... As a result The Man Who has become one of those albums that most people own. If you like Indie then I’d say it’s almost a certainty that there is a copy of this album in your CD collection.
This was back in the times where NME didn’t pick up on every new band proclaiming them the new this ... Read review
The ultimate slow-burner, Travis's second album infused its way into the psyche of ... more
post-Radiohead Britain with an endearingly humble grace. It's not quite certain how Travis went from being the happy-clappy Britpop also-rans of their debut Good Feeling to becoming the gifted pop craftsmen that moulded the gentle emotional trough of the chart-topping The Man Who, but it would seem that the tired, lonely lovelorn niche is one that suits Travis rather well. So, "Writing To Reach You", "Driftwood" and "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" are the meekest songs to ever eat daytime radio alive. Elsewhere, "As You Are" sounds like Thom Yorke swaddled in blankets, and the closing "Slide Show" punctures rock mythology with an impossibly beautiful lyric: "There is no design for life/ There's no devil's haircut in my mind/ There is not a wonderwall to climb, or step around". --Louis Pattison
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
The ultimate slow-burner, Travis's second album infused its way into the psyche of ... more
post-Radiohead Britain with an endearingly humble grace. It's not quite certain how Travis went from being the happy-clappy Britpop also-rans of their debutGood Feelingto becoming the gifted pop craftsmen that moulded the gentle emotional trough of the chart-toppingThe Man Who, but it would seem that the tired, lonely lovelorn niche is one that suits Travis rather well. So, "Writing To Reach You", "Driftwood" and "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" are the meekest songs to ever eat daytime radio alive. Elsewhere, "As You Are" sounds like Thom Yorke swaddled in blankets, and the closing "Slide Show" punctures rock mythology with an impossibly beautiful lyric: "There is no design for life/ There's no devil's haircut in my mind/ There is not a wonderwall to climb, or step around".--Louis Pattison
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The ultimate slow-burner, Travis's second album infused its way into the psyche of ... more
post-Radiohead Britain with an endearingly humble grace. It's not quite certain how Travis went from being the happy-clappy Britpop also-rans of their debutGood Feelingto becoming the gifted pop craftsmen that moulded the gentle emotional trough of the chart-toppingThe Man Who, but it would seem that the tired, lonely lovelorn niche is one that suits Travis rather well. So, "Writing To Reach You", "Driftwood" and "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" are the meekest songs to ever eat daytime radio alive. Elsewhere, "As You Are" sounds like Thom Yorke swaddled in blankets, and the closing "Slide Show" punctures rock mythology with an impossibly beautiful lyric: "There is no design for life/ There's no devil's haircut in my mind/ There is not a wonderwall to climb, or step around".--Louis Pattison
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Excellent album, that has a very wide appeal. Some excellent singles and superb album tracks Disadvantages: It's perhaps too good that they raised the expectation too high for the rest of their albums
...Co. As a result The Man Who has become one of those albums that most people own. If you like Indie then I’d say it’s almost a certainty that there is a copy of this album in your CD collection.
This was back in the times where NME didn’t pick up on every new band proclaiming them the new this or that. In fact the first album from the Scottish 4 piece was released in 1997 and slipped through virtually unnoticed. This second album would ... ...main selling point of The Man Who. The guitar driven sound gives it a slightly upbeat feel but at the same time maintains the mellow vibe that the album gives off from the first chord.
If the guitars give the album its drive and determination, it’s the bass and drum combination that really provides its backbone. While the lead guitars give the tracks a bit of feeling and compliment Fran’s vocals superbly, it’s the backing of the track ... more
One of the best albums of 1999, if not the 90’s as a whole was the second album from Scottish band Travis. They followed up Good Feeling with one of the best albums I’d heard in a long time. It took a very mellow vibe but certainly made it work for Fran and Co. As a result The Man Who has become one of those albums that most people own. If you like Indie then I’d say it’s almost a certainty that there is a copy of this album in your CD collection.
This was back in the times where NME didn’t pick up on every new band proclaiming them the new this or that. In fact the first album from the Scottish 4 piece was released in 1997 and slipped through virtually unnoticed. This second album would really herald the announcement that Travis had arrived. It was produced by Nigel Godrich, who can now include both Travis and Radiohead as bands he has worked with in the past.
It is quite a musical progression from Good Feeling as Travis appear to have moved away from the raw, rock energy that engulfed that album. This album has a mellower vibe to it, which in turn makes its appeal last a lot longer. Not only are the singles excellent on the album, the rest of the tracks are superb as well. In fact you could go as far as to say that a lot of the album tracks are actually better than a few of the singles.
For me that’s a factor that can only work in Travis’s favour and makes the album on the whole much more enjoyable. A lot of albums can offer great singles, but fall down on the quality of the rest of the tracks. The album is very guitar driven as Fran really takes the lead role with both the vocals and acoustic guitars. That is the main selling point of The Man Who. The guitar driven sound gives it a slightly upbeat feel but at the same time maintains the mellow vibe that the album gives off from the first chord.
If the guitars give the album its drive and determination, it’s the bass and drum combination that really provides its backbone. While the lead guitars give the tracks a bit of feeling and compliment Fran’s vocals superbly, it’s the backing of the track that really makes it for me. Each track has a nice relaxing beat that seems to dictate the pace at times and gives the album its mellow, relaxed vibe. It is a solid album that at times shows glimpses of Radiohead in the early days.
I think the best aspect of the album though is the diversity of the market the album is aimed at as a whole. While tracks like “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” and “Driftwood” are obvious attempts to encourage a wider audience to listen to Travis. There are also a number of tracks on the album, which are aimed directly at the Indie market. “The Fear” is the perfect example of this as it plays of slightly darker undertones to the singles. It sounds a lot more like the old Travis material, but once the singles hook you the rest of the album seems to just drift by effortlessly.
There are of course a couple of tracks that really stick out for me on this album. The first being “The Fear”, which I think is a truly fantastic track. The simple acoustic guitar riffs and relaxed drumbeat make it a pleasure to listen to. Throughout the album Fran’s vocals sound amazing, hit both high and low notes and giving the band a unique sound. I really feel his voice makes my other favourite track “Driftwood”. There is an aspect about his vocals that really suits the style and manner of the song and makes it such a fantastic track.
Overall there are very few downsides to the album. For some it may be a bit too mellow, but I personally feel that they have found the right balance. It has a much wider appeal than a lot of albums and that certainly counts as a positive. They haven’t come close to making an album as good as this since and it remains to be seen whether they could better The Man Who. It is an excellent album that will certainly stand the test of time, containing a few songs that will stick with you forever.
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The Indie Pop band Travis came with ?The ManWho? in 1999 as their second release. It found the Scottish band refining the sound of their music from more of a Rock sound to a much more mellow, mainstream-friendly Pop material (in comparison to their 1997 debut ?Good Feeling? record). It features the same line-up who have gone on to produce a further four albums together with Francis Healey on lead vocals, Andrew Dunlop on the guitar, Douglas pain on bass and Neil Primrose on the drums.
1. ?Writing To Reach You?
The album kicks off with what was the lead single to the album and one which stood as one of the most popular cuts from the album as it finds them laying down a smooth cut where they are able to ease listeners in and give them a chance to get into their style as they perform a rather mild song which doesn?t really do anything ...
Advantages: great chill out songs Disadvantages: the hidden song in this album has a hint of bad languuage lol
travis are perhaps one of the most respected scottish bands of all time as they bring the world this amazing compilation of songs that would lift the spirits any grumpy human being, starting from "writing to reach you" it introduces you to a world where your imagination takes over and that reality is blocked from sight. the lovely fran healy uses his vocals to woe the listener with great success which he does to drive in the listener into what he is feeling. travis are a good example of a band that inspires bands today from the likes of coldplay and they have been around as long as oasis have! it is not only an achievement to sell so many albums but to last for so many years without fail is an even more remarkable achievement. ...
Advantages: quite calming Disadvantages: goes on & on & on & on &...etc.
At last, a decent band in the charts!!!. The album, The ManWho is the 2nd album by Travis, who were discovered with the single Why Does It Always Rain On Me which stormed the charts. This isn't their first album though, they also had the undiscovered album Good Feeling. From The ManWho they also released Driftwood, Turn and Writing To Reach You as singles. When released in '99, this album won many awards and was a massive sucsess in the charts. I really like this album as its not as cheesy as so much of the songs that enter the charts, and unlike other bands I like such as Slipknot and KoRn, Travis are liked and listenable to by my parents. I got the album at Chirstmas, and have almost worn it out listening ot it so much. The songs contained in this one ar quite mixed, even thought the voice tends to drone on and on in the sam ...
Travis: Fran Healy, Dougie, Andy, Neil. Additional personnel includes: Sarah Wilson (cello). Engineers include: Gerard Navarro. THE MAN WHO was an astonishingly successful and critically praised follow-up to Travis's inconspicuous 1997 debut, GOOD FEELING. Amidst the upbeat but uninspired post-Britpop guitar scene, the Glaswegian four-piece refined the tender moments from the group's first album to produce a work of unexpected subtlety and confidence. The stunning first single and opening track "Writing to Reach You" sets the mood. The song evokes the fragility and lyrical ache of Radiohead's "High and Dry" and name-checks Oasis's "Wonderwall." From the claustrophobic "The Fear" to the mocking self-pity of "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" to the somnolent "As You Are" and the mellow resignation of "Driftwood," Fran Healy and company wrest a range of emotions from the simplest of acoustic arrangements. Only the solitary stray into bombast of "Turn" disappoints, but it still serves to demonstrate how far the group has progressed.
Album Reviews
Rolling Stone (1/4/01, p.117) - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000". Entertainment Weekly (12/29/00, p.138) - Ranked #4 in EW's Top 10 Albums of 2000 - "...Wimpiness never sounded so honorable..." Q (6/00, p.69) - Ranked #54 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" - "...A succession of great moments stitched together with a craftman's care, sprinkled with a hint of lonliness..." Rolling Stone (4/27/00, p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Sentimental pub rock at its warmest, with gorgeous guitar hooks and boy-next-door sincerity....If you have any weakness for sad-eyed Celtic troubadour pop [this album] will feed your jones and invite you to stay for supper." Alternative Press (4/00, p.104) - 3 out of 5 - "...As ethereal post-Britpop goes, this is top-shelf material; the lyrics sound simultaneously hip and self-defeatist...and singer Fran Healy sounds suitably depressed..." CMJ (3/27/00, p.3) - "...rapturous melodies and a sense of hopeful radiance within an otherwise sad and gloomy art-pop framework....a compelling work of beauty...".
Titles on disc 1
1.
Writing To Reach You
2.
Fear
3.
As You Are
4.
Driftwood
5.
Last Laugh Of The Laugh
6.
Turn
7.
Why Does It Always Rain On Me
8.
Luv
9.
She's So Strange
10.
Slide Show
11.
Blue Flashing Light
12.
Writing To Reach You (LPL/mix)
13.
Driftwood (CDL)
14.
Writing To Reach You (CDL)
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02/04/2005
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