Product 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'.

Track Listing

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151 in Music
• Released on: 2003-08-21
• Number of discs: 1

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

Customer Reviews

The best album in the last 10 years
When Q magazine asked Noel gallager what band he was looking out for at T in the park years ago he said, "kings of leon, They are my new favourite band". I imediately bought the album when it came out (alongside the darkness's permission to land....cough) He wasn't wrong. Youth and young manhood was blindingly brilliant.

Lyiricaly the songs are brilliantly smutty yet you really have to be looking for the sexual reference. Thats really what the album is about. Being young and desperate to have it off with ladies.

But musicaly "Molly's chamber, wasted time and Holy roller novacaine" are simpy outstanding! There is not a bad song on this album I know people say that a lot but i can't stress this enough its faultless. The muffled overexited rambings of caleb singing is sometimes difficult to understand but i think that adds to the fun...."What did he just say?" ect. But "Joe's head".....WHAT a song oh dear....Oh its just an amazing piece of work musically and lirically its so vivid and a great story.

So yeah they do take a wee bit of influnce from the Eagles, zepplin and CCR it can't be denyed that when YAYM goes into the stereo you it sounds like it should be on vinal.

The fact that they are so fantastically wierd and completley Nuts makes this a real masterpiece. I really don't think an album since has come close since.

LONG LIVE THE KINGS.!!

Brilliant
I was quite slow on the uptake with KOL, I only bought this album a year ago but it remains possibly one of my favourite albums and is rarely far from my CD player. I've never once got bored of it and can sit through the entire album without skipping a single track. Happy Alone, Molly's Chambers and California Waiting are possibly the best on the album. Can't wait to see them for the first time in Glastonbury! Utter brilliance.

Excellent Stuff
I love it...not in an instant, first hearing way, but in a play it a few times and watch the sensation of "This is REALLY good" creep up on you.....I have been re-listening to this lately, and it is ageing well!
Basic, clever, loud, furious and masterful. Highly recommended - one of my top 20 albums. Excellent.