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Elly Roberts reviews
Rough Trade
- Cat.no: RTRADCD160
- Released: April 2005
- Rating: 8/10
Think Beautiful South and Beach Boys and you get Hal.
As a debut album, this rates very highly. Bubbly summer releases dont comemuch better than this, because its full of radio friendly pop ditties to keepthe seasonal feel-good factor floating along.
BS have had an immense influence on this quartet comprising brothers Dave andPaul Allen (vocals/guitar and vocals/bass respectively), Stephen OBrien (keyboards)and Stephen Hogan (drums).
What A Lovely Dance and Keep Love As Your Golden Rule are rightout of their songbook, with more than a bucket full of the BBs sandy anthens.They cite a host of luminaries as influences: Harry Nilsson, The Beatles,Donovan, Bert Jansch, Buffalo Springfield, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, which makes for a potent cocktail of indigenous but commercially acceptable crossover material.
Quirky 70s west coast FM pop eventually kicks in particularly in the middlesection sandwiched between The LAs/Danny Wilson type gushes. The Nilsson effectfollows on I Sat Down with the bonus of some deft mandolin.
Overall theres an undeniable graceful elegance about its content andpresentation, which has a winning formula for years to come. These guys are noone hit wonders.
Just the album for your hols.
The full list of tracks included are :
1. What A Lovely Dance
2. Play The Hits
3. Keep Love As Your Golden Rule
4. Dont Come Running
5. I Sat Down
6. My Eyes Are Sore7. Fools By Your Side
8. Worry About The Wind
9. Satisfied
10. Slow Down(Youve Got A Friend)
11. Coming Right Over
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.