Free The Bees is the second album from British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 band The Bees

The Bees (UK band)

The Bees are an English band from Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. Although their sound is generally classified as indie rock or psychedelic rock, the band have a colourful range of styles and influences, such as 1960s garage rock, country, reggae and jazz.-History:The Bees have so far released four...

 in 2004. Their first release for Virgin Records

Virgin Records

Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

, it is also the first album to feature the current sextet that evolved during the tour that promoted debut album Sunshine Hit Me

Sunshine Hit Me

Sunshine Hit Me is the debut album from the British band The Bees. At the time when the album was recorded the band only comprised Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, who wrote, performed and recorded the album alone using a home studio in Butler's parent's garden...

. However, all the members had performed with core duo Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher before the album was produced, whether in other projects or simply in informal jams.

The album was originally planned to be recorded in Butler's shed (the same one where Sunshine Hit Me was produced). However, the band decided to record it at the famous Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...

; Indeed, Free the Bees is a much more slick-sounding and uptempo album than their debut, but the group's diverse range of styles and influences remain intact.

"Chicken Payback" was used in a UK advert for Sure Deodorant For Men during the 2006 World Cup. It is also currently being used in adverts for Age UK.

Track listing

1. "These Are the Ghosts" (The Bees) – 3:08
2. "Wash in the Rain" (The Bees, Julian Batley) – 3:38
3. "No Atmosphere" (The Bees) – 3:48
4. "Horsemen" (The Bees) – 3:27
5. "Chicken Payback" (The Bees) – 3:12
6. "The Russian" (The Bees) – 5:36
7. "I Love You" (The Bees) – 4:35
8. "The Start" (The Bees) – 2:19
9. "Hourglass" (The Bees, Julian Batley) – 4:45
10. "Go Karts" (The Bees) – 3:43
11. "One Glass of Water" (The Bees) – 2:41
12. "This Is the Land" (The Bees) – 3:01

US Version Bonus Tracks

1. "It Isn't Exact" (Demo)
2. "These Are The Ghosts" (Undead Version)

Japanese Version Bonus Track

1. "Nothin" (Live)

Personnel

• Kris Birkin – guitar, vocals
• Paul Butler – lead vocals, guitar, piano, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, mandolin, drums, percussion, producer
• Michael Clevett – drums, percussion, bass, Hammond, vocals
• Warren Hampshire – Hammond, piano, celeste, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals
• Aaron Fletcher – bass, guitar, piano, drums, percussion, vocals
• Tim Parkin – vocals, trumpet, bass, piano, Rhodes, percussion