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 albert hammond jr listening post
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Flying solo. On the eve of The Strokes’ guitarist’s debut solo album, we pick the reasons why the bubble-haired rhythm guitarist was always our favourite…1. Although at pains to stress that this is not an escape, Hammond Jr did offer some of Yours To Keep to the band. "I did suggest my songs once or twice and I got turned down," he explained. "It wasn't actually Julian who turned it down, it was the other members who didn't like it. Julian writes the songs and we play them and do our thing with them." 2. Albert Hammond Sr wrote Tina Turner’s I Don’t Wanna Lose You and Starship’s Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now. Can Casablancas the Elder boast a similar portfolio of solid gold AOR hits? He cannot. 3. First single, Everyone Gets A Star, is a perfectly conceived retro-pop nugget. Although sadly it lacks a power pop chorus to match Starship’s “If this world runs out of lovers / We’ll still have each other / Nothing’s gonna stop us now.” One-nil, dad. 4. It is now accepted music industry wisdom that no one ever picked up a guitar before The Strokes 2001 debut Is This It? If the band had not released that record then Test Icicles would not exist. A sobering thought. 5. Everyone’s at it: 2006 has already seen well-received solo albums by Thom Yorke (Radiohead) and JM Dunkel (Air). Jarvis has one on the way too. 6. As a youth, Albert Hammond Jr was a champion roller skater. None of the other band members can claim this. “It’s weird it hasn’t come out sooner,” says Hammond Jr. “The weird thing is, I used to skate in front of, like, 5,000 people and I was never nervous. But the first time I got on stage, there were four people there and I vomited.” 7. In 2005, after details of Hammond Jr’s eight-wheeled triumph emerged, drummer Fab likened The Strokes as a whole to a battered but much loved pair of roller skates “that you love because they remind you of all your skating memories”. “That's us,” he said, before adding ominously, “But then rollerblades came along." 8. The linchpin for their distinctive sartorial style, Hammond Jr was always the most dapper member. “His shoes and belt always match,” Julien Casablancas noted jealously in 2002. 9. Albert uses a Fender Stratocaster to play the rhythm parts. Although he did play the genius, deranged solo on Last Nite. 10. Thank god, Albert Hammond Jr has finally ditched those other four losers and struck out on his own!* You can hear the wonder of Yours To Keep in full above. Let us know what you think. (*possibly untrue)
James Cowdery
Albert Hammond, Jr – Yours To Keep, released 09 October 06 on Rough Trade.
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comment by scifo69
Jun 11, 2007
i am a big strokes fan so when i heard albert was doing a solo album i didn't think it would be any good boy was i in for a shock . i think it is a great album one of the best last year the vocals are really good . my favourite song is 101 with sean lennon . i can't wait to see him at t- in the park
comment by YaOnlyLivOnce
Jan 26, 2007
Just a quick revision: in regards to the songs that will "grow on me"... they have grown, and this is officially a great album.
comment by YaOnlyLivOnce
Jan 21, 2007
After the first listen to the original version of "In Transit" I did not think this would be a very good album, more of a joke solo album by one of the Strokes. However this album is anything but. As an avid Strokes fan I am very unsure if i want this album to suceed, but there is no getting around the fact that this is a very good album. There are five or so extremely good songs and a few others that will undoubtably grow on me. This is a nice change up from the Strokes more stripped down and intense album and I can't wait till it comes out in the US (March 6 i believe), I will be one of the first to purchase. If Albert ever reads this, ummm, make sure you and the Strokes put out a few more. Oh, and the songs that Albert co-writes with the Strokes are all fantastic.Songs to listen to: -Back To The 101 -Holiday -In Transit -Bright Young Things -Everyone Gets A Star
comment by Tommy Nooka
Oct 6, 2006
I've been listening to this album for the last week or so and I have to say it is of a much higher standard than I was expecting, slightly Strokesy but not overly so, part of that of course will be down to AHJ's guitar sound. Of the people I have let hear it no one has had anything bad to say about and neither do I....other than its over far too quickly!!
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