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Ocean Colour Scene

 
Album Review: Ocean Colour Scene
 

  • Artist: Ocean Colour Scene
  • Rating: StarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: September 08, 1992
  • Total Time: 47:05
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

A classic case of a band searching for an identity on its debut album, Ocean Colour Scene couldn't decide whether it wanted to be Madchester rave-up, shoegaze drift, or the kind of proto-soul/R&B revivalist outfit that would eventually determine the group's future (and fairly dull) career. In ways, though, the debut could easily be the best overall thing the band recorded, showing more of a sense of genre experimentation than it did in later life, able to cover the bases from the sweet zone-out of the opening "Talk On" to the Stevie Wonder cover "Do Yourself a Favor," given a sturdy if not particularly noteworthy remake. The secret highlight of the album is possibly "Justine," a stripped-down, hushed acoustic guitar/cello ballad; if it's not Nick Drake or John Martyn, say, there's something about the low-key atmosphere, Fowler's calm vocals detailing a strange, domineering figure with her "pretty girls chained inside the dungeon." Other songs like "Third Shade of Green" and the shimmering chime and groove of "Blue Deep Ocean" suggest that if Ocean Colour Scene had aimed at developing more of its brand of psychedelic English soul, the band might have really had something. On much of the album, Fowler's fairly thin semi-whine is his undoing -- if less strident than the years of his Brit-pop dominance, when it's not working it's fairly painful, but that's not a constant situation since he seems to be assaying a varying number of approaches throughout the album. Sometimes he's trying to be the young Joe Cocker or Rod Stewart -- or more appropriately, the new Paul Weller -- a little too hard, raising unenviable comparisons, but the easier delivery on the semi-tropical funk of "Penny Pinching Rainy Heaven Days" shows that he could relax when needed. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Talk On Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (4:04)
How About You Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (3:14)
Giving It All Away Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (4:10)
Justine Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (3:33)
Do Yourself a Favor Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright Ocean Colour Scene (3:47)
Third Shade of Green Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (4:40)
Sway Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (3:41)
Penny Pinching Rainy Heaven Days Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (3:14)
One of Those Days Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (4:14)
Is She Coming Home Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (6:02)
Blue Deep Ocean Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (4:56)
Reprise Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (1:30)

Credits

Ocean Colour Scene (Main Performer), Joe Dilworth (Photography), Martin Jenkins (Photography), Bob Lamb (Engineer), Alison Moyet (Vocals (Background)), Mark O'Donoughue (Engineer), Steve Osborne (Engineer), Tim Palmer (Producer), Tim Palmer (Mixing), Steve Cradock (Guitar), Steve Cradock (Keyboards), Steve Cradock (Vocals (Background)), Donal Hodgson (Engineer), Lawrence Watson (Photography), Tony Hennigan (Flute), Tony Hennigan (Cello), Simon Fowler (Guitar), Simon Fowler (Vocals), Simon Fowler (Photography), Damon Minchella (Bass), Richard Arnold (Engineer), Dave Burnham (Engineer), Valerie Phillips (Photography), Iain Huddy (Percussion), Oscar Harrison (Drums), Oscar Harrison (Vocals (Background)), Neil Thorpe (Photography), Chris Drohan (Engineer)
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Wikipedia: Ocean Colour Scene (album)
Top
Ocean Colour Scene
Ocean Colour Scene cover
Studio album by Ocean Colour Scene
Released March 1, 1992
Genre Britpop, alternative rock
Label Fontana
Producer Brendan Lynch
Professional reviews
Ocean Colour Scene chronology
Ocean Colour Scene
(1992)
Moseley Shoals
(1996)

Ocean Colour Scene is the eponymous 1992 debut album by the British rock group Ocean Colour Scene. It was released during the early Britpop era with far less critical interest than their highly successful second album Moseley Shoals. Ocean Colour Scene themselves largely ignore this album, feeling that the band and label's conflicting musical views led to a 'watered-down' debut which lacked the edge of the band's live popularity.[citation needed] The first single from the album was "Sway" in February 1992, followed by "Giving it All Away" in March and finally "Do Yourself a Favour" in May.

Track listing

  1. "Talk On"
  2. "How About You"
  3. "Giving it All Away"
  4. "Justine"
  5. "Do Yourself A Favour"
  6. "Third Shade of Green"
  7. "Sway"
  8. "Penny Pinching Rainy Heaven Days"
  9. "One of Those Days"
  10. "Is She Coming Home"
  11. "Blue Deep Ocean"
  12. "Reprise"

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ocean Colour Scene (album)" Read more

 

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