0898 Beautiful South

A truly outstanding album...

It sounds miserable but it isn’t. Rotheray’s detailed compositions complement Heaton’s lyrics perfectly, creating a bold and always interesting fusion of lounge jazz and Beatle-pop; whilst Jon Kelly’s multi-layered production elevates the album to the realms of prog-rock perfection. This is most notable on the later half of the album where amazing sonic-arrangements add an atmospheric depth to such songs as Here it is Again, Something that you Said, and the closing number, When I’m 84.

Elsewhere, we find the striking voice of Briana Corrigan who adds an element of dramatic beauty to songs like Rocking Chair, Bell-bottomed Tear, and I’m Your No. 1 Fan, which all certainly benefit from the feminine touch... this was sadly her last album with the band, cemented by Heaton’s somewhat misogynistic composition Mini-Correct on the follow up album Miaow, from which she was sourly missed.

Following on in the tradition of I Love You (But You’re Boring) and Should Have Kept My Eyes Shut from the first two albums, 0898 features one of the best titled pop songs ever. The wonderfully colloquial You Play Glockenspiel, I’ll play Drums not only has the most intricate rhyming scheme of any of the tracks on the album, but also has the most detailed subject matter. Personally, it’s my favourite track on the record, managing to be simultaneously toe tapping-good AND heart-wrenchingly sad.

Needless to say, this is certainly one of the most underrated records of early nineties pop. The music is tight, literate and intelligent and, as mentioned previously, the musicianship of the band as a whole is faultless. It may lack the obvious hits of the first two South albums but that is by no means a criticism. You may just need to take a few more listens to really relax into the mood of the record. At this current price... that’s asking very little indeed.

This album is incredible, in that it's possibly their most uplifting musically, but lyrically it still deals with many dark sides to human nature. They also haven't lost their political agenda, going back to when Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway were in 'The Housemartins.' Themes here include alcoholism ('Old Red Eyes Is Back'), domestic violence ('The Rocking Chair'), the downfall of The Royal Family ('We'll Deal With You Later'), the sleazy lifestyles of 'Page 3 girls' ('36D'), bad relationships ('Something That You Said') obsessive relationships ('We Are Each Other') and ageing ('When I'm 84'). The aforementioned song, 'Domino man' and 'I'm Your No. 1 Fan' are probably the only songs on the album that are generally light-hearted lyrically, though these too have their dark moments. The lyrics are ambiguous throughout, drawing comparisons with 'Morrissey,' where you don't know whether to smirk like a goon, or sigh at the sadness; Usually you do both, which makes it all the more captivating.

The reason this is their best album is that other BS albums have been (only slightly) hindered by the odd one or two weak tracks. There are barely no weak songs here. Their other albums are all still excellent, but not as consistent as this (I can't comment on 'Gaze,' as I listened to it once, and took it back for a refund; didn't have the time for it, although I liked 2 or 3 songs. I generally wasn't impressed on first listen; as most Beautiful South albums/songs hit me straight away). The weakest song on '0898' in my opinion is the closer 'When I'm 84,' and that's still pretty good. The excellent, largely humorous lyrics ("No dribbling or incontinence, no longing for the old sixpence, just smoking weed 'til age makes sense") more than make up for that though. On 'Welcome To...' you have the poor tracks 'I Love You (But You're Boring)' and the clumsy 'Love Is...,' on Choke you have the weaker songs 'Lips' and 'What You See Is What You Get,' on 'Miaow' you have the botched attempt at 'Cod funk' with 'Hooligans Don't Fall In Love' and the good but not great 'Hold Me Close (Underground).'

So there you have it; this should be seen as a classic, but what the 'NME' and 'Q' thinks and what's true are two completely different things. This band is great, and though you should own all their albums, this is most recommended, and a must have for fans of this band, as well as genuine music-lovers who like their music fun, funky, yet also at times maudlin and poignant; and always interesting. Ear-candy for the intelligent is how I'd sum this up.