Track Listing

1. Warning
2. 100 Years Of Solitude
3. Likes Of You And I
4. Is This Art
5. Dirty Davey
6. This Garden
7. Broken Circles
8. Julie
9. Player
10. Belaruse

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95283 in Music
• Released on: 1999-07-12
• Number of discs: 1

From Amazon.com
Success hasn't spoiled the Levellers: This is the third album by the unkempt English quintet, and its political harangues are even more furious and focused than on earlier efforts. The album starts with a howling siren on "Warning," a critique on the war on drugs, and ends with "Belaruse," an assessment of affairs in the East. The songs are filled with memorable hooks, invigorating rhythms, and inspired playing (especially the frenzied fiddle work), making the Levellers a lot more vital than other bands exploring a similar mix of Celtic, folk, and rock sounds. --Jim DeRogatis

Customer Reviews

Nearly an all-time classic
Writing this review about 14 years after the release of the album gives me an opportunity to look at it in retrospect. In many ways this record was the last truly punk-rock album that the Levellers made. It shows the band in edgy, aggressive and occasionally dark, haunted mood and has a coherent theme of paranoia and oppression.

There's absolutely no doubting the quality of some of the songs here; "100 Years of Solitude" is (in my opinion) the best song the Levellers ever made - a spikey punk-rock shout-along with a haunting but simple violin line and lyrics which spell out how society was drifting away from what's really important. "Warning" completely captures the feel of being at a summer festival or gathering along with the anticipation that any second the police might charge and carry you off. "Julie" is possibly the most moving song in the Levellers' arsenal as they go into acoustic folk-ballad mode, telling the story of one girl who seems doomed from day one. Just a few of the highlights to be found on this record!

So why not full marks? Unfortunately, the sound engineering is not up to scratch, robbing the record of some of its impact. Mark Chadwick's vocals are distinctly muffled on many of the tracks and, although this works on melancholy tracks like "Julie" and "The Likes of You and I", it reduces the raw immediacy of the more rock-based tracks. In addition, the album is quite short, containing only ten tracks, of which a couple (notably "the Player" and "This Garden") feel a little like filler material.

On the whole, I would recommend this record - there are a selection of fantastic songs here and a couple that your record collection really can't live without.

Great Album - On the Level !
Formed in Brighton in 1988, the band took their name from a radical grouping involved in the English Civil War. The original Levellers advocated republican politics and the freedom of worship. The band's music would be best described as a mixture of folk, rock and punk, with their lyrics displaying a keen social conscience. Probably as a result of this, they're commonly seen as the leading lights in the ‘crustie movement’ - and have been dismissed by many solely on the basis of this image.

Recorded in 1993, mostly at the Real World studio, this is the band's third album. Only one of the songs on the album - "Dirty Davey" - wasn't written by the band themselves. It was originally written and performed by another Brighton band called "McDermott's Two Hours". Two of my favourite tracks on the album - "This Garden" and "Julie" - were released as singles. "Julie" leans towards the folk side of things, largely acoustic and featuring the pipes and fiddle. "This Garden" again features the acoustic guitar and fiddle, but the didgeridoo and 'spoken' lyrics add a touch of urgency. The single was a top 20 hit in the UK and throughout Europe.

The album gets off to a great start, as the opening four tracks are excellent tunes. "Warning" and "100 Years of Solitude" are up-tempo tunes, with thumping bass-lines, punchy guitar playing and a violin that virtually growls at times. "The Likes of You and I" and "Is This Art" are a little more acoustic and laid back - like "Julie", they show's the band's folky influences coming to the fore.

Overall, I think this to be a very good album – it starts with at a high level with "Warning" and doesn’t dip. If you think you like the sound of a slighty more mainstream Pogues singing the songs of Billy Bragg, then I’d reckon you’ll like this album.

Punky folk-rock onslaught
A busy mix of raucous guitars, celtic infusions and loud vocals, where instruments like the pennywhistle and bagpipes lend a distincive sound to the band's punk-folk-rock onslaght. My favourites include The Lkes Of You And I, the acoustic Is This Art, Belaruse and Dirty Davey, a song about police brutality plus the refined ballad Julie. The Levellers are an acquired taste and their live sound didn't always translate well into the studio, but there's enough to enjoy on this lively, varied album.