Ocean Colour Scene were never a Britpop band, but were a group who found their way through the door thanks to the thriving climate for British guitar acts during the mid 90's. After an unsuccessful stab at following in the footsteps of the Stone Roses in the early 90's, they were saved by persistence and good luck and being in the right place at the right time. Britpop gave the legendary Paul Weller a new lease of life in the mid 90's, and by this point half of OCS were playing in his band. Thanks to a classic album in 1996's 'Moseley Shoals', they became a favourite of Noel Gallagher, who was pretty much looked upon as God at the time. Add to this the man of the moment Chris Evans soundtracking all his TV shows with their music, and it's undeniable that Ocean Colour Scene were part of Britpop's wider picture. And because they also didn't fit in with the genre, they weren't immediately affected by its decline in 1997.
'Marchin' Already' came shortly after their previous hit album, and picked up where it left off. Combining mod rock, RnB and Northern soul with slight touches of psychedelica and folk, it was certainly more diverse than the straight forward indie hits of the time. Despite music journalists and hipsters giving acclaim to many other bands who were influenced by the past, their knives were out when 'Marchin' Already' was released. Luckily the public ignored them and the album went straight to number one, temporarily displacing 'Be Here Now' as the big album of the time. As their third full length is reissued as a deluxe edition nearly 17 years on, it's still hard to believe that so many critics insist in disliking a band responsible for such brilliantly written and well delivered songs like these. They may not have been pushing sonic boundaries or trying to invent the music of the future, but many of these songs are just as essential as the classics that influenced these four top class musicians. Brendan Lynch's raw production that toughens up their sound, lending it a timeless quality, while the Birmingham four piece are all at the very top of their game.
It kicks off with the road-hitting rock anthem 'Hundred Mile High City', an urgent burst of resonance and excitement that finds the excellent Oscar Harrison beating out adrenaline-fuelled rhythms while Steve Cradock tears into hard rock riffage and thrilling, wild solos. It's very much OCS at full throttle, food on the pedal, throwing the listener into the action as the high pitched blast of a whistle being blown before the solo tops off the chaos. Boring? Dull? What are you talking about, critics? Their songwriting abilities are highlighted by the wondrously arranged melancholic singalong 'Better Day', which emotionally captures the feeling of good times coming to an end and looking forward to a happier future that somehow seems slightly out of reach. The irresistible 'Traveller's Tune' is full of joy, uplifted further by soul legend P.P Arnold's backing vocal. A terrific song almost impossible not to move to, it brings classic Northern Soul vibes into the 90's, giving freshness and vitality to what could have turned out merely retro. The superb 'Big Star' is built on excellent percussive rhythms, effectively arranged chords and tidy, brooding bass, shining a light on the band's darker, moodier side and delivering one of the band's most underrated moments. Following it, the beaming smile that is 'Debris Road' pairs some gorgeous dusky instrumentation with an infectiously sunny chorus, while the sleepily delicate acoustic tranquility of the lazed, understated beauty 'Besides Yourself' is a blissful moment of calm before the awesome 'Get Blown Away' wades slowly and menacingly through the storm of blistering guitar effects which zap across the song's intro. Then come the authoritive piano notes and Simon Fowler's exquisite vocal, flowing into masterfully written verses that offer several killer hooks, all together a perfect package.
It makes the following 'Tele He's Not Talking' sound even weaker when it limps in uninterestingly. I didn't think it was good enough for the album 17 years ago, and I still don't. Maybe overconfidence in the song on their part was to blame, but surely the record didn't have to be 13 tracks long. In this case, less would be more. The critics who dismissed them as bland, unoriginal and tired are wrong... Unless they're only talking about this one track. Luckily the slump doesn't last long, as the goods are delivered on the jaunty, minimally arranged acoustic singalong 'Foxy's Folk Faced', which features a glorious chord sequence at the end of the bridge. The full on Northern Soul stomp of 'All Up' sounds like it could have come directly from the soundtrack of some 60's thriller, alive with dramatic piano chords, a beefy, pounding rhythm and more sensational guitar work from Cradock as he lets loose on his fretboard.
'Spark And Cindy''s swinging bassline is by far the most interesting thing about the second of the album's unconvincing blips, a boring filler that that pales compared to the tracks that surround it. A touch of humour can be found in the lyrics of the slightly unusual 'Half A Dream Away', a superb helping of easy going old-time ska and a track that demonstrates their ability to adapt to different musical settings, while always bringing something of their own to the mixture. The 26 seconds of sparkling acoustic guitar that leads into the following track is for me the most magical moment of the band's entire career, providing a stunning bridge into 'It's A Beautiful Thing'. Duetting with P.P Arnold, Fowler's voice gives every word sincerity and again it shows the strength in their songwriting, delighting further when it slips into an extended, psychedelic soul jam until the end. A glorious climax to a wonderful and underrated album, a classic of the times if it was short of the two duff tracks. Just skip them and everything is perfect here. Clearly on something of a roll, the brilliance wasn't just confined to the albums either. After a compilation of B sides from the previous album's singles went gold in a few days, it was apparent that the extra tracks on the single releases were also important. It's clear that two incredible songs like the warm, charming 'The Face Smiles Back Easily' and the haunting 'Hello Monday' are easily good enough to feature on an album, so one can only presume that the band wanted to save some of the best songs for B sides. Since they were scoring plenty of hit singles at the time, it's understandable.
After 'Falling To The Floor' (a sonically brilliant instrumental remix of 'Hundred Mile High City'), the group return to more mellow territory on the sweet 'The Face Smiles Back Easily', while 'Monday Morning' delivers one of the finest moments in the OCS catalogue. A stripped down acoustic number powered by a stark sombre tone, a spine tingling vocal from Fowler lights up a spellbinding, haunting melody and the yearning emotional power is truly astounding. The mood is a lot lighter on 'Song For The Front Row' as soul colours are put to a bright country-tinged backdrop, before an enjoyable cover of Neil Young's 'On The Way Home' finds Fowler's voice soaring. The sumptuous, laid back instrumental 'All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes' exudes classy elegance and is topped with beautiful acoustic lead guitar, while the calming 'Best Bet On Chinaski' is a simple singalong that could be 'Better Day''s sequel. The sensual tranquility of 'On And On' glows with hushed moods and sparse instrumentation, preceding the stunning 'Mariner's Way', another highlight that should have made the album. A graceful, humble ballad that flows with a quietly majestic charm, it's up there with their finest songs. The sound of a band at their peak. The weeping guitars and resigned characteristics on the doleful 'Going Nowhere For A While' point towards the more downbeat feel of their next album, 1999's rather sorrowful 'One For The Modern', and in contrast the cheery, slightly Primal Scream-esque 'Expensive Chair' has a chorus that's pure 1966, while the rhythm section seem to reprise the group's early baggy-flavoured direction.
After the satisfying collection of B sides, we get a fine cover of The Small Faces classic 'Song Of A Baker' which shows that while many have accused them of being derivative, you can always tell the OCS songs apart from the cover versions, even if you've never heard the originals. Three acoustic tracks recorded for an XFM session follow, along with four great live tracks that they played for Mary Anne Hobbs in June 1997, before the second disc is completed by four rather interesting demos that sound like they were recorded during the band's early days. In addition to the 2CD edition, hardcore fans and collectors can purchase a four disc boxset edition of the album which comes with various bits of memorabilia, a special book, a CD featuring a disappointing, slightly half-arsed live set from Manchester Apollo recorded in February 1998, and a DVD containing the band's huge Stirling Castle gig from the same year. A superb number one hit album from an incredible band that gets overlooked way too often, even the b sides contain a touch of magic. If you've never set ears on 'Marchin' Already' then it's time to bring 17 years of ignorance to an end. 8.7/10 Deluxe edition - 8.8/10 4 CD box - 6.5/10
When Birmingham mod-rock revivalists Ocean Colour Scene arrived into the charts in 1996, a lot of people were unaware that this band had actually been trying their luck for some time before the Britpop phenomenon opened up the doors for lots of great guitar bands. In fact they released their first album in 1992, four years before 'Moseley Shoals' saved them from obscurity. Now in 2014, the self titled 'Ocean Colour Scene' is getting the remastered deluxe edition treatment, and is released as a two CD set. Out of all the OCS albums, it's an odd one to re-release when you consider it originally peaked at number 55 in the charts and was subsequently disowned by the band. However, it's also the one that people are perhaps the least familiar with, and this re-release may create chances for new listeners to discover it for the first time. They formed in 1989 after Steve Cradock, Oscar Harrison and Damon Minchella met vocalist Simon Fowler at a Stone Roses gig. After the band released their 1990 debut single 'Sway' on the small independent Pfffft Records, the whole label was bought by Fontana, just so the company could get hold of this hotly tipped band who were earning plenty of attention from the music press with their exciting live performances. After attempting to record their first album with the legendary Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller, it has been said by some that the band "drank away the hours", while others claim that Miller's own alcohol problems were responsible for a disappointing set of recordings. After working with Steve Osbourne, and another attempt at getting it right with Hugo Nicholson, the results were delivered to their label. Fontana were unsatisfied, and sent the group back to the studio to re-record a number of tracks with Tim Palmer, who also remixed the entire record. The result is a confused, uneven and compromised thing that doesn't gel together as an album. It's the sound of a band trying to find their own direction within the early 90's baggy scene, which had faded by the time the record eventually saw the light of day in 1992.
The opening 'Talk On''s instrumental first minute precedes soft New Order bass and light shoegaze vibes on one of the best tracks here, while the bright 'How About You' combines shades of The Byrds and The Stone Roses on a pleasant but lightweight number. The rhythms of 'Giving It All Away' suggest Happy Mondays while hints of psychedelica twist around the sunny, relaxed melody. The tender acoustic 'Justine' is heavily reminiscent of the band's later work and with its classy yet subtle strings, provides a touching highlight, while the slightly dated 'Do Yourself A Favour' turns an old Stevie Wonder tune into something not unlike The Charlatans minus the trademark organ. Despite some more alluring 6 string action from Steve Cradock, 'Third Shade Of Green''s tranquil mood is soon ruined by over the top production as the band attempt to stretch a small idea into an epic without much success. The vibrant bustle of 'Sway''s infectious indie-dance beats and tasty wah-wah licks combine with a simple, effective chorus hook to deliver the album's finest moment, a brilliant song which has "even better to come" written all over it. The tropical-flavoured 'Penny Pinching Rainy Days' is an enjoyable bit of Kinks-esque songwriting let down by some unsuitable production, while the influence of John Squire on Cradock's guitar playing is most evident on the charming 'One Of Those Days', a song with a very typical early 90's baggy/shoegaze sound. Beginning as a tearful lament to lost love, the initially downbeat 'Is She Coming Home' grows into a magnificent 'Champagne Supernova'-esque epic that climaxes with wailing guitars and fades on the same sort of delicate note that Noel Gallagher's classic did three years later. It would have made sense for it to close the album, instead we get 'Deep Blue Ocean', which is like a calmer, psychedelic relative of 'One Of These Days', and then the brief 'Reprise'.
Because of too many people sticking their noses in, it's fair to say that nobody was completely satisfied with the end result but years later, a growing number of the group's fans began to regard the album as a flawed but underrated work. However when it was released in 1992, baggy had faded, they'd arrived late and it seemed that their time had passed. Luckily for OCS, it was all just a small prelude to the big success they would eventually enjoy a few years later. The second disc begins with the original unreleased single version of 'One Of Those Days', which seems to have been mastered from a slightly worn tape or vinyl copy. Despite this, it's probably superior to the album version since it features a brilliant extended solo from Cradock where he dives even deeper into Squire territory as Oscar Harrison delivers some fine rhythms. As well as a slightly different 'Talk On', there's the original (and again, better) 'Sway' which has a bit more groove to it. The brief, hazy slumber of b side 'Lullaby' pushes Fowler's vocals into the background before glorious reverb takes the sparse instrumentation to odd, beautiful places... It's an interesting glimpse into the direction OCS could have taken had things turned out differently. 'One Of These Days' is a funkified, mostly instrumental remix of 'One Of Those Days', and 'Yesterday Today' is a blunt and fairly unimaginative number done in the style of 'Elephant Stone'. It's derivative and basic, yet it makes you smile. 'Another Girl's Name' is another pleasing hybrid of baggy beats and 60's guitar where Fowler's vocal occasionally dips into a conversational style, a very unexpected thing indeed. Damon Minchella's superb bass on 'Fly Me' isn't quite enough to rescue a rather dull Roses parody, but the whole band are at the top of their game on the Eastern-flavoured pulse of the 'Revolver'-esque 'No One Says', one of the band's hidden treasures and another surprise for those only familiar with the hits. The mysterious, somewhat funereal atmospheres of the sparse 'My Brother Sarah' and the delicate piano ballad 'Mona Lisa Eyes' are the heaviest hints at their future, the latter in particular well worth hearing. The enjoyable flute funk instrumental 'Bellechoux' kicks into an irresistible groove that highlights the solidity of the rhythm section, while the elegant, melancholy 'Flowers' is an acoustic highlight that would have made the main album stronger had it been included. In contrast, the wonderful ambient dub instrumental 'Don't Play' finds Harrison doing what he did when he was in a little known reggae group called Echo Base, while a range of soft analogue keys and pads almost bring to mind The Orb at times. Play it to someone and tell them to guess the band. They won't.
As well as featuring some fantastic drum sounds, 'The Second Floor' is where the mod flavours begin to appear. Shame the song itself is a bit of a forgettable one. Mellow acoustic moods meet subtle shoegaze tones on the low key 'Patsy In Green', and completing CD 2's selection of b sides is the indie psychedelica of 'Suspended Motion', which aside from an odd combo of flute and violin, has a sound like much of the album. After these, alternative versions of 'Deep Blue Ocean' and 'Is She Coming Home' conclude this interesting and often surprising re-release. After this self titled debut failed to sell back in 1992, everyone thought Ocean Colour Scene were finished. Now I'm sat here 22 years later listening to a deluxe edition of that same album. It's not a classic, but it is an LP that shines with the promise of great things to come. Enjoy it for what it is. 7/10 (Deluxe Edition - 7.6/10)
