Search - Hugh Cornwell :: Footprints in the Desert

Buy "Guilty," or "Hi-Fi" instead

05/10/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I am a huge fan of Hugh Cornwell. I have everything he has ever recorded in his solo career and with the Stranglers. I think he is one of the great musical talents of the 20th century and will in time be given his due, not so much as a guitarist (he is very good, but not great), but rather as a brilliant songwriter and to a lesser extent as a singer/stylist. Unfortunately people like to clump the Stranglers in with their punk contemporaries, ignoring the fact that a) the Stranglers could play their instruments as well as any punk band b) the Stranglers were not really true punks in the sense that they had a sophistication and musical sound that was quite different c)their music evolved from album to album, exploting new terrain and vistas with abandon, something no other band of that era did (save the Damned) and d) the old stupid perception that they were brutes with the press (true -- in the old days) and misogynists (not true in my opinion) has held them back in terms of being appreciated. My response is: Listen to La Folie, listen to Black & White, listen to Down on the Sewer, from Rattus Norvegicus IV. In time, people will hear the truth and recogize the talent that Hugh and the Stranglers of yesteryear had.That said, this album has to represent the low point of his career. How do I describe this bizarre album? Well it sounds like bad 1980s music from start to end. Hugh's guitar sound is cheesier than a slice of Velveeta and the lyrics are inane. Hugh also puts ridiculous overdubs of voices saying various things (such as on 'Fresh Air' and the atrocious "Sex Bomb"). Doesn't the title "Sex Bomb" tip you off to the fact that the song will be a stinker? This all coming from the man who sang "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)." Indeed. He should listen to his own advice.I am honest in saying that my 2 star rating is generous. Hugh temprorarily seems to have lost his mind. I have no idea what he was thinking then. I really don't know he and his fellow musicians could sit around and nod their heads, saying "Yeah, I think that's particularly brilliant...etc." The irony is that 'Wolf,' which came before this, is infinitely better, even though it is widely disliked (I personally think Wolf is underrated).Buy this only if you are a loyal fan of the man and can afford to part with the money.I would recommend anyone new to Hugh to start with:1) Guilty (also re-released as "Black Hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit")
2) Hi-Fi
3) Wired
4-5) Wolf or Nosferatu
6) Footprints in the DesertThat is all. If you buy it and don't like it, don't say you weren't warned. But let me add that the song 'Fresh Air' has a nice musical interlude for about 15 seconds and the last song, '2000 Lights,' is better than almost the whole album. The downside is that '2000 Lights' is very short and the guitar sounds constipated, a la ZZ Top. The album also has the talented Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei on it."

For Completists Only

Peter Yarmouth | medford, ma United States | 12/25/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This here is a complitaion of songs from different sessions that for the most part were not good enough for any of his regular releses. Therefore its great for hard core Hugh Cornwell fans but for those looking to buy his best CD. For that, I suggest GUILTY or the US version of Guilty "Black Hair Black Eyes Black Suit"."