''The Blinding EP'' is an EP by English

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

Babyshambles Babyshambles were an English rock music, rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) during a hiatus from the Libertines. As of 2013 the band includes Mick Whitnall (lead guitar), Drew McCo ...

. It was the band's first release since signing with major

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

. The EP was released on 4 December 2006 in the United Kingdom to positive critical reviews by that label's offshoot Regal Records (see

2006 in British music This is a summary of 2006 in music in the United Kingdom. Events *18 February – The Rolling Stones give a free concert to two million people in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. *22 February – The one billionth song is downloaded on iTunes; the son ...

) and on 5 December in the United States by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. The EP entered the official

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

at #62 on 11 December 2006, while the title song entered the download chart at #77. A week later, an entry on band's official MySpace blog stated that had a fifth track not been added to make the EP ineligible in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, "The Blinding" would have entered that chart at #4. As with their debut album,

Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie b ...

designed the artwork for the EP.

Track listing

All lyrics written by

, all music written by Babyshambles. #"The Blinding" – 2:59 #"Love You but You're Green" – 4:35 #"I Wish" – 2:47 #"Beg, Steal or Borrow" – 3:07 #"Sedative" – 4:04 NME reported in October 2006 that the band had recorded eleven songs including those on the EP, and the following tracks not featured on the EP: "I Can See from Afar", "Anguish", "Stung Me Like Life".

Music videos

"The Blinding"

The video for "The Blinding" was directed by

Julien Temple Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll ...

. It was filmed in a deserted West London

subway station A metro station or subway station is a station for a rapid transit system, which as a whole is usually called a "metro" or "subway". A station provides a means for passengers to purchase tickets, board trains, and evacuate the system in the ...

underpass A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...

. The video features the band performing the song in the subway station, or alternatively cooped up in a glass box, with black

gaffer tape Gaffer tape (also known as gaffer's tape, gaff tape or gaffa tape as well as spike tape for narrow, colored gaffer tape) is a heavy cotton cloth pressure-sensitive tape with strong adhesive and tensile properties. It is widely used in theatre, p ...

covering their eyes, all interspersed with random bits and bobs; skulls, a deer,

standing up in an open coffin, a creepy mannequin, "Elvis is dead", a chainsaw and a "blinded" Doherty painting on a wall. Renaissance playwright

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...

also makes an appearance. His portrait is stabbed in the eye, as was Christopher Marlowe himself during a bar brawl over the bill—a wound that ended his life. The video culminates in a general mirror and guitar smashing session, including Doherty stabbing a mirror with his own reflection in it. Paul Roundhill and The General make short appearances.

"Love You But You're Green"

The video for "Love You but You're Green," directed by

, features the individual band members playing their instruments, never together but at separate locations.

Adam Ficek Adam Steven Ficek (born 8 March 1974) is an English musician and psychotherapist who performs under the Roses Kings Castles name. He is a songwriter and member of Babyshambles. Ficek joined Babyshambles in 2005 with former The White Sport ban ...

and his drum kit are perched on a

traffic island A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic. It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised curbs or other physical ...

Drew McConnell Drew McConnell (born 10 November 1978 in Dublin, Ireland) is the bass guitarist and backing vocalist with Babyshambles, the band formed and fronted by frontman of the Libertines, Pete Doherty, and for former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher's band ...

is strumming his double bass by a log fire,

Mick Whitnall Mick Whitnall (born 7 November 1968, Doncaster, Yorkshire) is the English lead guitarist for Pete Doherty's rock band Babyshambles, replacing former guitarist Patrick Walden. He lived in South Africa for a time when he was a young boy while his ...

is in a

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

and Pete Doherty is hanging around, singing and strumming, in front of a run-down wooden

shack A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction. Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually ru ...

and later in front of a pile of tyres in what an old car yard. Both this song and "The Blinding" were originally written while Peter was in The Libertines; however, it is unclear whether any of the other band members co-wrote them or not.

Chart performance

References

External links

babyshambles.net
- official band website
babyshamblesofficial
- official band MySpace page {{DEFAULTSORT:Blinding Ep, The 2006 EPs Babyshambles albums