So why is The Libertines’ Up the Bracket on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
As I’ve discussed before from time to time, there are certain bands which possess a sound where I’m inclined to at least somewhat enjoy just about any music they produce.
The Libertines are certainly in that category, and they are also a band I’ve come to appreciate more over the years*.
* And don’t even get me started on front man and guitarist Pete Doherty’s other band, Babyshambles, over which I can’t stop myself from playing a certain album of theirs on certain days when I’m of a mood.
“The Good Old Days” rises far above being merely… well, good, and in fact it’s one of the band’s very best. It begins with an unusual little rhythm, the bass guitar and drums playing against each other rather mysteriously, before launching into what I think of as a classic Libertines chorus. Doherty’s ever so slightly slurring vocals perfectly sliding over what always seems to be the perfect guitar hook for the occasion.
I lived and worked in England for six months after I graduated from college. Some bands that were popular at the time – Oasis and Blur being the two most obvious examples – put me in the mind of the many evenings I spent hanging out at pubs like the Nag’s Head in Rochester, Kent. Up the Bracket is The Libertines’ debut release from 2002, which came after my time in the UK by a handful of years, but songs like “Boys in the Band” put me exactly back in that frame of mind.
Two quid pints, art college students strewn all over ancient overstuffed couches, many pale as milk due to the gloomy climate and/or from taking on some sort of vampiric lifestyle.
“Vertigo” reminds me that Doherty and crew have an exceptional ability to craft catchy melodies that map against catchy alternative rock and boozed out garage rock guitar hooks. Take ‘er on a spin if you don’t believe me.
Some stats & info about The Libertines – Up the Bracket
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? British Bands, Britpop, Rock Music, Alternative Rock, Garage Rock Revival, Pub Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was Up the Bracket released? 2002
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #599 out of 1,000
The Libertines’ Up the Bracket on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Libertines’ Up the Bracket that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
But if you’ve lost your faith in love and music the end won’t be long. Because if it’s gone for you then I too may lose it and that that would be wrong.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.