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Happiness In Magazines

Graham Coxon | Format: Audio CD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Audio CD (17 May 2004)
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Label: Transcopic
  • ASIN: B0001KZM48
  • Other Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 37,541 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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1. Spectacular
2. No Good Time
3. Girl Done Gone
4. Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery
5. All Over Me
6. Freakin' Out
7. People Of The Earth
8. Hopeless Friend
9. Are You Ready
10. Bottom Bunk
11. Don't Be A Stranger
12. Ribbons And Leaves

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk

When Graham Coxon started creating solo works when he was still with Blur, they seemed a wilful reaction against the often poppy and tuneful albums he was helping produce while at his day job. They weren't bad records, but they occasionally seemed needlessly opaque, as if there was something inherently corrupting about melody. The good news about Happiness in Magazines, Coxon's fifth solo outing, is that now that his split from Blur appears permanent, he seems more relaxed about their legacy, which, after all, he helped build. Happiness in Magazines is riddled with glorious pop songs, and in a sane world would yield several hit singles.

That Coxon is no longer shying from popular appeal is confirmed by his decision to work with producer Stephen Street, who worked on Blur¹s mid-90s commercial apexes Parklife and The Great Escape. The results are splendid, both Coxon and Street setting about their work like men liberated. "Freakin' Out" is an amiable punky rave-up evocative of the Jam, "Spectacular" an unbridled and joyous declaration of desire and, best of all, the first full single "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery" is a brash appropriation of Blur's "Coffee & TV". Coxon has done remarkably well here. If he can keep this standard up, his time with Blur may one day be regarded as little more than a promising start. --Michael Turner

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Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
21 reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Happiness.....comes with finding true form ! 5 Jun 2004
By Mr. L. R. Threadgould
Format:Audio CD
Not having heard any of Grahams previous solo offerings, i bought this album on the strength of positive reviews both in the NME and on Amazon.

On first listen the first 3 songs were good, but not great. From track 4 onwards, though, it just gets better and better...and better.
There are some real classic songs on this album, and i'm blown away at the quality of the writing and guitar work. This has got to be a contender for album of the year.

Standout tracks for me are; All over me, Freakin' out, Are you ready ?, Don't be a stranger, and the sublime Ribbons & Leaves.

This album will surely deliver Graham from the shadow of Blur, and put to the rest those calls for his return to Damon & co. If he can make music this brilliant on his own, why should he ?

Don't delay, buy today...sit back and enjoy.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars 'Happiness... in a post- Blur world' 27 May 2004
By W. Ginno
Format:Audio CD
Graham Coxon's fifth solo release, (his second since leaving Blur) reflects his capabilities as an adept songwriter as well as guitarist. Lyrically, Coxon paints a variety of pictures; a disillusioned onlooker passing comment on the world from outer space (the vitriolic rant of 'People of the Earth') and 'Spectacular's' homage to an Internet fantasy. Strangely, the following track 'No good time' sounds very Pete Townshend- esque, but I'm not one for making cheap links.

Graham's latest single, 'Bitter-sweet Bundle Of Misery' is, for all intensive purposes, 'Coffee and TV' Mark II. Whilst the chorus could be written by any love struck teenager- "You're beautiful/ I love to watch your face in the morning light/ You're really cool/ I like the way we fight/ right through the night", its beauty is in its simplicity. 'Freakin' Out', by far and away one of the year's best singles, is pure pop-punk with riffage to tempt even the most self-conscious into air guitar. Though it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Skids 1978 anthem 'Into the Valley', it still sounds fresher in 2004 than most of this year's releases.

Elsewhere, the emphatically maudlin 'Are You Ready' bears all the tremolo-laden hallmarks of THAT Urge Overkill song; with Coxon's soft estuary drawl working surprisingly well over a bed of Bond-style orchestration and Spanish guitar. 'Bottom Bunk', an ode to an imploded sex life, could easily fit onto Parklife, whilst with 'Don't Be A Stranger', Coxon rewards his psychiatrist with one of the catchiest tunes on the album.

'Happiness...' demonstrates Coxon's 70s punk influences and there is much scope for the kind of axe-wielding that Damon Albarn would surely have clamped down upon in the past. Then again, this is not a Blur record, and that is not, it is fair to say, necessarily a bad thing.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars On Cruise Control Behind The Wheel 17 July 2006
By Chris C
Format:Audio CD
Graham Coxon has never been an obvious name that would crop up in a music fan's collection, nor has he been relatively high up on the recognisable stars list. Maybe this is due to his departure from brit-pop titans Blur.

Happiness In Magazines, Coxon's fifth release, is a bold step into the mainstream. Reverting back to a sound that Coxon clearly was trying to avoid after leaving Blur, Graham's talents finally come seeping through on here. His guitar skills have never been question, the music is fantastic and the solos often feel improvised.

His songwriting abilities have risen also here, with themes that beat Blur's Think Tank out of the water. From his open letter to the UK on People of the Earth with the tag line "People of the earth you have failed, you still worship The Sun and The Daily Mail", or his take on the clubland scene on No Good Time. His love songs are also top notch with Spectacular sporting a bold progressive riff with attitude to boot and Bittersweet Bundle of Misery recalling Blur's Coffee & TV, but touched up for the new millenium.

Of course, this review can't go on without mentioning the song Freakin' Out. Possibly Coxon's best song ever recorded, this is the Brit-Pop anthem that was never recorded in its heyday. With a insanely catchy riff, a massive singalong chorus, an outrageous solo and snotty vocals, Freakin' Out is the anthem for the UK.

To close up, its a question of whether Coxon has benefited from his departure from his former bandmates, and the answer is most definately yes. Whilst Albarn has resorted to singing for cartoon band Gorillaz, Blur has gone into obscurity.

As Coxon states in Don't Be A Stranger, he's "a big rock dog eating indie frog". Your turn Damon. Find Happiness in this record.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Happiness
First things - one of my favourite albums of all time, and certainly one of the most complete pieces of work I've ever heard. Read more
Published 2 months ago by J. R. Atkin
4.0 out of 5 stars graham creates his own sound
Yes it is quite apparent if you listen to this album ,you will know almost immediately who it is.Yes quiet unique,from his past with blur to this, he has achieved his own sound. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. A. T. Clarke
5.0 out of 5 stars good
liked the punk rock sound about it freakin out great song will buy graham coxon A E soon blur fan cork IRL
Published 11 months ago by laurence
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Getting There
I do like this album and I have listened to it a lot, but I have to admit that the quality varies a little bit in places. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2007 by Cuban Heel
5.0 out of 5 stars Absoloute Class - This album is a grower
This is an album that marks Coxon's arrival as an established solo artist. The big song from this album has to be Freakin' Out, however there is so much more to this ablbum. Read more
Published on 13 May 2006 by Barry Leslie
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a listen
As an avid Blur fan I have finally got round to getting Graham Coxon's album. This is I think his 5th[? Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2006
4.0 out of 5 stars little bit 'oo' little bit 'er'
after seeing Graham Coxon at the 2005 Leeds fest and finding his songs pretty catchy (FYI, im an old Blur fan), i was compelled to buy the album. Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2005 by Luke Griffin
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great alternative albums!
All the tracks on this album have something to offer, from the fast upbeat numbers to the slower more relaxed melodic tunes! Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2005 by "marklidgett"
3.0 out of 5 stars Not His Best Effort
Throughout the many years of Blur's existence I have always been a big fan of Graham Coxon's contributions to the best British band since the Smiths. Read more
Published on 15 Jun 2005 by Herve Boisde
4.0 out of 5 stars good ol' graham!
go graham! some iffy parts i must admit ("bittersweet bundle of misery" get to me after a while and "girl done gone" lacked something, can't quite put my finger on it) but smoothed... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2005 by And Mrs Toda
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