I've always taken it as obvious that the Bardots' second album, V-Neck, was far superior to their 1992 debut Eye-Baby so I was surprised, when I finally found another Bardots fan, that they thought it was the other way around. So maybe it's just me. But to my ears Eye-Baby is a fairly average piece of somber but basically radio-friendly alternapop; its more mature and cerebral follow-up largely adheres to the "thinking person's Suede" formula but shows an impressive progression in songwriting skills. So I'm still a bit baffled by the other fan's opinion. But the fact of even finding another Bardots fan was pleasing enough.
Here's a track from the debut ... you can also listen here to one from V-Neck and decide for yourself.
9 comments:
Well, you've found another one...
I can't help thinking that you're under-selling "Eye Baby" a little bit, for I've always felt that an album of wonderfully dramatic, histrionic, romantic guitar pop lurked underneath the rather ploddy production. Along with a Peel session, a Melody Maker review that suggested they might engage with the audience more (which was precisely what I didn't want bands to do) and a gig in Brighton, it was enough to make me fall utterly in love with them. That flame is still very much alive.
But you're absolutely right that "V-Neck" was their real triumph. The world had moved on by then, but it was the world's loss: even after all this time, and even for someone who's always chasing the latest thing at the expense of old favourites, it remains a wonderful record. I've long given up hope of converting anyone to this particularly lost cause...but it's lovely to know that I'm not alone...
Some age-old warblings on the subject of my own: http://bsad.org/thing/week16.html
Cool blog, by the way!
Ah, thanks Ian. I think I did actually run across your wonderful piece a few years ago (did you originally have a slightly different - less diplomatic - comment on "Cruelty Blonde"?). You've captured them much better than I did.
And don't get me wrong - I don't dislike Eye Baby, but if they'd broken up right after it I would probably have filed it away next to lots of other decent-but-nothing-special albums of the '90s. I can't really compare the songs on that album to the way they sounded live, since I never got to see them *sniff*, but only to the songs on V-Neck.
Did you get to the reunion gig?
Sadly not, no. I only found out about it a month or so after it happened. In some ways, that might be for the best (rather high expectations!) but I'd love to know what the setlist was....
I must confess that I can't recall if I revised my comment on "Cruelty Blonde"; it's so long since I wrote that piece. It's a song I'll happily sing along to, but, as with you and "Eye Baby", it wouldn't have made much of a lasting impact if it'd been their only record.
Shall we start a petition for another reunion gig, then...?! The people - well, two people - demand it!
I would definitely sign it!
Guess what I've just found while wandering around...a recording of that reunion gig...
http://72.167.245.88/#/programdetail/?blog=61&post=295
Setlist...
Pretty O
My Cute Thought
Bad Feeling
Gloriole
Sad Anne
Cruelty Blonde
Obscenity Thing
Somebody Could Die Across My Throne...
Shallow
Sunsetted
Enjoy!
Ooh, lovely! Thanks!
Sorry to dug up this post, but Andy Murphy, who was the Bardots original guitar player, is currently an English teacher in Portugal. He was my teacher a few years ago, and I found out about his past almost by accident. I had no idea they had recorded a Peel Session, this is great, ahah.
I had no idea what any of the Bardots were up to now. Thanks for sharing!
The reunion gig is on vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/14939441
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