Is Arctic Monkey's Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not The Best Debut Album By A British Rock Band Of All Time?! The Full Circle Album Review

When Arctic Monkeys were first on the scene, everyone knew they were something special. Their first album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, is an incredible album, and I can't believe it's 20 years old now!

So enjoyable to hear it back again and bring back so many memories. Even though there's one or two songs on there that I'm not fussed about, I explain why it ranks so highly for me, giving a general overview and then going track by track, at the end creating my Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not Full Circle i.e. my 5 favourite songs from the album. Playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PEP5GhbGuY8DCUMyzYbVD

Let me know what your favourite songs are from the album!

Thank you for checking out the show, and for the support as always!

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Transcript

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Hello, my name is DC. I am the host of The Full Circle, a show where we link songs together with the last song, linking back to the first song, hence completing the full circle. This week is an album review, and I am reviewing the very iconic Arctic Monkeys. Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not. The full circle. With DC. What a band artic monkeys are. That first album is an incredible album. Brings back so many memories, and it really was just perfect at its time. They were one of the first bands of the Myspace era, MySpace. Wow. Isn't that owned by Justin Timberlake now? Anyway, what an incredible album. Honestly, for me, this album makes it incredible because of the highs of the songs. Like some of my favourite songs on that album, some of my favourite songs. I do think there are some lows and some lows that are low lows for anyone, but that's just my opinion. But I think the highs absolutely outweigh the lows. So I'm gonna give, as per usual, a track by track, and then I'm gonna create my full circle, which are my five favourite songs in album order of Artie Monkeys. Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not. I might just abbreviate it to whatever people, otherwise, I'm just gonna be adding extra time for no reason, like I'm doing now. So let's begin with The View from the Afternoon. Just a great way to start the album. They released a video for it. I can't remember if it was eligible to chart. I think there was an issue with that song, but I can't remember. Maybe do you know what? I'm probably making that absolutely up, but it probably charted. But anyway, the view from the afternoon, just a great way, just an absolute banger to set the tone off of the album. Just the drums are on point. Alex Turner's vocals are just on it. It's just pure, just like boom, boom, like just absolutely on it, and just so, so good. Love it. And then straight on to the second song, I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor. Again, just going straight from View from the Afternoon to I'll Bet You Look Good. That is just an incredible two-star combination. And again, straight on to it. I really like the video version of it. It's like a live version of the song. And it's just again, raw. Just the sound was just so good. You can tell they were gonna have there were gonna be something special there, and just an incredible way, incredible way, and an incredible introduction to Art Monkeys. That was the first song I think a lot of us heard when we first listened to Arctic Monkeys, and that was just an incredible way to be introduced to them. And then fake tales of San Francisco, maybe a little bit more melodic, less of the sort of like in your face, and again, funny lyrics, witty lyrics, very catchy, fun. That's the only way I could describe it. Fun. Kick me out, kick me out. I hope that's the song I'm thinking off. Sorry. No, no, of course it is. So good. And I remember I always remember when they played it live on already when Radio One Play put it on live. Oh, sorry for this wrong language. It's like, you know that song so well. It's like, how did you not recognise that that was gonna happen? It wasn't even live, it was from a live recording. So I don't understand how they didn't realize, but anyway, I think back then they just tried, I think radio and stuff to try to see how much they can get away with. And then dancing shoes. I uh that could be my favourite song. Get on your dancing shoes. So good. What an absolute tune. Oh, that seriously, just so catchy, so so catchy, so catchy. And there was a rhythms dal mundo version, which I don't know is still on Sparfy or whatever. I don't think it is, and they they did like it was like a salsa sort of version, which was so, so good. So definitely check that out and chat dancing shoes out if you haven't already. Now the next song is You probably couldn't see for the lights, but you were staring straight at me. To me, this was sort of this was okay. Again, good, fast, but just okay. That's the way I view it. And I think for me from the first four songs, probably the first step down for me personally. Still a great song though. And then straight back into it, still take you home, just an absolute tune, do, do, do, do, do, do. Just so good. Again, they've definitely got a style. It's one of those things where they've got a style, but it all sounds so different as well. Just so good. I absolutely love it. Still Take You Home. Oh, they've one of my favourites on the album as well. Now we go to a bit, which is probably one of their worst songs, if not their worst song, Riot Van. Slow, boring, just not my vibe. I even just hear it, even just hearing it in my brain makes me a bit. And I don't know, it just obviously I get there needed to be a bit of a slow pace, but it was it's not even good slow. That's just my opinion. I'm so sorry if people love that song. I'm sure there are people watching this or hearing this being like, what? How can you not dislike, how can you dislike Riot Van? How can you not like that song? I'm sorry, I just don't. And then straight back into Bangers, red light indicates doors are secured. Love that song. Calm down, temper temper. Shouldn't get so annoyed. So catchy, so funny. I heard that song before the album came out. I think Zayn Lowe, I don't know if you listen to Zayn Lowe on Radio One, he always played Curtin Edge music and he played this song, and I was like, wow, so good. It's such a simple, simple tune. But they do it so well. And now a song that I think people really like of theirs called Mardi Bum. And I know I'm gonna get sick for this, but I'm not that fussed about this song. I see it as okay. Acting like a bit of a Mardi Bum now on ILO. But yeah, it's okay. I mean, you know, it's catchy, it's got the da da da da da. But I just it's just not sort of my sort of thing, I guess, on this album. But but you know, seriously, I can understand why people like it. It's just a nice, happy song, but it's just just not my thing. And then the next one, perhaps Vampires is a bit strong, but and again, this one is a weird one because to me it's like a song that maybe I should really like, you know, it's got that sort of vibe that that the the songs I really like have. But I just think there's just something about it that just makes me think it's not as strong as some of the others. Still good though, you know, it's not it's not horrendous. So I think it's a decent song, but it's just sort of my sort of feeling about it. And then we've got When the Sun Goes Down, which is just a tune. They said it changes when the sun goes down. Absolute bang of a song. Again, just just so good, so catchy. I can't even explain it. It's just so consistent in terms of just how they write their songs, and it has that sound, but it also sounds different. So good. I really do miss the sound because I do think I'm going on a bit of a tangent here, but I really do think their last two albums just aren't my thing in the slightest. And then From the Ritz to the rubble, just such a tune. Ah, love that song, absolutely love that song. I think it's one of the best songs on the album, and it just again has that fast-paced, catchy, melodic. It do you know what? The more I keep saying it, the more I realise how samey they all sound, but they all just have their own sort of like personalities as well. And then the last song, A Certain Romance, which I think is a really nice way to end the album, and I can see why people like it, but for me, just again, not to the same level as Mardi Bomb or Riot Van, but to me, I just not again, I could take it or leave it. It could have ended for me from the rest of the world, I'd be like, so good. I think take if you took out Riot Van and took out a certain romance and took out well, you can't take out Mardi Vom Lives That Song, but if you took out Riot Van as a certain romance, I'd be like, this album's almost perfect. But yeah, I mean, 13 songs probably would have trimmed it down to 11 now, let's be honest. So they probably would have knocked out, maybe they would have knocked out Riot Van. Who knows? What an album. I mean, like I say, there are some songs on it that I'm not too fussed about, but the songs that are so good make up for the ones that I'm not too fussed about. So because of that, it's always gonna be just an incredible album. And is it my favourite album of theirs? I will say this AM is up there for me. I really I favourite worst nightmare is so good as well. And I think AM is back to form, and then so much anticipation to next albums and such a letdown, like such a letdown. Seriously was such a letdown. And I'm sorry to anyone that's a fan of their new stuff, just not my thing in the slightest. But if I were to create a full circle of heart tip monkeys, whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not, featuring my five favourite songs, five favourite songs in album track order. Most of them are not going to be singles, I'm gonna start with I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor, because that's just a banging way to start it. And then Dancing Shoes, just so good, dancing shoes. And then I would go for Still Take You Home, Red Light Indicates Secured, and From the Rits to the Rubble. I think those are the five standout songs for me. Let me know if you agree with those five songs, or let me know if you'd go for something completely different. I mean, I appreciate that I've not chosen much of the singles, but those are my top five songs. Hence completing the full circle. Yay! Thank you so much as always for checking this out. I appreciate that. It's a bit weird that I do album fees one week and then have guests on the other week. I get it. If I'm being completely honest, I'm having a think about the future of the show. I'm having a think about is this the right direction or do we stop the direction? It's one of those things where I love it. I love speaking to the guests. Doing it weekly or putting a show out weekly with guests was perhaps a little bit too much for me, just in terms of time management. But even doing this along with the guests, even though these shows are a lot shorter, can impact on time management as well. And with lots of things happening in life, work, exciting life events, I'm gonna have to have a real strong feeling about whether what to do the full circle moving forward. But just to let you know that I cannot thank you for checking this show out, for listening to it, for watching it, for the support. It means so much to me. If you're listening to this on Spotify, give the show a follow, give it a rating. Because when I do the shows with other people and I try to get guests on the show, sometimes they care about our stuff, which sucks because at the end of the day, my show doesn't have as much ratings as some other shows do. And the show is different. The show is different in the sense that it's not a sit-down, deep dive interview. It's a sit-down, let's have a bit of fun interview, slash conversation, slash play some games. And I'm starting to notice that actually maybe that isn't the vibe that people want. I don't know though. If it is what you like, please just leave it a rate in because I want to just have some incredible guests on the show that both you and I enjoy, and I really do want the full circle to continue. There's only one way to end the show as always. Just remember this. Stay safe. Don't keep me.