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My Beautiful England

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My Beautiful England
Studio album by
Released14 October 2022 (2022-10-14)
RecordedJune 2021
GenreIndie rock
Length39:18
LanguageEnglish
LabelTiny Global Productions
ProducerDes Lambert
David Westlake chronology
Play Dusty for Me
(2002)
My Beautiful England
(2022)
Singles from My Beautiful England
  1. "Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood"
    Released: 15 July 2022
  2. "Mallory Kept Climbing the Mountain"
    Released: 16 September 2022
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Uncut8/10[1]
Louder Than War[2]

My Beautiful England is the third solo studio album by English singer/songwriter David Westlake, released through Tiny Global Productions on 14 October 2022.

Recording

[edit]

My Beautiful England was produced by Des Lambert.

In his book Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids?, Nige Tassell notes that My Beautiful England is Westlake’s first all-new album since Play Dusty for Me twenty years ago, and that former Servants bandmate Luke Haines plays guitar on the recording.[3]

Reception

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Writing for Uncut, Johnny Sharp rated the album eight-out-of-ten, calling it “a delight”. “Westlake retains great respect from [the C86] era’s cognoscenti”, he said, and My Beautiful England is “a Britpop concept album from a man who’d surely wince at either label”.[1]

In an in-depth review for Louder Than War, Neil Davenport gave the album a five-out-of-five rating, calling it “one of the most idiosyncratic, political and blazingly tuneful guitar pop albums [of 2022]”. “It’s an extraordinary record”, he says, “a contemporary update on George Orwell’s critiques of left intelligentsia found in ‘England Your England’.” “This is high level stuff”, says Davenport; “Not since Malcom Eden’s old band McCarthy (but in a completely different historical context) has there been an attempt to intelligently challenge received wisdom.” Musically, “My Beautiful England simply triumphs as a consistently great, 14-song guitar pop album. It’s packed with some of Westlake’s best songs.”[2]

Different shows on BBC Radio 6 Music and other BBC stations gave the album regular airplay for several months around its release.[4][5][6][7]

Track listing

[edit]

Side one:

  1. "My Beautiful England" – 4:24
  2. "War Memorial" – 3:05
  3. "The Modern Ruins of Old London Town" – 3:20
  4. "Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood" – 3:23
  5. "Mallory Kept Climbing the Mountain" – 2:25
  6. "E is for the Empire" – 2:38

Side two:

  1. "Hayes, Middlesex" – 1:59
  2. "English Parish Churches" – 3:37
  3. "Regency Terrace" – 2:24
  4. "Marie Lloyd" – 2:20
  5. "The Crusades" – 2:31
  6. "The Age of Unenlightenment" – 2:17
  7. "General Gordon’s Last Stand" – 2:38
  8. "Au Contraire, Tony Blair" – 2:11

Personnel

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  • David Westlake – vocals and guitar
  • Luke Haines – guitar
  • Des Lambert – bass
  • Rob Flanagan – drums
  • Dwain Bedford – trumpet

Technical personnel

[edit]
  • Des Lambert – production
  • Stuart Moxham – mastering
  • Patsy Westlake – photography
  • Del Sozou – artwork, design

References

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  1. ^ a b Sharp, Johnny (October 2022). "Former Servant's first solo album in 20 years". Uncut. TI Media. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Davenport, Neil (19 October 2022). "David Westlake 'My Beautiful England' : album review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  3. ^ Tassell, Nige (2022). Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids?: An Indie Odyssey. London: Nine Eight Books. p. 286. ISBN 978-1788705585.
  4. ^ "Radcliffe & Maconie". BBC Radio 6 Music. BBC Radio. 24 July 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023. [12] David Westlake: Bethnal Green Museum Of Childhood
  5. ^ "Gideon Coe". BBC Radio 6 Music. BBC Radio. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023. [28] David Westlake: The Modern Ruins Of Old London Town
  6. ^ "Steve Lamacq". BBC Radio 6 Music. BBC Radio. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023. [7] David Westlake: Bethnal Green Museum Of Childhood
  7. ^ "The Mickey Bradley Record Show". BBC Radio Ulster. BBC Radio. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2023. [7] David Westlake: Mallory Kept Climbing The Mountain