- Audio CD (21 Feb 2006)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Domino
- ASIN: B000E1155E
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (291 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 444,903 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. The View From The Afternoon |
| 2. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor |
| 3. Fake Tales Of San Francisco |
| 4. Dancing Shoes |
| 5. You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight At Me |
| 6. Still Take You Home |
| 7. Riot Van |
| 8. Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured |
| 9. Mardy Bum |
| 10. Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But... |
| 11. When The Sun Goes Down |
| 12. From The Ritz To The Rubble |
| 13. A Certain Romance |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Hot on the heels of their shock No.1 single "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor", Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not confirms Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys as the UK underground’s most proselytising young preachers of the DIY gospel. Marrying nervy, caffeine-and-cigarettes indie clatter to conversational, pretence-free lyrics and the occasional burst of off-the-cuff eloquence--"No time for Montagues or Capulets/Just banging tunes and DJ sets", proffers "…Dancefloor"--it’s an instant, pulse-racing hit.
No question, the Monkeys are more sinners than saints. The opening "The View From The Afternoon" predicts a ruckus with a whole lot more grit than the Kaisers can muster, while on the mellow "Riot Van", a tale of underage drinking and cop-baiting culminates in a messy beating in the back of a station-wagon. Look beyond the Arctics’ bristly, laddish exterior, however, because it’s actually affairs of the heart that comprise this album’s secret core: see the sweaty-palmed "Dancing Shoes", bearing testament to the trial of nerves that is pulling in a suburban indie nightclub, or "Mardy Bum"--tribute to a moody girlfriend that, for all its witty barbs ("I’ve seen your frown and it’s like looking down the barrel of a gun"), is tinted with sweet affection.--Louis Pattison
Review
Over three years on from the bomb-in-your-pocket blast of Arctic Monkeys’ introduction to the mainstream – two consecutive number one singles, and a chart-conquering debut album, represents quite the eruption from the blocks – it’s only by considering the pair of long-players that have followed it that one can begin to find relative fault with the Sheffield band’s first foray into audience affections.
With hindsight, 2006’s Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not lacks both the acerbic edge of its fairly immediate successor Favourite Worst Nightmare – released just 15 months later – and the sense of completeness conveyed by their most recent, Josh Homme-assisted affair, Humbug. But the same – that the debut doesn’t match its follow-up releases – could be said of many a domestic indie success: Radiohead’s Pablo Honey is an embarrassment placed beside the superlative structures of The Bends, and Pulp didn’t hit their stride until fourth effort, His ‘n’ Hers. Granted, Oasis have perhaps never bettered Definitely Maybe, but they’re the exception to what’s otherwise a fairly established rule.
Exuding the ramshackle character of their preceding (freely distributed) demo material, much of Whatever People Say… flows at a rambunctious pace, its players’ shortcomings at the time masked by an infectious energy – listening back, it’s the spirit of When the Sun Goes Down and I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor that nailed them to our hearts, not any particular compositional flair (Alex Turner’s John Cooper Clark-indebted lyricism aside). With their innocent faces but wicked tongues, the Arctics were always a commercial proposition in waiting; Domino’s success in signing them sped the process up, but it’s hard to imagine a world without these songs finding a sizeable audience, label assistance or not.
The album’s clearest hooks are broad enough to cover several sub-genre bases, while the spiky riffs appeal instantly to punk-minded indie kids after something with true bite – especially after the likes of Keane and (modern era) Snow Patrol took the torch passed by Radiohead et al and proceeded to dampen it down to a smouldering shadow of its former self. Today’s definition of what passes for an indie band has everything to do with this album: it redefined one’s musical lexicon, pinching from the past but resolutely contemporary with its tales, however faked, of young-adult-eye-level social minutiae.
And it’s for its legacy, rather than actual content, that Whatever People Say… warrants categorising as a classic of its era. Its roots might not stretch deep, but branches continue to sprout forth from its frame --Mike Diver
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
56 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
At 51, I am surely not the type of listener the Arctic Monkeys were aiming for. But, having heard Johnnie Walker play the track "Mardy Bum" and being wowed by it, I got a young colleague to lend me his copy of the album. It's wonderful. On first hearing, my "elderly" ears were about to dismiss it as a row, then the lyrics got through. I think Alex Turner is as excellent a spokesman for his generation as Ray Davies, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher before him. Much more appropriate (and clever) than the whingeing of the likes of James Blunt. A superb album.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Vinyl
When my boyfriend said 'You've got to listen to this album, this band are great', I was 'Yeh, yeh, yeh whatever. Typical music industry hype'. But I was absolutely wrong to draw that conclusion.
Not since Radiohead's 'The Bends' has an album been released and it has has had such a dramatic and positive influence on its audience. The lyrics to the music are modern poetry and the music is stupendous. It's life changing in so much as it gives you a positive view of musicians and the world, in that young people can analyse (and pleasure) the world around them so accurately.
In fact I think this album is better than 'The Bends'. Every song on it is an absolute classic, that nearly six months on, I am not tired of listening to it. Whereas, I didn't scour 'The Bends' cover for more snippets of trivia to satiate my junkie appetite for the band.
The melodies are as good as, dare I say it, The Beatles. The guitar leads are as good as any of the best rock bands I've loved. The bass lines are spine tingling; the best I've heard on 'I bet that you look good on the dance floor'. Gives a new dimension to the word 'bass'.
If I had to criticise, the album doesn't celebrate women as much as the Beatles, which is one of the reasons I love the Beatles so much. But then, to compare a band with the Beatles? I can't believe I'm doing it. I only love Abbey Road and the White Album more than this.
I want to go on a Arctic Monkeys tour of Sheffield - it'll do wonders for Sheffield's tourism industry. It's so good it makes me cry. And when I think I might have lost (my three copies of ) this album I break into a cold sweat. Hurry up with the next album boys.
Not since Radiohead's 'The Bends' has an album been released and it has has had such a dramatic and positive influence on its audience. The lyrics to the music are modern poetry and the music is stupendous. It's life changing in so much as it gives you a positive view of musicians and the world, in that young people can analyse (and pleasure) the world around them so accurately.
In fact I think this album is better than 'The Bends'. Every song on it is an absolute classic, that nearly six months on, I am not tired of listening to it. Whereas, I didn't scour 'The Bends' cover for more snippets of trivia to satiate my junkie appetite for the band.
The melodies are as good as, dare I say it, The Beatles. The guitar leads are as good as any of the best rock bands I've loved. The bass lines are spine tingling; the best I've heard on 'I bet that you look good on the dance floor'. Gives a new dimension to the word 'bass'.
If I had to criticise, the album doesn't celebrate women as much as the Beatles, which is one of the reasons I love the Beatles so much. But then, to compare a band with the Beatles? I can't believe I'm doing it. I only love Abbey Road and the White Album more than this.
I want to go on a Arctic Monkeys tour of Sheffield - it'll do wonders for Sheffield's tourism industry. It's so good it makes me cry. And when I think I might have lost (my three copies of ) this album I break into a cold sweat. Hurry up with the next album boys.
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When I got this album, I found myself listening to it over and over again. The best song on the album is I bet that you look good on the dancefloor and When the sun goes down isn't far behind. The only poor song on the album really is Riot van, however except that this is an excellent album. People who say Franz Ferdinand and the Kaiser Chiefs are better are wrong because the Arctic Monkeys are a more individual rock/indie band. Everyone will like the Kaiser Chiefs with their radio-friendly and catchy lyrics but the Arctic Monkeys are something different. I am not saying I don't like the Kaiser Chiefs or Franz Ferdinand's first album (however overrated the second is) but to be honest you either love or hate the Arctic Monkeys rhythmic indie/rock sound or you don't and I believe more people do. The second album is good as well but I won't go on about that. So all in all, the Arctic Monkeys have bucked the trend of normal rock bands with boring lyrics (this doesn't include the Kaiser Chiefs) and have produced a masterpiece.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great album. Get it on vinyl while you can.
I love this album! You will too. Probably. If you're a fan I suggest getting the vinyl version while you can, as the inner sleeve art is pretty cool, it sounds great, and... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ryan
Perhaps a social history document as well as a brilliant album!
Maybe in years this come this album will be seen as giving an insight into the opinions and activities of the late teenage and early twenties males in the UK. Read more
Published 7 months ago by haunted
The beggining of a legacy of good songs.
I believe that the day when Arctic Monkeys make a single song that I dislike is still yet to come. It will probably take ages until that happens. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ermee
A bit of fun
I'm probably in the biggest target target audience for this (late teen) but despite all the hype surrounding it along with all the criticism, I can't really see where most of the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by crzystu
The Definitely Maybe Of The Decade
This album is up their with Definitely Maybe and The Stone Roses debut and possibly the greteast debut of the 00's
Published on 27 Oct 2009 by Mr. Liam J. Cranfield
A review for the reviewers perhaps - and thus the album
To quote another witty Northern social observer who also used a similar medium, "we hate it when our friends become famous, and if they're Northern - that makes it even worse"... Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2009 by Prof Whiteside
Fresh
I brought this and i listen it twice Mr Turner is a word smith who's confidence shows in his live playing i dont agree with the tag he is ripping of 70's band, this album was great... Read more
Published on 1 July 2009 by S. CHEW
Polarising, and not just their name!
Look through the reviews on here and you will see just how polarising the Arctics can be, people either love them or hate them. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2009 by A. Elliott
WOW
I am completely in love with the Arctic Monkeys, this album is the best they've done, with some of my faveourite songs on it. But, they have'nt done anything recently! I want more!
Published on 31 Jan 2009 by David Roe
You know you're doing well when your debut outsells The Beatles
As soon as that drumbeat of 'The View from the Afternoon' kicks in, you're instantly aware that this is a debut album like no other - this the sound of REAL music from 4 Sheffield... Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2009 by J. Pettipher
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