Beggars Banquet Us
2005
Discover
About This Album
The album that launched Gene Loves Jezebel in America, Discover caught the British band perfectly poised between their post-punk goth past and their arena rock future. The centerpiece was, of course, "Desire," the clarion cry of rock's late-'80s future, all yelps and pervasive riffs strafed by searing leads, and an insistent chorus that defied listeners not to shout along. Initial copies of the U.S. album featured the original single's mix with guitarist Ian Hudson, later ones were graced by an even more powerful version, turned into a sonic roar by producer Peter Walsh, and showcasing the group's new guitarist, James Stevenson. Stevenson's arrival helped set the stage for a serious shift in the band's musical direction, a reinvention of the Jezzie sound into a more rock-friendly, pop-esque style. The two versions of "Desire" illustrate that point to perfection. But at the time of recording, old and new styles, pop and goth, all filtered into the mix, and miraculously were held shimmeringly together. Miraculously, because during the recording, producer Gary Lyons suffered a heart attack, forcing the album to be completed by one of the engineers, Mark Dearnley.
Track List

Disc 1 (try tracks 2,4,6,7 and 8)

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Disc 2

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