Down in Albion

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

Down in Albion
Studio album by Babyshambles
Released	14 November 2005 (2005-11-14)
Recorded	2005
Studio	Twin Peaks Studio Metropolis Studios
Genre	Indie rock, garage punk, garage rock
Length	63:49
Label	Rough Trade
Producer	Mick Jones
Babyshambles chronology
Down in Albion (2005) The Blinding EP (2006)
Pete Doherty chronology
The Libertines (2004) Down in Albion (2005) The Blinding EP (2006)
Singles from Down in Albion
"Fuck Forever" Released: 15 August 2005 "Albion" Released: 28 November 2005

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	56/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Blender	[3]
The Guardian	[4]
The Independent	[5]
Mojo	[6]
NME	7/10[7]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[8]
Q	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Spin	B−[11]

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.^[12] The album was seen as a move away from The Libertines' style of music.^[13]

The artwork for the album was created by Doherty.^[14]

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[15]	BPI/The Official Charts Company	10
European Top 100 Albums	-	32
French Albums Chart[15]	SNEP/IFOP	72
German Albums Chart[15]	Media Control	46
Irish Albums Chart[15]	IRMA	28
Swedish Albums Chart[15]	GLF	46
Italian Albums Chart[16]	FIMI	99
Swiss Albums Chart[15]	Media Control	93
Chart (2006)	Providers	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart[15]	Media Control	52

See also

• Babyshambles discography

References

1. "Reviews for Down in Albion by Babyshambles". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
2. Phares, Heather. "Down in Albion – Babyshambles". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
3. Lynskey, Dorian (March 2006). "Babyshambles: Down in Albion". Blender (45): 109. Archived from the original on 26 August 2006. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
4. Lynskey, Dorian (11 November 2005). "Babyshambles, Down in Albion". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
5. Gill, Andy (11 November 2005). "Babyshambles: Down in Albion (Rough Trade)". The Independent.
6. "Babyshambles: Down in Albion". Mojo (146): 119. January 2006.
7. "Babyshambles: Down in Albion". NME: 41. 12 November 2005.
8. Khong, Rachel (10 November 2005). "Babyshambles: Down in Albion". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
9. "Babyshambles: Down in Albion". Q (234): 120. January 2006.
10. Fricke, David (26 January 2006). "Babyshambles: Down in Albion". Rolling Stone. p. 55.
11. "Quick Cuts". Spin. 22 (1): 91. January 2006. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
12. "Doherty Raps with Cellmate". contactmusic.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
13. Schild, Matt. "Babyshambles: Down in Albion Aversion.com Review". aversion.com. Retrieved 24 March 2007. Dropping the punked-up hysteria of The Libertines for a more laid-back sound
14. Down in Albion (booklet). Babyshambles. Rough Trade Records. 2005. RTRADCD290.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. "Babyshambles – Down in Albion". acharts.us. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
16. "Classifichi Artisti – Archivio" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2007.