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Avg: 3.5 (18 ratings)
- Date Released: December 20, 2005
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Label: Rough Trade
The debut album from Pete Doherty's post-Libertines project.
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We Say...
Were it not for the longueurs that sets in part-way through — around the time Pete Doherty falls back on a few too many limp white-reggae grooves — Down in Albion would be a powerful collection of missives from the other side of the track-marks. The band's stall is set out in "La Belle et la Bête," a suitably shambling indie-punk jaunt recounting "the story of a coked-up pansy/who spends his nights in flights of fancy," and cemented by further autobiographical jottings like "What Katy Did Next," the prison ode "Pentonville" and the mixture of drugs and treachery in "8 Dead Boys," where mercenary addicts will "give you a line and then call you a waster." For Doherty, dissipation is neither accident nor tragedy, but almost an ambition — even if the road of excess has yet to lead him to the palace of wisdom. What it clearly has led to, though, is a handful of ramshackle but catchy outsider anthems like "Pipedown" and the single "Fuck Forever."
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They Say...
Throughout his career, Pete Doherty has always been remarkably honest about drawing inspiration from his self-destruction. During his time with the Libertines, his debauchery underscored the band's explosive, teetering-on-the-edge-of-chaos chemistry. But with his post-Libertines group Babyshambles (again, the name is up-front about Doherty's modus operandi), he doesn't just teeter, he jumps right over the edge, as evidenced by the band's debut album, Down in Albion, which is also heavily inspired by Doherty's drug use and troubles with the law. Most of the album's songs are barely beyond the sketch level; some of them, like "A'Rebours" and "32nd of December" are like ragged little urchins, starved of the care and focus it would take to flesh out their promising bones. Even within the album's murkiness, however, hints of the promise and intermittent brilliance Doherty had in the Libertines can still be heard. Interestingly, the most theatrical tracks on Down in Albion have the most clarity. "La Belle et la Bête," a duet between Doherty and his infamous ex, Kate Moss, recasts the turmoil of their life together as meta-cabaret; "What Katy Did Next" brings back the character of his Libertines songs for a tongue-in-cheek cautionary tale (you can practically see Doherty's finger waggling as he sings, "If you play with fire, you will get burned"). Meanwhile, "Fuck Forever"'s choruses are rousing enough that you can almost buy into the nihilistic, romantic notion of Doherty alternately escaping and diving into his pain, and "Loyalty Song" is so good that it sounds like it was channeled from some other album.
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| 01. |  |
La Belle Et La Bete |
5:05 |
|
| 02. | |
Fuck Forever |
4:37 |
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| 03. | |
A'rebours |
3:23 |
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| 04. | |
The 32nd Of December |
3:08 |
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| 05. | |
Pipedown |
2:35 |
|
| 06. | |
Sticks And Stones |
4:51 |
|
| 07. | |
Killamangiro |
3:13 |
|
| 08. | |
8 Dead Boys |
4:16 |
|
| 09. | |
In Love With A Feeling |
2:51 |
|
| 10. | |
Pentonville |
3:49 |
|
| 11. | |
What Katy Did Next |
3:07 |
|
| 12. | |
Albion |
5:24 |
|
| 13. | |
Back From The Dead |
2:52 |
|
| 14. | |
Loyalty Song |
3:32 |
|
| 15. | |
Up The Morning |
5:43 |
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| 16. | |
Merry Go Round |
5:22 |
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16 Total Tracks, 63:48 Total Length
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Credits
- Mick Jones - Producer // Barriemore Barlow - Gong // Adam Fuest - Engineer // Bill Price - Engineer // Bill Price - Mixing // Daniel Perry - Assistant Engineer // Jeff Teader - Layout Design // Pete Doherty - Artwork // Pete Doherty - Group Member // Iain Gore - Engineer // Dan Parry - Assistant Engineer // Hedi Slimane - Photography // Matt Paul - Assistant Engineer // Patrick Walden - Group Member // Adam Ficek - Group Member // Drew McConnell - Group Member // George Williams - Assistant Engineer // Kate Moss - Vocals
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