0898

It's hard to credit now, but when 0898 was released, it seemed as though the Beautiful South's commercial peak might have been behind them. Rave had effectively taken over the airwaves, and with critics salivating over all things baggy, Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray's songs were suddenly finding trouble being heard. 0898 failed to spawn any significant hits and yet all the quintessential Beautiful South hallmarks abound: Heaton's spirited defense of the barfly ("Old Red Eyes Is Back," "The Domino Man"); a bilious castigation of burgeoning lad culture; and the royalty-baiting "We'll Deal with You Later." They're often derided for being middle-of-the-road, and inasmuch as 0898 owes more to Bacharach than the Stooges, it's true. But it takes a melodic nous like Dave Rotheray's to usher a worldview like Heaton's into so many homes. How ironic that "We Are Each Other" chooses as its target the kind of partners who lovingly feed each other at restaurants. Heaton and Rotheray are as near as you'll find to a songwriting equivalent. --Peter Paphides