B.C.'s 54.40's first major label release still holds up as a solid debut album. Favouring quality over quantity the 9 tracks showcase the band's strengths: tight simple arrangements, passionate vocals, rough and tumble guitars and a solid bottom end. The themes on the album (social/political activism, love, loss, separation and family) are still the themes singer/lyricist Neil Osbourne regularly deals with today. The group's follow up to the "Green Album" as it's known to by fans was tighter, clearer and more concise but all those elements are evident on this release.
Of course, it's the songs that matter and the Green album kicks off with one of 54.40 best known and best loved tunes: "Baby Ran". Full of loud guitars verging on feedback, a thundering bass line and crashing drums "Baby Ran" is the pure straight rock and roll. Neil Osbourne's laid back vocals remind me of how Ray Davis sang The Kinks classic "You Really Got Me". Not over the top, but restrained. When Neil screams out "My baby ran away" just before the guitar solo his voice is fullof despair and a hint of menace. Pure gold.
The other "big" track is 'I Go Blind".
Hootie and the Blowfish would make this a hit with a near note for note cover in the mid 90's but the original just has that little bit of edge to it. When Osbourne sings 'Hold me, hold me, 'cause I wanna get higher and higher, higher than" there's a bit of faer or wonder of something that the Blowfish just couldn't muster.
High points: I Go Blind, Baby Ran, Me Island, Take My Hand, Grace and Beauty
54-40.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/258575174/54-40.rar
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