The Bees – Free The Bees


The Bees started out as a duo recording songs in a homemade studio in a shed on the Isle Of Wight. This is how their 2001 debut Sunshine Hit Me emerged but for this, the follow up they morphed into a full band and recorded at Abbey Road in the same

studio as The Beatles. The choice of studio was probably deliberate as the spirit of the 1960s pervades the entire album. Chicken Payback sounds like something that Rufus Thomas would have recorded if early Pink Floyd had ever coaxed him into a studio. Opener These Are The Ghosts is a highlight; beginning with Beach Boys like harmony singing and then bursting into life with some psychedelic drums and guitar. The Bees might sound like a sort of 1960s cover band but they have a sound all of their own and they use their influences to create a strongly original album. From start to finish this album chugs along like the soundtrack to the best 1960s party film ever. Only the wistfully I Love You gives some respite as it soothes with its harmonised chorus and nice little horn section. It’s also probably the only song with decent lyrics but to be honest the lack of those on the rest of the songs doesn’t really detract from how enjoyable and fun this album is. One Glass Of Water highlights this brilliantly, nonsensical lyrics but utterly infectious…10/10