- Audio CD (22 Oct 2001)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Sl
- ASIN: B00005QJGQ
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 194,423 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Don't be fooled by the ironic title. Club Anthems 2001 isn't the latest glowstick-clutching Ministry trance compilation--just fourteen songs written and recorded by some skinny Scottish boys and girls that play guitars and roll their eyes at the records you hear on the radio. But despite that air of Luddism, this compilation of Ballboy's last three EPs--is actually quite excellent. Poised somewhere between the wide-eyed philosophical tale-telling of Looper and the darker, melancholy avant-rock of Arab Strap, Club Anthems 2001 is built in that quintessentially Scottish-sounding indie mould, but it's frontman Gordon McIntyre's spoken vocals--funny, poignant and heavy with pathos--that help Ballboy rise above simple pastiche. "One Sailor was Waving" explodes grim Scottish fatalism into a celebratory adrenaline rush, MacIntyre wearing the line "I'm not the brightest hope / I'm not the shining light / Of my generation" like a badge of victory. Meanwhile, the stark, expansive two-chord scrawl of "I Hate Scotland" scribbles brattish malcontent over Ballboy's rich cultural heritage. "I hate the way we expect to fail", sneers McIntyre, "and then we fail, and we get bitter because we failed." Well, for once, that's just not true.--Louis Pattison
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Scottish band since Idlewild!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Club Anthems 2001: the First Three Eps (Audio CD)
Absolutely superb debut album from Edinburgh's part-time Ballboy (two of the band are schoolteachers by day), and second only to Terris as Best Album of 2001. If you can imagine a meatier, less-twee Belle & Sebastian with similar tales of humdrum existence-made-epic, then this is Ballboy. The melodious monologue of 'A Day In Space' is most reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian, although throw in a squall of feedback on 'I Hate Scotland' and 'I've Got Pictures of You in Your Underwear' and they sound like Heartworm-era Whipping Boy. It's a humorous album, the wry wit subtly observed on gorgeous album opener 'Donald In The Bushes With a Bag of Glue' where Gordon McIntyre expounds upon the virtues of "A good-looking girl / Who gets on well / With your family..." Buy it, you won't be disappointed.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great album from little know jock group.,
By R. Britain "richardbrit" (Thailand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Club Anthems 2001: the First Three Eps (Audio CD)
It's great to go out on a limb and buy something on a whim and then find it's all you hoped for. Having never heard of Ballboy prior to this purchase I can happily report that this is a great album. The acoustics are most pleasing and the fresh appeal of the lead vocalist makes each tune very enjoyable. It seems incredible to me that this band is apparently made up of part time musicians. How can that be when the like of 'Franz Ferdinand' are cleaning up? 'I Hate Scotland' is a fantastic track, as to a lesser extent is 'Essential wear for future trips to space'. This is certainly an album that I recommend taking a chance on.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well worth a listen- refreshing,
This review is from: Club Anthems 2001: the First Three Eps (Audio CD)
As a huge fan of Belle and Sebastian I bought this record having heard that it was of a simliar ilk. It is indeed, and though it perhaps does not hit quite the melodious heights B&S are capable of, as another reviewer points out it certainly lacks the 'twee' touch that B&S are so often accused of suffering.This is a highly listenable album with the standouts for me being 'One Sailor was Waving', 'I Hate Scotland' and a couple of others which I couldn't name because the inlay track listing seems to be out of sync (unless I'm just thick).
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