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Reboot reviews 4
London - Reboot.
Bandworm review. Original here.
After a long awaited 34 year delay the UK 77 band LONDON (with their original bass player and singer in the line-up), release their second album! 10 new tracks (including a brilliant punk version of the mod 60s classic When The Night Falls) is recorded in the spirit of their masterpiece 1978 album Animal Games but refreshed by some Who/Electric Prunes influences. A contemporary update!
After a long awaited 34 year delay the UK 77 band LONDON (with their original bass player and singer in the line-
London - Reboot.
A while back I warned you of the impending release of a new album from the British band LONDON and it has now arrived. It is called REBOOT and is their highly anticipated new second album following on from Animal Games released 34 years ago. Has it been worth the wait? Read on…
Well to begin with the first track on the album, a cover of When The Night Falls a 1966 song by The Eyes, succeeds so well that it is significantly better than the original. The second song Pop is obviously there for marketing reasons. Why? It is only a 4 second track that makes a bubble popping sound :))
The third song Minute Man bears a little resemblance to the classic style the band created all those years ago. But this difference is slight and I feel that this new album is much stronger and sharper than any of the old singles and their LP Animal Games. Since 2008 the band still play the old material at live gigs and you would not expect anything else, but this change has resulted in great songs like Every Dog with its rich acoustic guitar. This alone allows the album to receive 4 Stars.
Having said that, the song Celebrity Crash is done in the above-mentioned classic ‘London’ style. I loved it from the first play and don’t know of any other British band that can still knock out the same sound after so many years.
One standout track is Standing Alone which is a beautiful ballad and one of my favourites on the album. Equally great is Get Out Of London which was performed at the Recykl Festival in Olomouc and I mentioned it then in my review. But I misheard the title back then. At the time I thought they were singing ‘We’re the London’! Another great rocker, 77 Dreams, closes the album.
As far as the packaging goes, it’s got a really nice cover which the band got from the artist Corbin Adler who created the original in 1994. Inside the booklet there is a collage of photos and information about the band’s history. It’s a shame that there are no lyrics in the booklet as I always like to read them.
My final verdict on this long awaited album is very positive because it is a way above average comeback. The band has retained its own style and anyone who loved the band first time around in the first wave of British punk should definitely buy this CD.
Well to begin with the first track on the album, a cover of When The Night Falls a 1966 song by The Eyes, succeeds so well that it is significantly better than the original. The second song Pop is obviously there for marketing reasons. Why? It is only a 4 second track that makes a bubble popping sound :))
The third song Minute Man bears a little resemblance to the classic style the band created all those years ago. But this difference is slight and I feel that this new album is much stronger and sharper than any of the old singles and their LP Animal Games. Since 2008 the band still play the old material at live gigs and you would not expect anything else, but this change has resulted in great songs like Every Dog with its rich acoustic guitar. This alone allows the album to receive 4 Stars.
Having said that, the song Celebrity Crash is done in the above-
One standout track is Standing Alone which is a beautiful ballad and one of my favourites on the album. Equally great is Get Out Of London which was performed at the Recykl Festival in Olomouc and I mentioned it then in my review. But I misheard the title back then. At the time I thought they were singing ‘We’re the London’! Another great rocker, 77 Dreams, closes the album.
As far as the packaging goes, it’s got a really nice cover which the band got from the artist Corbin Adler who created the original in 1994. Inside the booklet there is a collage of photos and information about the band’s history. It’s a shame that there are no lyrics in the booklet as I always like to read them.
My final verdict on this long awaited album is very positive because it is a way above average comeback. The band has retained its own style and anyone who loved the band first time around in the first wave of British punk should definitely buy this CD.
I know they say the second album is usually the hardest one to make, but 35 years is a long time in the making. Was it worth the wait? The answer is YES! Opening with their take on garage classic When The Night Falls, through shortest ever number Pop, then Minute Man, Every Dog, Rebecca, Animal Attraction, Like It Never Happened, Celebrity Crash, Standing Alone, chantalong Get Out Of London (one of the best songs of the last 30 years) and 77 Dreams. This is one hell of an album, every track stands up with the best of '77. Get it now.
London The Punk Rock Collection reviews here.