"a record as good as this only comes along once in a generation"

[Davey]

Many of you already know that I really love the Libertines Up The Bracket album from last year (or I guess it was actually late 2002 in the UK), even enough to include about half of it as a bonus on the mystery disc (aka The Decline of British Sea Power) that I sent out last year to a few people. And the more I have listened to it over the last year or so, the more I've grown to love it. Even put a track on my last comp. So it was really good news to see in today's http://www.kingblind.com/ that they are making progress on the new album, with the problems of co-frontman Pete Doherty seemingly behind them after his brief time in the clink, and Mick Jones speaking so highly of them and the upcoming album. I know, what do you expect the producer to say

CLASH guitarist and current LIBERTINES co-producer MICK JONES has declared the forthcoming album "sensational", and has even drawn comparisons between the band and his own legendary outfit. Jones has been working alongside The Clash and Sex Pistols producer Bill Price with the tempestuous band in a west London studio, and says that the band's frictions are exaggerated. "[It’s been] Beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you differently," he said to Teletext. "If it was as stupid as people are making out - security guards to stop them fighting and that crap - do you think I'd be mug enough to stick around and put up with it? "They've grown up. What happened with Pete (Doherty) going to prison was a horrible time, it could have finished any band. They know that, and it's made them realise how much they love each other. "People say that me and Joe (Strummer) were both the best of friends and the best of rivals." He explained, "I don't agree - we never had time to be rivals! "Pete and Carl (Barat) have the same fluidity we had. Joe would sit at a typewriter, have a great lyric by the time I'd had a coffee and I'd knock up a tune for it in a few minutes. That's how quickly The Libs do it - low boredom threshold." When asked about the bands new album Jones also proclaimed "a record as good as this only comes along once in a generation". "Sensational. I can't believe how good they've got, even since 'Up The Bracket' - and that was a great debut," he explained. He added: "You had it with The Clash. And now it's The Libertines turn. The lyrics on ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ are as good as any I've heard. Everything that's happened to them in two years is on this record, and a lot has happened to them."

posted by mblind @ 5/13/2004 11:45:44 AM

[Gresh]

I kind of agree with you on the first Libertine's album - I really liked it a lot for some time - It got kind of stale for me after a while - don't get me wrong - it's better than 99% of the crap out there and maybe I overplayed it - so, I too look forward to their next release. To call it a once in a generation album sounds like typical PR machine crapola. I think for an album to reach that kind of "generational" status it has to be more of an organic ascent (sp?) from a grass roots - the people - level - not from the suits hyping it. I look forward to the release and hope they don't fall victim to the overhype and bloated expectations.

[Davey]

To call it a once in a generation album sounds like typical PR machine crapola.

Hehehe, yeah, it was a pretty silly thing for Mick to say. But if he's getting that excited about it before it's even finished, it does give me hope. I didn't fully appreciate the debut until quite awhile later, and then it really began growing on me. So I guess that may account for my still liking it so much as I didn't overplay it initially. But they have been the subject of much hype in the UK, with the Guardian even going so far as the label them the best band in Britain. Still kind of unknown over here in the USA, aren't they? At least it seems that way to me. Anyway, I'm not counting on it being a "once in a geneartion" type record, but I do expect it to be a very good one and maybe even better than Up The Bracket, which will be fine with me.