Happiness in Magazines [Enhanced] [Import]

1. Spectacular

2. No Good Time

3. Girl Done Gone

4. Bittersweet Bundle of Misery

5. All Over Me

6. Freakin' Out

7. People of the Earth

8. Hopeless Friend

9. Are You Ready?

10. Bottom Bunk

11. Don't Be a Stranger

12. Ribbons and Leaves

Tracks:

Spectacular
No Good Time
Girl Done Gone
Bittersweet Bundle of Misery
All Over Me
Freakin' Out
People of the Earth
Hopeless Friend
Are You Ready?
Bottom Bunk
Don't Be A Stranger
Ribbons and Leaves
Right to Pop! (US Bonus Only)

Customer Reviews:

What a great album..........2006-09-15

Being in the conglomerate BLUR, Graham was muddled under Albarn's pop. But, out on his own with the same producer (Stephen Street) he proves he can make brilliantly composed and expressive music on his own. I still wish he'd get back in Blur because their music lacks his depth of arrangement, but this and "Love Travels" are just great pop albums with sweet spunky attitude.

The music at first seems a bit odd and garish, yet with a couple listens it seems almost every track reveals care and craftsmanship. My favorites are generally not the singles he chose to release. Pity this album never jumped the pond well enough to establish Graham as the talented pop act he is.

Excellent Rock 'n Roll.......2006-03-25

I bought this CD when it came out over a year ago, and I still enjoy listening to it. If you like Blur at all, then this CD is a must have. Nice guitar licks, nice tunes. Listen to "Freakin' Out" if you are unsure about whether to get this one. Many songs like "Hopeless Friend" have a classic rock style combined with a more indie sound.

Catchiest tune ever!.......2006-02-27

I got this CD because I just happened to be flipping channels one night and came upon Graham Coxon performing "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery." That led me to buying the CD. I think "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery" is one of the most fun, catchiest songs ever. It's smart and sarcastic and insightful and irresistible! I haven't even gotten to listen to the rest of the CD because every time I put it on I want to keep listening to that song over and over. So while I can't really rate the whole CD yet, I give that song 5 stars. I'd give it more if I could!

An Often Overlooked Gem.......2005-06-08

Released way back last year, despite reading some faveourable reviews I never got round to picking up a copy of Graham Coxon's 5th album. After all, I've never been a huge fan of Blur (I like their "13" album alot though) and Coxon's solo albums to date haven't set the world alight so the prospect of a new one didn't set the pulses racing. How surprised was I then when I discovered it earlier this year. Of the 80+ albums I listened to released last year I(some more than others) I didn't give a single one 5 stars, making this the best album released.

Coxon has always been an odd talent. Blur's britpop sound wasn't right for him, but he showed what he could towards the late ninetees. Check out the awesome riff that powers "Beetlebum" and the Nirvana-esqe "Song 2". Here Coxon attempts to tackle just about every guitar genre ever and succeeds on all fronts, considering there isn't a single throwaway track. The opener "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery" is a sharp pop song which recalls his finest moment in Blur "Coffee & TV". "Spectacular" and "People of Earth" see him in full on punk mode. "Girl Done Gone" is a blues number that is reminiscent of The Beatles "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", while "All Over You" is an acoustic masterpiece that sounds a bit like Beck's "Sea Change" album, which in this case is a very good thing. While "Bottom Bunk" is a standout and probably the most 'Blur-like' song here.

This whole album is just waiting to be discovered and if there is any justice, it won't be long until Coxon receives a ton of awards and a hefty fan base.

fun album, not spectacular.......2005-05-11

So Im a bigtime blur fan, but I've always avoided Graham Coxon's solo work. However, after reading some of the reviews of this album that talked about how it was sorta like Parklife-era blur, I was interested. After hearing "Freaking Out" on the radio, I was sold.

Well, the album is okay, nothing too special. Some of the bluesy stuff is a tad cringe-inducing. It has its moments, but there is nothing as sublimely amazing as Coxon's guitar work with blur. The whole exercise just a rings a bit hollow for me. It doesn't seem like Mr. Coxon is really giving his all.

Average customer rating:

Decent Comeback
it`s time this boy was back in blur
It's honestly surprising how good this record is.
Coxon shows his true songwriting skill, makes a great album
What the disgruntled Blur fan has been waiting for...

Happiness in Magazines
Graham Coxon
Manufacturer: Trans Copic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Lo-Fi | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Britpop | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
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The Sky Is Too High

ASIN: B0001KZM48
Release Date: 2004-05-25

Tracks:

Spectacular
No Good Time
Girl Done Gone
Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery
All Over Me
Freakin' Out
People Of The Earth
Hopeless Friend
Are You Ready?
Bottom Bunk
Don't Be A Stranger
Ribbons And Leaves

Amazon.com

When Graham Coxon started creating solo works when he was still with Blur, they seemed a willful reaction against the often poppy and tuneful albums he was helping produce while at his day job. They weren't bad records, but they occasionally seemed needlessly opaque, as if there was something inherently corrupting about melody. The good news about Happiness in Magazines, Coxon's fifth solo outing, is that now that his split from Blur appears permanent, he seems more relaxed about their legacy, which, after all, he helped build. Happiness in Magazines, is riddled with glorious pop songs, and in a sane world would yield several hit singles.

That Coxon is no longer shying from popular appeal is confirmed by his decision to work with producer Stephen Street, who worked on Blur's mid-90s commercial apexes Parklife and The Great Escape. The results are splendid, both Coxon and Street setting about their work like men liberated. "Freakin' Out" is an amiable punky rave-up evocative of the Jam, "Spectacular" an unbridled and joyous declaration of desire and, best of all, the first full single "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery" is a brash appropriation of Blur's "Coffee & TV." Coxon has done remarkably well here. If he can keep this standard up, his time with Blur may one day be regarded as little more than a promising start. --Michael Turner

Album Details

The Former Blur Guitarist's Fifth Solo Album and Second Since his Departure from the Band. With Stephen Street in the Producer's Chair, this Album Elicited the Best Reviews Ever of his Solo Catalog.

Customer Reviews:

Decent Comeback.......2005-02-18

Where Graham Coxon, former Blur guitarist, returns to writing simple songs and learns that writing simple songs isn't so simple but kind of succeeds anyway. After three solo outings where Coxon chafed at the pop accessibility Blur perverted yet flaunted, Coxon decided it was time to return to basics, so he hired Blur producer Stephen Street to help out and penned a bunch of three-minute punk-pop ditties.

God bless Coxon! The world needs fewer six-minute dirges and more three-minute pop songs. Elvis knew this, the Beatles knew this, and the Ramones did, too. "Spectacular," with its Elastica-like rapid-fire guitar riff is a noisy straightforward rocker. "No Good Time" features catchy verses that target poseurs of all sorts. "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery," the first single, combines Velvet Underground rhythm guitar with a bubbly chorus. On "Freakin' Out," Coxon sounds a bit like Johnny Rotten as Greenday frontman. "All Over Me" and "Are You Ready?" are somber, string-laden, 60's-style pop ballads. Not every song flies, but most feature a strong hook or two or three.

(...)

it`s time this boy was back in blur.......2005-01-30

Inane lyrics, punked up guitars,crap singing......what more do you want? Coxons latest effort is british punk pop at its late 70`s zenith and is absolutely fantastic. The libertines need to give themselves a bit of a shake and get down to HMV for a copy of this little gem if they really do want a carrer in this business. Coxon is the english equivalent of the strokes and Damon could do with calling round for a friendly chat with his old mate. This album deserves to sit alongside Never Mind The Bollocks, Ace Of Spades and Definately Maybe and stamped made in Britain.

It's honestly surprising how good this record is........2004-08-26

It might be sad, it might not, but the best Blur album since 'Parklife' is probably Graham Coxon's new album 'Happiness in Magazines.' It's a guitar frenzy of 3 minute pop songs that make his contributions to Blur extraordinarily obvious--he wasn't just guitar riffs, he was also melody and movement.

Graham's solo albums up until now have been indie-rock experiments with only a nod or two to his populist past, though you could feel him starting to become comfortable with actually recording "songs" on his last one, 'The Kiss of Morning.' But now that he's officially out of Blur and Damon's smoking a ton of weed and fooling around with drum machines, Graham isn't afraid to cut away the fat and stake a claim to the legacy by hiring Stephen Street to polish up some (dare I say?) "fun" guitar jaunts like the roller coaster melodic "No Good Time" and the driving-rock-yell-the-chorus-from-the-rafters anthems "Spectacular" and "Freakin' Out." And "Bittersweet Bundle of Misery" will have you smiling and singing along while reaching for the coffee and TV. Graham's having a lot better time being an ex-member of Blur than he had as a member of the post-Britpop-borderline-art-rock band who recorded '13'--I mean, who would have thought the miserable looking sod would end an album by singing "Life, I love you...?"

Graham one-man-band's it on the majority of tracks but the sound is tighter than "Song 2"--his voice has gained confidence and strength and his guitar playing is loud and raucous without being stupid and reminds you of why even NOEL FREAKIN'GALLAGHER said that Graham was one of the best of his generation (hopefully John Squire is paying attention after forgetting to play guitar and attempting to "sing" on his recent solo albums.) Graham is retro without being sad, reminiscent without being cloying, rock that rolls without selling it's soul to the new garage trend. 'Think Tank' was a bong load of tomorrow coming today, 'Happiness in Magazines' is an old friend that you didn't realize you missed until they sit down and steal your cigarettes.

Coxon shows his true songwriting skill, makes a great album.......2004-07-27

Happiness In Magazines is without question Graham Coxon's best album yet, and shows him writing songs that sound similar to the work he did while in Blur. Trust me, every song is good on this album. "Spectacular" starts things off right as is a tight rocker with great catchy lyrics. "No Good Time" is a great tune as well, which bashes many different types of people. "Girl Done Gone" has a very bluesy sound, and some of Graham's best guitar playing on the album. "Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery" is an awsome song, with Graham singing with mixed feelings about a girl. "All Over Me" is a slow ballad, but still very good. "Freakin' Out" and "People Of The Earth" are aggressive songs with great guitar work. "Helpless Friend" is a very Blur-sounding tune, with great lyrics. "Are Your Ready?" is one of the most interesting songs of the album. It is a shadowy sounding ballad, with great lyrics and Middle-Eastern strings in the background. "Bottom Bunk" and "Don't Be A Stranger" are also very Blur-like, which is a good thing, and feature some great guitar playing. The final track "Ribbons And Leaves" is a powerful and haunting song with great piano playing and haunting lyrics. Happiness In Magazines is one of the best albums i've heard in a long time, and I can't wait to hear what Coxon does next.

What the disgruntled Blur fan has been waiting for..........2004-06-15

This is not another foray into experimentation by Mr. Coxon. It is a demonstration of skilled guitar pop which Blur sadly missed on the last CD. Many good songs here and a pleasure to listen the whole way through. Worth the import price (if this will not see a domestic US release).