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Amazon.co.uk Review
You’ll hear talk of national treasures, and there’s no denying that erstwhile singer Paul Heaton is as quintessentially English as they come. Given his service to pop over the past 20 years, he’s fairly valuable too. But he’s certainly not the shiny sort, "bling" was just the sound a football made when it rebounded off rusting goalposts in the park when he started making records--his value is more akin to a warm mug of tea and a custard cream from the corner shop on a rainy afternoon. For a newer generation perhaps only familiar with the likes of The Beautiful South’s "Perfect 10" it’s worthwhile going back to the beginning to see why. The Housemartins (also the all singing--if not all dancing--apprenticeship for superstar DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim) were a very fine singles band indeed, rushes of acoustic pop and Humberside barbershop harmonies with all the keenness that youth can afford. A virulent "Five Get Over Excited" and "Happy Hour", alongside peerless a capella cover "Caravan of Love", stand testament to an all too brief career. This is where the Beautiful South took up the reigns with a more mature, but no less catchy or vocally impressive, output, spinning timeless comforts like "You Keep It All In", "A Little Time" and "Old Red Eyes Is Back". Soup is the first time the work of the two bands has been collected onto one disc and while 22 tracks is never going to do justice to such an expansive back catalogue, it’s a splendid starting point. --James Berry
Review
Hull! musically speaking, there's a reason why you could swap it's first letter for a D. As creative hot-spots go, it's not exactly vibrant - Kingmaker anyone? That said, they do have a way with words over on the East coast. After all, it was along the whispering corridors of the city's university that Philip Larkin found many an ode.
While Paul Heaton isn't quite in the same class as the great poet, it is his lyrical trickery more than anything else that launched The Housemartins out of East Yorkshire and into the big time. And it was the same penchant for mischievous wordsmithery that launched The Beautiful South out of the ashes of that band's demise.
Soup brings together a collection of songs from both bands, with an emphasis on the latter, and shows just why Heaton and his bandmates have been so successful.
There's the covers - that brave a cappella take on "Caravan Of Love" and the lonely distance of "Everybody's Talkin'"; there's the outlandish hits - an ever-exuberant "Happy Hour" stands high and healthy next to The Beautiful South's only number one, "A Little Time"; and then there's the real gems.
It's a coin toss between the rambunctious "Me And The Farmer" and the sad epic "Build" as to which takes the Housemartins' crown on this compilation, but for The Beautiful South, the choice is simple.
Fine as the sneering "36D", "Rotterdam"'s ennui and the simple, straightforward kick in the guts that is "Don't Marry Her" (included in its full uncensored glory) are, it is still the tongue-in-cheek lovelorn "Song For Whoever" that sounds as crisp and wry as it did when it first appeared a staggering 18 years ago.
But the decision to put this collection in chronological order means it doesn't start or end well. "Flag Day" may have been The Housemartins' first single, but as an album opener, the paean to charity collections sounds frankly limp. At the other end, the lumpen "Just A Few Things That I Ain't" underlines why The Beautiful South have run their course, without it having to be rubbed in by including Heaton's odd and indulgent ode to his current home town, Manchester.
In-between though, there's the chance to hear a pair of bands grow, spread their wings and create something timeless.
Often misunderstood and overlooked by the barometer of cool, Heaton and his minions have beavered away nevertheless and become two of the finest exponents of pop Britain has ever had - and there's nothing dull about that. --Chris Long
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Now don't get me wrong - the music is fantastic...,
By Jolene (Devon, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Soup (Audio CD)
... but this must be one of those unnecessary pre-Christmas releases that some 12-year old record company goon has dreamed up.Both The Housemartins and The Beautiful South were quality bands, with a fantastic back catalogue which I urge you to discover. Cramming tracks from both bands onto one CD simply does not do either of them justice. Take my advice: spend your money on two 'best of' CDs and discover these bands properly. You won't regret it!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Buy the other best off albums,
By mike "Mike aging rocker" (Manchester England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Soup (Audio CD)
The review for the Beautiful South's "Carry on up the Charts" album states that one in every four households owns that album, so why buy this one? Is it simply for the few addittional Housemartins's tracks? if so buy their best of compilation it is not only more comprehensive but cheaper.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pointless compilation,
By Hespro (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Soup (Audio CD)
A great band - but a totally pointless compilation. Is there a household in the land with out a BS album? A totally cynical pre-Christmas marketing effort.
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