Track Listing

1. Red Morning Light
2. Happy Alone
3. Wasted Time
4. Joe�s Head
5. Tranny
6. California Waiting
7. Spiral Suitcase
8. Molly�s Chambers
9. Genuis
10. O Dusty
11. Holy Roller Novocaine
12. Talihina Sky (Hidden Track)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #68245 in Music
• Released on: 2003-07-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition

Amazon.co.uk Review
Kings of Leon are four members of the Followill family, three brothers and a cousin. The title Youth & Young Manhood is an accurate summary of their places in life--the oldest member, drummer Nathan Followill, is 23, while the youngest, bass player Jared Followill, is just 16. The brothers had a childhood that was both eccentric and peripatetic, living out of a car while their preacher father toured the southern United States, and have most recently been living in Nashville; they don't appear, judging by this startlingly assured debut, to have been unduly traumatised by either experience.

Kings of Leon, up to and including their haircuts and moustaches, are steeped in the rock & roll of the American south: Youth & Young Manhood is largely four-square boogie whose ideal setting would be a bar with sawdust on the floor and chicken wire protecting the stage. The Kings of Leon do not have a single formative influence drawn from within their own lifetimes--they clearly whiled away their father's long road trips listening to radio stations that broadcast an unleavened diet of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Allman Brothers and a pre-sequencers ZZ Top (although vocalist Caleb Followill sounds more than anything else like AC/DC's Bon Scott). Perhaps Youth & Young Manhood manages to be significantly more than an exercise in pastiche because the Followills are still too young to be jaded by these old noises. Whatever the reason, this is a fine start. --Andrew Mueller

CD Description
'Youth And Young Manhood' is the debut album from Nashville-based band Kings Of Leon. Featuring production work from Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams/Crosby Stills & Nash), the album fusesgritty southern garage rock, blues, alt-country and classicrock. Includes tracks taken from their first two EP's such as 'Molly Chambers' and 'Red Morning Light'.

Customer Reviews

Long live the Kings
Not since 'Is This It' was released in 2001 has a debut album arrived to such a fanfare. By the time you read this, you'll already know that the Kings Of Leon consist of three brothers (who are the sons of a preacher man) and a cousin. You'll also know that they are incredibly young (the oldest member being just twenty-three) and they exhibit a nice line in beards. Underneath this needless info and the lashings of praise heaped upon it lays an aggressive, horny, energetic and dirty album from a band who appear to have the potential to be absolutely huge.

From the incredibly exciting opener 'Red Morning Light' with its "Hey hey, another dirty bird giving out a taste" chorus to the tale of depravity and debauchery that is 'Trani', this is a sleazy and largely unpleasant album, which makes it all the better. Should the listener be in any doubt as to this, they need only to listen to 'Joe's Head'; where the protagonist murders the guy who is sleeping with his wife. Then murders his wife. Then lights up a cigarette to honour the moment. All is clearly not well in the mind of Caleb Followill. In fact only Johnny Cash and Nick Cave have written about murder in such a celebratory way.

While it has drawn criticism from some quarters, lead singer Caleb's voice is a revelation. It has the scowl of Liam Gallagher at his peak and the shriek of Bon Scott. When he opens his throat and yells as he does most notable on 'Red Morning Light' and 'Genius', it seems as though the gates of Hell have opened. Then when the pace slows, he captures the listener like no one has done since Willie Nelson; listen to 'Trani' or 'Dusty' if you need proof.

Most of the criticism levelled at 'Youth and Young Manhood.' has suggested that it fails because it doesn't sound modern. Far from being a failure, this is the album's biggest triumph. If you want to hear what music should sound like today, go and pick up Dizzee Rascal's debut, an Aphex Twin LP or anything from the Def Jux label. Music in 2003 should be a series of mashed up beats and dextrous emceeing but like all the great guitar bands around today (The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Datsuns etc) the Kings of Leon take us back to simpler times; the bearded 60s (Lynyrd Skynrd and The Band spring to mind) and the drug crazed 70s and meld this history with an incredible sense of youth and, you guessed it, young manhood.

It's not hard to see why the Kings of Leon have excited the music world as they have. There are few bands who are able to write (and no doubt live) such hard-drinking, hard-rocking songs and sound exciting and boisterous rather than drunk and boastful. 'Youth and Young Manhood' leapfrogs 'Make Up The Breakdown', 'Keep On Your Mean Side' and 'Fever To Tell' to become the debut of the year so far and nestles just in behind 'Elephant' to become the second best album of the year overall, which can be hardly considered a failure.

New, exciting Southern rock - anyone remember The Strokes??
Kings of Leon, have not had anywhere near the same build-up as The Strokes had in 2001. Not even close. Not that the media has been ignoring them but the weight of expectation on the release of this debut album was relatively light. That this is the case means that my reaction to the album was one of sheer, unprecedented joy.

"Youth and Young Manhood" is the next in a line of fantastically modern yet so obviously derivative rock albums produced by fantastically modern yet obviously derivative bands - to mention but a few we have The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, The Datsuns and The Warlocks. Now, without a 'the' in sight, we have Kings of Leon - three brothers of an alcoholic priest and their cousin make up the four Followills on the album. And what a raucous, adrenalised slice of blues-rock it is. Starting with "Red Morning Light" we are immediately introduced into the band's forte - slick guitar licks, tight bass and a voice with a twang so prominent you would be mistaken for thinking it was Captain Beefheart.

From that glorious track we are then led on through a showcase of pure rock genius which matches The Rolling Stones finest moments (Happy Alone) while having the same emotional depth and assured charisma to allow comparison to Bob Dylan (Tranny). There are clearly other influences at work here, Lynnyrd Skynyrd and Creedence Clearwater Revival could be mentioned, but to focus on this too much is to miss the point. Kings of Leon are as exciting as any rock band in the last ten years simply because they sound fresh in spite of their influences.

So, with haircuts and beards from the early 70s they look the part - with rock so polished and fresh that it is barely worth resisting they sound the part - they have the story of disenchanted youth following their preaching father around. How much more rock 'n' roll can you get?

This is quite an astounding debut that with any justice will be in Album of the Year polls come December. Well worth buying, you are sure to enjoy it.

Album of the Year
After the recent 'What I Saw' E.P. featuring the awesome Red Morning Light, I was expecting something special from this album and it doesn't disappoint.

Youth & Young Manhood wears its Retro influences on its sleeve - Bob Dylan, Lynyrd Skynrd, The Stones, Zeppelin, even a touch of Tom Petty - but, like The White Stripes and Strokes before them, Kings of Leon take these influences and make something that sounds new, fresh and exciting.

Dirty vocals, great riffs, simple yet powerful drums combine to stunning effect.

Best new band of the year.