Search - Darling Buds :: Erotica

Rich, luscious, sweet, and hard, all at once. AWESOME.

03/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"They've come a long way since the first album, which was more straight ahead, harder pop. Crawdaddy, the second album, had interesting sweet and low dance melodies, as exemplified by the hits Crystal Clear and Tiny Machine, and somber sweet tracks to balance it all out. This album goes another step further with more luscious layers, a sort of Cocteau Twins touch, combined with swirling, driving guitars and powerful beats. Smashing Pumpkins apparently stole the opening of "one thing leads to another" for their hit "today." It's 6 years later and I can still listen to it all the way through over and over. They were even better live in Chicago 6 years ago."

One of the BEST albums you never heard

musiclover | 04/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have one other early album (Pop Said) but it is very simple and naive. However, this one is truly a masterpiece.I'm sure a lot of the credit is due the producer Stephen Street who really crafted a gem here. It is one of a few of my hundreds of CDs which I dig out every year WITHOUT FAIL. Every song is terrific and the album is on my top ten list. It is bittersweet that this didn't catch the praise it deserves and that this is the final album. ENJOY!!"

Part of the magic of 1992

F. H. Payne | Chicago, IL United States | 10/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"1992 was an amazing year for music, even though I didn't really know it at the time. It was my freshman year in high school and I was still listening to your basic Top 40 radio stuff, with various "cool" influences from the people that would ultimately shape my musical tastes in the future. Some time later, probably closer to '94, I started hearing amazing albums like this, The Charlatans' Between 10th & 11th, Gala by Lush, Catherine Wheel's Ferment, and a whole pile of others I can't think of at the moment.



I'll admit that part of the magic is likely related to the musical renaissance that was going on in my life at the time but this album still stands up amazingly well today. The production is purposely low-fi yet it shimmers when necessary, particularly with the vocals. Not unlike Lush's masterpiece from the same year, Erotica makes use of every bit of studio sparkle available at the time to transform Andrea Lewis' voice into the simultaneously angsty and angelic sound of an era.



Their earlier albums were pretty bubblegummy so if they were a little too juvenile or just plain lacking in depth, check out this, (what I believe to be) their final and most brilliant work."