Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Easily the high point of the Chameleons' fascination with digital delays, pedals, and making the studio an instrument, the band's second album still is seen by many a fan as being just a little too lost in the production to have the same impact as Script of the Bridge did, despite equally excellent songs. The decision must ultimately be the listener's, but in the end the production argument is much more a quibble than a condemnation -- no matter how you look at it, What Does Anything Mean? Basically proved to be that rarity of sophomore albums, something that at once made the band all the more unique in its sound while avoiding a repetition of earlier work. Ironically, the first track, "Silence, Sea and Sky," turned out to be the least Chameleons-like track ever, being only a two-minute synth intro piece played by Mark Burgess and Dave Fielding. But with the gentle intro to the absolutely wonderful "Perfumed Garden," lyrically one of Burgess' best nostalgic pieces, it rapidly becomes clear exactly which band is doing this. The empathetic fire that infused Burgess' words for songs like "Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)," a poetic attack on the Thatcher government, finds itself matched as always by brilliant playing all around. John Lever's command of the drums continues to impress, and Fielding and Reg Smithies remain guitarists par excellence; the searing, sky-bound solo on "Return of the Roughnecks" alone is a treasure. The sublime combination of the rushing "Looking Inwardly" and the soaring, blasting rip "One Flesh," leading into a relaxed instrumental coda, anchors the second side, while "P.S. Goodbye" provides a lovely, melancholic conclusion to an astounding record. CD copies include the 1981 "In Shreds"/"Nostalgia" single as bonus tracks.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
DISC 2
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
The Chameleons, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
Album review
Easily the high point of the Chameleons' fascination with digital delays, pedals, and making the studio an instrument, the band's second album still is seen by many a fan as being just a little too lost in the production to have the same impact as Script of the Bridge did, despite equally excellent songs. The decision must ultimately be the listener's, but in the end the production argument is much more a quibble than a condemnation -- no matter how you look at it, What Does Anything Mean? Basically proved to be that rarity of sophomore albums, something that at once made the band all the more unique in its sound while avoiding a repetition of earlier work. Ironically, the first track, "Silence, Sea and Sky," turned out to be the least Chameleons-like track ever, being only a two-minute synth intro piece played by Mark Burgess and Dave Fielding. But with the gentle intro to the absolutely wonderful "Perfumed Garden," lyrically one of Burgess' best nostalgic pieces, it rapidly becomes clear exactly which band is doing this. The empathetic fire that infused Burgess' words for songs like "Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)," a poetic attack on the Thatcher government, finds itself matched as always by brilliant playing all around. John Lever's command of the drums continues to impress, and Fielding and Reg Smithies remain guitarists par excellence; the searing, sky-bound solo on "Return of the Roughnecks" alone is a treasure. The sublime combination of the rushing "Looking Inwardly" and the soaring, blasting rip "One Flesh," leading into a relaxed instrumental coda, anchors the second side, while "P.S. Goodbye" provides a lovely, melancholic conclusion to an astounding record. CD copies include the 1981 "In Shreds"/"Nostalgia" single as bonus tracks.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 21 track(s)
- Total length: 01:29:23
- Main artists: The Chameleons
- Label: Blue Apple Music
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
(C) 2009 Blue Apple Music (P) 2009 Blue Apple Music
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.