Track Listing

1. The Fallen
2. Do You Want To
3. This Boy
4. I'm Your Villain
5. Evil And A Heathen
6. You're The Reason I'm Leaving
7. Well That Was Easy
8. Eleanor Put Your Boots On
9. What You Meant
10. Walk Away
11. You Could Have It So Much Better
12. Fade Together
13. Outsiders

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2681 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-03
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
You Could Have it So Much Better, the second album from Mercury Music Prize winners Franz Ferdinand is pretty much everything a band’s second record should be: an assured, endearingly cocky return that builds on the strengths of its predecessor, and importantly, brings a few more tricks to the table.

Beyond hipster quips and hedonism, however, Franz are busy expanding their emotional palette. "Walk Away" is a fragile indie soul piece, Alex Kapranos cooing "mascara bleeds into my eyes" over a tune reminiscent of London garage rockers The Flaming Stars (although it also features references to Mao-Tse Tung and Hitler, so don’t be too quick to pin this one as a love song). Meanwhile, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" nods to Dylan and Revolver-era Beatles, suggesting an urge to capture hearts beyond the dancefloor. All the same, though, a fabulous return. --Louis Pattison

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From the Label
You Could Have It So Much Better is the hugely anticipated second album from Franz Ferdinand. After setting the world alight with their self-titled debut album the boys didn’t hang around too long before getting started on the follow up. Recorded in Scotland and New York, the band’s style has matured and developed. The sound is still unmistakably Franz Ferdinand but they’ve tapped into something deeper and more resonant from the moving epic "Walk Away" to the stomp of first single "Do You Want To".

CD Description
Album notes Often referred to as Scotland's Interpol, Franz Ferdinand made the scene with a sound that, like its NYC contemporary, owed a huge debt to 1980s post-punk and new wave. That fact, along with the members' snappy outfits and art-school sensibilities, allowed the group to easily slide into a fan-space somewhere between The Strokes and The Rapture. While the Wire influence is still in full effect on the Glasgow quartet's second full-length album, YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER, there are also big dollops of Beatles, from the throbbing McCartney-esque bass on "The Fallen" to the "Julia"-style vocals on the acoustic ballad "Fade Together." With its clever lyrics and jaunty feel, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" mines mid-period Kinks territory, while "Walk Away" recalls the clever wordplay and loopy melodies of XTC. Elsewhere, the group refines its melding of frenetic Duran Duran-approved dance rhythms and Duane Eddy-by-way-of-Adam Ant twang guitar, delivering a bracing and high-energy platter of stylish and danceable rock.

Customer Reviews

Now YOU can have it so much better: Franz Ferdinand return
Many of my friends think this album is a waste of a cd. Apparently "Do you want to" made no sense, the video was stupid and the song was about nothing.

Aparently.

In fact, "Do you want to" is the song that lured me into this album. This defines what FF are; the slashy guitar tones and the dodgey, funny lyrics/vocals come in and you remember why you liked "Fire", "Take me out" and "Dark of the matinee".

This album is much like their last, but with more songs that make their origins and influences more obvious to the listener. Songs that stand out are: "The Fallen", "Do You Want To", "This Boy" (similar to "Micheal" on their last album), and "walk away is a subtle slow tune that hasn't really been tried very much by Franz ...but it works really well, possibly the best vocal track on the album. Its amazing how they've come up with a huge range of decent tracks in just over a year...they really tried on this album, and it shows through the retroness they create in the recording studio. A must have for any Franz fan, and an excellent album to own anyway. 10/10!

Up Another Gear
Having loved the debut album I was not expecting too much in terms of change in formula but 'You Could Have It So Much Better' goes straight to a higher level. The unmistakable guitar sound is still there ( almost a Big Country style signature)but everything else is much more refined. The production is excellent to allow the distinctive vocals to shine. Every song is delivered with 100% commitment and means there is not a bad track to be heard. If I had to pick a favourite track it would be 'Eleanor Put Your Boots On' as it is just so different.

Stunning
There's not much more i can say than the title of my reveiw. This album is well worth the money and although the first album was good, you could have it so much better sums it all up it truly is so much better. Buy it you wont be dissapointed.