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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lust In the Movies | |||
| 2. Once And Never Again | |||
| 3. Only Lovers Left Alive | |||
| 4. Giddy Stratospheres | |||
| 5. In the Company Of Women | |||
| 6. Heaven Help the New Girl | |||
| 7. Separated By Motorways | |||
| 8. You Could Have Both | |||
| 9. Swallow Tattoo | |||
| 10. Weekend Without Makeup | |||
See all 12 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Fulwood Babylon | |||
| 2. Five Ways To End It | |||
| 3. Never To Be Repeated | |||
| 4. All Bar One Girls | |||
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Album Description
A quick recap, then.
The aim was to form a fantasy pop group: Nico, Nancy Sinatra, Diana Dors, Barbara Windsor. Sexy and literate, flippant and heartbreaking all at once. With this in mind, the Long Blondes went falling and laughing headlong into the glamorous world of heaving amps onto trains and applying eyeliner in National Express coach stations.
The first kindred spirit to notice the Long Blondes was hip south London independent label Angular Records. Through them, the band released a brace of exhilarating 45s; The Hitchcock-inspired Appropriation (By Any Other Name) and bona fide cult classic Giddy Stratospheres. Both have become indie dancefloor staples ever since, as has most recent release Separated By Motorways, recorded by uber-producer Paul Epworth (Futureheads, Bloc Party) at his request and released on his own Good and Evil label.
The band were leading double lives worthy of Harry Palmer for most of 2005, taking odd days off work to play in New York, Stockholm and Barcelona and signing autographs whilst their bosses weren't looking. Meanwhile, word was spreading and all three previous singles were capturing the hearts of pop music lovers all over the world. In December, the band were personally asked to support Franz Ferdinand at Alexandra Palace - A fittingly flamboyant way to end the year.
They kicked off 2006 as recipients of the NME Philip Hall Radar Award (previously won by Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs) and played to increasingly frenzied crowds as everyone from the Guardian to Vogue proclaimed the Long Blondes to be the Best Unsigned Band In The Country. The band blushed at such proclamations but, frankly, even the best unsigned bands have to be at the office by nine. Surely Marlene Dietrich never had to work overtime? Even in these less than productive conditions, the Long Blondes spurned the advances of many inappropriate suitors until the right one came along. And it came along alright. In April - almost three years to the day of their incarnation - the Long Blondes signed to the legendary Rough Trade records. The label that brought the world the Smiths, the Strokes and the Libertines had done it again!
The band have recorded their debut album 'Someone To Drive You Home' with Steve Mackey (Pulp, MIA), set for release 6th November, proceeded by their next single, Once And Never Again (with B-sides produced by Erol Alkan). To promote the release The Long Blondes will be performing their first headline UK tour (with support from The 1990s), calling at various venues nationwide throughout October.
So that's them; Sardonic style icon and protagonist-in-chief Kate Jackson, guitarist Dorian Cox, bassist Reenie Hollis, keyboardist Emma Chaplin and drummer Screech. The next chapter of Sheffield's idiosyncratic musical heritage: The suburban disco fantasies of the Human League, the opulent ridiculousness of ABC, the seedy glamour of Pulp Truly a Carry On cast's worth of characters all with loves, hates and passions just like yours. It's a Blonde, Blonde, Blonde, Blonde world. Now just lie back and enjoy it.
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Customer Reviews
The opener has Kate singing a la Dietrich,fronting a bouncy beat,neurotic jangly guitars and an irresistable chorus featuring three tragic female icons' names shouted/sung loudly and obsessively.These catch the listeners'ears straight away. We feel for Kate in this song,which rattles along at a fast pace,but never really finds a satisfactory conclusion.
A beseeching Kate in the final bars of this song makes it sophisticated art-pop at its best.
There are twelve songs on this album,of which "Once And Never Again" and "Madame Ray"(about Man Ray's muse and lover,Lee Miller)are my favourite tracks.The first-mentioned song starts with Kate giving her worldly advice to a young girl.."Nineteen,you're only nineteen for God's sake-you don't need a boyfriend",and ending "Oh how I'd love to feel a girl your age-your age....once and never again," suprising the listener with this
twist in the last line.We smile at the words.I found myself whistling this irresistably catchy one at odd moments throughout the day.
"I know all about fear and desire",sings Kate knowingly in the aforementioned "Lust In The Movies."
"Only Lovers Left Alive"is delicious to listen to,and will make you smile,like sweet Turkish delight.Listen up!
Shades of The Pipettes in "Giddy Stratospheres"question and answer section,an indie Phil Spectorish touch which works surprisingly well.
The whole album has sensuous,urgent and painful overtones to its songs.
Referring again to "Madame Ray",I believe this is the most emotive song on the album.The last track"A Knife For The Girls",with its last two lines,"My baby doll........don't go to London" contain acidic bitterness to end this remarkable debut album from The Long Blondes.
A must-buy.
and quasi dirty hippy music
It's very immediate and jangly poppy which makes me doubt I'll be listening to them for years to come, but for now they're one of my favourites.
The stand out track is "Once and Never Again," which is a plea to a 19 year girl not to waste her time getting a boyfriend (there's a lesbian subtext but I think you're reaching if you believe it).
If lyrics are important to you, then I fully recommend this band. Strangely most of the lyrics were written by a man, which makes them even more impressive than they already are, as they're very female centric.
If you enjoyed this then you should get Lloyd Cole and the Commotions excellent album "Rattlesnakes" as a male companion piece to the Long Blondes. And then turn it into a trilogy by buying Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" album.
NOTE 15/7/08: I've had this album for about a year now, and I'm still listening to it about once or twice a month. It has held up well over time. I'm no closer to getting bored of it than I was the day I first heard it.
NOTE 24/11/11: I'm still listening to it their full discography. A great band who sound as good today as they did all those years ago.
There isnt a bad song on the entire album! Read more
The second you hear the first chorus of opener "Lust In The Movies", you can tell that The Long... Read more
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