The Darren Hayes Thread

[Pip Madeley]

Surprising news report:

Pop singer Hayes in race arrest

Former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes has been arrested on suspicion of racially abusing a member of staff at a Thai restaurant, police have said. The pop star, 35, handed himself in to police after an incident at the restaurant in Soho, London, on 22 July.

"He has been released on bail pending further inquiries," a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said. A statement from Hayes' solicitor said the singer was "deeply upset" and "strenuously denies" the allegation.

"Darren is unable to comment to any extent as the incident is presently under investigation by the police, with whom he has co-operated fully," the statement said.

'Totally abhorrent'

"Anyone who knows Darren will recognise that the particular nature of the allegation is totally abhorrent to him and contrary to everything for which he has stood."

Hayes formed Savage Garden with producer Daniel Jones in 1994. They enjoyed nine UK top 20 hits between 1997 and 2000, including Truly, Madly, Deeply, To The Moon And Back and I Knew I Loved You. The Brisbane-born singer released his third solo CD, a double album called This Delicate Thing We've Made, on Monday.

[P-Bal]

The dirty great puff.

[Matthew T]

How odd that this hit the news a month after it happened, just when his new album was released!

[Pip Madeley]

Well, it's a type of publicity.

[P-Bal]

It's on the verge of, on the verge of, something wonderful.

[Simon R]

I just made my finger bleed trying to open Darren's box.

It's true.

[P-Bal]

You're not the first to feel blood on his box.

[Si Hunt]

One of the songs on the new album starts with the awesomely fab lines:

"If I have understood correctly
Velocity equals the distance traveled
Divided by time"

It's like a song AND a physics lesson!

Si.

[Simon R]

And oddly like dialogue from the first TARDIS scene of "Dr Who and The Daleks".

The album sounds a bit Kate Bushy in places what with it's much trumpeted fair light synth and the shot of him on his back in the water in the sleeve is pure "Hounds of Love". There's also a song that sounds like "I Feel Love". Isn't there always?

[Si Hunt]

I fear the obscure and complex lyrics may scupper this. When I think back to songs like "The Lover After Me" and "Hold Me", the lyrics are so easy to relate to and poignant. How can you relate to songs about being like toasters and journeying into your own past and things that don't really make any sense except to the writer. It's the Tori factor. The songs might as well be in a foreign language.

Still, I'm giving it a chance so we'll see.

Si.

[P-Bal]

If it's Tina Arena you get the joy of them actually being in a foreign language.

Damn Ozzie folk!

[Si Hunt]

The album is a grower, and has many good and bad points. If you listen to the songs a few times, there are some naggingly good tracks and the production is pleasingly electro/Kate Bush esque. Darren's voice is as lovely as ever. It's still too long though, and after a while does begin to sound like something a bit cheap dressed up as something quite expensive. A few more proper instruments would have helped. Here's my track by track guide.

CD 1

1. Fear Of Falling Under

Forgettable and unwisely experimental 'Hounds of Love' type opener. Tells you you're in for a long haul. 4/10

2. Who Would Have Thought

Great fast song, sort of sandwiched between two concepty tracks. Worthy. 8/10

3. Waking The Monster

Back to Nth Wave type concept. Not that great.

4. How To Build A Time Machine

It's either brilliant or bad, I can't decide. Decidely overlong. I love the lyrics, and the way he quotes A-Level Physics. And the whole song is quite "deep" 7/10

5. Casey

Lovely ballad, but I thought he was an old shirt lifter? ((c) Jim Davidson). This is clearly about a girl innit? Still nice, except about five minutes in when it finishes... then starts up again. Start and end rips off "Running Up That Hill". 8/10

6. Step Into The Light

The first in a pair of great, catchy electro numbers 8/10

7. Sing To Me

And the second. Lovely piano-led torch ballads in the finest Darren style 8/10

8. Conversation With God

Dark and broody, about Darren taking a late-night car journey with God. Pretentious title, but the song is good. 7/10

9. Sun Is Always Blinding Me

Another good, if not brilliant, tune. 7/10

10. Listen All You People

One of my favourites. Darren loves you all! Even all the gay people and...er... drunks. He's got time for you! So buy his record. ANTHEM! 9/10

11. Only One

Simple ballad, with Darren vocodered to the max. A bit dispensable but still quite touching 6/10

12. Bombs Up In My Face

Experimental track in which Darren's voice is distorted out of all recognition. This needed to be left in his private collection 4/10

13. Great Big Disconnect

Forgettable closer. I need to relisten to this one.

CD 2

1. Future Holds A Lion's Heart

Rather good, again reminscent of Kate Bush. Chorus witters on about Queen Victoria, but it's a storming start to the second disc. 8/10

2. On The Verge Of Something Wonderful

The first single - sums up the album in that it's good but not really brilliant. A grower and future favourite 8/10

3. Neverland

Wonderfully simple backing track to a tortured "child in an adults world" story of chucking toasters in the bath to kill your parents. One of the best tracks. 9/10

4. Walk Away

Not the best ballad on here. 4/10

5. Maybe

Slightly better ballad, but still not up there with "So Beautiful" really. Still, I'm being harsh. This is a good song. 7/10

6. Me Myself And (I)

Like a younger, slightly less memorable brother of "Popu!ar". It's edgy and well produced, if slightly unlovable 7/10

7. Lucky Town

Another favourite. "Nobody said it would be easy now" purrs Darren to this poignant singalong. One of the better songs. 9/10

8. I Just Want You To Love Me

Crap George Michael Ballad with no tune 2/10

9. Setting Sun

Apparently this is the second single, which is worrying. It's an average fast-track with Darren's vocals treated to the max. Short and to the point, but no masterpiece 6/10

10. Hundred Challenging Things A Boy Can Do

Minor highlight, but never really gets going. Lots more like this elsewhere on the album 5/10

11. Words

Quite pleasing (if you're in the right mood) ballad. A possible future grower, and no disgrace 7/10

12. Tuning Of Violins

Suitably epic and meaningless closer 5/10

The album on the whole is full of quite-good songs. That's a good thing. Over my week or so with it, I've found plenty to sing along to. Alas there are also a small hat full of less memorable tunes mixed in and a distinct lack of blockbusting classics. Nothing on here sounds as good or memorable as "Affirmation" which has got to be a bit of a problem. But, hey, it invites you to keep going and I've had hours of listening time out of it. If only he'd cut it down to one disc and concentrated on making the songs left a little bit better. It's a case of a big talent spread very thinly.

Si.

[Simon R]

Are there any decent double albums? Christina's "Back To Basics" would have been much stronger condensed to one 12 track album. Two discs just makes me weary.

[P-Bal]

What a load of ballads!

Paul Ballads.

I still haven't bought this!

[Simon R]

There's an interesting (and probably email conducted) interview with Dame Darren here....http://www.drownedmadonna.com/module...e=darren_hayes

His favourite Mrs Ritchie songs are nice and obscure. Pity about him and Daniel Jones though.

[Si Hunt]

We watched his live DVD on the yestereve. Twas a weird concept involving some kind of restaurant on the stage and a bizarre thing where he tried to matchmake a bloke while singing some songs in between. The between-song banter was such that he did about five songs in the first hour! I enjoyed it though, and only come unstuck during a patch late on when he did a run of 2nd album non-singles. He did "Void" followed by "Darkness" and "Break Me Shake Me" at one point. I literally just stopped being awake.

Si.

[P-Bal]

Darkness was a single!

[P-Bal]

Words is the new single apparently. With a cheapo cheapo arty video.

Smell the "get out a ballad quick!" and "don't spend too much on the video!" turn for the album promo campaign.

[Simon R]

Darren Stanley for the Gayes is on some lost ITV music thing in the wee small hours next week touting his wares...including a version of "Ray of Light". I predict high pitche squealing and wet knick knacks all round. A pity it's the same song that Natasha Bedingfield has just covered, I'll have to wrestle with them both to decide which one to go on my forever planned Mrs Ritchie covers album.

He should have picked something obscure like "X-Static Process" if he loves "American Life" so much and he clearly must...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO9JlCAMeio

That old trick.

[Si Hunt]

"Words" is officially known as "quite good" in this household. A boy who shall be nameless told me that "Me, Myself and (i)" was the next single the other day. Lies you see!

Si.

[P-Bal]

He was thinking of Beyonce.

[Pip Madeley]

You'll be happy to know:

Pop star Darren Hayes has been given a caution by police following his arrest on suspicion of racially abusing a member of staff at a Thai restaurant. The former Savage Garden frontman has admitted a row did take place but denied any racial element.

Scotland Yard confirmed a 35-year-old man had been cautioned under section five of the Public Order Act, which deals with disorderly behaviour. Hayes said "any notion of racism had been ruled out" by the police.

"I could never think, let alone utter a racist remark," he said. "As a gay man, I find the notion of discriminating against a human being because of race, gender or sexuality to be abhorrent. It goes against everything I have stood for." A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police declined to say whether it was still considered a racially-motivated incident.

[Simon R]

"Me, Myself and I" is the bext single and it has an expensive and rather good video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBnihNlc-vI

I have my eye on a red shirt in Next.

[P-Bal]

Is it a double-a-side Daisy K? It smells like Jamiroquai. Hmmm. That is not a good thing.