Info from uk listening party sat may 1st 2004-12.00pm

[klf]

hi ,
just returned from the uk listening party,its was absolutely awesome,

My 10 year old daughter was the first to have her photo taken with Darren and she promptly stole a kiss for him,Darren signed the promo photo,for her saying"To poppy all my love darren.x".she just melted.

Darren was on top form,looking very well,answering questions from all the room with his wonderful sense of humour brimming to the full.

The album is truly something special even after only one listen,you can feel the pleasure and pain the man has gone through to create something
special.

I feel personally that the album will open more doorways than it will close.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right info that i know fro the horse mouth!(apologies to leonie)

1.Popular--confirmed as single (goes to radio early july,clubs will get it first with the release date confirmed for _------12 july------

2.Album-The tension and the spark-will now be september-due to give us and sony time to get the promotion right,for the first time i believe them.

3.The Too close for comfort dvd-will be released around the sametime as the album,the format has just been finished and Darrens words were"It will be a documentry type affair,with insights in black and white with uncut live performances form the concerts and it is brilliant".

4.No news on "party in the park"in the uk.It is on the day before -Popular-
gets released,but from the cat and mouse stuff between leonie and hannah from sony,leeds me to believe he will attend as it it is a perfect oppertunity to promote infron of 100.000 people,I also believe they are under contract not to reveal anything until (capitol radio do there bit)

5.Darren is also remaining in the uk and europe to promote the album and single that way he can appear on any tv programme at anytime-you can do your bit,if you write into these programmes such as parkinson,des and mel,any programme that has a musical item to find out wether darren hayes is appearing this will put pressure on them to help push the man on the television due to so many requests...


all the best.

[saffron]

Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I appreciate the information of the possible release time.
xx

[Bolkie]

2.Album-The tension and the spark-will now be september-due to give us and sony time to get the promotion right,for the first time i believe them.

*counting the times she heard that before*
anyway looks like u had a great time :)

[*The Little Devil*]

THANKS 4 THAT PIECE OF INFO!!!! :lol: :D :P

[savageruss]

What?? A release sometime in September?!? How many times are they gonna push back the release date?? That's almost a year after Darren finished the album!!!

[Discotheque]

3.The Too close for comfort dvd-will be released around the sametime as the album,the format has just been finished and Darrens words were"It will be a documentry type affair,with insights in black and white with uncut live performances form the concerts and it is brilliant".

Thanks!!!! :D And about the DVD.................I want it NOW... :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Popular]

What?? A release sometime in September?!? How many times are they gonna push back the release date?? That's almost a year after Darren finished the album!!!

It is sad for us but at least they think Darren`s fans and let them listen to the album months ago!

[Bolkie]

What?? A release sometime in September?!? How many times are they gonna push back the release date?? That's almost a year after Darren finished the album!!!

It is sad for us but at least they think Darren`s fans and let them listen to the album months ago!
some of them....
sorry still makes me sad

[bianwatt]

dozey


posted 05 May 2004 11:06 AM
Here is my review of the LP 5pm session. Apologies for the length - I need a good editor!
Sharon

“I want you to come with me on a bit of a journey. We’re going to go deep deep down inside here (points to heart), okay? It’s gonna get a little dark along the way but we’re gonna get there together, and we’ll see each other on the other side…”

Darren’s words on Superstars and Cannonballs really strike a chord with me when I think about ‘The Tension and The Spark’. He has experienced a very human struggle, but unlike so many of us, Darren has that rare ability to express these emotions with his honest, sometimes blunt, lyrics. More amazing is the way that you can FEEL the hurt conveyed through the music itself. I’m finding it hard to put into words because it is impossible for me to re-create the incredible atmosphere in that way. It needs to be heard, it needs to be felt, and it needs to be experienced.

I can honestly say that I was afraid I would hate this album. From the first diary entries that Darren made, through every excellent review which described the change of musical direction, I was too worried that the ‘departure’ would not be something I liked. As the music began I thought ‘this is exactly what I have been looking for in music all year’. I don’t know about anyone else, but all year I have been bored by the music in the UK. It has been blanded out by endless repetition of formula and ‘talent’ shows which might find some excellent voices but then dictate the styles of music they produce. There are exceptions – Will Young, Darius and Ali Griffin were lucky finds, in my opinion. I was looking for something new and different, something which broke the mould. Funny that I should find it in the artist that I most admire.

The music sucked me in from the start of Track 1. What a brilliant opener, it quite literally aches both musically and lyrically. My thoughts were ‘doesn’t he hurt’. It’s one of my favourites and when I sat in Whitfield Studios I thought I could never forget it. I think there was so much to take in that my memory has failed me. Why can’t I remember it now? It was so powerful.

But then each and every track had that effect on me…when one track ended there was silence. I wanted to hear it again, while anticipating the next. Each one left a definite impression. There were some that weren’t immediately to my liking, especially the up-and-coming single, and the beginning of T7, though I think they both need time to adapt to a unique style, and would benefit from having the lyrics and more time to take in every element of the songs. I’ve written down my impressions of every single song, but this post would turn into a web-page of its own if I did that! There were some that were more memorable than others, but each and every one had ‘potential single’ written on it. I didn’t think I was a fan of loud music, but it’s the quieter, more ambient tracks that I recall least. That could be because they didn’t have such a big impact musically.

My immediate favourites other than track 1 were T5 and T13, though I know the rest will continue to grow on me. I know that T5 will make me cry buckets at times when I hear it in private. I’ve done so many a time with ‘Like It Or Not’ and ‘The Lover After Me’ to name just two. Hey, I’m a girl, I have hormones! I think this one should be a single, and if so there would be absolutely no justice in the world if it wasn’t a No 1! If Daniel Bedingfield’s ‘If You’re Not The One’ can make such a big impression, then this should too. (And no, I’m not dissing that song – I love it). This is probably one of the most beautiful songs every written, b&*(*y stunning, not a love song, but a song of love lost. This is the song that Darren spoke about in his first diary entry, the first song he wrote completely alone. What a debut!

T13 sticks in my mind just because it was the final moments of an amazing musical experience. It did have a ‘British’ feel, like others have mentioned before. By this point in the album, Darren seems to have worked through his problems and dealt with his emotions, and is more self-aware. It’s a good place to be. The music finishes on a real high, building to a crescendo of sound, rather than fading out like previous end tracks ‘Santa Monica’, IDKYAM and ‘Spin’. It reminded me of the excellent ending to TTMAB, though not stylistically. The moment it ended I wanted to put it back on and breathe it all in again.

This is getting ridiculous. I have woken every morning since the LP wishing that I could remember more songs, more lyrics and desperately trying to recapture the atmosphere. Yet I could write reams of stuff about what I do recall! Once you hear TTATS it will not let you go, no matter how much you think you’ve forgotten it. I can’t do it justice right now, no-one can.

I remember so few lyrics at the moment that I don’t think I’ve fully grasped the depth of the album on first listen. I think the whole feel of the album is what penetrates the first time, and it does leave something of itself behind, like all those painful and elated feelings in our lives…it is that deep. Occasionally odd lines come back to me and I can’t remember the specific songs. I know that it will have far greater impact on me when I can listen to the album time and time again. Definitely an album that will improve on closer listen, and that is really saying something. Musically it is in a league of its own.

Darren said in the Q&A session that this was an act of rebellion, that he made the album for himself, and thought Sony would drop him when they heard it. He’s thrown away the rule book, and without the pressure of record company expectations he has produced his finest work yet. Again, that is my opinion. Twice now he has given the best of himself when producing what he considers ‘indulgent’ work. TTATS is as unique as Darren is.

I wrote this in a reply to another post as I was gathering my thoughts:
“...I can’t recapture that atmosphere. It was more than just a singer and music, far more a whole experience. I’m still astounded that every time we think he’s given the best of himself, Darren comes back with something more powerful and deep. He’s been on a personal journey which he has conveyed with brilliance. He has so much potential he hadn’t realized – isn’t that what Leonie said in the TCFC tour book? “He hasn’t even begun to scratch the surface of who he could be. All those record sales, all those arena shows and it all occurred to someone who was barely even aware of his potential.” Leonie Messer, you are one wise lady!

To be honest, I would love to see him emulate the success of SG with this album, to prove his doubters wrong and to silence the critics who said he couldn’t make it on his own. Robert Conley has been a wonderful asset to Darren’s music, and yes, I was a Specificus-doubter before! Darren said in his chat that Robert is an excellent producer and he was lucky to work with him. I say that Robert knew talent when he saw it and helped to bring Darren to a special place. Don’t stop after one album!”

There will be criticism when the media gets hold of the album, undoubtedly. But remember that these journalists will always judge ‘Darren Hayes’ by their pre-conceived ideas of who ‘he’ is. Look at all the reviews that dismissed SG and made sweeping generalizations about their music. Many of them must have based their opinions on just the singles, not the albums. Hell, some of them couldn’t even get the names right! The LP were a unique opportunity for the fans to hear the music and to voice their opinions. I know that not every fan could attend, and that is disappointing, but I think it is the best way for word to be spread about this album, from fan to fan. When you get the album you might not agree with the opinions shared, but there is honesty in each and every review that has been posted, whether the people enjoyed the album or not.

Many of us were lucky enough to meet the man himself, not just the ‘persona’ that the media have cultivated all these years. Listening to T6 in particular, it might be another reason the LP took place, so that we could see Darren as a man, rather than an idol. I have not been left wanting. Darren Hayes you are a gentleman for giving each and every one of us your time. It couldn’t have been easy to stand there for so long, but nobody felt like they didn’t have your undivided attention. Thank you for that. You were genuinely charming and down-to-earth. I hope you are where you want to be now, or at least getting there. Your abilities as a singer and songwriter (and musician as well now!) are second to none.

So yes, we’ve been on a journey with this album. But this is just the beginning…the best is yet to come with the build up to the release of singles and albums, videos and radio-play. Every time I hear the music I will remember where it all began – May 1st Whitfield Studios. September seems so far away, but it will be well worth the wait, because once that CD is in my hands my stereo will be screaming at me for mercy.

Please excuse my ramblings…I wish I could stop!!!

(Edited to delete 345670 pages of further thoughts!)

Sharon
Posts: 35 | From: Cardiff | Registered: 27 March 2004





hey all - i saw this review on the sony sight and it really moved me, so i had to post it up here for you all to read - hope that i'm not being naughty for doing that? cheers xoxo

[karlooben]

:lol: :lol: sinlge relaesed on my brithday ,,
i am so happy to find out when the single an album wil be out ,,, :P thanks for the infro guys

[Cho]

can't wait to hear the album... i saw the songs on kazaa, but i want to be surprised (i'm weird like that) when i buy the album ;)

[Discotheque]

can't wait to hear the album... i saw the songs on kazaa, but i want to be surprised (i'm weird like that) when i buy the album ;)
I've seen it too, but I doubt it. We still have to wait 'till September. :)