Search - Keane :: Hopes & Fears (Dlx) (Spkg)

On May 10th, 2004, Keane released "Hopes And Fears," selling over 5.8 million copies worldwide, and landing a top 10 spot on the Billboard 200. The album was also voted one of the "Best British Albums" ever in a Q Magazine/HMV poll, the first of two Keane albums to feature in the Top 20. Over the course of ten years as an unsigned band, Keane had written what was to become one of the classic albums of our time, and one of the last multi-million selling albums of this generation. It marked a triumph for the three boys from Battle in East Sussex, but it was a success not without controversy. As a debut record, it stood alone in its originality. The absence of any guitars, a powerful, almost operatic vocal delivery, and a wall of melodic sound made solely from pianos, keyboards and a set of drums. The emotion of the record gave a voice to millions. The landscape at the time was awash with new bands from across the Atlantic, and it took Keane and "Hopes And Fears" to bring all the attention back to British talent. The song writing talent of Rice-Oxley, now world renowned, reaped an Ivor Novello in 2004 for Best Composer of the Year. In addition to the original tracklisting, this DELUXE EDITION showcases previously un-released and rare material including early demo "Into The Light," recordings from the band's earliest Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley radio sessions, the timeless b-side and fans favourite, "Snowed Under" (from "Somewhere Only We Know"), and their debut self released singles. The sleeve notes have been penned by long-time supporter Steve Lamacq where he describes the first time he caught them at the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town, "there were only three of them but they sounded huge. They were independent of mind but definitely accessible".