Up The Bracket arrived like a raging bull in a tired post-Britpop china shop and introduced the world to The Libertines, a new gang of London bohemians, whose ragged tunes, red military tunics, opiated poetry and ‘live now pay never’ lifestyle came to define the millennial angst of the early noughties. At the heart of the band is the blood bond bromance between the ramshackle Music Hall Jagger/Richards, Peter Doherty and Carl Barat, ably assisted by the rock solid rhythm twins John Hassall and Gary Powell. Any bookie worth his salt would have given you short odds on this quartet surviving more than a month or two, given the teetering on the brink lifestyle they chose to lead, but here we are two decades later and our Byronic heroes, though older and wiser, are still fighting the good fight and making music every bit as vital as their debut. The belief, talent and fervour that Doherty spoke of in their earliest manifesto has stood them in good stead.
Up The Bracket, justly considered one of the greatest albums of the noughties, was originally released on October 21st 2002 by Rough Trade Records. The album, a heady stew of indie rock, skiffle, blues, dub and English bucolic pop, was a huge shot in the arm to a largely redundant music scene and helped to inspire the rebirth of guitar music, going on to influence countless artists who followed in its wake.
Up The Bracket, which was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, takes you on a wondrously poetic journey into the band’s mythical world and their fevered dreams of Albion, a land of squalid glamour, liberty, equality, fraternity, gin palaces and chip shops. Quite simply Pete, Carl, Gary and John created a hugely compelling timeless British rock'n'roll classic debut as relevant now as it was upon its release.
• Vinyl 1 ‘Up The Bracket’ Remastered 2022 (Black Vinyl)
1. Vertigo
2. Death On The Stairs
3. Horrorshow
4. Time For Heroes
5. Boys In The Band
6. Radio America
7. Up The Bracket
8. Tell The King
9. The Boy Looked At Johnny
10. Begging
11. The Good Old Days
12. I Get Along
• Vinyl 2 - ‘100 Club Live 4/10/02’ (White Vinyl)
1. Horrorshow
2. Vertigo
3. The Delaney
4. What A Waster
5. Begging
6. Time For Heroes
7. Death On The Stairs
8. Boys In The Band
9. I Get Along
• Vinyl 3 - ‘Unheard Demos 2002’
1. Vertigo (Demo)
2. The Boy Looked At Johnny (Demo)
3. Death On The Stairs
4. All At Sea (Demo)
5. Wolfman (Demo)
6. Horror Show
7. Plan A (Demo)
• 7” Vinyl - Up The Bracket (Blue Vinyl)
A. ‘Up The Bracket’ AA. ‘Boys In The Band’
• 7” Vinyl - Time For Heroes (Red Vinyl)
A. ‘Time For Heroes’ B. ‘The 7 Deadly Sins (demo)’
• CD 1 – Album Studio Outtakes
1. Up The Bracket – Take 4
2. Vertigo – Take 2
3. The Ha Ha Wall – Take 1
4. Horror Show – Take 3
5. Bangkok – Take 1
6. Time For Heroes – Take 3
7. Begging – Take 1
8. What A Waster – Take 1
9. Breck Road Lover – Take 1
10. Never Never – Take 2
11. Tell The King – Take 1
12. The Domestic – Take 1
13. Don’t Talk To Me - Take 1
14. The Wolfman – Take 2
15. Radio America – Take 2
16. The Good Old Days – Take 1
17. The 7 Deadly Sins – Take 3
18. Sweets – Take 4
19. Mocking Bird – Take 6
20. Boys In The Band – Take 1
21. Skag & Bone Man – Take 2
• CD 2 – Demos/Radio Sessions/B-Sides/Live etc -
1. Vertigo – Demo
2. The Boy Looked At Johnny - Demo
3. Death On The Stairs - Demo
4. Horror Show - Demo
5. All At Sea (Misty) - Demo
6. Wolfman - Demo
7. Plan A – Demo
8. Up The Bracket – Evening Session
9. Boys In The Band – Evening Session
10. Time For Heroes – Evening Session
11. I Get Along/Mayday – Evening Session
12. Jo Whiley – Christmas Live Lounge
13. Skag & Bone Man – Up The Bracket B-Side
14. The Delaney - Up The Bracket B-Side
15. Plan A - Up The Bracket B-Side
16. General Smuts (Demo) – Time For Heroes B-Side
17. Bangkok (Demo) – Time For Heroes – B-Side
18. Mr. Finnegan (Demo) – Time For Heroes B-Side
19. Sally Brown (Demo) – Time For Heroes B-Side
20. The 7 Deadly Sins (Demo) – Time For Heroes B-Side
21. Up The Bracket – Live at The ICA – 3/6/02
22. Mayday – Live at Nottingham Rock City – 30/10/02
23. Begging - Live at Divan Du Monde, paris – 7/11/02
24. The Boy Looked At Johnny – Live at Divan Du Monde, Paris – 7/11/02
25. Death On The Stairs – Alt Guitar Version
• DVD
HD Videos of Up The Bracket, Time For Heroes and I Get Along. Later with Jools Holland 2002 - Up The Bracket & Time For Heroes. Top Of The Pops 2003 - Time For Heroes and exclusive bonus footage.
Exclusive Extras.
• Cassette – Early Demos
1. I Get Along – 12/01 – Nomis Demo
2. Time For Heroes – 12/01 – Nomis Demo
3. Never Never – 12/01 – Nomis Demo
4. Horror Show – 12/01 – Nomis Demo
5. Boys In The Band – 12/01 – Nomis Demo
6. Up The Bracket – 01/02 – Nomis Demo
7. Begging - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
8. What A Waster - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
9. Skint & minted - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
10. General Smuts - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
11. Bangkok - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
12. Mayday - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
13. Mr Finnegan - 01/02 – Nomis Demo
14. Tell The King – 25/1/02 - Demo
15. Death On The Stairs – 25/1/02 – Demo
16. Time For Heroes – 1/3/02 - Demo
17. I Get Along – 1/3/02 - Demo
18. Horror Show – 1/3/02 – Demo
19. Boys In The Band – 1/3/02 - Demo
20. General Smuts – 1/3/02 – Demo
