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Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed the Fish Audio CD

A fair review of the Badly Drawn Boy "Have You Fed the Fish" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Badly Drawn Boy reviews here, or go back to the Badly Drawn Boy tabs.

Badly Drawn Boy Band: Badly Drawn Boy
Title: Have You Fed the Fish
Rating:
Release Date: 2002-11-05
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Coming In To Land 2: Have You Fed the Fish? 3: Born Again 4: 40 Days, 40 Fights 5: All Possibilities 6: I Was Wrong 7: You Were Right 8: Centre Peace 9: How 10: The Further I Slide 11: Imaginary Lines 12: Using Our Feet 13: Tickets to What You Need 14: What Is It Now 15: Bedside Story

This is genius?
Maybe it's incredible for the indie category but then many progressive rock bands took music way above this level and that was back in the 70s. I gave this a listen based on the other reviews here, many ascribing varying degrees of genuis to it. I'm getting a bit weary of people placing new, so called special groups, alongside the Beatles like the editor here did, but then he placed Oasis up there as well. There's the occasionally interesting bits here but I wouldn't want to hear this again.


Borderline boring
2 1/2

Much weaker then his first release, HYFTF suffers from typical arrangement bloat (assimilated more smoothly with his superior soundtrack release of About a Boy that same year) and some embarrassing artistic derivations which keep the album at the bay of boredom.


I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over

It is one of the most moving songs I've ever heard. Seriously, I can't stop listening to "You Were Right" over and over. I'm 37 and there have been alot of nights.


You Can't Believe It, I know
In fact, their other efforts are barely tolerable. I know many true BDB fans will find this offensive but if it wasn't for this album, I wouldn't be a BDB fan. For every thousand times I have played "Have You Fed The Fish" I have played all their other albums once. On the up side, if I had a top 100 alternative albums of all time list this little gem would definitely make the cut. If this is your only exposure to BDB and you like it. Be cautious with their other titles, they may bore you like they bore me.


Have You Heard Anything Else This Original Lately?
Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) can be as serious as a heart attack, but he always sounds relaxed with himself, regardless of the topic. I love it when an artist is capable of having some fun with his career. The net effect is that everything he records sounds so much more imaginative and creative, without drowning in the pathos that so many singer/songwriters utilize to express their innermost feelings. "Have You Fed the Fish?" is about as mundane a title as I can imagine, and yet the title track is bursting with energy, creativity, humor, and yes, perhaps just a touch of pathos. Throughout, the instrumentation is as imaginatively creative as the songs themselves. While a xylophone offers a distinct touch to one track, a full orchestra accompanies others. In either case, the instrumentation never bogs things down. In fact, some of the string-laden arrangements actually swing. Other songs betray a funky edge, too, ("Forty Days, Forty Fights"), but stylization is only a means to an end here, providing a basis and a bright atmosphere for the songwriting.

Overall, the mood is fun without becoming flighty, and reflective without becoming morose. It offers insight and entertainment simultaneously, in a manner that draws the listener in. A high point occurs when the short acoustic track "I Was Wrong" introduces "You Were Right". As the upbeat, reflective mood establishes itself, Gough shares a dream wherein he "was married to the queen, and Madonna lived next door. I think she took a shine to me. . . " Nevertheless, he remains true to himself, but then reflects on how he reacted when he heard the news about the deaths of a few celebrity heroes (John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Kurt Cobain, Jeff Buckley), realizing that he ultimately did nothing but sit in and watch the news on television. The track "How?" best sums up his perspective when he sings, "How can I give you the answers you need when all I possess is a melody?" After all, feeding the fish might sound brain-numbingly mundane, but not from the perspective of the fish. A- Tom Ryan.


You can see a complete list of all Badly Drawn Boy discography, or go back to the Badly Drawn Boy tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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