Tubthumper | 
| Artist: Chumbawamba
Label: Umvd Labels
Category: Music
List Price: $11.98
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $11.97 (100%)
New (65) Used (457) Collectible (13) from $0.01
Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 41231
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 53099
UPC: 601215309928
EAN: 6012153099286
ASIN: B000005B08
Release Date: September 23, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Tubthumping | | • | Amnesia | | • | Drip, Drip, Drip | | • | Big Issue | | • | Good Ship Lifestyle | | • | One by One | | • | Outsider | | • | Creepy Crawling | | • | Mary, Mary | | • | Smalltown | | • | I Want More | | • | Scapegoat |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
When Chumbawamba--an anarchist musical collective from Leeds--can have a major U.S. hit, this isn't reality--it's more like Utopia. They'd been plugging away in the underground for years, highlighting hypocrisy with wit and releasing a series of brilliant albums before achieving critical mass in 1997. There's the drum & bass ("Smalltown"), and "The Good Ship Lifestyle" where they manage to weld the rhythms seamlessly onto songs. Anything and everything is fair game here, and why not? Chumbawamba have their own voice, and these snapshots of England (Polaroids of Leeds, really) prove that pop and politics can make comfortable bedfellows. --Chris Nickson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 108 more reviews...
Surprisingly Good October 23, 2004
Westley (Stuck in my head)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Chumbawamba is a most unlikely hit group - a co-ed U.K. collective best-known for their idiosyncratic, working-class polemics; they toiled in obscurity for many years. In 1997, though, their song "Tubthumping" became a left-field international smash - peaking at #6 in the U.S. and holding at #1 in airplay for an astounding 9 weeks. Love it or hate it, "Tubthumping" is indisputably one of the catchiest and most original hits of the last decade. However, the group is usually dismissed today as a novelty act or one-hit-wonder.
Of note, "Tubthumping" wasn't released as a single, so people had to buy the full-length CD, "Tubthumper," to get the song (over 3 millions people did so). I'm sure many people who purchased the CD listened only to "Tubthumping." However, the rest of the CD deserves attention. It's the type of CD in my collection that I don't listen to often, but when I do, I'm always surprised by how much better it is than I expect.
Aside from "Tubthumping," quite a few of the songs are stand-outs. "Amnesia" is another tremendously catchy song, with a clever chorus, "Do you suffer from long-term memory loss/ I don't remember" - and it even includes a tango-styled break. It managed to become a UK hit - slipping into the Top 10. "Drip, Drip, Drip" is another highlight - a surprisingly melodic song built around some intriguing spoken-word samples and featuring a swanky piano outro. Indeed, one of the group's trademarks is to throw in an unexpected element, such as the young English lad who finished "The Big Issue." Overall, the music isn't earth-shattering and does tend to wear a bit after repeated listens. However, "Tubthumper" is enjoyable, well-written, and features good production; careful listeners who appreciate quirky music will be well-rewarded if they approach this CD with an open mind.
 The words... September 3, 2001
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I can't say that 'Tubthumper' is a bad CD, however, it's not that good CD, neither. I think that Chumbawamba's style is just not my favorite. I find that the tunes are kinda "patience-challenging". However... Chumbawamba's lyrics, filled with political and social criticism, are worth the 12 bucks. The lyrics are REALLY good. They deal with politics, with social problems, religion... I enjoy them a lot. And I actually like bands with ideologies (as long they are not nazi or racist, of course!)
We should have much more songwriters like Chumbawamba. Not all lyrics should deal with silly topics like love and stuff. And the tunes are not bad. So I recommend this CD. I think it is in fact closer to 4 stars than to 3 stars (but there's not 3 3/4 stars rating).
Well, hope this helps. Take care.
Amazing album for a bunch of anarchists December 15, 2005
Darrell Wong (Hawaii, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is one of those albums where you simply have to look at each song individually...because no two are even remotely similar. Here goes:
1. Tubthumping - It should be pretty obvious to anyone that this is by far the *dumbest* song on the album. And given that it's their massive blowout hit, that's about a lead pipe cinch that it isn't in any way indicative of their work as a whole. Nothing wrong with that, of course, just keep that in mind. I don't really care for this one.
2. Amnesia - Fairly easygoing rock number about memory loss. And...ah, those who suffer from memory loss. Listenable and mostly nonserious.
3. Drip, Drip, Drip - One of those non-hip hop talky pieces. Pretty much the same deal as Amnesia.
4. The Big Issue - This, IMHO, *should* have been their breakthrough. Completely mainstream, harmless pop/rock, message notwithstanding.
5. The Good Ship Lifestyle - Okay, this is a style called "drum and bass". If you're not familiar with a club scene, you probably haven't had much exposure to this. It's very popular in some European circles. Pretty much ordinary punk otherwise.
6. One By One - Oh yeah! NOW we're talking! *This* is the unflinching, angry politicizing that makes Chumbawamba what it is, and it sounds downright beautiful, too. A very simple, powerful ballad about a union leader who abandons his responsiblities for personal gain and the terrible consequences. Unquestionably the best song on the album, IMHO.
7. Outsider - Ooh, house! Not much of a message here, but who cares, it's loads of fun.
8. Creepy Crawling - Another talky one. Wasn't able to get much out of this; it's just weird. Reminds me of Five Iron Frenzy for some reason.
9. Mary, Mary - A loud metalish piece about a woman named Mary who, gasp! (yawn) falls a bit short of her biblical counterpart. A bit too repetitive for my tastes.
10. Smalltown - More delicious D&B; actually a lot truer to the style than The Good Ship Lifestyle. Good stuff, good stuff.
11. I Want More - Not a hint of subtletly here, just pure unadulterated punk. Great fist pumping music (whatever that is).
12. Scapegoat - Eurobeat (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)? Man, they're doin' EVERYTHING here! A worthy sendoff.
A little repetitive at times, and doesn't always hang together, but in all, this is a surprisingly well done album. It's definitely worth whatever you paid for it. :-D*
* (Subtle reference to highly questionable activity encouraged by Chumbawamba which I needn't get into here, thank you very much.)
This Put Them On The Map, But This Isn't Their Finest July 17, 2004
K. Brown (Walnut, Ca USA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
The song "Tubthumping" may have turned them into a household name, but this CD, on the whole, is not representative of Chumbawamba's greatness. This isn't a horrid album, but with the exception of "Tubthumping," not much to write home about. In my opinion, "WYSIWYG", the album following this one, is their crowning glory. They capture that sardonic anti-establishment flavor beautifully on that CD.If you want to pick up this CD merely for the hit song, it is worth the dough. If you want to hear really great Chumbawamba from the first to final track, I highly recommend "WYSIWYG."
 Left Wing Rave Anarchists July 20, 2000
James Inman (Kansas City, MO USA)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
I was interested in Chumbawamba after I saw the front cover of Tubthumper in Time magazine... It was an article on the WTO protesters; what they were like... who were their heroes... They had a picture of Noam Chomsky and the Unabomber... Then they had this Chumbawamba album cover next to the Unabomber's head like this is what those weird anarchists listen to... I was thinking... Isn't that the band with the `I get knocked down song?' I think I saw them on MTV... Real anarchists would listen to Rage Against the Machine or Black Flag wouldn't they... but Time magazine is sometimes way off... So I got a copy of the CD and in the liner notes it had this repeating paragraph "Due to the complexities of USA copyright law, we are not able to print the information intended for this space... we can supply you with a leaflet or you can read it on our web site." I figured this was some kind of censorship thing... So I check out the web site and the stuff they wanted to print was really cool socialist anarchist quotes from radical magazines, philosophers, politicians and other various anonymous left wing high-jinks type activists... You can get their full liner notes on the import but not on the US version... Strange for a land that prides itself on freedom of speech... Needless to say I was immediately hooked... The music took on a whole new meaning... These were not love songs... Chumbawamba tackles the Big Issues and makes it most danceable... Check it out if you like rave/techno and the lyrics of Billy Bragg, The Clash, Rage Against the Machine or The Dead Kennedy's... ...
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