20 Years

7 Replies to “20 Years”

1. Yes!!!

   Stop me if you’ve heard this: two of the best songwriters in the U.K. in the same band, perfect foils for each other.

   “I was too drunk to stand in the Albion Rooms and Pete made me write a riff to the verse chords, he recorded it on his Nokia 3310 as the answerphone message so’s we were able to remember it the next day and finish the song. The lyrics came from an old poem we wrote and a little added inspiration from the Times Literary Supplement we kept next to the toilet.”

   – Carl, on “Death On The Stairs”

   2

   Reply

2. Hadn’t heard that, thanks. I’ve never learned much about them beyond Pete’s going off the rails in spectacular rock & roll fashion. I remember reading something about Kate Moss getting some professional pushback for dating him, which I thought was very strange. Anyone who thinks models should behave like Girl Scouts during their off hours needs to get out more often.

   2

   Reply

   1. More good recording stories: they were fighting over Daughter of Clash:

      “I also remember Carl and I both fancying Mick Jones’ eldest daughter…she said she’d ‘go to the pictures’ with whichever it was out of the two us that recorded the immortal line ‘all so rudimentary’’. I do believe it was our first ever full-on fist fight that drew blood….at least until the 2nd album was begun.”

      – Pete Doherty

      1

      Reply

3. I never got into them for whatever reason, but I like what I’ve heard here on the blargh.

   2

   Reply

4. Whole first album is good, especially the versions that contain an earlier single, “What A Waster.” A couple of filler tracks, but nothing bad. Second album, The Libertines, has several gems, but overall not as quite as good as Up The Bracket. They reformed for a third album some years later. It was well-received, but I haven’t gotten around to it. I’m always suspicious of second acts.

   2

   Reply

5. Third album was fine but didn’t hit me anything like the first two.
   I probably need to give it a re-listen.

   Occasionally will stumble across gems from Doherty in Babyshambles or Barat in Dirty Pretty Things – I really like Come Closer.

   100% on Up The Bracket. I heard “What a Waster” and “I Get Along” and had a THIS IS THE GREATEST BAND EVER moment.

   2

   Reply

6. Same here. I heard about them when I was half-listening to some show in 2002 or 2003, maybe on XM? Whoever was talking was throwing around “Lennon/McCartney,” “Strummer/Jones,” “Kinks” and so on, so I perked up and learned the Libertines were being discussed. So I ordered a copy. Put it on and “this is good…this is fucking good…” then it ended with “I Get Along” and “What a Waster” and I was blown away.

   2

   Reply