In 1996 Ocean Colour Scene, the four-piece band from Birmingham, would release ‘Moseley Shoals’ one of British rock’s greatest records. It was the year football was coming home. Brit Pop was at its most triumphant. The Beatles were back in the charts. Take That had split and Oasis were sewing everything up.
In February The Riverboat Song exploded across the airways courtesy of Chris Evans, host to the biggest programme in the UK, the Radio One Breakfast Show. The impact was immense. The opening track on Moseley Shoals originated from one of Steve Cradock’s conquering riffs and was an apt introduction to one of THE albums of that year.
Fast-forward 15 years and Universal release the all-conquering ‘Moseley Shoals’ as a covetable deluxe version with 2 CDs featuring original album track-listing plus selected demos and b-sides.
Track listing – 2 CD edition
CD1
Original album
• The Riverboat Song
• The Day We Caught The Train
• The Circle
• Lining Your Pockets
• Fleeting Mind
• 40 Past Midnight
• One For The Road
• It's My Shadow
• Policemen and Pirates
• The Downstream
• You've Got It Bad
• Get Away
CD2
B-Sides
• So Sad – from The Riverboat Song single
• Charlie Brown Says – from The Riverboat Song single
• Robin Hood – from You've Got It Bad single
• I Wanna Stay Alive With You – from You've Got It Bad single
• Huckleberry Grove – from You've Got It Bad single
• You've Got It Bad (Demo) – from You've Got It Bad single
• Here In My Heart – from You've Got It Bad single
• Men Of Such Opinion – from You've Got It Bad single
• Beautiful Losers – from You've Got It Bad single
• Mona Lisa Eyes (Feat. Jimmy Miller) – from You've Got It Bad single
• The Clock Struck 15 Hours Ago – from The Day We Caught The Train single
• I Need A Love Song – from The Day We Caught The Train single
• Chicken Bones and Stones – from The Day We Caught The Train single
• The Day We Caught The Train (Acoustic) – from The Day We Caught The Train single
• Travellers Tune – from The Day We Caught The Train single
• Justine – from The Day We Caught The Train single
• Mrs Jones – from The Circle single
• Cool Cool Water – from The Circle single
• Top Of The World – from The Circle single
• The Circle (Acoustic) – from The Circle single
• Chelsea Walk – from The Circle single
• Alibis – from The Circle single
• Day Tripper (live) – from The Circle single
Ocean Colour Scene will be touring in February and performing ‘Moseley Shoals’ in its entirety (dates below). The band play the ‘Moseley Shoals’ London show at Brixton Academy on December 10th 2011.
‘Moseley Shoals’ pays homage to the album art form. Connected. Thematic. Visionary. The music was explosive. Ballads sit beside rockers. A blended marriage; something old, something new, sometimes borrowed, the truth of the Blues. The title: a tribute to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, 3614 Jackson Highway. The front cover: four faces looking out from under the Victorian monument shot in Jesphson Gardens, Leamington Spa. The album was flying out the shops. The record boasted four smash singles and jostled for the number one spot throughout 1996. Spending over a year in the chart, selling over 1.3 million copies, including an incredible six month tenure at number two. A year later, the top honour was bestowed upon Marchin’ Already. Very much Moseley Shoals’ sister release, but very much another story.
FEBRUARY
09 – Newcastle, O2 Academy link
10 – Llandudno, Venue Cymru link | link
11 – Cardiff, Uni 02920 230 130 | link
13 – Dublin, Olympia| link
15 – Southampton, Guildhall 0844 338 0000 | link
17 – Bristol, O2 Academy link
18 – Leeds, O2 Academy 0844 338 0000 | link
19 – Liverpool, Guild Of Students link
21 – Norwich, UEA link
22 – Nottingham, Rock City link
24 – Aberdeen, Music Hall 0871 220 0260 | link
25 – Glasgow, Barrowland 0871 220 0260 | link
26 – Birmingham, O2 Academy 0844 338 0000 | link
10 December 2011 – London Brixton Academy| link