Pete Doherty - Grace/Wasteland

[Iccz]

Just got my hands on Pete's latest album, not sure how many fans he has around here, I think Pete is an amazing artist and have been long awaiting his solo works being released properly, given the extreme lows of his personal life in the media it would be easy for people to draw conclusion that he is a "waste of space" or whatever they want to call him, that aside this album is a great example of what he is capable of.

Any fans of Pete / Babyshambles / Libertines should check it out, it's well worth a listen in my opinion

First single from the album:

[iainoco]

Thanks Iccz think I will.

I'm a huge Dot Allison fan and have heard some of her Doherty collaborations previously, what's the one on Grace/Wasteland like?

Cheers

[krish]

thanks Iccz

big fan of Libertines and Babyshambles (saw them at Hammersmith couple of years ago), and tired of the usual rent-a-quote nonsense spouted on the GC forum regarding his music/talent from those who've never heard a single song of PD's

[krish]

official electronic press kit for the album ...

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by iainoco

Thanks Iccz think I will.

I'm a huge Dot Allison fan and have heard some of her Doherty collaborations previously, what's the one on Grace/Wasteland like?

Cheers

She is on the track "Sheepskin Tearaway", for me it's one of the highlights of the album - instantly stands out, they come together so well on it, it's a nice mellow track and beautifully written. Babyshambles played it live a few times - there are vids on youtube but obvioulsy a nice studio recording goes down so much better. If you're a fan of her stuff you'll enjoy that track for sure.

Another of my fave tracks is "1939 Returning", the more I listen the more this one stands out, it's really good lyrically.

Originally Posted by krish

thanks Iccz

big fan of Libertines and Babyshambles (saw them at Hammersmith couple of years ago), and tired of the usual rent-a-quote nonsense spouted on the GC forum regarding his music/talent from those who've never heard a single song of PD's

Absolutely, couldn't agree more, that's the effect the press has on people, nobody ever says a bad word about the Stones, Hendrix etc, all of which were drug users... Yet they get nothing but praise for their music etc. Now before anyone gets me wrong i'm not comparing Doherty to the Stones or Hendrix musically... only in terms of personal life behind the music and the drugs involved.

[ufitsy]

echo the above, although not a fan I have a Later DVD with a track called Albion on it - I really rate it.

[signs]

Originally Posted by krish

thanks Iccz

big fan of Libertines and Babyshambles (saw them at Hammersmith couple of years ago), and tired of the usual rent-a-quote nonsense spouted on the GC forum regarding his music/talent from those who've never heard a single song of PD's

That will be me then . I can't stand the fella, i have tried, bought his last album but i just don't get it .also on a personal note i always think he looks like he needs a good scrub .

[ufitsy]

Originally Posted by signs

That will be me then . I can't stand the fella, i have tried, bought his last album but i just don't get it .also on a personal note i always think he looks like he needs a good scrub .

Agreed - when you notice dirty fingernails in SD it must be bad, still love Albion though.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by ufitsy

echo the above, although not a fan I have a Later DVD with a track called Albion on it - I really rate it.

Albion is a track from the Babyshambles album 'Down in Albion' - it is one of my fave tracks off the album

Originally Posted by signs

That will be me then . I can't stand the fella, i have tried, bought his last album but i just don't get it .also on a personal note i always think he looks like he needs a good scrub .

Looks and personal matters are a deception, he's such a nice, softly spoking gent. He's a bit of an idiot for all the drug things etc, got unlucky by getting with Moss and heightening his profile to the press but he's not the smartest of guys in that sense, or thats the impression I get. Either way I think musically he's a refreshing change to a lot of the stuff out there at the moment.

Seeing the programme on MTV 24 hours with Pete Doherty, you see his house... and the state of it, I think he makes bits up about where he sleeps etc, as he says he sleeps in the hammock or in a chair instead of the bed which the cats have took over, he has quite a few cats around the house and most of the lights and heating are not working

[signs]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Albion is a track from the Babyshambles album 'Down in Albion' - it is one of my fave tracks off the album



Looks and personal matters are a deception, he's such a nice, softly spoking gent. He's a bit of an idiot for all the drug things etc, got unlucky by getting with Moss and heightening his profile to the press but he's not the smartest of guys in that sense, or thats the impression I get. Either way I think musically he's a refreshing change to a lot of the stuff out there at the moment.

Probably ... hey what do i know about music ? ive just posted a clip of Katrina And The Waves

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by signs

Probably ... hey what do i know about music ? ive just posted a clip of Katrina And The Waves

You know enough to have your own opinion, and that's what matters

[krish]

Originally Posted by signs

That will be me then . I can't stand the fella, i have tried, bought his last album but i just don't get it .also on a personal note i always think he looks like he needs a good scrub .

No ... you've tried and don't like it, fair enough
- I refer to the usual suspects on there who undoubtedly haven't heard a single note, but feel qualified to pass comment on his musical ability based on his other exploits

[unique]

Originally Posted by Iccz

Absolutely, couldn't agree more, that's the effect the press has on people, nobody ever says a bad word about the Stones, Hendrix etc, all of which were drug users... Yet they get nothing but praise for their music etc. Now before anyone gets me wrong i'm not comparing Doherty to the Stones or Hendrix musically... only in terms of personal life behind the music and the drugs involved.

the beatles and stones are more widely thought of for musical ability and back catalogue rather than drugs, but pete is known more about drugs etc than his music. amy winehouse has comparable press coverage for her drug use etc, but her music is far more well known. why is that? to be frank, i'd say pete's music was crap, that's why. it's not played on radio or tv that much as it's not very popular to regular joe bloggs. if he didn't have his thing with drugs and kate moss and wasn't in the press his music would probably be heard of much less than it is

if you take a look at the guy, whilst he may have been off drugs for a while now, most people recall the numerous photos of him looking his he's been on drugs for the past 10 years and dragged through a bush backwards, then seen his awful blood "paintings" and the state he left his flat. it doesn't really set you up for expecting much from him, and when you first listen to the music it just sounds like a shambolic mess to most people

amy might have been a mess through drugs, but at least she had two excellent albums, the second of which was a huge commercial success and her music was played all over the place, so whilst she was always seen drunk etc in the papers, people knew she at least had some talent. as pete hasn't had much commercial success and isn't played that much on tv, most people don't know his music so will only speak about him on what they know about him, which is taking drugs and getting into trouble

personally i think he is hugely overated. having listened to the albums (not the new one yet) once or twice, i can't say i wanted to go back and listen to them again

look at michael jackson for example, he's had a hammering in the press, but he still sold out 50 nights at the o2 as his past music catalogue outshines the negative side. pete doesn't have anything like that behind him for joe public to think about instead of his personal life

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by unique

the beatles and stones are more widely thought of for musical ability and back catalogue rather than drugs, but pete is known more about drugs etc than his music. amy winehouse has comparable press coverage for her drug use etc, but her music is far more well known. why is that? to be frank, i'd say pete's music was crap, that's why. it's not played on radio or tv that much as it's not very popular to regular joe bloggs. if he didn't have his thing with drugs and kate moss and wasn't in the press his music would probably be heard of much less than it is

if you take a look at the guy, whilst he may have been off drugs for a while now, most people recall the numerous photos of him looking his he's been on drugs for the past 10 years and dragged through a bush backwards, then seen his awful blood "paintings" and the state he left his flat. it doesn't really set you up for expecting much from him, and when you first listen to the music it just sounds like a shambolic mess to most people

amy might have been a mess through drugs, but at least she had two excellent albums, the second of which was a huge commercial success and her music was played all over the place, so whilst she was always seen drunk etc in the papers, people knew she at least had some talent. as pete hasn't had much commercial success and isn't played that much on tv, most people don't know his music so will only speak about him on what they know about him, which is taking drugs and getting into trouble

personally i think he is hugely overated. having listened to the albums (not the new one yet) once or twice, i can't say i wanted to go back and listen to them again

look at michael jackson for example, he's had a hammering in the press, but he still sold out 50 nights at the o2 as his past music catalogue outshines the negative side. pete doesn't have anything like that behind him for joe public to think about instead of his personal life

Again, it's all down to Opinions and of course everyone is entitled to their own, a lot of what you mention is opinion based.

The Beatles and Stones' back catalogue to one person may be seen as the best of any artist, yet to another person it may seem awful.

Commercial success isn't necessarily a measure of talent / quality of music, so I think the point you raise is a bit flawed.
That's like saying because Mariah Carey has sold more records than Dire Straits that she is the better musician. To some... yeah maybe she is... But "talent" wise, you can't compare a vocalist to the talents of a great rock band.

Every artist has their fans and haters, but just because peoples tastes vary it does not justify the amount of slack some get for their music when people havn't given them a try, fair enough you have gave him a listen and are entitled to your opinion, I just find it annoying when there are so many boy and girl bands out there with no talent who get praise and chary success on almost nothing, most of them can't write their own songs, play an instrument, or even sing!
Credit to Pete for doing that, he's not the best vocalist in the world, then again there are great artists out there who aren't, Bob Dylan for example (i'm not even going to try compare Pete to Bob, don't worry) but again it's down to what people make of it...

His personal life has his his career before he got much success, which kind of restricts him a bit, a lot of people now won't give his music a chance because of what they've read about him etc.

Amy Winehouse got success before falling into drug problems.
(and you say excellent albums - I don't share that opinion myself)
Michael Jackson had his success before the allegations.
Both had a reasonable fan base before the media jumped on them, the same can't be said for Pete, i'm not saying that's why he doesn't have success, but it wont help.

I believe he deserves more credit than people give him, especially with the state of pop music and such these days.