View Poll Results: Please rate the album from 1 to 10

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  • 1 / 10 Boo Radleys? More like Boo-ull Shee-it!

    0 0%
  • 2 / 10 Could do better

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  • 3 / 10 Has some merit.......but not much

    0 0%
  • 4 / 10 Liked one or two tracks

    2 20.00%
  • 5 / 10 Not bad overall, I'd probably listen to it again

    0 0%
  • 6 / 10 Pretty good effort

    4 40.00%
  • 7 / 10 I like it!

    2 20.00%
  • 8 / 10 I like it a lot! I may even buy a copy.

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  • 9 / 10 Excellent - I'm buying a copy right now

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  • 10 / 10 Perfect - essential listening

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Thread: Album Club: 14.12.2011: The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps.

  1. #1
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

    Default Album Club: 14.12.2011: The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps.

    Album Club: 14.12.2011: The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps. 1993
    Creation Records



    Spotify Link: http://open.spotify.com/album/6347aGYak5Dsi0hwPMMpmj

    Wikipedia Links
    Album: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_S...Radleys_album)

    Band:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boo_Radleys

    Most of what follows is lifted shamelessly from my review of this album on Neil's Adventures in Hi-Fi Audio website:


    Many people remember The Boo Radleys for the hit single ‘Wake Up Boo!’ in the summer of 1995, but this was not really at all representative of the band’s sound up to then. They’d been very strongly influenced by bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jnr. but by the time of 'Wake Up Boo!' they had unwillingly been dragged into the so-called Britpop fraternity which diverted attention away from the complex arrangements, experimental techniques and sophisticated songwriting that the band were routinely displaying.

    ‘Giant Steps’ preceded ‘Wake Up Boo!’ by two years and is characterised by it’s uncompromisingly big sound.
    Apart from the above influences, there is dub-style bass, obvious tinges of The Beach Boys in some of the harmonies, Hendrix, in some of the guitar playing and the pop combined with dextrous experimentalism of The Beatles throughout the whole. Seventeen tracks spread over more than an hour of uplifting and sometimes challenging music – glorious!

    Before now, I've described 'Giant Steps' as "a 'Forever Changes' for the nineties" & I don't think that's too far off the mark really, and this album is now a bit of a hidden classic that deserves to be more widely appreciated. It can be gentle, but also frightening in its intensity. A hugely diverse range of influences shaped it into what it is, so there should be something there for almost everyone!
    Last edited by The Grand Wazoo; 14-12-2011 at 09:32.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Cheshire

    Posts: 1,180
    I'm Barry.

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    I bought this when it first came out, didn't like it much and sold it at a car boot sale a few years ago. I shall have to try again on Spotify.

  3. #3
    Join Date: May 2011

    Location: Somewhere

    Posts: 1,863
    I'm Paul.

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    I didn't think I would like this. The first 2 tracks did little for me but then it gets better and better. It is pretty typical brit pop before the name evolved and has those 60's influences as well as later stuff. One track sounds very similar to a well known New Order number. Similar in many respects to a certain better known Manchester band on the same label (Creation) but a wider musical palet. I suspect the Boo Radleys had more than some influence on Noel Gallagher.

    Overall it still washes by me in a pleasant way as much of this genre did at the time. Decent listen but would not purchase it. A worthy record from this period but the sound is at times rather fuzzy and compressed. 6/10

  4. #4
    Join Date: Sep 2009

    Location: Derbyshire

    Posts: 9,228
    I'm Josie.

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    I remember meeting the band at a gig in the mid 90's. Nice chaps but I never actually bought any of their stuff as 'Wake up Boo' was being played far too much and Chris Evans even got the band to make it in to a Jingle for his show on Radio 1 which ruined the track for me to be honest.
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  5. #5
    Join Date: Sep 2010

    Location: High Peak, Derbyshire

    Posts: 2,241
    I'm Keith.

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    Copy 'acquired'. Will listen to ASAP.
    Keith
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  6. #6
    MartinT Guest

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    I had never previously heard them. This album is a mix of some great melodies and good, catchy, hooks with a large dollop of weird shit. I can't decide if I like it or not but I'm thinking that I'll be won over. Some definite Beatles influence in there and a number of other bands come to mind. I'll give it 6/10 with the strong possibility of improvement.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MartinT View Post
    This album is a mix of some great melodies and good, catchy, hooks with a large dollop of weird shit.
    How very astute of you Martin - that's summed it up completely in one sentence! I suppose the presence of weird shit will always cause a 'marmite reaction' with people. It's probably what attracted me to the album in the first place but it could equally drive others away.

  8. #8
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Cricklewood

    Posts: 9,074
    I'm ILOB.

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    I am enjoying some of the weird shit parts Lol; but still not really made my mind up what I really think
    Loves anything from Pain of Salvation to Jeff Buckley to Django to Sarasate to Surinder Sandhu to Shawn Lane to Nick Drake to Rush to Beth Hart to Kate Bush to Rodrigo Y Gabriela to The Hellecasters to Dark Sanctury to Ben Harper to Karicus to Dream Theater to Zero Hour to Al DiMeola to Larry Carlton to Derek Trucks to Govt Mule to?

    Humour: One of the few things worth taking seriously

  9. #9
    MartinT Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo View Post
    I suppose the presence of weird shit will always cause a 'marmite reaction' with people.
    I can think of quite a few 'Marmite' albums that I like but which frequently generate looks of horror in others (Portishead - Portishead, Jeff Beck - You Had it Coming are two that come to mind). I guess we each have our Marmites!

  10. #10
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Bristol, UK

    Posts: 9,962
    I'm Nick.

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    Interesting reference points Chris, I've never given The Boo Radleys time of day based on 'Wake Up Boo' but if their earlier stuff was anything like Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine they sound well worth checking out.

    On a slight tangent, a band I like a lot from the early Brit-pop years was 'Top'. They had a fab album then zip... they were good live too. Liverpool Brit-pop. Check out the second and last tracks... http://open.spotify.com/album/2o56wI7wlgDDw9xVs4yHGX
    Nick
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