FEATURE:
Second Spin
The Coral – Magic and Medicine
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WHEN I think about albums that have been…
harshly overlooked, The Coral’s Magic and Medicine instantly springs to mind! The Coral are a rock band who formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. They shot to prominence with their stunning eponymous album of 2002. That album was nominated for a Mercury Prize, and it spawned the massive single, Dreaming of You. The album is terrific and, with tracks like Shadows Fall, Spanish Main, and Skeleton Key, there is the right amount of eccentricity and romance! I think the reason that album hit people so hard is because it was so unusual and energetic. There is a weirdness and quirkiness that makes the song shine, but it is an easy album to love and understand. It is a fun album, stuffed with great moments and memorable songs. I think people were expecting a follow-up that was very much like the debut: another romp that was full of charm and infused the same sort of sounds together. Rather than copy their debut album, The Coral released Magic and Medicine in 2003. The album is more mature than the debut, and the sound is quite different. One can find ample oddness, but there is nothing quite as urgent and singalong as Dreaming of You, nor lovingly-bizarre as Skeleton Key. Despite the fact that some were not keen of the shift between The Coral, and Magic and Medicine, the album did get to number-one, and it earned them their first top-ten hits in Don’t Think You’re the First, and Pass It On.
I would encourage people to buy the album as Magic and Medicine sounds unlike anything that came out in 2003 – in a year that saw The White Stripes’ Elephant, OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, Blur’s Think Tank, and Dizzie Rascal’s Boy in da Corner unleashed into the world. Maybe there were people comparing Magic and Medicine to what else was out, and those who wanted the same as what they experienced on the band’s debut. To be fair, it is more the critical lack of love that bugs me rather than a lack of faith from fans. I think Magic and Medicine is one of these albums whose good sales and popularity was not matched by great reviews. There are a few better reviews but, for the most part, the album picked up three-star reviews and the feeling that, whilst there are some good moments to be found, it is a disappointing follow-up to The Coral; the band’s masterpiece, it seems, is not to be found here! The vibe is a little moodier and darker on Magic and Medicine, but the songcraft and writing is exceptional throughout. Don’t Think You’re the First, Secret Kiss, Bill McCai, and Pass It On are all natural standouts, whilst Talkin' Gypsy Market Blues, Eskimo Lament, and Confessions of A.D.D.D. are terrific! Whilst there are a couple of filler tracks on Magic and Medicine - Milkwood Blues, and All of Our Love are inessential – the same can be said of The Coral – I think, in fact, there are more weak moments on that album compared with Magic and Medicine.
I do feel that it is harsh that so many people who reviewed Magic and Medicine in 2003 had hopes that The Coral would produce something similar to their debut and, when that was not really the case, they were a bit let down. There have been a few retrospective reviews that have been kinder, but this Pitchfork review from 2004 is one of the contemporary reviews that was a little muted:
“It seems the jury is still out on The Coral. Though their self-titled debut was a schizophonic monster of noise, blues and Beatle-delic pop, effects peddles and stoner rock, it was lacking in substance and cohesion, and sounded more like a gang of kids on a school trip discovering what they could do in a recording studio than a creative tour-de-force. Furthermore, its songs were not the white-knuckle, feedback-fuelled stomps they were hyped as, but merely stitched-together fragments of ideas, upon which frontman James Skelly sketched some rough melodic framework. Still, where that album disappointed in its application, it at least astounded with its audacity. On Magic & Medicine, the band's frenetic freakout leanings have been stripped away in favor of a more humble approach, placing subtlety and songwriting above the sounds being produced. It all sounds far less interesting”.
As an aside, I would also urge people to check out 2004’s Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker, as it is a great mini-album and boasts some fab songs. Maybe The Coral were trying to move on from the sound and tone of their debut too quickly, but I would not have seen the benefit of them repeating that debut.
Despite quite a few slightly negative or average reviews from Magic and Medicine, there are a few positives ones that are a bit fairer towards the album. This is what AllMusic wrote in their review:
“Mixing equal bits Merseybeat melody, ragged Nuggets energy, and pure rock nostalgia, the Coral create one of the 21st century's finest odes to 1960s and 1970s garage rock. Not since The La's has a band more convincingly aped an era, and like that album, there's not a cringe-worthy moment in sight. If the lads were accused of being too bombastic and experimental on their debut, here they rein in their influences and just stick with the program of creating rocking tunes. The songwriting, playing, and production are so subtle, one almost imagines that these 12 songs are lost sonic treats from the Animals, Love, or some forgotten band of psych-pop dreamers. While a number of the songs stick out as highlights, particularly the catchy U.K. singles "Don't Think You're the First" and "Pass It On," a majority of the songs work as growers. While the band has abandoned the rousing loony attitude of its debut, and filtered out any ska influence, jazz, blues, and Spanish guitar motifs keep things varied.
Beyond the singles, every track works its own fine magic, but the spooky, chugging "Bill McCai" and the atmospheric ballad "Careless Hands" are particularly noteworthy. The album loses its bearings somewhat after "Pass It On," not because the final two songs are weak, but because they stray from the even tone of the previous ten songs. Remarkably authentic in recovering the vibes of early British rock, Magic and Medicine is a mature, solid throwback. Whether or not the Coral travel these same musical avenues in the future, for now they've definitely created an album that's a world unto itself, and one that's well worth repeat visits”.
I feel the departure from the slightly unhinged flavour of the debut was a brave mood, but I think Magic and Medicine is a more rewarding and accessible listen than The Coral, but it is also an album that possesses a lot of variation and incredible sounds. I have a lot of affection for Magic and Medicine, as it was released when I was at university, and I was already aware of The Coral. I bought Magic and Medicine, and I instantly bonded with the songs and would play the album over and over! It still sounds awesome today, and The Coral have since gone on to release seven more albums – their last, Move Through the Dawn, was released in 2018. I would prompt people to listen to Magic and Medicine again (or for the first time), as it was unfairly reviewed in 2003 and it is, in my opinion, an album…
WORTH spending some time with.