Change Giver - Shed Seven > Reviews > Whats It Like To Let The Feeling Flow

Author's product rating:   

Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency of tracks
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Value for Money

Advantages:	11 superb tracks, a good solid debut
Disadvantages:	The last track is over 8 minutes long !  !  !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Well I’m back from my 2 weeks sunning myself in another country and decided I should use my day off, as I couldn’t sleep, to write an op on Shed 7’s debut album Change Giver. The York band burst onto the scene with this album back in 1994 and instantly got themselves a loyal fan base with some cracking songs.

The Band:

Rick Witter: Vocals
Tom Gladwin: Bass
Paul Banks: Guitar/Keyboards
Alan Leach: Drums

The album opens with “Dirty Soul”. It starts with a guitar building up and fading out with the odd drum beat in there and then really picking up before the vocals come in. The intro is quite long and as the first song on the album it is a great opener. A strong drum beat accompanied by some superb guitar playing and the vocals really are suited to this classic Indie song. A good track to sing along to whilst in the car with the stereo turned up loud.

The next song a lot of people will recognize from the link advert, “Speakeasy”. It starts with a drum and guitar combo before settling down into a calmer section for the verse and then the introduction of the vocals. I’m sure almost everyone who has watched TV will have heard this a few years ago, but needless to say the Shed’s version doesn’t include the line at The Link its easy.

Moving on to something a little bit mellower and the superb, “Long Time Dead”. It starts with a slow guitar, with the vocals coming in quite quickly but quietly and the drums carry it along nicely. The song is an easy song to just put your feet up and chill out while your listening to it. The song has a great guitar feel to it with the bass contributing a lot. Overall it is probably the best mellow track that Shed 7 have done to date, which really says something when you look at other songs.

Track 4 already and here we have “Heads and Hands”, another quieter song. It starts a bit upbeat moving quickly on to a mellower track. Opening with drums followed quickly by the guitars for longer opening before the vocals come in. The drum beat again keeps the song going at a solid tempo with the vocals matching it all the way and just getting into your head. It gets slower towards the end with a short interlude before going loud again and adding a decent chilled out feel to the track.

The next track “Casino Girl” is another mellow track, which sort of carries on at the same sort of tempo as the last song. It starts with a guitar solo before the drum kicks in leading onto the vocals, which come in quite slowly. The beat again is the main focal point for the song and again carries it along well. It’s an example of a Shed Seven love song and from what I gather it’s about his obsession with a Casino Girl.

“Missing Out” follows on as a different type of mellow track. Again a guitar solo starts the song off before the vocals come in this time before the drums. It’s quite a drawn out vocal sound but it sets the tone for the track. The drums come in after about 40 seconds with a slow beat before really lifting the song to a different level. It gets a little bit repetitive towards the end but really it just drifts past you as it is such a relaxing song.

The next track is one of my favourite Shed Seven tracks ever. This one is “dolphin” a favourite amongst Shed fans. It starts in the best way you could hear an Indie song with what sounds like Bongo drums before the guitar joins in and then the vocals coming in with another superb introduction. The lyrics to this song are great and a must to sing along to. This was the last track they played the other week when I saw them in Portsmouth and it really had the crowd jumping.

Here we go again onto a track I was sure had featured on Going For Gold but I was wrong, the track is “Stars In Your Eyes”. It starts with a drum quickly joined by the guitar leading into the song before the vocals come in. They sound pretty laid back for another mellow track. Builds a little into the chorus but not enough to really get you moving, but that’s not a bad thing as it helps you to relax. The drums play a big part again, and some very talented guitar playing really add to the appeal of the song.

Were almost at the end of the album and track 9 is the first ever Shed Seven single called “Mark” released on 1st March 1994. It builds from the quiet very quickly with first the guitar and then the drums before the vocals come in. The more I listen to this song the more I actually like it. The guitar gives it a very unique feel and the vocals sound like a perfect match to the track. The drums again are playing a huge part in the song. A great one to sing along to on a nice day such as this.

The next track is called “Ocean Pie”. It starts with the guitar on its own this time in a very similar vein to an Oasis track with the drums then coming in and leading into the vocals. The Vocals are mellow again this time and again prove a bit of a test for mister Witter but it still sounds good. It’s a good chill out track with some impressive Guitar playing. Again like Mark the more you listen to it the quicker it grows on you, although it is one of those tracks I can like one week and skip the next.

Well here we are at the end of the Shed 7 debut album journey with “On An Island With You”. It starts with the guitar and drum combo of a lot of the tracks, building in volume and tempo as they lead in. The vocals come in just as the beat changes for a short burst before returning to their original pace. The vocals sound good again and the drums alternating between faster and slower really compliments the vocals and the guitars. Of course this is a colossal song to end with lasting for over 8 minutes and sounding the same most of the way through, but you don’t really notice.

So there we have it the end of another Shed Seven album and this time the debut one at that. Available from Amazon.co.uk for a bargain £7.99. Certainly a decent album and the one where it all started.

Tomorrow it’s onto the controversial subject of football and particular one Mr David Beckham.

Cheers
Andy