Frank Turner has been busy in his first three years travelling all over the country with a guitar in hand playing his own type of folk-punk. A few years ago, Million Dead hardcore group were loved by many fans who followed them everywhere getting into fights and drinking till they dropped. When the group of four decided to split many fans were horrified that they were losing a quality music band. Lot's of tears were shed, but Frank Turner decided to keep the legend going. Only this time, he'd do it on his own. So Frank Turner set off on a journey to launch his solo career. Unfortunately at first he was still living in the shadow of Million Dead, but now his past is gone and he has had a great amount of success as a solo artist.
The “First Three Years”, describes the album of Frank’s first three years of solo music compiled on one disk. It was the first ever album I had bought of Frank's and my friend recommended him to me. It was first released in December 2008 and contains amazing lyrics that each tell a story, strong tunes and excellent singing. Frank Turner's singing voice is mature and professional he knows how to not only reach the high notes, but also the lower ones. Frank Turner deserves to be bigger than he already is and he needs to get away from the image of Million Dead and get respected and looked at as an individual singer. His talent stands him out there with the best, but the image of Million Dead is not good since it stops him from being respected as the excellent and talented solo singer that he is.
The Songs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the album “The First Three Years” was first released there was a feeling that it was just going to be looked at as a stop-gap whilst people waited for Frank
Turner to release his new album, but it is much more than just a stop-gap. Seeing as I was new to Frank Turner there was a lot for me to catch up on and being able to purchase an album that charted his first three years was truly a wonderful asset. There is genuinely good quality music on this album and it is honestly worth listening to.
If you are a huge fan of Frank Turner's then you might already have some of the songs in your collection, but it is good to have an album that contains all of the songs together. My friend has this album and she still has some of the singles that Frank released.
I love the Truck Session version of Imperfect Tense, this is on Frank Turner's website if you have bought Long Live The Queen. The rock album track is very tear jerking and emotional. I love the way Frank Turner experiments with different sounds and he never stays the same from one track to the next. The rock version of Jet Lag was particularly good, The Postal Service and Black Flag were also favourites of mine. I love the individual touch that Frank Turner brings to his music he sings the words with great meaning and always pulls off a fantastic performance. I also loved the end track of Dancing Queen, which is fantastic. It is a completely different take on the song and is a totally unique version. Even if you have never heard of Frank Turner before this album is the perfect place to start. It will show you what Frank Turner is all about, where he has come from and where he is now. The First Three Years has Frank Turner's signature all over it, it is the complete sound of his voice. Nashville Tennessee, and This Town Ain't Big Enough for the One of Me are about the experiences of being brought up in a small town. I love the way Frank Turner sings from the heart and puts his all in all that he does. He is clear in his singing voice and is able to put across the emotions in each song.
This album has Frank Turner's out of print 'Campfire Punkrock' and 'The Real Damage' as well as songs from his separation from Reuben and Matranga. This makes the album more valuable to collectors because you cannot get some of the songs unless you buy the album. You will also find on the album a collection of demos, alternative versions and covers. This album appeals to a large majority of music tastes depending on what you think of Frank Turner and if you are a huge fan or not then this album will mean different things to you.
If you do own some of the other tracks you might only be interested in a few songs on this album. However it is good to have all the songs from Frank Turner's first three years on one album.
Like I said earlier there are some out of print songs on the album as well. There are a few cover tracks on the album, but they have Frank Turner's own interpretation in them. Everything about the album has Frank Turner's signature it is not a copy of previous works, but an interpretation of the incredible voice that can only belong to one man, Frank Turner. There is something for everyone no matter what taste you have. I am sure that you will like a few of these tracks even if you aren't a Frank Turner fan and if you are a fan then I am confident to say that you will enjoy the whole album. There is lightheartedness brought to the two songs Dancing Queen and You Are My Sunshine. I also enjoyed the way Frank Turner sung Smiling At Strangers On Trains from his earlier days with his previous band “Million Dead” except to say that Frank put his own stamp on it.
The Theme Of The Album ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The theme of the album looks back over the first three years of Frank Turner and it is good to have an album that is a collection of all his work from the last three years. I think it is considerably good value for money with all the tracks it has on it. Frank Turner has a sound that is post punk with a touch of folk. It is a soft and gentle kind of music and is not too heavy. Some of his songs you might find a little boring if you are not a lover of folk but, on the whole this album offers a lot. This collection pieces together the missing songs that have been a part of Frank Turner's career. There's a collection of early singles and EPs that form the first half of the album and some completely new and unreleased tracks for the second. I love the soft tones to Frank Turner's voice it is difficult to find an artist with the kind of quality that Frank has in his voice. Some of his songs are funny because of the lyrics and the way Frank sings them.
I love the way Frank is able to move up and down through the octave with ease and his voice has a quality that is not just higher range but, he can hit some of the lower notes as well. Tracklist:
1. ‘The Real Damage’ taken From The XMR Single Session split 7" with Reuben - Jan06
From ‘Campfire Punk Rock’ EP May 06 2. ‘Nashville Tennessee’ 3. ‘Thatcher Fucked The Kids’ 4. ‘This Town Ain't Big Enough For The One Of Me’ 5. ‘Casanova Lament’ 6. ‘I Really Don't Care What You Do On Your Gap Year’
Split 10" with Jonah Matranga, June 06 7. ‘The Outdoor Type’ 8. ‘You Are My Sunshine’
‘Real Damge’ EP, May 07 9. ‘Sea Legs’ 10. ‘Back To Sleep’ 11. ‘Sunshine State’ 12. ‘Heartless Bastard Motherfucker’
‘Softcore Tour’ CD September 07 13. ‘Pay To Cum’: Bad Brains cover 14. ‘Fix Me’: Black Flag cover
‘Love, Ire and Song’ recording session: (previously released with love ire & song as a digital exclusive to 7digital) 15. ‘Hold Your Tongue’ 16. ‘Front Crawl’ 17. ‘Jet Lag (Rock)’
‘Truck Sessions’ June 08 18. ‘Photosynthesis’ 19. ‘Worse Things Happen At Sea’ 20. ‘Imperfect Tense’
Previously Unreleased Covers: 21. ‘The District Sleeps Alone Tonight’ (Postal Service) 22. ‘Smiling At Strangers On Trains’ (Million Dead) cover 23. ‘Dancing Queen’ (Abba)
From the looming music and dark lyrics of 'The Real Damage' through to the more modern uplifting beat and politically fuelled genius of 'Thatcher Fucked The Kids', what Turner has produced is an important part of quality folk.
There is tongue-in-cheek humour of 'I Really Don't Care What You Did In Your Gap Year' and the collective of covers such as Bad Brains 'Pay To Cum' and ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' all in all make this a winning album that will go down as a classic.
This album retails at around £5.99 from most internet outlets and shops.
This product has not yet been reviewed.
30.06.2009 01:03
A great read! Thanks for sharing:)
07.04.2009 22:04
looks like l'm in good company as part of the 'l'd not heard of him either' brigade . . . . . . ♥ jes ♥
26.03.2009 22:55
I fall into the "never heard of him" category I'm afraid....but you have put that to rights now! Richard. xxx