Tuesday 3 April 2012

Kaiser Chiefs 'Ruby'

Chart Peak: 1 (1 week)

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The lads from Leeds are back on top form with their stomping hit 'Ruby', which raced to the top of the charts at the end of February 2007 giving them their first ever No.1 single... Their album Yours Truly, Angry Mob hit the No.1 spot a week later.

And fittingly enough, here's the very song that finally ended Mika's spell at the top after a fortnight in the runner-up position; this one did have to wait for the release of CD and coloured 7" formats to claim its peak position. It is of course the big comeback single after the huge success of the Employment album and its four major hit singles changed the band who were once not-even-also-rans Parva into major pop stars during the Britpop revival of 2005. One advantage of a slow climb up the tree is of course the opportunity to hone your craft, and the Kaisers certainly arrived as a full package and knew how to please a crowd.
When it came to working the magic again though, the success is only qualified. 'Ruby' is a catchy song that radio loves and obviously did the business in the short term; it also seems likely to have been a contributory factor to the much larger number of girls who've been called Ruby in the last few years. And yet there's something slightly forced about it that rings hollow and means this doesn't offer the pure pop joy of their earlier work. I know I never felt the urge to buy the single or album, and I probably wasn't alone, global sales of the second album reportedly falling short of UK sales of the first.

Also appearing on: Now 61, 62, 63, 71
Available on: Yours Truly, Angry Mob

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