One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back (Parental Advisory) [PA] - Darkness (The) > Reviews > I got this for Christmas...

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	less pompus
Disadvantages:	some silly songs

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I got this for Christmas so I thought I'd review it: -

The Darkness are loved and loathed in equal measure and the release of their second album probably won't convince many of their critics to give them a second chance. But it should.

Firstly, it's produced by Roy Thomas Baker of Queen fame, so you already know it's going to sound big and bombastic. Many people thought "Permission to Land" was too pompous and over-blown but it's like a stripped-down, simplistic Garage Rock album compared to "One Way Ticket..."! Example? Ok, the opening title track begins with, wait for it... A PAN PIPE SOLO!!!!! The album also features plenty of strings throughout to add to the bombast (bit like Nightwish in places), Lynyrd Skynyrd-style honky-tonk piano (on "Knockers") and I think I heard a few sitars, for crying out loud!

Another key point is that this album rocks so much harder than their debut. It's generally heavier, there are much catchier riffs (most notably on the epic "Bald" and the Scottish-influenced "Hazel Eyes") more guitar solos and the musicianship as a whole has improved considerably (replacing the bass player was obviously a smart move).

Of course there are quite a few silly songs, none more so than "English Country Garden" (key lyric: "Have you got a match?/ Yes my cock and Farmer Giles' prize-winning marrow!") but, unlike on "Permission to Land", the craziness is not at the expense of good songs. And of course there are some more tender moments, such as the forthcoming single "Seemed like a Good Idea at the Time", which show that The Darkness display a greater degree of subtlety than many people realise.

When The Darkness released "Permission to Land", they were a joke; mercilessly ripping-off countless bands from the 70s and 80s, contributing nothing new and original, complete with a seemingly castrated frontman whom many people wanted to publicly hang by his catsuit. Today, 2 years later, The Darkness have established their own unique identity and, judging by the artistic quality and creative diversity of this 35-minute LP, they truly have a lot more to contribute to UK music than many people originally gave them credit for. The semantically inaccurate title aside (I know it should be a return!), there is nothing wrong with this album in any way.

Let's hope The Darkness can become more accepted as the years pass and prove countless more people wrong. They are not a novelty act. Like it or not, they are hear to stay.