Shotters Nation - Babyshambles Album Review

Shotters Nation - Babyshambles Album Review

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Album Review

Hey man, Pete finally gets down to ‘work’! Really.

OK, so we all know Pete Doherty as a drug addled prat and for on-off Kate Moss relationship, but to be honest, this isn’t as bad as expected, though it’s way short of the supposed Doherty ‘genius’. In fact it’s a really decent album. Part of the reason for its successful outcome is the production by quality-tweeker Stephen Street (Morrissey/The Smiths/Blur) and Michael Whitnall’s guitar wizardry. Among some of the rock, there’s a touch of accesssible Brit Pop, though this is still very much Pete’s album. Even Kate gets four co-written credits. Will she get any royalties I wonder ? Needless to say, there are glimpses of their dead relationship seeping through, which was alive then of course.

So, is it any good ? I’d love to say it isn’t, and eternally demonise him, but I can’t help liking it. For some time, too long to remember, I’ve regularly slagged him off, and I think , rightly so, but this is the biggest surprise since...well, you don’t wanna know about them anyway.

Yes, having even bought Kinks-like single Delivery , which is superb by the way, there are even bigger surprises musically.This may be due to new guitarist Michael Whitnall who certainly knows his axe, and Street’s skills on the desk. Surprisingly, it’s not shambolic like its predecessor Down In Albion. It’s a bit of a shakey start though, as they tentatively find their feet. By the time they hit Brit-Poppish You Talk ( a Kate and Pete collusion remember- a Priory chat maybe ? ) they’ve hit their stride with Blur like swagger, with a thumping riff and catchy chorus to boot. It’s good old Rock’n’Roll for Side Of The Road, in a rough and ready way.

Crumb Begging Baghead, which if you read between the lines is probably a Pete confessional –

Don’t take me for a sunbeam, (repeated 3 times) I’m a crumb beggin’ baghead baby yeah.

Packing a bit of beef, French Dog Blues (not Blues at all) is another example of their well thought out variation. The gentle rock’n’roller – nice shifting drums and pumping upright bass - There She Goes, is further proof of Pete’s real potential, along with the fact it HAS to be their next single. Ah, but so would romp-happy Baddie’s Boogie. If we’ve been waiting for a Pete classic, then the nearest we get is the sublime, and dare I say it, pretty, Lost Art Of Murder, even though the title’s nasty. It works, as simple ballad, Pete on acoustic and Whitnall on electric.

Eventaully, as a unit they’re pretty tight too, so I think this experience might, just, bring out the best in Doherty. I hope it does, for his sake alone. And, Parlophone must be chuffed to bits with it too.

Not great, but it might be a start of better things.

Elly Roberts

Gigs

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