Read Review of Hatful Of Rain: The Best Of Del Amitri by Del Amit...
Review Summary
About the Author
Looking For Bottles of Love...
Oct 03 '02
Pros Great lyrics, songs, music. Very, very creative and appealing.
Cons Not enough attention paid to the band...
The Bottom Line A modest, yet endearing collection of the best of Del Amitri from 1989 through 1998.
Full Review
In America, too much hype will win you an audience, a few million copies of sales, and then a defiant slap in the face. In the UK, the same amount of publicity will get you a slap in the face much more quickly. This is precisely the backlash experienced by Scottish pop-rock-folk-soul men Del Amitri during the mid-1980’s.
Yes, Del Amitri has been around now for two full decades.
In 1982, bassist, vocalist, and songwriter Justin Currie joined forces with guitarist Iain Harvie to form the earliest version of the band that would soon tour with bands like The Smiths. It took until 1985 for Del Amitri to finally record and release their eponymous major label debut. But before that album hit shelves, the band appeared on the cover of a magazine and thus an early following. Upon the release of the album, critics nitpicked the better-than-average debut to death. It took another four years and some major regrouping for the band to come back together and release a new album.
Waking Hours (1989) wasn’t quite as free-flowing as the first album, but the album succeeded in highlighting Currie’s songwriting talent and knack for irony. A sonic combination of Van Morrison (blue eyed soul), Elvis Costello, and the like, the album received rave reviews yet never really crossed over stateside. That wouldn’t happen for another five or six years. 1992’s Change Everything was very similar to their sophomore effort…a continued exploration of melodic pop-rock-soul-folk in a very tidy and user-friendly package.
It was with 1995’s Twisted that Del Amitri finally crossed the Atlantic. Ironically, the album wasn’t the band’s best and in fact was pale in comparison to two earlier releases. What Twisted managed to do was give Americans a happy, free-flowing, fun, intelligent pop song in the form of Roll to Me. It’s with this song that I, along with the rest of the country, discovered these under appreciated Scottish talents.
Del Amitri continued down the same, inspired path with 1997’s Some Other Sucker’s Parade. Similar in sound to Twisted, the album did little to further the band’s career. It didn’t gain them any fans critically, nor did it disappoint anybody particularly. Ride the wave of brief, though stellar success, Del Amitri quickly compiled their favorite songs and biggest hits on 1998’s Hatful of Rain: The Best of Del Amitri.
Consisting of seventeen songs, Hatful of Rain spans the band’s career beginning in 1989. Their earliest album isn’t represented here though I would have like to have heard their starting point (regardless of how disappointing) in order to judge the band’s evolution. But, from what I’ve read the album is somewhat lacking. With that said, from beginning to end this is a very worthwhile purchase for fans of shimmering pop-rock with a dash soul and folk good measure.
For those looking for an album full of immediately recognizable hits, you’ll be disappointed. Sure, Roll To Me was splashed all over MTV and radio during the mid-1990s and even Always The Last To Know got a decent amount of airplay, but the vast majority of these songs were new to me at the time I purchased Hatful of Rain. But, after just a few listens, each felt comfortable and meaningful. It’s unfortunate that so few people have heard of Del Amitri aside from that one hit. They were even featured on a VH1 special about one-hit-wonders. That’s a ludicrous tag for such a talented band.
Musically similar to acts like The Wallflowers, Gin Blossoms, and 10,000 Maniacs, Del Amitri possesses a talent for appealing on many different levels. The most surface of these is represented on the aforementioned Roll to Me, while not a bad song by a long shot, it is less meaty than the vast majority of the examples on this greatest hits compilation. Shimmering, jangly, hip, happy, and a bit funky Roll to Me is one of the most upbeat of the album. You know the words…everybody knows the words:
Look into your heart pretty baby,
Is it aching with some nameless need.
Is there something wrong and you can't put your finger on it
Right then, roll to me
The only other even slightly recognizable song of this wonderfully and surprisingly lucid collection is the already mentioned Always the Last to Know. A bit less “up” and a bit more thoughtful, this track is another likely candidate for mainstream pop success. Again reminiscent of songs like Hey Jealousy from Gin Blossoms it is universally appealing on both a lyrical and musical level. A great track, though then again not the best by a long shot from Del Amitri.
The songs I most enjoy from Del Amitri are the more soulful and probably more creatively free ones. Stone Cold Sober is lovely, driving, and intelligent. The words wedge themselves between the layers of my soul, the music plants itself firmly in the garden of my heart. At it’s core, Stone Cold Sober is an emotional rock song with elements of 1970’s classic rock. A very impressive track to say the very least.
Stone cold sober, looking for bottles of love.
Kiss This Thing Goodbye is brilliant. Consisting of country rock, pianos, a harmonica, a banjo, and an exceptionally kinetic feel, the song is rich and full and more than simply worthy of a listen. This Del Amitri mini-masterpiece should be coveted, held closely to the body and mind. Songs from the band like this prove that they have importance beyond just creating a catchy pop tune here and there.
Other particularly great tracks include Nothing Ever Happens, Just Like A Man, Spit In The Rain, Be My Downfall, and Not Where It’s At. But keep in mind that this is a wholly entertaining album from the first note of Cry to Be Found through the final of Don’t Come Home So Soon. Don’t limit yourself to a song or two, Hatful of Rain and the seventeen tracks can be digested completely and without hesitation.
I highly recommend this album to fans of alternative pop-rock. It’s not hard or biting, but the lyrics and music are timeless, restrained and nicely done. Del Amitri should be given a chance to shine. Their character and talent shine through wonderfully on this cross-section of newer and older tracks.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars (rounded up, of course)
Track Listing:
01. Cry to Be Found [original recording]
02. Roll to Me [Twisted, 1995]
03. Kiss This Thing Goodbye [Waking Hours, 1989]
04. Not Where It’s At [Some Other Sucker’s Parade, 1997]
05. Nothing Ever Happens [Waking Hours, 1989]
06. Always the Last to Know [Change Everything, 1992]
07. Here and Now [Twisted, 1995]
08. Just Like a Man [Change Everything, 1992]
09. Spit in the Rain [original recording]
10. When You Were Young [Change Everything, 1992]
11. Driving With the Brakes On [Twisted, 1995]
12. Stone Cold Sober [Waking Hours, 1989]
13. Tell Her This [Twisted, 1995]
14. Move Away Jimmy Blue [Waking Hours, 1989]
15. Be My Downfall [Change Everything, 1992]
16. Some Other Sucker’s Parade [Some Other Sucker’s Parade, 1997]
17. Don’t Come Home Too Soon [Music of the World Cup, 1998]
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