Product Description

'Once Upon A Time In The West' is the sophomore album from Surrey-based socio-political rockers Hard-Fi. Once again, Richard Archer's bittersweet dispatches from the suburbs are set to a backdrop of swaggering, Clash-esque rhythms and programmed beats, but this time around the songs are bigger, bolder and better, making for a better listening experience allround. Includes the single 'Suburban Knights'.

Track Listing

1. Suburban Knights
2. I Shall Overcome
3. Tonight
4. Watch Me Fall Apart
5. I Close My Eyes
6. Television
7. Help Me Pleas
8. Can't Get Along
9. We Need Love
10. Little Angel
11. The King

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3496 in Music
• Released on: 2007-09-03
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It’s one thing to be celebrated, and it’s quite another to become inescapably iconic. Hard-Fi stumbled into the latter with their debut Stars of CCTV, reflecting on life in satellite town UK with stark iconography, articulately pitched lyrics and accessibility sprinkled with the credibility of The Clash’s rebel poise--a rare achievement, perhaps only equalled by Arctic Monkeys’ and The Streets’ snap-shots of teenage life. An icon is not infallible however, and it looked like Hard-Fi’s commuter train to realism-central might have been derailed in the run up to this album’s release. Their cocky, misguided decision to declare the death of the album cover simply by printing the words "NO COVER ART" on theirs was a bad joke at best. And while the diagnosis for the album itself may not be quite so bad--the buoyant swagger of "Suburban Knights" opens things up without breaking stride--Once Upon a Time in the West does lack the thematic weight of their debut. Musically it is more mature; there are strings everywhere, the ska influence remains but the bright-light club ambience of old is largely smoothed over. "Television" bags a chorus worthy of expectation, blokey-gospel to the extreme, but throws around so much pre-school sloganeering against culture and politics that its effect is dimmed. "We Need Love" is less preachy and works better. "Can’t Get Along (Without You)" is a dumb Motown-esque love song, doesn’t suit their posture at all, but is just the kind of bubblegum they might have to rely on if their socio-realism has gone flat. --James Berry

Customer Reviews

I'll pay you not to buy this
Heard this album and it made me feel like being sick. Saw the band on TV and the lead 'singer' made me feel like turning to violent crime. Please stop buying this rubbish so I never have to hear their awful songs again. I would rather eat my own faeces than have to listen to this crap.

Give it a few listens
This album in my opinion is just as good as their debut.

It didn't grab me that much when i first listened to it, but after a couple of listens i really started getting into most of the songs.

There's a couple of weaker songs on the album, but even they are ok.

Stand out songs for me are Shall i overcome, and Can't get along without you.

All in all a very good listen.

SUPERB ALBUM
I think Stars of CCTV is one of the best albums I have ever bought, and this one is just as good, a little less in your face but it really grows on you.