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Artist Biography by AllMusic
The fey acoustic sound favoured by Ben Parker (b.
Surrey, England) and Jason Hazeley (b. Essex, England) drew inevitable
comparisons to the work of legendary English singer-songwriter, Nick
Drake. Hazeley and Parker met while both were working for the same sheet
music company. They soon bonded through their mutual love of Drake’s
music and their distaste for the day job, but it was several years
before the duo began writing songs together. They recorded several
tracks during a free recording session at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios,
leading to a contract with Go! Beat Records. The duo’s eight-track
mini-album Hello was released to great acclaim in early 1999. The
opening track, ‘Joe’s Ark’, featured a string arrangement by former
Drake collaborator Robert Kirby. Hazeley and Parker had traced Kirby,
who had long ago retired from the music scene, to persuade him to
arrange their track. In a busy year, the duo finished preparations on
their debut album while pursuing a lucrative sideline writing songs for
EastEnders actress turned pop singer, Martine McCutcheon. Emoticons was
another impressive collection of elegantly crafted folk pop. The innate
strength of songs such as ‘What I Meant To Say’ and ‘Air Guitar’ enabled
the album to rise above the inevitable Drake comparisons, although this
time around critics also noted similarities to Radiohead and Jeff
Buckley. In September, Parker and Hazeley appeared at The Tribute To
Nick Drake concert at London’s Barbican Centre.
Critically fêted but commercially undervalued, Ben And Jason completed a second album for Go! Beat that failed to match the excellence of their previous recordings. The duo elected to call it a day after being dropped by their record label. Goodbye was belatedly released by Setanta Records.
Critically fêted but commercially undervalued, Ben And Jason completed a second album for Go! Beat that failed to match the excellence of their previous recordings. The duo elected to call it a day after being dropped by their record label. Goodbye was belatedly released by Setanta Records.
Tracklist
| 1 | Widow's Walk | 4:10 |
| 2 | Air Guitar | 3:30 |
| 3 | Smiling Shy | 4:17 |
| 4 | Cartoon Heart | 4:16 |
| 5 | Say Come | 4:08 |
| 6 | What I Meant To Say | 2:58 |
| 7 | Emoticons | 4:26 |
| 8 | Trapped Behind The Glass | 4:38 |
| 9 | Halfway Up A Tree | 3:36 |
| 10 | Romeo And Juliet Are Drowning | 5:18 |
| 11 | Dear Sally | 4:02 |
| 12 | I'll Always Want You | 4:29 |
| 13 | Play For Today | 3:40 |
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