Entertainment For Lively Minds
The New Beautiful South
Our local bbc news, had the rather odd news story that The Beautiful South are reforming, minus both the main songwriters, Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray. This was obviously the news that East Yorkshire was waiting for, 5 jobs created in Hull.
Now the Beautiful South were never the most fashionable of bands, critically they were for the most part despised and anyone you would talk to, couldn't stand them,(yet rather famously had one of the best selling 'best of'cds). So reforming them seems rather sadistic to me.
Personally, i didn't mind the 'south', they released a handful of good albums, but i can safely say that i'm not getting terribly excited about this news, and i imagine the same will be true for much of the population.
Now i know the 'south' not getting Heaton back into the fold is not in the same league as Led Zeppelin, but i've always found a band reforming without the original singer, rather pants, maybe i'm wrong, but i don't think so.
Mind you, with the way Paul Heaton's solo career has gone, i can't see it being long until he makes his way down south again.
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The Beautiful South despised by the critics?
I'm not sure that's true... I remember them getting good reviews in the NME, a paper that you might think would despise them. Also I'm sure Q looked upon them favourably...
There was a lot of good feeling towards Paul Heaton in the music press...
Undervalued
To me, Heaton has been one of the UK's most under valued song writers and performers.
Never scared to wear his heart on his sleeve when it came to politics or relationships, his music has sound tracked the lives of those who wouldn't reach much farther than Simply Reds Greatest Hits.
He knows and loves music, can really sing, his love of soul and gospel shining through when playing live.
While his solo profile isn't as big as his former glories, the last album was given good reviews and he's completed two tours to solid houses. I think he should be knighted.
Seconded
He always tried to push out the envelope with his lyrics, did ol' Paul Heaton. And yes, his solo album last year had some cracking songs on it. Not least, Everything Is Everything which really is top drawer.
Actually, given that The Beaut South used two other vocalists, I think a reformed version without PH & DR could survive and thrive. And given how new stuff would be unforthcoming, the "play some old" punters will be well-satisfied.
Good luck to them but with the best will in the world
how could you tell if the rest of t'south wandered on stage.
No! No! No!
They were smug, treated fans with contempt and couldn't hold onto their female singers...did anyone ever wonder why?
Not missed and their return is not welcome!
Never got them
Kind of admired the mix of saccharine pop tunes and tough, sharp lyrics but the saccharine level always made the songs unlistenable for me.
Now the Housemartins, that was a different matter.
Beautiful South without Heaton or Rotheray
Has Bev Bevan got a new gig?
See under E.L.O, Move etc etc.
a proper artistic sensibiliy
paul heaton knows his way around a tune and his lyrical sensibility is second to none. he is a great live artist. I would recommend his solo album, and agree that "everything is everything" is the stand out track. I think he is an acquired taste as a person, as he has appeared up him self, for want of a better phrase, in the past, and may well have been, but that is an artistes' perogative!
More recently he has come accross as keen to prove him self on his own, nervous at the prospect, and acknowledging he may have been overly controlling in the beautiful south. (this was on a BBC breakfast interview last year)
I saw him twice last year, and especially enjoyed his set at the latitude festival where he handed a bottle of JD round the crowd, then dryly admonished us for finishing it so quickly.
I would give new beautiful south a try out of curiosity, but my impression has always been that the creative drive came from paul heaton. They are apparently looking to record new material, so will wait and see what that is like, should it emerge.