The Alphabetchadupa - Betchadupa (2002)

 


The Alphabetchadupa was Betchadupa's first full-length album, released in 2002. 

Betchadupa was a post-grunge pop/punk Kiwi band fronted by guitarist/singer Liam Finn, Neil Finn's firstborn son. At the time of the album's release, he was still 18 years old and he is also the producer of the album.

The Alphabetchadupa has a lot of LOUD punk songs built on jagged, odd, challenging riffs, juxtoposed with some rather folkish pop songs.  It's a very Both sides really represent Liam Finn, but only one side is really to my taste. When Liam rights a ballad, it's nearly always really nice, but these noisy explosive punk songs -- while impressive in a way -- these guys could play and they make no nods to commerciality either -- are just annoying. Also the album is just too long. 

Cutting the two or three songs I like the least makes a superior playlist that I might listen to sometimes. In my opinion, Liam really needs a good producer: left to his own devices, he gets too self-indulgent: too much noise rock, too many songs. Betchadupa's second album Aiming For Your Head, is much, much, much better than this. 

2.6/5

Here's "Supa Day", which was the lead off single for the album and one of the songs I like all right, and it gives you a good idea of Betchadupa's style.



Coming Up:

A.M. Wilco

A.T.O.M. - Carbon Silicon

ABBA - ABBA 

ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits

Abbey Road - The Beatles

Achtung, Baby! U2

Actually - Pet Shop Boys

Adult/Child- The Beach Boys

Aerosmith's Greatest Hits

After The Gold Rush - Neil Young

Afterglow - Crowded House

Aftermath (UK Version) - The Rolling Stones

Against The Odds: 1974-1982 Blondie (three disc version)

Aimee Mann Live at St. Ann's Warehouse

Aiming For Your Head - Betchadupa

The Album -- ABBA

The Album That Never Was - The Kinks

All Four One - The Motels

All Over the Place - The Bangles

All Summer Long -- The Beach Boys

All the Great Hits -- Diana Ross

All Things Must Pass -- George Harrison

All This Useless Beauty -- Elvis Costello & the Attractions

All-Time Greatest Hits - Neil Diamond

Alluvium -- Eddie Rayner

Almost Blue -- Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Almost Summer - Celebration

Alpha Mike Foxtrot -- Wilco*

The Alphabetchadupa - Betchadupa

Altitude - ALT

American Idiot Green Day*

American Prayer -- The Doors

Amnesiac Radiohead*

And I Feel Fine...The Best of the IRS years (1982-1987) - R.E.M.

Animals - Pink Floyd

Anodyne - Uncle Tupelo

Another Life - Another Life

Another Music in Another Kitchen: The Buzzcocks

Another Side of Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

Anthology: Diana Ross & The Supremes

Anthology: Smokey Robinson & The Beatles

Anthology 1: The Beatles

Anthology 2: The Beatles

Anthology 3 The Beatles

Anthology: North South, East West - Tim Finn

Apple Venus: Volume One -- XTC

Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants

The ArchAndroid: Janelle Monae

Are the Village Green Preservation Society -- The Kinks

Are Well-Respected Men - The Kinks

Armed Forces -Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Around the World in a Day - Prince

Arthur (or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - The Kinks

At My Piano - Brian Wilson

Autoamerican - Blondie

Automatic for the People - R.E.M.



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