Search - Dodgy :: Free Peace Sweet

The diamond in the Britpop goldmine

C. Anderson | 06/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listen to the best of British guitar pop between 1994 and 1996 and you'll find you've stumbled into one of modern music's goldmines. And this album is surely its most precious stone.



The tracks sparkle with a musical and lyrical optimism that is infectious. No respectable artist could get away with with such laughable lyrics of "if it's good enough for you, it's good enough for me", unless you put it to Dodgy's mix of harmony-soaked pop-perfect vocals and stampeding guitar/piano/brass backing.



Yes, all the soaring melodies could have topped the charts in the 60s, but Dodgy have written them in the 90s and have duly charged them up with raw energy that typifies the Britpop movement. Dodgy the definitive Britpop band? Well Oasis didn't have the cheerful candour that reflected the movement's 60s roots. Blur may have captured the Kinks' witty anthems, but Damon's cynicism hinted that they were only Britpop associates. Dodgy's music lies at the heart of what Britpop was - and this precious album reflects everything good about the music that echoed across the British Isles (before it was laid low by some more sombre outfits beginning with Radio and Cold). Take home a piece of history."

Dodgy,it's about time

C. Anderson | 12/16/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"being an englishman living in the usa,and being a fan of the music scene their,i have had a lot of frustration keeping up with what is going on -on the other side of the pond. dodgy have been one of my favourite acts over the past five years and i have watched them grow as a band with each release. free peace sweet is there third album but first us release,unfortunatley this looks set to be the last release from the original line-up,as singer/songwriter nigel clark has left to pursue other interests.so anyway back to the matter in hand,if free peace sweet is to be there last album then a fine one it is. shades of the beatles thrown into a mix of 90's "britpop",there are easily 8 or 9 nuggets here to savour.if you want to see what all the fuss we call "britpop"is about,then you won't find an easier introduction than this.enjoy."

A lot of influences and a lot of fun

Richard Westerfield | pittsburgh, pa | 09/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was another of the big pile of CDs I bought on a trip to Scotland in 96. Even though I hadn't heard of them before that trip, I found myself playing this in my rental car more than any of the other CDs purchased. I think part of the charm of this CD is trying to figure out who Dodgy is borrowing from on each track. You can clearly hear early Who, the Kinks (Schoolboys era), the Beatles (Rubber Soul era) and other unmistakeable influences throughout the CD... but Dodgy makes it work without making it seem like stealing. It's not original, it's not even necessarily memorable... but this CD is a fun listen."