Amen to that.  I can't elevate the Nutty Boys to being
quite as good melodically or lyrically as Ray Davies
and Co., but they wrote so many memorable and resonant
songs, with plainspoken lyrics about day-to-day
suburban London life.  The Rise and Fall is the album
that "Our House" sprung from, and it is a happy
respite in what is a very contemplative set of tracks.
 

Although ska was a big part of their early career (and
they always had some reggae vibes on each album,
though it kept diminishing), they also showed their
melodic chops early on with great songs like "Baggy
Trousers" and "Embarassment".  I think Jason, who got
us started on this path, was correct to recommend a
single collection first, but all of their albums in
their original run are at least good, in my opinion. 
I could make a comp of album tracks that would be just
as swell as the singles comp ("Primrose Hill", "White
Heat", "Keep Moving" and so on...).

Mike Bennett

--- Stewart Mason <craigtorso@verizon.net> wrote:

> THE RISE AND FALL, incidentally, is quite possibly
> the great lost 
> Britpop album.
> 
> S


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