h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There seems to be a good deal of animosity toward Ocean Colour Scene in this thread - how come? And don't post some throwaway, smartarse one-liner of an answer. I'm genuinely interested to know, since I rather like 'em.

It's dificult to explain. There's nothing deep down about the music that is bad. It starts off sounding sub-Stone Roses and evolves into sub-Oasis. It's all prefectly lsitenable to if one is in the mood.

The problem for me is the aura that band gave off. It was a kind of a too cocky by half attitude, they gave the impression of being very pleased with themsleves, and hence I didn't like them.

I see. I guess I never picked up on that aspect of OCS.

They are from Birmingham. Most Brummies act like that.

B

Its not just because they're from Birmingham - its a bit like The Lighthouse Family - hear it once and its pleasant, hear it again and you've heard it enough - tune into Heart FM and hear it every hour - you detest it.

I remember Ocean Colour Scene around 1991, when they were the poor man's Stone Roses. Then time moved on, and they jumped on another bandwagon and became the poor man's Oasis.

Ah, the Nike World Cup advert! Takes me back to my time in Leeds and doing a feature for t'telly on Ashley Sestanovich, who was at the time on loan at Scarborough from Sheffield United - he was Thierry Henry's stunt double. Stan wasn't a bad player and I thought he could go on to better things, but from what I hear he seems to have blotted his copybook somewhat since then with his extra-curricular off-the-pitch activities.

Hey, why have I never tried to sign him on Championship Manager?

I *like* My Sharona It turns up in the most unlikely of places - when I was on holiday in Italy a few years ago I heard it as the theme tune to a dodgy game show on one of Berlusconi's channels called 'Il Grande Bluff'.

On the subject of the J Geils Band song, does anyone know 'Far Far Away' by Slade? It was their sort of comeback single they did in the early 80s, and is quite similar to 'Centerfold'. I wonder which was written first? Have to say, I prefer the Slade song myself.

Hats off to you for including 'Higher and Higher' but the presence of Supertramp and Dire Straits makes me instinctively want to run a mile.

As for Ocean Colour Scene, I don't actually own anything by them but secretly I'm quite partial to them. It's something of a guilty pleasure - I never really liked the way they re-launched themselves in the mid-90s as trying to claim they were a sort of Mod band (mates with Weller and all) when they were about as Trad as you could get. Which is not unusual for a Mod band at any time since 1970, but stylistically I didn't think they really sounded like one - more like an old-school rock band. The word 'Dadrock' springs to mind as a term bandied around at the time. But I do quite like 'The Day We Caught The Train'.

EV - I thought OCS were initially on the shoegazing bandwagon rather than the baggy one? More a poor man's Thousand Yard Stare or Ride rather than Stone Roses? Or were they somewhere in between?

Probably just my poor old brain malfunctioning...

I remember 'Far Far Away', but if it's the song I'm thinking of, I can't connect it with 'Centrefold'.

I'm struggling with the concept of a poor man's Thousand Yard Stare here...

Chapterhouse?

Thousand Yard Stare came up with a good couple of songs - I reckon '0-0 aet' is one of the best songs partially about football I've heard. Anyone that can come up with the lyric 'Your words in Triple Welsh, and mine in Double Dutch' gets my vote

Gosho, the Slade song I was thinking of is 'Run Runaway' - my apologies! Similar titles but musically a completely different kettle of fish.

I'd forgotten about '0-0 aat'. They're let off for that one track.

Ah. In that case I don't know the song.

Apart from anything else, Ocean Colour Scene is an awful name for a band. Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, now there was a name for a band

That *is* a good name I've always been impressed by the name of one of Morrisey's first bands - legendary Manchester punk rockers Ed Banger and The Nosebleeds

Dirk Demon and the Envelopes?

We never gigged, or even rehearsed, or even got beyond a bunch of song titles (the first being 'Respect My Helmet') but I thought it was a pretty good name.

The lineup was:
Dirk Demon (Vox / Guitar)
Norman Smithsfan - aka Slimboy Fat (Guitar / Vox)
John Football - Bass
Brian Grindcore - Drums

We were going to do a cover of 'Return to Sender' and everything.

Out of that lot my own personal nom-de-plume was, of course, John Football...

What a surprise

I'm nothing if not predictable...

I like Far Faraway. It's the second to last track on my Best of Salde albumn.

Did I just admit to owninga Best of Slade albumn?