Down in Albion explained

Down in Albion
Type:	studio
Artist:	Babyshambles
Cover:	Downinalbion.jpg
Recorded:	2005
Studio:	Twin Peaks Studio Metropolis Studios
Genre:	Indie rock, garage punk, garage rock
Length:	63:49
Label:	Rough Trade
Producer:	Mick Jones
Next Title:	The Blinding EP
Next Year:	2006

Down in Albion is the debut album by Babyshambles, Pete Doherty's post-Libertines band.

Down in Albion was released on 14 November 2005 on Rough Trade Records, although it was leaked on to the Internet on 19 October 2005. Produced by Mick Jones, Down in Albion contains a rerecorded version of their second single "Killamangiro" as well as a reggae track, "Pentonville". The influence of The Clash has been noted on songs such as "À rebours" and "The 32nd of December". The inclusion of "Albion" is controversial among fans, due to the song's history as a fan favorite from the days of The Libertines.

The first track, "La Belle et la Bête" (French for "Beauty and the Beast"), features the vocals of Doherty's then-girlfriend Kate Moss, and "Pentonville" was written by Doherty and The General, a friend he met whilst an inmate in Pentonville Prison.^[1] The album was seen as a move away from The Libertines' style of music.^[2]

The artwork for the album was created by Doherty.^[3]

Track listing

All tracks by Pete Doherty unless otherwise stated.

1. "La Belle et la Bête" (featuring Kate Moss) (Pete Doherty, Rob Chevalley, Peter Wolfe) – 5:05
2. "Fuck Forever" (Doherty, Patrick Walden) – 4:37
3. "À rebours" – 3:23
4. "The 32nd of December" – 3:08
5. "Pipedown" (Doherty, Walden) – 2:35
6. "Sticks and Stones" (Doherty, Wolfe) – 4:51
7. "Killamangiro" – 3:13
8. "8 Dead Boys" – 4:16
9. "In Love with a Feeling" – 2:51
10. "Pentonville" Feat. The General (General Santana) – 3:49
11. "What Katy Did Next" (Doherty, Alan Wass) – 3:07
12. "Albion" – 5:24
13. "Back from the Dead" (Doherty, Wolfe) – 2:52
14. "Loyalty Song" (Doherty, Walden) – 3:32
15. "Up the Morning" – 5:43
16. "Merry Go Round" – 5:22

Personnel

• Peter Doherty – vocals, guitar, artwork
• Patrick Walden – Lead guitar
• Adam Ficek – drums
• Drew McConnell – bass guitar
• Kate Moss – vocals on track 1
• General Santana – vocals on track 10
• Barriemore Barlow – gong on track 6

Technical

• Mick Jones – producer
• Bill Price – mixing, recorded by
• Adam Fuest – recorded by
• Iain Gore – recorded by
• Daniel Parry – assistant engineer
• George Williams – assistant engineer
• Matt Paul – assistant engineer
• Jeff Teader – layout
• Hedi Slimane – photos

Singles

• Killamangiro (11 November), (2004), (Rough Trade) UK #8
• Fuck Forever (15 August), (2005), (Rough Trade) UK #4
• Albion (28 November), (2005), (Rough Trade) UK #8

Chart performance

Chart (2005)	Providers	Peak position
UK Albums Chart^[4]	BPI/The Official Charts Company	10
European Top 100 Albums	align="left"	-	32
French Albums Chart	SNEP/IFOP	72
German Albums Chart	Media Control	46
Irish Albums Chart	IRMA	28
Swedish Albums Chart	GLF	46
Italian Albums Chart^[5]	FIMI	99
Swiss Albums Chart	Media Control	93
Chart (2006)	Providers	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart	Media Control	52

See also

• Babyshambles discography

Notes and References

1. Web site: Doherty Raps with Cellmate . 2007-03-21 . contactmusic.com.
2. Web site: Babyshambles: Down in Albion Aversion.com Review . 2007-03-24 . Schild, Matt . aversion.com . Dropping the punked-up hysteria of The Libertines for a more laid-back sound.
3. Down in Albion . 2005 . . booklet . . RTRADCD290.
4. Web site: Babyshambles – Down in Albion . 2007-06-10 . acharts.us.
5. Web site: Classifichi Artisti – Archivio . 2007-11-05 . . Italian . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120505225906/http://www.fimi.it/classifiche_result_artisti.php?anno=2005&mese=11&id=142 . 5 May 2012 .