Other important members included Valerie Etienne, who participated in the recording of all their albums, along with other musicians such as Mick Talbot on keyboards, Crispin Taylor on drums, Ernie McKone on bass guitar, Mark Vandergucht on guitar, and Steve Ameedee, otherwise known as Uncle Big Man (dancer). Ski Oakenfull replaced Mick Talbot on keyboards in 1994. The band split in November 1997 after musical differences over the direction of travel, with Crispin Taylor starting a Cliff Richard cover band. The band announced a return in 2023, including a new album and several live gigs.
Career
The group's first single, a reworking of Curtis Mayfield's Freddie's Dead called Frederick Lies Still, was released in June 1988. It was also the first release on the Acid Jazz label. Their second release was on Let the Good Times Roll by The Quiet Boys in 1989. The Quiet Boys was an alias used by acid jazz pioneer Chris Bangs who then went on to produce Galliano.
Galliano's first album release was In Pursuit of the 13th Note in 1991, which was produced by Bangs. Their second album A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator was released in 1992. Galliano achieved the peak of its success in 1994 with The Plot Thickens, which peaked at number eight in the UK Albums Chart. Two UK top 40 singles were released from the album: Long Time Gone (a cover of a David Crosby song from the self-titled first album by Crosby, Stills & Nash) and Twyford Down. The latter was a comment on the road building protests taking place at the time and the protest at Twyford Down in particular, and they were joined onstage by anti-roads protestors to make appeals to the audience. The album was well-received, making the NME's list of top 50 albums of the year. Following its release, Galliano performed on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival in 1994 and returned to play the NME Stage in 1995. Galliano's fourth and final studio album :4 was released in 1996. This included the track, Slack Hands, which was used in the title sequence of Kevin Reynolds' 1997 film, One Eight Seven, starring Samuel L. Jackson. Galliano broke up in 1997. Gallagher together with Etienne formed Two Banks of Four. Gallagher also performs solo using the names Earl Zinger, William Anderson and together with Alex Patchwork as The Diabolical Liberties.
In the spring of 2023, Galliano announced a return, including a new album and a few live gigs in the summer that year. The band played twice at Gilles Peterson's "We Out Here" festival in August 2023, playing covers of Harvest for the World and Uptown Top Ranking alongside their original material.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galliano_(band)
Discography
In Pursuit of the 13th Note (1991)
A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator (1992)
The Plot Thickens (1994)
:4 (1996)
Reviewing The Situation
Galliano Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Joking apart -- hasn't he?
And tho' I'd be the first one to say that I wasn't a saint...
I'm finding it hard to be really as black as they paint...
I'm reviewing the situation
Can a fellow be a villain all his life?
Better settle down and get myself a wife.
And a wife would cook and sew for me,
And come for me, and go for me,
And go for me, and nag at me,
The fingers, she will wag at me.
The money whe will take me.
A misery, she'll make from me...
...I think I'd better thing it out again!
A wife you can keep, anyway
I'd rather sleep, anyway.
Left without anyone in the world,
And I'm starting from now
So "how to win friends and to influence people"
So how?
I'm reviewing the situation,
I must quickly look up ev'ryone I know.
Titled people -- with a station --
Who can help me make a real impressive show!
I will own a suite at Claridges,
And run a fleet of carriages,
And wave at all the duchesses
With friendliness, as much as is
Befitting of my new estate...
"Good morrow to you, magistrate!" Oh gawd!
...I think I'd better think it out again.
So where shall I go -- somebody?
Who do I know? Nobody!
All my dearest companions
Have always been villains and thieves...
So at my time of life
I should start turning over new leaves...?
I'm reviewing the situation.
If you want to eat -- you've got to earn a bob!
Is it such a humiliation
For a robber to perform an honest job?
So a job I'm getting, possibly,
I wonder who my boss'll be?
I wonder if he'll take to me...?
What bonuses he'll make to me...?
I'll start at eight and finish late,
At normal rate, and all.but wait!
...I think I'd better think it out again.
What happens when I'm seventy?
Must come a time... seventy.
When you're old, and it's cold
And who cares if you live or you die,
Your one consolation's the money
You may have put by...
I'm reviewing the situation.
I'm a bad 'un and a bad 'un I shall stay!
You'll be seeing no transformation,
But it's wrong to be a rogue in ev'ry way.
I don't want nobody hurt for me,
Or made to do the dirt for me.
This rotten life is not for me.
It's getting far too hot for me.
There is no in between for me
But who will change the scene for me?
Don't want no one to rob for me.
But who will find a job for me,
...I think I'd better think it out again!
Hey!
The lyrics to Galliano's song "Reviewing The Situation" depict a man who is reflecting on his past actions and contemplating his future. The opening lines question whether a man is all bad and suggests that despite not being a saint, the singer is finding it difficult to see himself as the villain he is portrayed as. He then considers settling down with a wife who will cook, clean, and nag him. However, he quickly realizes that this is not a solution to his problems.
The song continues with the singer considering his lack of friends and respectable contacts as he ponders ways to improve his fortunes. He decides to seek honest work and contemplates how his life will be when he is old. Ultimately, he concludes that he is a "bad 'un" and likely to stay that way, despite his desire not to hurt anyone.
Line by Line Meaning
A man's got a heart, hasn't he?
Every man has a beating heart, right?
Joking apart -- hasn't he?
I'm not joking, he really does, right?
And tho' I'd be the first one to say that I wasn't a saint...
I admit I'm not a saint, far from it actually...
I'm finding it hard to be really as black as they paint...
It's difficult to accept the image they've painted of me as a villain...
I'm reviewing the situation
I'm taking stock of my life and choices
Can a fellow be a villain all his life?
Is it possible to remain a bad guy forever?
All the trials and tribulations!
All the challenges and difficulties I've faced!
Better settle down and get myself a wife.
I should consider settling down with a wife.
And a wife would cook and sew for me, And come for me, and go for me, And go for me, and nag at me, The fingers, she will wag at me. The money whe will take me. A misery, she'll make from me...
A wife would take care of me and support me, but I also know she'd be a source of annoyance and financial strain.
...I think I'd better thing it out again!
I need to rethink this decision.
A wife you can keep, anyway
A wife is someone you can hold onto, at least.
I'd rather sleep, anyway.
But honestly, I'd much rather just sleep and not have to deal with all of this.
Left without anyone in the world, And I'm starting from now
I've been left alone with nothing, and I need to start from scratch.
So 'how to win friends and to influence people' So how?
I need to find a way to connect with people and make a good impression on them.
I'm reviewing the situation, I must quickly look up ev'ryone I know.
So I'm reassessing my social network and seeing who can help me out.
Titled people -- with a station -- Who can help me make a real impressive show!
I need to find people with titles and social power to help me make a good impression.
I will own a suite at Claridges, And run a fleet of carriages, And wave at all the duchesses With friendliness, as much as is Befitting of my new estate... 'Good morrow to you, magistrate!' Oh gawd!
I dream of having a fancy place and impressive things to flaunt in front of high society, but I'm not sure if I'm up for the extra responsibilities and scrutiny.
...I think I'd better think it out again.
Once again, I need to rethink my approach.
So where shall I go -- somebody? Who do I know? Nobody!
I don't even know where to start or who to turn to for help.
All my dearest companions Have always been villains and thieves... So at my time of life I should start turning over new leaves...?
My closest friends were always trouble, so maybe it's time to turn my life around.
If you want to eat -- you've got to earn a bob!
If you want to survive, you need to make money somehow.
Is it such a humiliation For a robber to perform an honest job?
Would it really be so bad if I turned to an honest job instead of illegal activity?
I'm a bad 'un and a bad 'un I shall stay! You'll be seeing no transformation, But it's wrong to be a rogue in ev'ry way.
I know I've been bad and will probably continue to be bad, but I also know it's not morally right to be a criminal.
I don't want nobody hurt for me, Or made to do the dirt for me. This rotten life is not for me. It's getting far too hot for me. There is no in between for me But who will change the scene for me? Don't want no one to rob for me. But who will find a job for me,
I don't want anyone to get hurt or do illegal things for me. This life isn't for me anymore, and it's becoming too dangerous. I'm stuck between two extremes and don't know who will help me change my situation.
...I think I'd better think it out again!
So once more, I need to rethink everything.
Hey!
A final exclamatory note to end the song.
Writer(s): Robert Bernard Gallagher, Rob Gallagher, Crispin Luke Robinson Copyright: Galliano Music, The Fourmula Group LLC
Contributed by Matthew R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
iandear
Awesome band, awesome song.
Byron Conrad
@Kade Declan yea, I've been watching on instaflixxer for since november myself :)
Camden Mayson
@Kade Declan yup, I've been watching on InstaFlixxer for years myself =)
Kade Declan
You prolly dont give a shit but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times you can stream pretty much all the latest movies and series on instaflixxer. I've been streaming with my gf for the last couple of days =)
zepekeno93
the best