Moving to a major label and switching to a full backing band for Ugly Beautiful is both a positive and negative development for Baby Bird. In the positive sense, Stephen Jones' songs -- including a handful of tracks that were on his indie releases -- are given a clarity they were lacking in the past, and the full-bodied arrangements reveal songs like "Good Night" and "You're Gorgeous" as effortlessly catchy pop singles. However, the sonic clarity and larger arrangements also reveal that Jones is neither as clever nor as ...
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Moving to a major label and switching to a full backing band for Ugly Beautiful is both a positive and negative development for Baby Bird. In the positive sense, Stephen Jones' songs -- including a handful of tracks that were on his indie releases -- are given a clarity they were lacking in the past, and the full-bodied arrangements reveal songs like "Good Night" and "You're Gorgeous" as effortlessly catchy pop singles. However, the sonic clarity and larger arrangements also reveal that Jones is neither as clever nor as strange as his lo-fi albums suggested. Indeed, he often sounds like he's stuck in 1985, replicating the quirky charms of Robyn Hitchcock and Echo & the Bunnymen, and he lacks the wit or the adventure of either artist. So, Ugly Beautiful often treads close to cutesy nostalgia, of all things, yet it's saved by the sporadic surfacing of his songcraft. Even in this radio-ready setting, "I Didn't Want to Wake You Up" has a disquieting power, and "You're Gorgeous" positively radiates with twisted sexuality. But the long, "ironic" jams and unfocused material that end the record suggest that instead of representing the first flowering of his full talent, Ugly Beautiful may be the peak of it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful to cart. $6.19, good condition, Sold by Wonder Book - Member ABAA/ILAB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frederick, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Atlantic.
Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful-Advance to cart. $6.99, very good condition, Sold by Spin On This rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Hills, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by 83049-2P; Atlantic Records.
Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful to cart. $8.09, good condition, Sold by Music Fiendz rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from South Hackensack, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1996 by Import [Generic].
Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful to cart. $9.99, Sold by MUSICAL ENERGI rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Wilkes-Barre, PA, UNITED STATES, published by Atlantic 83049 / 1997.
Edition:
Atlantic 83049 / 1997
CD
Details:
Label:
Atlantic 83049 / 1997
Alibris ID:
17532678376
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Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful (1996) to cart. $10.99, good condition, Sold by Reuseabook rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gloucester, GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Mca Mmei.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Please, note that this is a second-hand item. The case will likely be a bit worn at its edges or have very minor cracks.
Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful to cart. $19.95, new condition, Sold by jhsbooks2 rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Foley, AL, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Atlantic / Wea.
Add this copy of Ugly Beautiful to cart. $22.92, new condition, Sold by Entertainment by Post - UK rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BRISTOL, SOUTH GLOS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002.
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