Search - Dirty Pretty Things :: Waterloo to Anywhere

Worth the Wait

MoogleFan | 01/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I may, *perhaps*, be biased about this album for a few reasons. For one, I am a HUGE fan of Carl Barat, and, secondly, I saw them live at two separate venues, met the band at a signing, and third, Mr. Barat gave me a kiss! However, I had purchased the album as an import months beforehand and had already formed my own opinion...which was merely enhanced by my experience!



Carl hadn't released much material since The Libertines' last album, so I had been rather eager (and impatient) to hear what his new band would sound like. The album is, unfortunately, short (under 40 minutes), but all of the songs are quality tracks, and that matters a great deal more than the length of the album. "Waterloo to Anywhere" is more satisfying than Babyshambles' "Down in Albion" in many respects; none of the tracks sound out of place or mediocre. The choice of radio songs from this album has been wise, since "Bang Bang, You're Dead", "Deadwood", and "Wondering" are all catchy and enjoyable.



The most immediate contrast that I noticed with DPT over The Libertines is that all of the instruments have major roles. The Libertines was all about Pete and Carl. Though Carl is the frontman, Didz, Anthony, and Gary are all equal contributers to the music! Gary was already a good drummer in The Libertines and has gotten even better in DPT. John Hassall, bassist in The Libertines, often took a backseat to Pete and Carl's impassioned performance, so he often just went along with whatever guitar riffs they were playing. Didz, on the other hand, is in the spotlight nearly as often as Carl! Anthony is also a capable guitarist, and both him and Didz provide backing vocals on several songs. Carl was often cast aside with Pete acting like the "lead" in The Libertines. Though they both shared the responsibilities of songwriting, singing, and composing, one might've guessed that Pete was the lead from watching The Libertines' interviews, which he tended to dominate.



Though I personally feel that Pete Doherty is an amazingly talented human being, so is Carl! DPT has been Carl's chance to finally get the recognition that he deserves. At the same time, Carl lets his band-mates share the stage as well; they aren't merely accessories to "the main act". As I have seen from interviews, and from meeting him personally, Carl has a very humble nature, despite being so musically adept and charming. Though I believe that The Libertines were one of the greatest bands of the 2000s, perhaps EVER, the band would've surely fallen apart eventually, even if Carl hadn't made the decision to remove Pete from the band. Pete's increasingly cavalier attitude and unfortunate drug habit put The Libertines in horrible jeopardy, and thus it was time for Carl and Pete to go on their separate ways.



Though the import is more expensive, I think it might be preferable to this American version, as it includes one rather good extra track: BURMA! The order of tracks is different on the American version as well, for whatever reason. A certain import version also includes a concert DVD with the album, but the quality of the recording isn't that good."

Better Than Babyshambles

E. Aguilar | California | 04/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can honestly say that Dirty Pretty Things is better than Babyshambles. I have both 'Waterloo to Anywhere' and 'Down In Albion' and I can honestly tell you if you had to choose between the two at a store, choose the first, I went out to get Down in Albion but i didnt have enough money so I got Waterloo to Anywhere, I was not dissapointed, then I bought Down In Albion a short while later, and I feel it was short of Pete Doherty's potential. Carl barat is a genius which will be remembered long after his career comes to an end, which hopefully is not anytime soon. So go out and get Waterloo To Anywhere, you'll fall in love with it. The U.S. version does not include B.U.R.M.A. however."