listen  9. Honest Again 4:15£0.69
Listen10. The Happy Song 3:57£0.89
Listen11. Caravan - Including Hidden Track "She Don't Love Me No More (Reprise)16:19£0.69

Product Description

BBC Review

This album is a 6 Music album of the day

This album has been a long time coming. In the mid-nineties ''Dry The Rain'', a classic song written by head Alien, Gordon Anderson, helped his former group The Beta Band to get signed. However mental illness meant that Gordon's term with them was a short one and while he retreated home to recuperate and record beautiful, fractured, music under the alias of The Lone Pigeon, his former colleagues spluttered onwards never quite achieving the success that they deserved. Now, a decade later, a fighting fit Anderson is reunited with former colleagues Robin Jones and John McLean. Can they succeed where the Betas failed?

The short answer is maybe. Astronomy For Dogs is bursting with life but with enough of a melancholy heart to prevent The Aliens from sounding like a novelty band. In other places however, things are a bit indulgent.

Tracks such as ''Robot Man'' and ''Only Waiting'' will be familiar to people who have heard their remarkable debut ep Alienoid Starmonica but new songs like the garage punk thrash of ''Setting Son'' and the achingly lovely ''She Don't Love Me Know More'' show a band with a serious range. Put these alongside ''Rox'', which sounds like Screamadelica-era Primal Scream and ''I Am Unknown'', a wide eyed psychedelic monster, and you have something like a classic on your hands. If only the album stopped there.

Unfortunately things take a downwards blip towards the end. Glover is distinctly unmemorable and ''Honest Again'' hovers worryingly close to the realms of pastiche, although if soft rock power ballads are up your street then you'll love it. Things pick up when last year's brilliantly stupid single ''The Happy Song'' appears and all is just just about forgiven until ''Caravan'' starts up and meanders tediously on for twelve hellish minutes.

Not a perfect album then, but it's a perfect insight into the plainly fizzing brain of Gordon Anderson. If Syd Barrett had recovered around 1972 and rejoined Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon would have probably sounded just like this. --Brian McCluskey

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
2007 Hype Beta 27 April 2007
Format:Audio CD
All the hype surrounding the Arctic Monkeys is unbelievable when you consider how great an album this is.

Consider the days when you bought a vinyl LP. There was side 1 and side 2. Neither necessarily sounded alike and the contrast of flipping over was always exciting. Astronmy for Dogs does exactly the same, albeit on your pod, CD, MP3 etc.

The first half has scorching melodic, summertime, rock pop songs. Opener "Setting Sun" is The Doors meets The Stones, and the quirky "Robot Man" is a reminder of the Beta Band roots.

There mood changes when the imaginary flipside occurs. "She Don't love Me No More" is quite simply a beautiful, engaging break up number. "Honest Again" is another stand out - think ELO swamped in strings and beautifully constructed piano riffs.

Beta Band were always the greatest band you never heard. Their remains deserve acclaim with this simply stunning record.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Are you coming on up? 12 July 2007
Format:Audio CD
"Not going back, down on the track, you gotta get down now"

Saw them in the Thekla in Bristol a few weeks back - dragged a mate along after explaining that it will be as good as the Beta Band farewell gig we witnessed a few years previous. He now reminds me of the band who did an encore reminiscent of Primal Scream, Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays - all distilled into one little jar on jam. Beta Band? Better Band.

Follow this with an euphoric Glastonbury ( I AM the Robot Man ;)) and I still can't get enough.

Play me a more original album this year and I will smoke it.

Stand out tracks on an outstanding album - Robot Man and Rox

Thankyou and goodnight.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Amazing 2 Aug 2007
Format:Audio CD
Like many people I shed tears of sorrow when the Betas split, possibly the best unknown band from Britain ever, so it was geat to hear that a few of the old and very old Betas where forming the Aliens. This is a superb album that steers well and truly clear of any current trends and is an amalgamation of various musical influences. Naturally there is a slight comparison to the Beta Band, it would be hard for this album not to have any of there earlier sound, but also in the mix are the Beatles, Beach Boys, some Latin, Electro and Bowie. Rox is the standout track along with the beutiful 'She don't love me no more'. Basically this is ace and any fans of the Betas are going to adore it and so will people who have never heard of he Beta Band. The Aliens have landed and it's about bloody time. Top Marks
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fantastic debut
I have to confess I only got into The Beta Band at Hots Shots II, so my knowledge of their early work is somewhat lacking. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2010 by Mr. M. L. Hawes
strong ideas
I bought this album on the basis of a small excerpt from "Glover" which was used in a trailer for a tv series. After the initial strong start the song wonders off. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2009 by Ed Waalewijn
A Masterpiece
Astronomy for Dogs is a truely audacious album, which in my opinion came off brilliantly. Refusing to be drawn into the modern day mediocre commercial rock/indie scene, The Aliens... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2008 by Physical Graffiti
new sound from old band members
well i first heard this album autumn last year and i have evntually got round to buying it! the first track i heard on the album was the second track 'robot man' i immediately... Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2008 by Ms. C. Jones
A joy
I really don't have the time to write an extensive review. I just want to encourage anyone who hasn't listened to or purchased this album yet to do so. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2008 by Mr. B. W. Simonds
Just don't build it up too much!
I first heard the Aliens single on the Rob da Bank show months ago, and what I heard didn't convince me to rush out and buy the album. Read more
Published on 26 May 2007 by A. Brookes
Like it, like it, like it....
Well, 'Best Album of 2007' is getting tricky. First, I didn't think I'd hear anything better than LCD Soundsystem's 'Sound of Silver'. Read more
Published on 7 May 2007 by Ian Pugh
Wonderful psychedelic anarchic happy album
For me this is one of the best albums I have heard this year. It is full of lush catchy tunes. Previous reviewers have pointed out the links to the Beta Band and there are... Read more
Published on 1 April 2007 by J. Bloss
well done guys
Fabulous album...so glad they have got it together again and with such style, beauty, elegance and intelligence. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2007 by C. Emmas
The Beta Band Live once more
Great come-back album from the remains of the Beta Band, who were criminally underrated and sadly disbanded a while back. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2007 by D. Wells
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