Imagine classic punk maneuvers crossed with Nirvana- and Dinosaur Jr.-style leanings, goosed by a bolt of Mega City Four, and you've got this Irish trio's reference points. Such a blueprint sounds unimaginative on paper, but singer-guitarist Tim Wheeler's relentlessly catchy confections stand up to the Britpop vanguard's finest hours. Not surprisingly, then, the band's recorded debut emphasizes stripped-down velocity over finesse. Such priorities aren't surprising, since the band began racking up U.K. indie chart hits before graduating high school! (The original version of Trailer appeared in 1994, on Infectious Records.) Still, why quibble about Ash's influences, when the goods are so emphatically delivered? "Punk Boy" and "Jack Names the Planets" could give Green Day a run for its pop-punk roses, while grungier tracks like "Hulk Hogan Bubblebath" stay heavy, without losing their melody. "Day of the Triffids," which references the similarly titled English thriller, points to the band's love of all things extraterrestrial. The standout track is "Petrol," a characteristically deft exercise in soft-loud, start-stop dynamics that points to the band's maturity -- which included second guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, layered harmonies, greater tracking of guitars, and even orchestration, if required. More than a decade after they formed in their native Belfast, Ash's rugged individuality remained intact; here's where it all began. Heavy guitar devotees shouldn't miss this one. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide
Mark (Bass), Louise McCormick (Engineer), Rick McCollum (Drums), Timothy Russell (Producer), Timothy Russell (Mixing), Ash (Producer), Ash (Main Performer), Ash (Sleeve Art), Rob Cavallo (Mixing), Marc Waterman (Producer), Oscar Wilde (Dialogue), Rick "Rock" McMurray (Drums), Tim Wheeler (Guitar), Tim Wheeler (Vocals), Smike (Photography), Mark Hamilton (Bass)
Trailer is a punk influenced album by the band Ash featuring their first three singles. An expanded edition also includes 4 b-sides. The album was released in October, 1994 through Infectious Records. The band considered it a "trailer" for their future debut album proper, and named it accordingly.
The band recorded this album while still teenagers, and the sleeve art features the legend "Guaranteed Real Teenagers", taken from a porn magazine, to promote this. "Uncle Pat" was featured in a Heinekenadvert, which helped to raise the profile of the band, both in Ireland and Britain.
The 'noise' at the end of the track "Get Out", when reversed, slowed down and the pitch altered, is a low quality demo version of the song "Intense Thing".
An early rare version of this album was released with a bonus John Peel Sessions 7" with the tracks:
1. Silver Surfer
2. Jazz '59
Tracks 8-11 only appear on the US version of the album. "Different Today" and "Hulk Hogan Bubblebath" appeared on the b-side of "Uncle Pat". "Day of the Triffids" originally appeared as a b-side of "Kung Fu" – (March 20 1995).
Singles
"Jack Names the Planets" was released in February, 1994 with "Don't Know".
