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
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)
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.
