Free the Bees

Artist: A Band of Bees
Label: EMI Int'l
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 724357832625
EAN: 0724357832625
ASIN: B00022M46E

Release Date: 2004-08-17

Free the Bees

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Britpop

| British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Neo-Psychedelia

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Rock

| Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

These Are The Ghosts
Wash In The Rain
No Atmosphere
Horsemen
Chicken Payback
The Russian
I Love You
The Start
Hourglass
Go Karts
One Glass Of Water
This Is The Land

Similar Items:

Sunshine Hit Me
Octopus
A Certain Trigger
Another Fine Day
Twin Cinema

Customer Reviews:

Thank God for the Bees.......2006-06-02

"These are the Ghosts" has a beautiful lyric and a haunting melody. I bought the album on the strength of this great opening song, after hearing it on the radio. And I'm pleased to say that the rest of the album holds up to that first wonderful tune. It is true that it is reminiscent of the Zombies and many other great bands from THAT ERA, but that haunting quality isn't something that can simply be reproduced without a gift for writing a great pop song, as some reviewers suggest when they criticize the Bees for being "too revivalist" or whatever. Songs like this can't be produced out of a hat... they must be felt. The Bees write great pop and continue in a great tradition. To me they sound as relevant as anything else going at the moment... more so even.

If you've ever bought a Nuggets compilation then you will love the Bees for what they are; 60s revivalists who unashamedly tap the past for the best of what it had to offer and present it in a new and meaningful way.

You see, I like the production techniques and approaches to songwriting and arrangement from THAT ERA more what is popular with major artists today. I'm talking about bands like Coldplay who make slick but boring music for investment bankers to listen to on their I Pods. I am so glad there are bands like the Bees around, with that rough earthy approach that has oh so much more soul, so much more mojo.

Some good moments, definitely not my usual fare........2005-08-03

Well, What to say about the Bees? I'll say this album definitely is not for everyone, but if flower power is your thing, then this album definitely gets it done. All through it I half expected to hear "What's your name? Who's your daddy? Is he rich like me?" or maybe "Maybe I'll be there to take your hand. Maybe I'll be there to share the land". I can't say much about their debut(haven't heard it), but this is a solid album, I only gave it 3 stars though because I think they go overboard a bit with this whole "Summer '67" thing. I especially liked "These Are the Ghosts", "Wash in the Rain", and "Horseman". On "Horseman" they sound a little more "3 Dog Night" as opposed to maybe "The Zombies". But then there are songs like "I love you". The song itself sounds solid enough, but it lacks the feeling that a song like that really should have. That one needs a solid injection of Motown to get it to deliver what it should. And then there's "One Glass of Water", that's the one that kept making me expect them to burst out into the chorus of "Share the Land"..LOL Overall it's pretty good, they just get carried away a bit.

The Bees-They're buzzin'........2005-04-16

You will not listen to a better album this year. The Bees have touched the quick by improving on their last album "Sunshine Hit Me." It's more professional (which I believe is a good thing) and their song writing talents are overwhelming (check out track 9 "Hour Glass"). I predict this band will be bigger that Oasis was in the 1990's; at least they deserve to be. This is one of those rare albums your mum actually tells you to turn up! It fuses classic 60's rifts with a modern and up beat vibe making it flawless. The Bees, we salute you!

Measure twice, cut once...........2005-02-01

It's tough to give this an outright thumbs-up. Since the Bees garnered a fair amount of critical buzz with their underproduced (but very impressive) debut album, their second release has to be described in the context of what we've seen from them. And it's a horse of a different color... in a way.

Here's what's missing: the musical variety. While their first full-length covered an astonishing array of genres-- from second-wave ska to psychedelic rock to moody post-pop ballads, 'Free the Bees' sits more comfortably in a single genre... or decade, anyway. It's 60s nostalgia with an occasional hint of 21st century sophistication, and sounds more like a tribute by a number of bands than the efforts of one group. Mainly because there's still a lot of variety. There's some psychedelia, some roots rock, and some Beatles-esque numbers (it was recorded at Abbey Road, but it's much more Zombies than Beatles). So while the Bees might not be crossing as many boundaries as they did with their debut, they're still managing to pay tribute to some oft-forgotten forms of rock while showing off their formidable songwriting chops.

Much more polished than its predecessor (which was one of those albums that although raw, still sounds totally professional), this one is more on the feel-good side, has more complex orchestration, and feels much more genuine than most current outfits that stick with a single mode of composition and beat it to death. Although this album is plenty different from the first-- which will undoubtedly frustrate some-- I'll be looking forward to more from the Isle of Wight's most famous band.

Note: Those of you who couldn't care less about the sixties should consider this a three-star review. On the other hand, people who like the idea of starting out a conversation with "Hey, check out my favorite band from the Isle of Wight," should give it five.

Free them!.......2004-12-25

Uh-oh, a follow-up to a much-loved Britpop album. That can only spell "high expectations." And that's the major problem with "Free the Bees," an otherwise lovely sophomore album by the British pop band. They shift their sound a bit, but retain the lush 60s influences and bright melodies.

Their first album was pieced together in much rougher circumstances -- in fact, it was stuck together in a garden shed. So the Bees get to make their sound a bit more polished this time around. It's perhaps not coincidental that they recorded "Free the Bees" at Abbey Road, since they seem to have soaked in the summery psychedelic vibe of the sixties.

That's most evident in songs like "Wash In The Rain," a summery pop tune that is washed in Hammond organ, or "One Glass of Water," a charmingly retro sound that is completely catchy and sweet. And they stray a bit from the sound with "Horseman," which is more influenced by harder rock from a decade later on. And "Chicken Payback" is nothing but hilarious.

The Bees (formerly "Band of Bees") are not known for their originality. They're known for making good pop music. Their music absolutely reeks of the summer of love, and they obviously are influenced by plenty of older bands, wandering happily from sixties psychedelica to seventies rock. But with that in mind, their music is warm and refreshing.

The best word to describe the music is bouncy -- the Bees call on snappy drums and cheery basslines and guitar riffs for their sound, as well as some deeply moving Hammond organ. To finish off the sound, they inject some harmonies that would make the Zombies wipe away a tear of pride.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Duke Ellington ~ Duke Ellington

Phantom Fingers ~ Alex Hassan

Beware of Spring! ~ Meredith d'Ambrosio

Breakthru ~ Ran Blake

Cannonball in Japan ~ Cannonball Adderley

Satoko Fujii Quartet ~ Satoko (Quartet) Fuji

Klunkaren ~ Torleiv and Hallvard Bjorgum

Tango Argentino: Libertango ~ Trio Pantango

Teatro: Temas E Canções ~ Ricardo Le%C3%A3o

Hitoritabi Syararuran ~ Rythem