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Returning to action after a ten-year delay in recording -- a decade when he was not inactive, devoting a large portion of time to his Live 8 charity -- Bob Geldof presented How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell, a transparently ironic title for a collection of tunes not intended to sell themselves or anything. Apart from the bluesoid skronk of "Blow Fish" -- a blast of misdirection placed toward the front -- there isn’t much here that could be seen as immediate, the kind of song that populates the pop charts. Even when the tempo percolates a bit -- the sleekly glassy “Silly Pretty Thing” -- nothing gets heated and much of the album is ruminative in a way that leans heavily on Dylan and Costello. Despite these echoes, the album is quite clearly Geldof’s creation, a tastefully cynical confessional from a man who is a mainstay at the Q Awards for a reason -- namely the kind of protest and introspection that’s so tasteful it can slip underneath the radar as mere mood music, even when it’s designed to get under the skin as it was here.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Eliza Gilkyson, ComposerLyricist - Bob Geldof, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboards, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Vince Lovepump, Mandolin, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alan Dunn, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Niall Power, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Programmer, AssociatedPerformer - John Turnbull, Electric Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Niall Power, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Drums, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Accordion, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - John Turnbull, Electric Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Vince Lovepump, Mandolin, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Niall Power, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Drums, Percussion, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - John Turnbull, Electric Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Vince Lovepump, Violin, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Niall Power, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Robbie Harris, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Niall Power, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - John Turnbull, Electric Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Vince Lovepump, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Niall Power, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - John Turnbull, Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Niall Power, Percussion, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer - John Turnbull, Electric Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Vince Lovepump, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Niall Power, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Bob Geldof, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jim Russell, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Alan Dunn, Keyboards, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Pete Briquette, Producer, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - John Turnbull, Electric Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Josh MacRae, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Vince Lovepump, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Niall Power, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joshua MacCrae, Tambourine, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
Album review
Returning to action after a ten-year delay in recording -- a decade when he was not inactive, devoting a large portion of time to his Live 8 charity -- Bob Geldof presented How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell, a transparently ironic title for a collection of tunes not intended to sell themselves or anything. Apart from the bluesoid skronk of "Blow Fish" -- a blast of misdirection placed toward the front -- there isn’t much here that could be seen as immediate, the kind of song that populates the pop charts. Even when the tempo percolates a bit -- the sleekly glassy “Silly Pretty Thing” -- nothing gets heated and much of the album is ruminative in a way that leans heavily on Dylan and Costello. Despite these echoes, the album is quite clearly Geldof’s creation, a tastefully cynical confessional from a man who is a mainstay at the Q Awards for a reason -- namely the kind of protest and introspection that’s so tasteful it can slip underneath the radar as mere mood music, even when it’s designed to get under the skin as it was here.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:43:42
- Main artists: Bob Geldof
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Spinefarm
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited ℗ 2011 Hixdell Limited under exclusive licence from Shamrock Solutions Limited to Mercury Records Limited
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