Quench -- Love it or Hate it

October 1998

W. Perkins

With great anticipation I procured Quench on it's release date here in maple syrup land on October 20th. I have listened to Heaton and Co. since I first heard Happy Hour at a school dance. I have all the Housemartins and TBS cds, including all the b-sides up to Perfect 10. After approximately 30 listens here is a review of Quench IMHO.

Initially, I read the lyrics first off this list. Thanks to whoever posted them. After reading the lyrics I thought they were less poignant than anything previously released and far less poetic and meaningful than BITC was or earlier written material. I appreciated Paul's lyrical meanderings on BITC and was hoping for more of the same quality. Quench, lyrically was alot weaker. Upon purchasing it on its release day here in Canada I was impressed with the cover art. I like all the TBS art with the exception of the Miaow cover ( I have the HMV cover with dogs) and BITC. The cover of Quench was aesthetically an improvement. The whole package of it was quite nice. I wish however they would comission an artist to do a visual piece for each song like 0898 had. That was brilliant.

Upon first listen I felt the cd was rather flat. I felt that way about BITC at first as well. That cd grew on me however over time. For the most part, I should clarify that I prefer Paul and Briana to do Dave and Jacqui. I do however value and appreciate Dave and Jacqui's vocals and harmonizing. Actually, since BITC I have begun to like Jacqui a lot since her voice gels well with Paul's.

How Long Does A Tear Take to Cry- The opening guitar is very seductive and sultry. This sounds like Sheryl Crow ripping off Zeppelin, ripping off Robert Johnson. This is an upbeat, catchy, infectious melodic pop song. Lyrically its average for TBS. Jacqui and Paul's voices compliment each other quite well here. I love when Paul sings a " a million dollars and a DAY". This song sounds like it should have been on the Austin Powers soundtrack.

Lure of the Sea- Dave and Jacqui, a weak track all around here. The up and down feel here is supposed to I am infering be like the sea going up and down, and one wavering about temptation whether killing oneself or whatever. This song is flat, weak, and filler. Suicide holds no allure for me.

Big Coin- A song about people's constant preoccupation with the aquisition of money or lack thereof. Money has velocity. For those who have it, it goes slow. For those with little, it goes faster. Money doesn't buy happiness. A Catch 22 for those who pursue wealth. Lyrically, this song is to repetitious for me. Big Coin, Big Coin, bla bla bla, I go on auto-pilot. Banging in a pin with a sledge hammer here Paul. He is a much better songwriter than this.

Dumb- I know this is a b-side, re-release. This song is very seducutive to me. Paul sounds amazing here, me thinks. New lyrics, the planetary words are brilliant. The band is very tight here. Like Jacqui singing near the end. This tune is a mood changer, taking me back to 50s ballads. One of the strongest tracks on the disc.

Perfect 10- First heard this courtesy of Arjan (thanks mate). Paul showing his range as an Elvis impersonator is ok with me. Love the lyrical metaphors here. The track is bouncy and not a surprise its a hit over there in the mother country. Again, Paul and Jacqui complement each other magically.

The Slide- A catchy tune, arguably the strongest cut on the cd. This song is as good as it gets for me as a TBS fan. An auditory orgasm. Worth the price of the cd alone. This song is a mood shifter, takes me to another place. Makes me think of the struggles I have been in, ones I've failed, learned from, ones ahead. This is a very catharctic song. Paul's voice here is very strong and powerful. The chorus is catchy and infectious. A masterpiece.

Look What I Found In My Beer- An upbeat song. Nothing special or noteworthy here. More filler, or background music. Heaton before Betty Ford? hehehe Another track that reminds me of Austin Powers.

The Table- Piano intro is nice. Best lyrics on this cd. These lyrics stand on paper sans music. Paul sounds amazing here. What I expect of him and TBS in a nut shell. The music is dynamic as well. The chorus is the catchiest on this one.

Window Shopping For Blinds- The organs create a mood of eeriness to start. I like the sombre tone that kicks into an upbeat mood swing on this one. Jacqui and Paul sound nice together. This is reminescent of Fairytale of New York, however it doesnt have the gruffy approach McGowan and MacColl brought to FONY. This is a palatable song, but by no means the masterpiece FONY was. However, a solid track nonetheless.

Pockets- I'm not a huge Dave fan. His voice is okay, but this song is lame and boring. Best way to comment about it is filler. I'm not sure Dave gets the shite, or Dave is shite. Food for thought.

I May Be Ugly- Paul exploring his vocal horizons, brings to mind Liar's Bar. Paul seems pissed here and I like it alot. One of the highlights of the album for me. A defeatist, depressing anthem reminds me of Leonard Cohen, the Smith's or Steve Earle, not in its music, but in its mood, desperation, rage, and tone.

Losing Things- This jazzy number makes me think of Kerouac and the beatnik's. I like the emphasis when Paul sings, " It's a real Greek tragedy I know, but so much of me don't care". Sophocles, Aristohpanes, Euripides etc... are all smiling in their respective graves. I love the horns on this one. The song is just hip man. Makes we want to wear a black turtleneck, chain-smoke butts, and let my goa-tee grow and read On the Road again.

Your Father and I- This song makes me think of a Seinfeld episode where Seinfeld comments that 95% of people are ugly. Elaine asks, "Why then are so many people getting together then"? Seinfeld, responds, "One word, alcohol". Sadly, ironically, and most likely, why most of us are here today. Song is lyrically interesting as it questions the myth of the night a baby's conception takes place. Always interesting how two people witness ot take part in the same thing and see things differently. Also interesting how we all think our parents all loved each other while getting it on. hahahahah As if:)

On the whole, the cd was lyrically and musically a disapointment for my expectations. I anticipated and possibly demand to much from the band. Needless to say I have played it constantly since I purchased it upon its release date here. Nonetheless, any new TBS cd release is cause for celebration and repeated listenings. I like the cd but am not head over heels for it. Perhaps, I need to be loaded like the band to appreciate it all? I will pound these tracks into my head, or my head into the table:) and brainwash myself ala a Clockwork Orange. And carry on wanting more regardless ...

D. King

Well, have listened to "Quench" about twenty times since I got it about two weeks ago. As I mentioned previously, it was a very interesting start. The nstrumentation gives the album a feel that is different from anything they have done before. It took some of things briefly explored in the "Blue Is The Colour" album and singles and took them further. This album brings together elements of pop, soul, gospel and others and still manages to make a cohesive and surprisingly good album. There is something for everyone here which can be a good and bad thing. I have no doubt that those that still cling to the early TBS sound will be disappointed with this album. There is very little of that sound left in the current incarnation of the band. On the other hand, the album is so diverse, almost any fan should be able to pick out a track or two that they really like. I guess there's good and bad in that.

I definitely thought that I was going to be disappointed as I went through the album for the first time. There is a lot of good "understated" facets in these tracks. For example, when I went through "The Lure Of The Sea" for the first time, I was thinking "What is this all about?" I was definitely unimpressed, but the next day as I listened at work, I could not get the damn thing out of my head. While it hasn't risen to be one of my favorites, I actually enjoy listening it. I think that's the point. These songs work slowly until they captivate you. At least that's how I feel about it. While I have really enjoyed 0898, Miaow, and Blue Is The Colour since first listen, this album I didn't. This of course was a surprise, but thankfully I gave it chance.

"How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?" (8/10)

I'm pretty sure that this will be a single. It's one of the most accessible songs on the album and it features Jacqui which seems to be a plus in the singles chart these days. It is a jazzy sound that really catches you within the first few listens. It has some great lyrics such as "The flowers smell sweeter the closer you are to the grave." The song starts the album with a very different sound that carries through the album. The instrumentation includes sounds that haven't been heard before in TBS music. At the same time, many tracks carry the TBS trademark which means to me that many tracks will end of being classics. I also see great live potential for many of these tracks. Anyway, this track is not personally the most important track to me on the album, but it is a great track that has the potential of helping the band sell more copies of "Quench". Ideally, this would be released as an early February 1999 single.

"The Lure Of The Sea" (7/10)

I agree with the idea that Dave got a bit of the shaft on this album. But I disagree that he wasn't given some great material to work with. His two lead tracks are fantastic, well crafted, and poignant pieces of music. I find myself humming these two songs all the time. I'm not sure why because I'm a big fan of Paul's voice and style. These songs just come across as smooth. His voice flows over Paul's writing creating a great experience for the listener. I hear these songs and it just reminds me what I really like about The Beautiful South. This band has three (four if you count Briana still) fantastic vocalists. Most bands out there are lucky to have one. Dave may have gotten the short end of the stick this time around, but he did the best with what he got. "The Lure..." has strong percussion that really drives the track. I really like the part where he sings "Leather ain't as strong as the weather..." I'm not sure what Paul was going at here, but it sounds really good. I'm guessing from the "Suicide is just the anarchist that kicks down modesty" line that suicide is the topic of the track, but I think that I miss a lot of the nuance of what this has to do with the "lure of the sea". Jacqui's parts add another nice dimension to the track.

"Big Coin" (10/10)

I really have a thing for Paul's ballads especially the ones from the last few albums. We all know that Paul is quite a cynic and writes some pretty harsh lyrics. This type of writing is great and I'm sure it's the reason that many of us listen to The Beautiful South. One the other hand, I like to see Paul step back and write an honest ballad. The fact that in "Big Coin" he was able to drive home some political beliefs as well just adds to the richness of the track. I get the same feel from this track as I did from "Blackbird On The Wire" although I like the progression that builds in "Big Coin". "Blackbird On The Wire" was good in it's own right, but really didn't have a defined beginning and end as far as intensity is concerned. "Big Coin" starts slow and small and grows into a strong statement about class inequality and money. I really enjoy this one. The really exciting things is that it's not even the best Paul ballad on the album, but I'll get to that later. "Big Coin" seems to me to be a underdog contender to be a single. I don't think it would be too bad of a choice. It would probably fare as well as "Blackbird..." did with a top 20 or 30 showing.

"Dumb" (6/10)

What can you say about a recycled b-side that now might be released as a single? It will always be a b-side to me. Don't get me wrong, but I don't think it's one of their best songs. That said, I liked the sound of the original better, but I do like the mild self-censorship and the new verse. I don't like Jacqui's contribution in this one. It sounds out of place. But I do like the song. I just don't have the same enthusiasm about it that some on the list have expressed. This is a very bad choice for a single. I will say that despite the fact that I know that it may be the next single. In my opinion, this song is lucky to get into the top 40 and does nothing to help promote this album. It would be as bad a choice as "Liars' Bar". But Paul hears the beat of a different drummer and tends to release what he wants to release. If he chooses track, I would have to disagree with his choice.

"Perfect 10" (8/10)

The strong bass line that starts this track and then carries through the entire song was a very different sound to hear from The Beautiful South. But despite that fact, the band couldn't have picked a better song to release as the first single. It has the classic sound of Paul vs. Jacqui. It has the biting lyrics about sex and the importance of size. It also has the sentiment that goes hand in hard with the sarcasm. It has all the components to make a classic TBS track. It is also very catchy and memorable. It is definitely one that will be remembered for a long time from Quench. It also fits very well on the album. Actually, the whole album is like that. Some thought definitely went into the track order. It flows together really well.

"The Slide" (10/10)

Wow! This is a fantastic song. I was just blown away the first time I heard it and I'm still liking it more and more. Paul continues the message of "Liars' Bar" and takes a more hopeful point of view. In "Liars' Bar", they didn't choose the drink, the drink those them. Now, Paul admonishes the drinker not to take to the slide. I'm not sure if Paul is actually telling people not to drink or just not to drink in excess. Paul seems to be writing songs like this a lot these days. Going back to "Old Red Eyes Is Back" to "Liars' Bar" to "The Slide", there seems to be a common theme. How does Paul really feel about drinking? Is he unhappy about his own behavior? I don't know. It's just interesting to me that he would write a song talking about the evils of drinking when he is a drinker himself. Anyway, this is probably my favorite song on the album. I can listen to it over and over. The choir is nice touch. Too bad they didn't help on any other tracks. I definitely think that this should be their next single. It has everything and it's so good they might even get a good chart showing from a Paul single!!! Imagine that...

"Look What I Found In My Beer" (7/10)

A pretty harmless song. Not too much substance but still enjoyable. It does have a catchy sound to it and I would think that it would be better live. It has another anti-drinking line in "An end to screwed up drinking and a Paul I actually like". Paul really personalizes the sentiment by using his own name. Just make me wonder if it's just a song or if there is some truth behind that sentiment. Anyway, I like the track, but it's not fantastic.

"The Table" (10/10)

A great song, but who the hell writes songs about tables? It is a very different perspective for a song. This track has the most catchy chorus on the album which means it may have single potential. But the subject matter makes it a hard sell. I don't care though. It's fantastic and one of my personal favorites from the album. My favorite part has to be "Tables only turn when tables learn. Put me on a bonfire watch me burn. Treat me with some dignity. Don't treat me like a slave. Or I'll turn into the coffin in your grave." I would like to know the inspiration for this song. It's a little odd even for Paul to come up with a concept like this. The song is classic TBS aside from the slightly off-beat topic, but it's one I'll be singing for years to come.

"Window Shopping For Blinds" (8/10)

Another in a string of great Paul/Jacqui duets. Although I must confess that despite all the discussion regarding the meaning, I'm still a little confused as to what the metaphor really means. Of course, this doesn't keep me from enjoying the song. It has some very interesting musical transitions. I thought it was very interesting when they are singing "Well, there's always a drop in the bottle, lady. Always a sip of the wine" and the music doesn't start right up until midway into that section. I also really like the line "How do you know you can't swim until you have drowned?" Some have mentioned this as a single, but I think that there are too many questionable lines to make it suitable for the radio. I think this one will remain a fantastic album track.

"Pockets" (7/10)

I'm definitely going against the grain of the list when I express the fact that I really like this song. The first few listens I felt differently, but I now I'm really liking it. It doesn't really have a strong melody, but it doesn't really need one. Not every song has to be a single and I just like to soak this one in. The song kind of meanders over the story of a homeless man referred to as "Pockets" or just "the Pocket". I like the two-side nature of the song. It shows the disdain that people have toward the homeless man, but also shows the hope that the man has of rising above his situation. I really like the strings that start up during "And socially at the platform..." Paul gets points here for trying to create a very different track. It may not be the best material he's ever done, but that's OK. He's willing to expand and try different things and I really like that. Dave also gives a stellar performance here.

"I May Be Ugly" (3/10)

Another interesting concept song in the vein of "Liars' Bar", but a lot harder to listen to. It's a shame that one of the best lines (When you feel like London and you look like Hull) ended up in this song. I also don't really care for the "Cause the whole world wants to suck your dick" line. Overall it has an interesting sound, but there are too many things that drag it down for me to really enjoy it. By the way, what does a crab's bus ticket look like? Or a llama's door mat? Or a rhino's ash tray? Interesting metaphors...

"Losing Things" (8/10)

I like this one and think it would be an interesting single. It's pretty darn catchy and has almost a quasi-latin feel to it. It has Paul singing really high and really low showing his great vocal range. I particularly like when he says "It's a real Greek tragedy, I know, but so much of me don't care." It also travels some uncharted territory for Paul and co. I don't know that I would want all of their songs to sound like this, but I like a little variety.

"Your Father And I" (9/10)

This is another great track and a perfect one to close out the album. I found it a bit reminiscent of "Mini-correct" and "Worthless Lie". It had a very interesting premise which is classic TBS. Reminds you that there are always two sides to a story. This track has also been mentioned as a possible single. It has some pretty heavy subject matter and you can't really fill in Sandra Bullock's name for one star drunken screw this time around. I really like the end as well when they are singing "Your father and I won't tell the whole truth." I was a little disappointed to hear that this part is left out for the live version. I guess I'll have to hear it for myself to decide.

Overall, I am extremely impressed with this most recent offering. They have succeeded in crafting a very mature release that still incorporates many of the facets of The Beautiful South that keeps fans coming back for more. The album has been constantly on my playlist since it came out. I've had a hard time even slipping in my favorite (Miaow) without it feeling a little empty to me. I'm sure that things will readjust themselves in a while, but right now I can't get enough of Quench.

I'll just add that The Beautiful South is one of the few bands that I listen to that hasn't missed a step. In about ten years of recording, they have consistently released great music. I hope that they hang in there and release a few more albums before they decide to do something else. They seem to get better and better and it's been a pleasure being along for the ride.

Quench: (8/10)

C. Scanniello

what joy to discover that my big 'ol crush on miss jacqui is age-appropriate!

almost as exciting as coming home late last night to find my muchly-anticipated parcel from the uk containing my very own copy of quench (thanks ian!)! i'll just share some very first impressions....i'll likely bore you all later with more detailed musings, after i've had more time to listen....

first, what a lovely package and design. i was a bit worried that my "ltd. cardboard copy" meant i would receive one of those flimsy environmentally sound digipaks (who throws out cd's anyhow???)...not so obviously. the cardboard sleeve thingy is a nice stylish touch. also, the cover art itself is even better than i thought. love the metallic inks....my only complaint with the packaging is the blatant failure to include any decent (read: non blurry from across the bar) pictures of the band, namely jacqui....oh well. ;-)

i cannot begin to express my excitement, however, upon reading on the last page "Paul Weller- guitar on Perfect 10"! whaaaaa??? being a rather massive jam worshiper i'm surprised that i didn't previously know about this connection. can any shed any light? i know there's the obvious Go! records connection....but otherwise? can it be that two of my highest musical idols, mr. heaton and mr. weller, are "thick as thieves"???

the music...oh, yeah....errrrrrr. it's too early for me to judge definitively, obviously, but the first listen was rather enjoyable. not earth shattering (yet)...but still pleasing.

a few minor random impressions:

*i for one am quite pleased with the frequent appearance of paul's vocals. nothing against dave, but paul is the main reason i'm hooked to tbs. paul's vocals simply have more personality....dave really sings in one style, and while it's a nice style, he doesn't really seem capable of emoting quite the way paul does. i'm also pleased to hear that jacqui is fairly well represented...the main reason i loved BITC so much (my favorite along side Choke) is her presence.

*perfect 10 is absolutely splendid. take it from a us fan who has the fortune of not hearing this single overplayed by any radio station. the chorus is one of those classic tbs moments.

*i'm not quite sure what to make of this new version of "dumb". while i love jacqui's new vocal bit at the end, i *cannot stand* that awful guitar tone dave uses in the chorus. it's so unfitting....did he think he was playing on an ozzy osbourne record or something? the only thing i'm sure of is that it's a very strange choice for a single.

*i was also pleased to hear that "i may be ugly" wasn't nearly as bad as i expected. i was gearing up for "liar's bar" part two...but thankfully it's not too similar. just try picturing paul as a man of the cloth, preaching like a raving lunatic when you hear this song....that will undoubtedly either intensify your love or hatred of this track.

*i kept waiting and waiting for the one absolutely knockout track on the album (ala "song for...", "hold on to", "i think the answers...", "one god") but it never really came. the closest thing was prolly "your father and i". the lyrics on that one had me grinning from ear to ear. perhaps repeated listens will change that...but it seems that quench is album full of very good songs but perhaps lacking in amazingly good songs. make sense? time will tell, i suppose...

What are you thoughts?