989. The Libertines - The Libertines (2004)

Track Listing

1. Can't Stand Me Now
2. Last Post On The Bugle
3. Don't Be Shy
4. The Man Who Would Be King
5. Music When The Lights Go Out
6. Narcissist
7. The Ha Ha Wall
8. Arbeit Macht Frei
9. Campaign Of Hate
10. What Katie Did
11. Tomblands
12. The Saga
13. Road To Ruin
14. What Became Of The Likely Lads

Review

I am very ashamed to realize that I actually quite like this album. I still hate Pete Doherty though. There is certainly an attractive sense of self-implosion in this album, however, a destructive behaviour which would then define one half of the band in his endless showboating.

This album works in the sense that it is very much a 00s album with a sense of the shambolic which is more associated with the 70s, and it sounds truthful to the fact that it is all falling apart, as it indeed was.

There is enough talent behind this album to actually keep it together for the duration but just bursting at the seams. Knowing the personal history between the two band members while the album was being made helps explain this but it is really admirable that the album manages to only constantly threaten to disintegrate and sound so good while this goes on.

Track Highlights

1. What Became Of The Likely Lads
2. Can't Stand Me Now
3. The Man Who Would Be King
4. What Katie Did

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The album cover was taken by Roger Sargent during the emotional "Freedom Gig" at the Tap 'N' Tin club, Chatham, Kent, on October 8, 2003, when Pete Doherty reunited with the Libertines for a gig just hours after being released from jail. Pete Doherty returned to the Tap 'N' Tin club on 20 December 2008 for a one-off gig with Chas & Dave.

What Became of the Likely Lads: