A great deal of fanfare accompanied the brief life of The Libertines. You remember them, right? They were the Greatest Band of the Week a few years back. Right about that time, their leader, that Pete Doherty guy, became better known for poking his arm with needles and poking a fellow junkie supermodel. Great stuff! Probably the greatest band since The Clash, wouldn’t you agree?
Now The Libertines’ legacy is represented by an honest-to-goodness Best of… collection, entitled Time for Heroes: The Best of The Libertines. It’s due for release on December 4, but eMusic subscribers can download an advance copy now. (Remember, if you haven’t tried eMusic yet, you can sample it through the link on the right column of RTH!) The collection culls 13 tracks from their two releases. Talk about some tough decisions…and who even knew they put out a second album?!?! In case you were on vacation during their week in the spotlight, here’s a sampling of what you missed.
The Libertines, “Time for Heroes”
The Libertines, “Don’t Look Back Into the Sun”
The Libertines, “I Get Along”
Whaddaya think? Each song better than the previous one, eh? Each song at least as good as anything The Clash ever did! Don’t miss this band, kids. Get this album before Doherty’s newer band, Babyshambles, does anything that might make you sit up and take notice!
Next: Friend of RTH Richard Lloyd has delivered the greatest album since Electric Ladyland!
You may recall our exclusive interview with Richard Lloyd a mere months before the impending release of the debut album by The Radiant Monkey. Although Lloyd took great pains to stress that this album was a band release and not a solo release, eMusic has listed the album under Lloyd’s name. So it goes. They will rot in hell alongside me. But provided this is the sort of mindblowing rock ‘n roll that they’re playing down under, save me a spot!
Richard Lloyd/The Radiant Monkey, “Glurp”
Sarcasm aside, this stuff rocks pretty nobly in the tradition of second-rate Television songs like “Foxhole”. It’s always a pleasure to hear Lloyd’s guitar work. Check out these other tracks, as well.
Richard Lloyd/The Radiant Monkey, “Amnesia”
Richard Lloyd/The Radiant Monkey, “Only Friend”
I don’t think Jimi’s going to move over any time soon, but I’ll take this stuff over the totally aimless Libertines any day of the week. Seriously, what was the deal with The Libertines? Did people just have such a jonesin’ for Mick that they went along with the band’s 15 minutes of fame? When I first heard them and when I revisited them today, I found them no better than a 2nd-rate version of a 3rd-rate punk band, like Atv, or whatever their real name was.
Not even as good as The Stokes.
It sounds like somebody’s first band.
And I think it speeds up and slows down.
Is that good?
I agree, MUCH worse than The Strokes, who weren’t bad on that first album. Definitely a band worthy of passing that “Can you look your coworker in the eye the morning after seeing his band play a Tuesday night gig?” test. The Libertines don’t pass that test for me.
Last week, I acquired a promo of this Libertines best-of, and I was really curious to finally hear Pete Doherty. I agree — there’s not a whole lot going on here. I imagine there’s some mythology here that’s just going to sail over the head of even an especially committed Anglophile. And beyond that… not a whole lot to grasp onto. Of course, I only listened to the CD once.
What fascinates me about Doherty is he’s a U.S. tabloid fixture and, yet, the majority of Americans have never heard a note of his music. Is there a precedent for this? Did Sid Vicious occupy a similar spot in late-’70s U.S. pop culture?
That said, I would rather listen to The Libertines than “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band.
Any chance the Hall could commission a collaboration between Lloyd and Lou Reed?
The Lloyd tracks win hands down over the Libertines. Has anyone ever been in a room with someone who actually likes that band?
Yo
*Raises Hand*
I think those two Libertines albums are damn good. The first one moreso than the second.
But then again, I’m not an old codger set in their ways, like some of you are, I actually like “new music”
that’s right RTH, you’ve all been called to the carpet!
name 10 new bands that you actually like, and I’ll tell you why The Libertines are better than each one of them.
Alright! Kpdexter brings it!
I’ll play. Ten bands! Does debuting on record during this decade make them young enough?
1. The Dears
2. Sons and Daughters
3. Art Brut
4. Beauty Pill
5. The Weakerthans
6. Eletrelane
7. Saint Joan
8. New Pornographers
9. The Spinto Band
10. Rilo Kiley
Daft Punk
Kanye West
The Rapture
Justice
Irony Maiden(just for their name I swear)
Nelly Furtado
Klaxons
Pissed Jeans
Tough Shits
LCD SoundsystemAmy Winehouse(see you CAN still be a junkie fuck up and make good music)
busy day ahead DEX!
kpdexter, I guess I’ve gotta walk through the gauntlet you’ve thrown down. I hope these bands are new enough to fit your criteria. They’re new enough to me. Now the work will be on YOU to tell me why the Liverteens are better!
1. The 1900s
2. Quasi
3. Ted Leo
4. Black Keys
5. The Fiery Furnaces
6. Nellie McKay
7. Super Furry Animals
8. New Pornographers
OK, I’m running low. Give an old codger a break.
Right.
9. Art Brut
10. Northern State
I think my beloved Half Man Half Biscuit summed up the Libertines best:
I could have stuck my head in a bucketful of porridge
And moaned about the hospital parking scheme
I would have saved fourteen pound
That I just splashed out on your second album
For that’s what it’s akin to
And furthermore:
You’ve got a shit arm, and that’s a bad tattoo
You’ve got a shit arm, and that’s a bad tattoo
If you’re gonna quote from the Book of Revelation
Don’t keep calling it the Book of Revelations
There’s no S, it’s the Book of Revelation
As revealed to St. John the Divine
See also: Mary Hopkin
She must despair
You’ve got a shit arm, and that’s a bad tattoo
You’ve got a shit arm, and that’s a bad tattoo
Busk when it’s Christmas
You only busk when it’s Christmas
And you’ve got a shit arm, and that’s a bad tattoo
You’ve got a shit arm, and that’s a bad tattoo
Art Brut
Good band, I won’t argue that point, BUT there’s no actual tunes there, it’s like a long running monologue. They’d kill to have a song as good as What a Waster. That song is The Libertines doing Art Brut’s schtick before Art Brut were even thought of yet, and better than they ever would.
SFA
Too Old, I’m not counting them
The Black Keys
gee the world really needs another guitar and drum blues/garage rock combo. I lkie em, but come on, it gets old.
Ted Leo
His new album sucks. The Libertines had the good sense to break up before they ever sucked.
Quasi-I don’t know enough about. Aren’t they a band that I’m supposed to care about because it’s Coomes and Weiss?
New Porn’s-That’s a tough one. I might give you this one. They’re great they do catchy melodic pop better than just about anybody. BUT they have Dan Bejar. He doesn’t fit. I like Destroyer, but he has no place in this band.
The Libertines don’t have a singer who grates, therefore they’re better.
The Fiery Furnaces
Please. Toy keyboards and fifty style changes in a song don’t make you good. it makes it hard to listen to. To me, they peaked with that EP collection and have struggled to hold my interest sine then. They seem to have musical ADHD. they’re too all over the place.
1900’s
no clue, but I dig the 1990’s.
I don’t have a clue who the Northern State and Nellie Mckay are.
that’s all for now, I’ll tackle you in a bit OATS.
I don’t even know where to begin on shawnkilroy’s list. WTF is that crap…
1. Broken Social Scene (and various offshoots)
2. The Go! Team
3. Jens Lekman
4. Immaculate Machine
5. Deerhoof
6. The Clientele
7. Beirut
8. Persephone’s Bees
9. Be Your Own Pet
10. The Russian Futurists
And that’s just from putting my iPod on shuffle and typing in the first artists contemporary to the Libertines. Give it up.
The Great 48,
I’ll give you Deerhoof. They rule
BSS was a one album wonder.
The Go Team are sample based. BORING
Jens is boring
The Clie…………………………………….
sorry, I fell asleep just typing the name.
Beirut has potential. The Flying Cub Cup is actually better than Gulag Orkestar IMHO
Be Your Own Pet, you can’t be serious. Condense that album into a great 45.
The Russian Futurists-Gee a bedroom Pet Sounds. The world doesn’t have a million of those :eyes rolling:
The Libertines have attitude. They bring the ROCK.
they write catchy tunes. They might not be the best musicians ever, but who cares. were ACDC the greatest musicians ever? HELL no, did they rule? HELL YES.
get over yourselves, lighten up and have some fun with the music. Not every band has to try and change the world. Sometimes you just want to have some fun.
So which of the four albums is the “one album”? I like ’em all.
The fact that you call the Russian Futurists “a bedroom PET SOUNDS” makes me wonder which band you confused them with. Seriously. What the fuck?
I feel bad for saying Jens is boring. He has his Jonathan Richman schtick down cold. I actually like him, but not as much as The ‘Tines.
Answer the question. Which band did you have the Russian Futurists confused with? Because that one statement invalidates everything else you have ever said about music, like, ever.
I hate The Libertines. I say they’re fuckin’ poseurs.
Ten bands I like better:
1. The Dexateens
2. Two Cow Garage
3. The Forty-Fives
4. Buffalo Killers
5. The Dirtbombs (also get a mention for coolest T shirt on a sitcom ever for Eddie Finnerty wearing one on Grounded For Life)
6. Kings of Leon
7. Pearlene
8. Oakley Hall
9. The Walkmen
10. The Len Price 3
Who needs another guitar and drums rock/blues combo? Everybody, that’s who! The Black keys and The Soledad Brothers are the perfect soundtrack to the dismal midwest and perpetual grey sky.
You Forgot it In People
The New Kevin Drew is pretty good. It’s not enough to make me go back and reevaluate S/t album which thoroughly underwhelmed me.
If you don’t hear a Beach Boys influence in The Method of Modern Love, I seriously think you might need to check your promo copy to see if they sent you the right thing.
:look up:
You do realize that’s like three albums ago, right? Show me the Beach Boys in their last single:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af70bHwX4oY
so you admit that even though I might not be up to date on my Russian Futurists, I am in fact correct.
thanks.
The ‘Tines are poseurs? you can’t be serious.
They pissed their whole career away for whores, drugs, and more drugs.
They walked the walk, what more can you ask for. If they were posuers, would they not still be together and playing “the game” fuck, the Clash were poseurs man.
G48 — being an old fogey more interested in scoring weird old vinyl from thrift stores than weird new digits from Apple/Verizon/wheverever, I’d never heard these Russian Futurists of whom you speak. I went out to observe the video to which you linked. Coupla thoughts:
1. Though singer dude definitely has a whiney Mike Love thing going, and the tune is unabashedly “pop” in style, I don’t hear much Beach Boys in there.
2. The song kinda sucked — how many times can a group bash that “Glory Days” organ riff into the ground before we’re at least due for a little bridge of some sort to break the monotony?
You really like these guys? Is the rest of their ouvre similarly regurgitated?
HVB
Pissed Jeans???
You can’t be serious. I downloaded two copies of Hope for Men. One to shit on , and the other to cover it up.
I don’t mind noisey rock, I like that No Age-Weirdo Rippers lp, I like some of the Times New Viking stuff, but a noisy Fugazi type band isn’t my bag.
hey shawnkilroy, what’s the deal with The Rapture?
why did pitchfork cream their jeans over Echoes and then abandon them?
did they realize they were wrong, and that after House of Jealous Lovers, the band really had nothing to offer?
Actually, I don’t, because I only have LET’S GET READY TO CRUMBLE and OUR THICKNESS and did not in fact know this phantom debut album even existed until you mentioned it.
http://www.emusic.com/album/The-Russian-Futurists-The-Method-of-Modern-Love-MP3-Download/10897767.html
it’s available from emusic
or you could just listen to Pet Sounds.
same thing.
MAN! I’m just catching up on the responses to this SHOWDOWN, and Kpdexter, you have bitten off a MANLOAD of whupass! BRAVO! It warms my heart to see another MAN take a seat in the RTH Dunking Booth. I need to dry the hell out every now and then, especially when I’ve been through 8 teleconferences in 1 day. Try that Prince! Oh sorry, I’m no longer allowed to speak of the Purple One.
Although I side with those who think The Libertines are BORING (good call on the Soledad Brothers, 2000 Man!), you, Kpdexter, make one undeniable point:
Say “Amen!” somebody! He’s gotten bad in short time.
I’ll see if I can come up with 10 new bands who I like better than The Libertines. I mean, I’m among the leading fogeys on RTH, and I’ve seen bands the rest of you have listed that I do like better than The Libertines, but that may not be saying enough. I like Boston better than Kansas, for instance – a lot better – yet I’m still not a fan of Boston.
Kpdexter, you are Rock Town Hall’s MAN OF THE MOMENT! Enjoy your time in the RTH Dunking Booth. Don’t let those punks push the target with their hand. They’ve got to hit the target with the ball, square on, if they’re gonna make a soggy Townsman out of you.
Truly inspiring!
I’m takin a fuckin Rock Town Beating today for sure!
I got nothin to defend. I like what I like.
I don’t like the Libertines and I dont like pitchfork.
I think PissedJeans are more like Black Flag and Grey Matter and not so much like Fugazi who I also don’t like.
I DO like Dirty Pretty Things
I don’t like Babyshambles
No shit kilroy
I let you off the hook for your love of Kanye, Klaxons and Furtado.
Even I don’t have the stones to tackle these.
Kpdexter is bringing it. Kudos. You too, Kilroy. Anyone who can appreciate the likes of LCD Soundsystem and Nelly Furtado along with ye olde Uncle Rockers deserves RTH respect!
Yes, the new Ted Leo album sucks, but his past rock triumphs put him in a league The Libertines could not hope to reach.
Don’t forget my bands, Kpdexter!
Don’t let this thread die, people!
I bought the first Libertines album back when because of the hype and the presence of Mr. Jones. I thought it was interesting, even exciting, but I felt like the parts didn’t quite fit together. I thought it showed promise, but that lots of work remained to be done before they deserved the plaudits they were receiving. Now I’ll never know. Plus, I wasn’t sure how much of what I liked was due to the work of the aforementioned Mr. Jones and how much was the band’s. I never bought the second album, and I haven’t been following the two guys’ subsequent work. I’m still trying to decide if I like the first Arctic Monkeys album.
Yeah, Kpdexter, are you running scared of Oats’ bands?
I thought The Dears were another generic british wannabe band
Isn’t Beauty Pill on Dischord? That makes them suspect in my book.
Rilo Kiley seems like a band that should be wearing outfits straight out of Barry Lyndon.
New Porno’s are great.
I’ve honestly never heard the rest, but there’s no way they are better than the ‘tines.
also, Oats’ tastes have been in question ever since he dissed my Drive By Truckers mix.
oh yeah Art Brut.
PFFFFFFT.
no way.
I gotta run!
take that OATS!
They were dopers posing as a rock n’ roll band. I like rock n’ roll bands. I don’t care if they have drug issues or not, but they gotta bring the ROCK and the Libertines just didn’t bring it. They remind me of Jet or The Strokes. They play a style of music that I think demands they know how and why it got there, and I think they get their attitude more from TV commercials than great rock n’ roll bands. The Libertines brought style to the table, but they bombed on the substance.
And I’m totally okay with being way more style than substance. BRMC is all style, but they’re fun as hell. they’re another band I like way better than The Libertines.
Nice call on DBT, though. I like them quite a bit, but I just don’t get their magnum opus, Southern Rock Opera. It’s way too long and while the good stuff is great, the bad stuff is awful.
I say give up on it. Try The Fratelli’s instead. You only need one cd of that kind of music, and that’s the one I seem to like the best.
Does everyone hate Ted Leo’s new one that much? I think with the bonus disk he’s just got too many songs and could use some massive trimming. Between the two cd’s I think there’s 35 minutes I really like, but it’s got some stuff I wouldn’t have included. I don’t hate it.
kilroy, i’m with you on pissed jeans, though i think ‘hope for men’ is a piece of turd. their live shows have always been the shiznit: they bring it like an all-pro offensive lineman out in the flat, “lookin’ for work”, if ya know what i’m sayin’.
ted leo DOES blow now, doesn’t he? i got *killed* on rth for liking him better on “tyranny of distance” than the subsequent “shake the sheets”; the former had much more variety, while on the latter, every song has the same sped up, frantic, about to pee your pants feel to it.
in fact, i think i just hit on why i can’t get into him anymore: he sings and his bandmates play as if they all have to piss real bad.
Oooooh!! And bringing up The Drive-By Truckers — nice trump card!
Nonetheless, despite your decision to bypass most of my list, here’s the deal: I’m going to listen to that Libertines best-of again tomorrow. I’m going to be as fair as I can. I will record my observations here. Consider it my good-faith act.
Yours respectfully,
Oats
Oats, feel free to post your thoughts on that Libertines Best of… as its own Main Stage post. The Web can’t get enough reviews of this band’s fantastic legacy!
Oats,
I’m not bypassing anything, I literally have not heard like 6 of those bands, though I am intrigued by the Sphinctor Band.
Pissed Jeans-Don’t Need Smoke to Make Myself Dissapear-7″. So worth your while.
AND its vinyl!
2000 man,
enlighten me on the merits on some of the bands you listed.
I like the Dexateens-Hardwire Healing quite a bit.
I like the Kings of Leon and the Walkmen as well, I suspect I need to investigate more on your list!
1. The Dexateens – My new favorite band. Patterson Hood produced their latest one (Hardwire healing) and Tim Kerr did their first two, which were on Estrus. I think their MySpace says they sound like “three guitars in a 12″ skillet.” I love them to death these days.
2. Two Cow Garage – More punk/country noise from the midwest. Their new album, III has a song called Ain’t No Shame that I can listen to over and over. They’re kinda Replacements-y, too.
3. The Forty-Fives – Really catchy garage rock from Georgia, I think. Their High Life High Volume album is both super AND duper and I think was recorded by Jim Diamond if I remember right.
4. Buffalo Killers – From the ashes of Cincinnati’s Thee Shams rise Buffalo Killers! Very bluesy, and really an engaging album. I know a kid that’s 22 that says it’s his favorite album now, and he drove 450 miles to see them in a bar in Nashville. They were the opening act!
5. The Dirtbombs (also get a mention for coolest T shirt on a sitcom ever for Eddie Finnerty wearing one on Grounded For Life) – Detroit’s finest. Mick Collins is just uncompromising and always delivers the goods. He had an earlier band called Blacktop that have one cd out – it’s one of my favorites ever, but The Dirtbombs are awesome, too.
6. Kings of Leon – Pretty popular. Coll kids hate ’em, but I like them a lot.
7. Pearlene – I think AMG said they were “the blues/punk outfit that makes one too many.” AMG can kiss my butt.
8. Oakley Hall – A guy and girl share singing and sing together a lot. It’s really pretty country and then all of a sudden these blasting, distorted rock guitars come outta nowhere. I love Gypsum Strings. It’s a swell album.
9. The Walkmen – Plenty sloppy and noisy and fun.
10. The Len Price 3 – They’re on Wicked Cool so you can get them at Best Buy. I think they have two albums out and fifty songs already. They just write some really catchy stuff. I think they did a Gap commercial (or Old Navy). They changed one of their songs to say “get your Fash on” instead of “get your skates on,” but you can’t fault new bands today doing that. they gotta pay their bills somehow. They’re staple on Underground Garage.
Most of what I like is as much about what I perceive their sincerity to be, and I think I judge sincerity by singers pushing a little too hard and distorted guitars. Talent is not necessary in my happy, noisy little world.