Rock Steady - Richard Elliot

Advantages: Fun, lightweight, a number of catchy songs
Disadvantages: Too many cooks spoiling the No Doubt broth?

...I was teased for buying this album a few years ago by my friends, who laughed at how tragically unhip No Doubt were. Indeed, I had always considered No Doubt to be a bit of what I call a 'nothing' band, a band who are pretty meaningless and who, if they were suddenly removed from existence (in some bizarre twist of fate), the music scene would not be affected a single iota. Look around and those kind of bands are everywhere - Turin Breaks, Placebo and Maroon 5 being two prominent examples. No Doubt were desperately uncool and credibility-free, troubling the charts with their soft rock anthem 'Don't Speak', while previously they had been at the forefront of one of the most repugnant genres in the entire history of modern music, in the form of American ska-punk. So I thought buying 'Rock Steady' would result in my coolness, and inevitably... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great perfomance, Fantastic tracklist!
Disadvantages: Some songs too pop.

...This dvd is a fantastic buy! It shows a real insight into the personality of the band. The dvd is such great entertainment, fun to watch and has an amazing tracklist not only from rock steady, but the best hits of all their previous albums. On top of this it includes brilliant bonus tracks, from no doubt when they first started making music, in a funny scene where Gwen Stefani is shaving all of the boy's heads. Also you can find hidden bonus tracks of their trip to Jamaica where they found their inspiration for the rock steady album. On the behind the scenes bonus feature it shows them discussing whether to focus more on the music or the entertaining of the crowd; and ultimately they got the balance just right! You can also find individual interviews of the band members, some questions including, "what did you want to be when you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Amazing Album
Disadvantages: Nothing!

...Elliot Minor: Elliot Minor: 14th April 2007. Welcome to the 11 song guide. 1. Time After Time Alex’s favourite. Wow. The demo showed so much charm, so does the finalised track live up? Yes. The one criticism is the removal of the gunshot, but if you overlook that the track has been mastered to perfection. Webisodes have shown clips of this song and the radio even gave us a preview, but nothing could prepare you for the beautiful chords, melodies and lyrics which definitely lead way to an amazing album of this immense scale. Mixing both the classical sounds with the heavier guitars, weaved among a strong drum beat you know you’ll be humming this one for years to come. 2. Parallel Worlds Their first and most recent single [9th April 2007 and a re-release on the 7th April 2008], it’s a crowd pleaser, amazing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful