A's And B's - Bluetones (The)

Advantages: Lots of great tracks
Disadvantages: The first single isn't on the album

...Ah Britpop, you were responsible for so much! Shed Seven, Sleeper and various others. Luckily in amongst the dross you managed to create a few decent bands – The Bluetones are one of these bands. Shooting into the spotlight with the fabulous, and completely unrelated to Hendrix, Slight Return the Bluetones straight away became one of my favourite bands of that time, even their B-Sides were great! As is this album, it mainly consists of guitar pop style songs, though erase any “Boyzone with a guitarist” ideas from your head – you’re way off. Every track on the album is great, which made their following album, Return to the Last Chance saloon all the more disappointing. But this is album is so good I couldn’t pick any standout tracks or any faults with the album. Well, maybe one – the first single, Are You Blue Or Are You Blind isn... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Probably their best work
Disadvantages: some songs are a bit long

...The Bluetones first album was excelletn, their secon was good and this at the very least matches their first album. It was critically aclaimed but didn't really get that much commercial succsess, it should have done though as this is a very good album. It is best played whilst driving on a hot summers day as it has that sort of feel to it, one of the tracks "Slack Jaw" (which has an ocordian in) was actually recorded outside. The opener "Zorro" has an excellent bass riff and the jangely guitar of "Last of the great Navigators" is very warming. The excellent single and perhaps slightly risky when played at Glastonbury "Mudslide" is here. The lead single "Home Fires" is as good as "Slight return" and the slightly strange "Autophillia" sounds like nothing else that has ever been done. The Paranoid "Basement Song" is probably the best... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Fantastic songs
Disadvantages: not a proper album

...Were the Roses the greatest band of all time? The self titled dubut album is widely regarded as one of the finest ever released, but that fails to tell the full story. "Turns Into Stone", a collection of b-sides and extended mixes, was released by Silvertone in an attempt to cash in on the bands popularity and as a stop-gap whilst awaiting new material. Although this sounds like a recipe for disaster, the quality shines through.The songs are immaculate, many easily reaching the standard of those which appeared on the debut album. They have an effortless and beautiful power. Each chiming chord has that X ingredient that only special bands posess. "Going Down" is a fine example of the genius of the Stone Roses. The song was copied almost note for note by The Bluetones on "Slight Return". Although this proved to be the finest moment... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average off topic