Description:	CD on Artists Against Success. It's a ROCK OPERA record!!!
	Format:	CD
	Genre(s):	Indie Rock
	Label:	Artists Against Success
	Price:	£10.29
	Availability:	In stock. Dispatched in 1 working day.

5
...according to our Mike on 24 January 2012.

Well, it’s not every day you hear an album like this one!! What MJ Hibbett and his Validators have done this time is to create a 50-minute full-cast rock opera in which the earth is invaded by dinosaurs. It’s very silly and very ambitious, with a Douglas Adams-esque streak of knowing silliness running throughout. The album is split between radio play-style dialogue that reminds me of listening to Radio 4 as a child, and indie pop songs which are leaning towards the twee side of things. Hibbett and co have clearly put a lot of time and effort into this piece and there’s an impressive cast offering their vocal talents including the likes of Chris T-T and Phil Wilson. There’s loads of plot twists (it’d take me the length of this review just to talk you through the narrative - there’s 29 tracks!) and not-so-subtle cultural references and the whole thing is delivered with tongue firmly in cheek. That’s nearly an hour of very British comedy indie pop with dinosaurs and giant robots and a totally enthusiastic and unironic sense of its own ridiculousness. If you like stuff on labels like Fika and WeePOP!, I’m pretty certain you will like this record too.

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Sound clips for Dinosaur Planet by MJ Hibbett & The Validators: on CD at Norman Records UK. CD, Artists Against Success, AAS067, £10.29.

What their label says...

A full cast fully realised science fiction rock opera from the indie legends who brought you 'Hey Hey 16K' and 'The Lesson Of The Smiths'

'Dinosaur Planet' is a ridiculously ambitious full cast science fiction rock opera, the likes of which has not been seen since Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds. Produced entirely independently by legendary cult band MJ Hibbett & The Validators (creators of the world's first viral video, 'Hey Hey 16K' and long term favourites of Steve Lamacq), the cast includes Phil Wilson (June Brides), singer songwriter Chris T-T, BBC One's Claire Gibb and author Bob Fischer, as well as the band themselves and various friends from the indie scene.

Over the course of 50 minutes and 18 songs it tells the story of what happens when the Dinosaurs return from their 65 million year exile, and how they came to leave the planet in the first place. The album cover, and booklet illustrations, are all by world renowned web comic pioneer John Allison, and are also used in the accompanying video for the download single 'Theme From Dinosaur Planet', which will be available online for free. Tour dates are planned from December onwards, with a special gala show featuring the whole cast pencilled in for Spring 2012.

Tracks:

1. Theme From Dinosaur Planet (overture)
2. Norwich Central Police Station
3. Don't, Darren,Don't
4. Theme From Dinosaur Planet
5. The University Of Space
6. A Little Bit
7. The Secret Army
8. Base
9. Here Come The Dinosaurs
10. Just The Place To Start
11. The Theory Of A Dinosaur Planet
12. My Grandad Is Nuts
13. Whither The War Room?
14. The Battle Of Peterborough
15. Grandad's House
16. My Theory Of A Dinosaur Planet
17. Arrival Of The Giant Robots
18. We Are The Giant Robots
19. A Moment Of History
20. Dinosaurs Talk Like Pirates
21. What Is Your Business Here?
22. We Are The Dinosaurs
23. Some Kind Of Relationship
24. Literature Search
25. Teething Trouble
26. Strangely Attractive
27. Our Little Problem  
28. Please Don't Eat Us
29. To Battle!  
30. For The Fate Of The Earth  
31. The Battle Won  
32. ALittle Bit More  
33. The End..?