Tuesday, February 2, 1999

Life Thru A Lens remarkable debut

There's a million miles between the sugar pop of Take That and the angst ridden Brit Pop of Oasis. Or is there?

Robbie Williams, one time 'fun boy' from the band considered peers with New Kids on The Block and Backstreet Boys, broke free of his bubblegum chains in 1995. His debut album, 'Life Thru a Lens' came out a year later. It was released in Canada as an official import in January.

Never considered the songwriter of Take That - that mantle fell on Gary Barlow - Williams' debut disc is an impressive success.

Featuring a number of Brit Pop tunes that could be considered classic singles, this disc sits perfectly alongside releases by Oasis, Blur and Dodgy.

When the album was released in the UK in 1997, it was almost gone and forgotten before the release of the 'Angel' single, a sweet, rocky ballad which revitalized the album and Williams' career. 'Life Thru A Lens' has been in and out of the UK Top 10 for the better part of the last two years.

Lyrically, Williams has peppered 'Life Thru A Lens' with a series of pot-shots. The album's title track, for example, contains a hilarious send up of the British gentry: "You're scared of the poor and needy/Is that why you're all inbreedy?"

The album is a stunning debut, especially from a non-songwriter like Williams. Some of the songs, however, do contain that b-side filler feeling. Tracks like 'One Of God's Better People', 'Baby Girl Window' and 'Clean' could have served a better purpose propping up a single.

Of note is the 'hidden' track at the end of the album (about 12 minutes into 'Baby Girl Window'). 'Kiss My Ass' is basically an open letter to an old teacher of Williams who thought he'd amount to nothing ("Yeah, that's right, my name's Bob/The one who landed the pop star's job"). A scathing closure and a great chance for Williams to blow a musical raspberry at his former naysayer.

In case you want to just listen to the 'big tracks' on the album, the singles were 'Angels', 'Lazy Days', 'South Of The Border' the Who-ish rocker 'Let Me Entertain You' and 'Old Before I Die'.

This disc was a good album when it was available only on import, now its price has been slashed in half, it's a must-have.

Track Listing 1. Lazy Days (3.54) 2. Life Thru A Lens (3.07) 3. Ego A Go Go (3.34) 4. Angels (4.25) 5. South Of The Border (3.53) 6. Old Before I Die (3.53) 7. One Of God's Better People (3.33) 8. Let Me Entertain You (4.22) 9. Killing Me (3.56) 10. Clean (3.55) 11. Baby Girl Window (3.12) (Hidden Track) Kiss My Ass (1.22)		Album rating