England, Once My England Album Review
‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) new and 12th album, England, Once My England is reflective of two ex-London lads views on a once great country, singer-songwriter Paul Odiase and song lyricist Paul Robert Thomas. Their recent album, England, Once My England comprises of twelve tracks that chart the past glory of England to show the present country as hardly being a ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.
The unique quality and style of the music and lyrics in England, Once My England ranges from Reggae-Ska on the 1st and title track, England, Once My England to an almost military-marching-band sound on the last track, Just Like Tin Soldiers and all of the superbly produced tracks offer a refreshing change to the standdard one-genre-album filled with similar sounding songs.
Everything that you need to know and more about England past and present is all laid out for the listener in the opening track, England, Once My England that is so bouncy that you can’t help but tap your feet and get into the song’s musical groove, even though the song covers so many dark aspects of the country such as pedophilia, sexism, alcoholism and discrimination and of citizens being robbed, raped or killed with little chance of the non-present police catching the perpetrators of these crimes and the song tells of corrupted politicians in the pockets of rich bankers and of secret handshakes in the corridors of power. The video promo of this song is also recommended viewing.
The 2nd track, I’m Not There continues with this bouncy reggae-ska backdrop to lyrics in the opening verse that start with maybe a guess or insight into the Royal Family’s reaction to the death of Lady Diana, in fact the next track, They Killed Her, Didn’t They? is dedicated to her life and death and it has had a memorable effect on both artists as it has on most of the world. In verse 5 the lines, And although I still don’t have respect for the law/we were friends one time down the track is a reference to the lyricists epic court battle against the Metropolitan Police when, as a decorated serving London police officer he took them to court and beat them because of their illegal racist treatment of him. The lines in verse 6, The visionaries gone blind/There’s no-one to show you the way/They’ll help you believe in it if you pay are explained as a footnote on the song’s page. The video promo of this song is also recommended viewing.
The album’s 3rd track shifts gear to a slower almost reverent tone with some beautiful background vocals in They Killed Her, Didn’t They? A song that asks the question that many are still pondering – was Lady Diana murdered? The song doesn’t give any answers but just asks the question. The video promo of this song is also recommended viewing.
The 4th track, London Town Bringing Me Down is again mix of ‘Les Paul’s’ (The Paul’s) unique reggae-ska sound and chronicles the artist’s desire to get away telling the listener that the artists can’t take any more of this land of grey skies and rain and their eyes are set far away in a land of sun, blue skies and blue sky, in the Promised Land figuratively and actually for one of the artists as they will look back at England from afar as witnesses to what it has become. To them grey, rainy and depressing London is full of strangers and immigrants, most of whom they will never get to know where, because of the high cost of housing they can’t afford to own the house they live in.
The 5th track, Tommy, Tommy is an accurate and sad reflection on a society that has turned their backs on the old and frail, even heroes who fought in the world wars so that they could be free and now who live alone and in squalor and who often lie dead undiscovered for weeks even months after they’ve passed away. The video promo of this song is also recommended viewing.
The 6th track, Camden Town is an acoustic song interspersed with some lovely Madolin playing, somewhat remininsent of REM’s song Losing My Religion. The song reminds us of Camden Town in its heyday, now full of bustling trendy shops and clubs and pretend punks and hippies wearing their expensively bought shoes on sale in Camden High Street. The song points to a woman on the stall in the trendy Camden Lock Market selling postcards of the past who is a child of the 60’s who has grown fat on nostalgia. The song reflects the London housing situation in that the original poor occupants were paid off and kicked out as the rich moved in creating their own ghettoes for the rich. The lyricist grew up up along Chalk Farm Road and Camden Town was his playground as was the canal where he went to the boating club that was for the poor neighborhood kids, but now their football pitch has been turned into rich housing estates as Camden Town like many other formerly poor areas of London, has become a trendy place to live.
The 7th track, I Met Andy Warhol very aptly follows on from the track about Camden Town and is about the lyricists meeting with the legend while he was working in his teens selling hotdogs outside the famous theatre and concert venue, The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm Road, North London and it is recommended to click on the song’s page link and read about the actual meeting to give you a fuller understanding and insight into the song. The song is very 70’s retro-sounding with a gorgeous synth/organ sound interspersed with the bubble-gum-pop type sound. Some of the most memorable lines from the song are, Andy could have painted you/on the pouch of a kangaroo/or on the side of a bus/or on a plate of frozen moon dust/ or on a plate of frozen moon dust – a lot of fun!
The 8th track is an experimental/free Jazz sounding song called It Never Rains It Pours that is in nursery rhyme form warning your children to be careful out there in the world and to look after themselves as the children are our future and they must be protected from the pouring rain outside of their front door that can do them harm.
The 9th track, Knock, Knock Brighton Rocks is a great traditional rock song spouting the virtues of Brighton on the South East coast of England. A town known for its large gay population where, You can lay down on the beach/You can do what you want/With a melon or a peach (some will get it, some won’t)! But in this town no-one cares who you are, where you’re from or what you look like and Brighton rocks 24/7!
The 10th track, This Dragon’s on Fire written by Paul the lyricist who is half-Welsh, tells of the English exploitation of Wales and its people, of Welsh men used to fight in the English wars, of coal mines shut down and unemployment rife in the valleys where the great Welsh choirs of old no longer sing, of the English taking their water resources and of the English Prince Charles becoming Prince of Wales.
The 11th and darkest track on the album, echoes’ every parent’s fear in Who’s Watching the Kids? The song’s title has a double entendre in asking which parent is watching the kids and also which stranger is watching the kids, although in 90% of cases to child knows the perpetrator, thus mirroring the seemingly constant tide of reported current and historical child abuse committed by perpetrators in all walks of life from celebrities, priests, police officers to organized gangs and of the lower percentage of dark figures hiding on the internet in chat rooms slowly grooming their innocent victims and all seemingly operating with almost no fear of getting caught in a broken down society where the victim is often treated as the guilty party in court in a judicial system where the government orders judges to send fewer people to jail as the jails are full to capacity and overflowing, instead of building more jails to house the convicted criminals, the guilty are more often than not given suspended sentences or lower than the maximum jail sentences in order to comply with the government’s politically motivated direction thereby allowing these child abusers to soon be free again to commit their abuses against children, if society isn’t protecting the children and society has broken down with many parents unable to influence or control their children too young and innocent to realize the dangers out there, just Who’s Watching The Kids?
The album’s final and 12th track is a jolly foot taping military band sounding song called Just Like Tin Soldiers that recalls the once Great British Empire rule in India. In fact, the fat Englishman who was- born-to-lead coming from a wealthy family, balances on a small donkey that he will ride, like India, until it collapses under his weight and he doesn’t realize just how pompous and foolish he looks which could somewhat mirror today’s view on Britain that is no longer Great and where many British citizens still believe their country to be an influential world power, not realizing that most of the world ignores their opinion on world affairs and the foolishness in the songs chorus is all too obvious as the British soldiers are all dressed in bright red heavy uniforms in the Indian heat and melt, like the British Empire just like molten lead in the heat of the midday sun. Some sayings of the period are thrown in for good measure such as Charity starts at home, Nick-knack paddy whack give the dog a bone and Georgie Porgie come out to play, it is a great way to finish an album and if you listen till the end you’ll hear the fat Englishman falling off his horse!
England, Once My England is recommended listening!
David Ben Avraham www.paullyrics.com 8/1/20
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