"A kiss and goodbye and a long cigarette" (0898 Beautiful South - The Beautiful South)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	0898 Beautiful South - The Beautiful South
Date:	08/01/01 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Briana Corrigan & Paul Heaton's beautiful voices, great lyrics, couple of exceptional tracks

Disadvantages: few weak tracks, not as good as their other albums

The lyric I used for the title of this opinion is from Bell-Bottomed Tear, one of the best songs I think the Beautiful South have ever made and this track is the highlight of the album for me.

Their lyrics are so well thought out, meaningful, poetic... Here are some examples :

"Here I walk, here I walk
Looking for an angel's wings in the den of the hawk" (The Rocking Chair)

"Next morning our eyes filled with sleepy regret
A kiss and goodbye and a long cigarette
But the pillow I lay on is cold and it's wet
Can't pretend" (Bell-Bottomed Tear)

Besides the wonderful lyrics, this album also has the catchy tunes and the soulful tones of lead vocalists, Paul Heaton and Briana Corrigan.

But despite the praise, this album is not one of their best, in my opinion. There are twelve tracks on it, but the only ones that I listen to repeatedly are 'Old Red Eyes Is Back' & 'Bell-Bottomed Tear', both of which are excellent, but the rest of the album pales into insignificance in comparison to these two outstanding tracks.

The artwork on the cover and inlay booklet is very unusual, and I'm sure a whole study could be done on the many meanings you can find in the images and the content of the lyrics.

Ovearll, the Beautiful South are always worth listening to, but if you were only going to buy one of their albums, this is not the one I would recommend.

Summary: