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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
It amazes me that in all of the End of the Century polls the music press and the like have conducted this album has never been mentioned.
It is full of catchy tunes, intelligent lyrics, humour, a splash of politics, but mainly it's the sheer excellence and beauty of these finely polished 3 minute masterpieces including the magnificent "Happy Hour", the poignant "Flag Day" and the original version of my own favourite "Think For A Minute".
Paul Heaton's mastery of the lyric shines through on this album and it's worth buying for the hilariously 80's photo of Norman "Fatboy Slim" Cook on the inlay card!
It's like a Northern drug this Housemartins lark! One listen and you're hooked!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The year is I986, we're talking miners, we're talking Thatcher, we're talking a shortarse northern guy preaching record industry nationalisation - behold, if you will,the world of the Housemartins. Their brand of jangle pop is still felt in indie circles (just listen to Lucksmiths or Moxy Fruvous) and with good reason. Happy Hour is a euphoric piece of pop fluff until the penny drops and we're let into the eccentric and frankly exhausting pysche of P.D Heaton, draped in delicous harmonies and Smiths-esque guitar. The lyrics lack the same creativity as later Beautiful South efforts (in fairness, they had less to work with, the album is a socialist propaganda showcase to make Rage Against The Machine blush) but Heaton's vocal is in its prime. As a result, the radically different gospel and a cappella segment isn't half as cringeworthy as it should have been, with a soaring 'Just Like A Shelter' a personal highlight. Initially fast-paced with a tongue-in-cheek soulful climbdown, London 0 Hull 4 is an essential album for anybody who suspected the 80s had some substance under the gloss.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Paul Heaton and Norman Cook have certainly followed very different paths since the glory days of this album and "The People Who.." For me neither of them have ever reproduced the energy and brilliance of these two seminal LP's. Even the Fat Boy with his super-popular sing-a-long-a dance music has never come close to emulating the raw exuberance of say "Get up off our knees" and has certainly never said anything as interesting. Paul Heaton's Beautiful South produced some nice ironic pop songs but surely he was at his best when belligerently battering the apathetic majority on songs like "Sheep: and "Sitting on a Fence" Never, in my opinion, has a band so overtly political, produced so many top tunes. Recently Paul has gone solo. I haven't heard any of his stuff yet but I hope he's gone back to his roots. Even better than that. Any chance of reforming just for a few gigs? London O Hull 4 is without doubt one of the albums of the eighties. Get it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Sean Wyke
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Met High Whitaker the drummer on this album in my local the other week. Thoroughly nice chap. It reminded me how much I used to love this album (cassette tape as it was back then). Ordered it on CD and the memories came flooding back. Happy hour again!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Rooksby
Format:Audio CD
I recently picked up the cassette (!!) of this album at a jumble sale - which seems rather fitting, somehow - for a measly 50p. I hadn't heard it since the mid-1980s, when my then-girlfriend was utterly obsessed with it (The Smiths aside, she played little else). Though I was preferred The Jesus & Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, Big Flame, & their ilk back then, I was secretly rather fond of London 0 Hull 4 - it always seemed like a breath of fresh air in comparison to some of the noisy twaddle I was listening to back then.
Hearing it again, it sounds better than ever - I'd go as far as to say that there's not a bad song on it (even the instrumental interlude, "Reverend's Revenge", is blink-&-you'll-miss-it brief). It's a shame that The Housemartins (I refuse to call them the "Housies" - urrgh) are so steadfastly overlooked these days - though their influence is negligible, they were a very popular band in their (brief) time, & a one with an admirable message (or two) to impart as well. Sadly, it's difficult to imagine a band as intelligent & opinionated as The Housemartins scoring a #1 in the singles chart these days.
A fine LP - purchase with confidence, etc!
Hearing it again, it sounds better than ever - I'd go as far as to say that there's not a bad song on it (even the instrumental interlude, "Reverend's Revenge", is blink-&-you'll-miss-it brief). It's a shame that The Housemartins (I refuse to call them the "Housies" - urrgh) are so steadfastly overlooked these days - though their influence is negligible, they were a very popular band in their (brief) time, & a one with an admirable message (or two) to impart as well. Sadly, it's difficult to imagine a band as intelligent & opinionated as The Housemartins scoring a #1 in the singles chart these days.
A fine LP - purchase with confidence, etc!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Keith M
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
The Housemartins' debut album released in 1986 is a brilliant example of compelling pop music, produced by a band with a strong (left-wing) political commitment. It would, however, be a crying shame if their political beliefs put anyone off listening to this masterpiece, which contains more brilliant musical hooks than most bands achieve in an entire career. Most people who have only heard (superficially) of the band will probably know them via the singles Caravan of Love (their cover of the Isley Brothers' song) or Happy Hour (which opens this album) - indeed, despite being a great song, Happy Hour is actually, for me, one of the weaker songs on this album.
The Housemartins' sound (particularly the sound produced by guitarist Stan Cullimore) on this album is derivative of bands from this post-New Wave (or punk) era, such as the Undertones and even (at times) The Smiths . However, regardless of influences, the key component of the band's sound is the extremely tight playing by the rhythm section, comprising drummer Hugh Whitaker and bass player Norman Cook (yes, the same man who went on to become the renowned DJ, Fatboy Slim). Paul Heaton's melodic (and rather high-pitched) vocals, often accompanied by harmony/falsetto backing from the rest of the group, provide the perfect (and somewhat original) rounding off to the band's overall aural effect.
The 16 songs on the album comprise 13 originals (predominantly written by Heaton and Cullimore) and 3 covers. The originals are principally up-tempo songs, all with brilliant guitar hooks, my favourite examples being Get Up Off Our Knees, Anxious, Sitting On A Fence, Sheep and We're Not Deep.... Read more ›
The Housemartins' sound (particularly the sound produced by guitarist Stan Cullimore) on this album is derivative of bands from this post-New Wave (or punk) era, such as the Undertones and even (at times) The Smiths . However, regardless of influences, the key component of the band's sound is the extremely tight playing by the rhythm section, comprising drummer Hugh Whitaker and bass player Norman Cook (yes, the same man who went on to become the renowned DJ, Fatboy Slim). Paul Heaton's melodic (and rather high-pitched) vocals, often accompanied by harmony/falsetto backing from the rest of the group, provide the perfect (and somewhat original) rounding off to the band's overall aural effect.
The 16 songs on the album comprise 13 originals (predominantly written by Heaton and Cullimore) and 3 covers. The originals are principally up-tempo songs, all with brilliant guitar hooks, my favourite examples being Get Up Off Our Knees, Anxious, Sitting On A Fence, Sheep and We're Not Deep.... Read more ›
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Housemartins
By far the best Housemartins album ever some of the songs are just classic tunes. Paul Heatons magic touch in song writing.
Published 1 month ago by D. O'Connell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Splendid
This is just a wonderful reminder of that a few nice things also emerged in the mid eighties. Say along with The Smiths and FYC', this record is a solid, beautiful proof of that. Read more
Published 3 months ago by F. Rønning
4.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Brilliant
This is such a good album; full of catchy tunes (if a bit 'samey' in places) and Paul Heaton's insightful lyrics. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Roger Elwell
5.0 out of 5 stars
The fabulous Housemartins
It's 25 years since I first bought this album and it's been 16 years since I last owned a turntable to play it on. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Rae
5.0 out of 5 stars
London 0 Hull 4
Oh my days - there is nothing quite like music to take you back to a place and a time in your life - unless it's a smell of course ... Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by Georgina Lansbury
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top 80's album that stands the test of time
When I'm looking for new albums from years gone by, I often wonder if what I remember of the group is actually as good as I remembered. Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2009 by C. J. Hacking
4.0 out of 5 stars
It really is a Happy 45mins
One of the feel good British albums of the 80s, The Housemartins combination of classic British pop with controversial lyrical topics made them one of the most popular British... Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2009 by T.K
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's no 'sitting on the fence' with this album.....
The best of northern music on one disc. They have their own sound and their own beat. They could never be mistaken for another group. Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2006 by Babooshka
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