Ocean Colour Scene
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ocean Colour Scene | ||
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 Ocean Colour Scene logo
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| Background information | ||
| Origin |  Birmingham, England |
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| Genre(s) | Britpop | |
| Years active | 1992–present | |
| Label(s) | Fontana Records Island Records Sanctuary Records Moseley Shoals Records |
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| Website | Official site | |
| Members | ||
| Simon Fowler Steve Cradock Oscar Harrison Dan Sealey Andy Bennett |
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| Former members | ||
| Damon Minchella | ||
Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are a rock band from Birmingham, England. They were formed after two other local bands called The Boys and Fanatics disbanded. Fanatics released an E.P. titled Suburben Love Songs.
Their first 7" single was called "Sway" and was released in the early '90s UK indie era. However, when their record label was swallowed up by larger company Phonogram their eponymous debut was mixed, against the band wishes, to fit in with the Madchester musical trend of the time. With the album largely deemed a failure, and with the band in dispute with their record company, they spent several years in the wilderness.
With the explosion of the Britpop scene, OCS's music became nationally and internationally known. Their second album Moseley Shoals was received to critical acclaim, containing four hit singles and reaching the heights of #2 in the UK Albums Chart and the follow up, Marchin' Already displacing Oasis at the top of the charts.
Their song The Riverboat Song was featured on Chris Evans' TFI Friday - as the backing music when guests were introduced, and "Hundred Mile High City" and "July" were used in the film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the associated television series.
Having undergone lineups changes, the band continue to record and perform, though they have struggled to recapture the success they enjoyed with their breakthrough album, Moseley Shoals.
Their sound is deliberately retro, and influenced by sixties rock especially.
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[edit] Band members
Their traditional line-up has consisted of:
- Steve Cradock; (b. 22 August 1969); guitars, piano, mandolin, E-bow, autoharp, organs and backing vocals
- Simon Fowler, (b. 25 May 1965); vocals, harmonica and acoustic guitar
- Oscar Harrison (b. 15 April 1965); drums, piano and backing vocals.
- Damon Minchella (b. 1 June 1969); bass guitar
Damon Minchella was fired by the band in 2003, temporarily replaced by Gary "Mani" Mounfield for a support slot with Stereophonics and then was permanently replaced by Dan Sealey on bass. Another guitarist, Andy Bennett was also added, making them a five-piece.
[edit] Other contributing musicians
- Alison Moyet; backing vocals.
- Tony Hinnegan; cello.
- Paul Weller; electric guitar, organ, piano, backing vocals.
- Jools Holland; piano, hammond organ.
- P.P. Arnold; vocals.
- Rico Rodriguez; trombone.
- Tony Griffiths, Chris Griffiths; backing vocals.
- Brendan Lynch; mellotron.
- Steve White; tabla, timpani, percussion.
- Brian Travers; saxophone.
- Mick Talbot; keyboards.
- Edgar Summertyme; backing vocals.
- John McCusker; violin, viola.
- Carleen Anderson; backing vocals.
- Mark Feltham; harmonica.
- Kevin Rowe; electric guitar.
- Linda Thompson; vocals.
- Dalbir Singh Rattan; tabla.
- Duncan Mackay; trumpet.
- James Hunt; saxophone.
- Nichol Thompson; trombone.
- Tim Jaques; percussion, drums, timpani.
- Micheal McGoldrick; uilleann pipes, whistle, flute.
- Dave Fowler; Autoharp.
- Helena Payne; Mbira.
- Ted Atkinson ; percussion, piano
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Released | Title | Highest chart position |
|---|---|---|
| March 1992 | Ocean Colour Scene | 54 |
| April 1996 | Moseley Shoals | 2 |
| September 1997 | Marchin' Already | 1 |
| September 1999 | One from the Modern | 4 |
| April 2001 | Mechanical Wonder | 7 |
| July 2003 | North Atlantic Drift | 14 |
| March 2005 | A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad | 30 |
| April 2007 | On the Leyline | N/A |
[edit] B-sides, Compilations and Lives
| Released | Title | Highest chart position | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 1997 | B-sides, Seasides and Freerides | 4 | B-sides compilation of material from the "Moseley Shoals" era. |
| July 2001 | Songs for the Front Row | 16 | Compilation of mainly singles up to 2001 with some other tracks. Also a limited edition was released with bonus live CD. |
| December 2002 | Live on the Riverboat | N/A | Live recording of an acoustic concert by Simon Fowler and Oscar Harrison and released via their website in limited edition run of 3000 copies. |
| July 2003 | Anthology | 75 | A complete collection of Ocean Colour Scene's material from their debut album up to 2001. Including singles and b-sides. A limited edition CD was released with bonus disc featuring alternative mixes, b-sides and live songs. |
| September 2004 | One For The Road | 99 | A live album taken from their 2004 summer festival tour. |
| April 2005 | Anthology (re-issue) | N/A | Re-issue of 2003's Anthology, including 'Filmed From the Front Row' DVD instead of the original bonus disc. |
| May 2006 | Live Acoustic at the Jam House | 73 | Live album from a Birmingham acoustic gig in mid-February 2006. |
| December 2006 | Live At Birmingham Academy | N/A | Live album from a Birmingham Carling Academy gig on 17th December 2006. |
| February 2007 | BBC Sessions | N/A | Compilation of live performances taken from 1990 - 1997, on BBC Radio 1. Only available as an exclusive download from iTunes. |
[edit] UK Singles
- 1989 (as The Fanatics) "Suburban Love Songs"EP
- 1990 "One Of Those Days"
- 1990 "Sway"
- 1991 "Yesterday Today EP" #49
- 1992 "Sway" reissue #88
- 1992 "Giving It All Away" #83
- 1992 "Do Yourself A Favour EP" #94
- 1996 "The Riverboat Song" #15
- 1996 "You've Got It Bad" #7
- 1996 "The Day We Caught the Train" #4
- 1996 "The Circle" #6
- 1997 "Hundred Mile High City" #4
- 1997 "Travellers Tune" #5
- 1997 "Better Day" #9
- 1998 "It's a Beautiful Thing" #12
- 1999 "Profit in Peace" #13
- 1999 "So Low" #34
- 2000 "July / I am the News" #31
- 2000 "The Waves"
- 2001 "Up on the Down Side" #19
- 2001 "Mechanical Wonder" #49
- 2001 "Crazy Lowdown Ways" #64
- 2003 "I Just Need Myself" #13
- 2003 "Make the Deal" #35
- 2004 "Golden Gate Bridge" #40
- 2005 "Free My Name" #23
- 2005 "This Day Should Last Forever" #53
- 2007 "I Told You So"
[edit] DVDs & Videos
- 1997 Times of Our Lives [VHS]
- 1998 Travellers Tune [VHS]
- 2003 Filmed From the Front Row [DVD] (re-issued in 2005 as part of the 3 disc Anthology box set)
[edit] Trivia
- Simon Fowler was one of the muscians involved in the official anthem for England's World Cup campagn, for France 98. England United as they were named also included Echo & the Bunnymen, Space and The Spice Girls. "(How Does It Feel) To Be On Top Of The World" reached number 9 in the official UK charts.
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Fansite
- Fansite - The Downstream for Music Videos & Album Reviews
- Ocean Colour Scene's Altsounds.com Profile
- Ocean Colour Scene at MusicBrainz
| Ocean Colour Scene |
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Band Members: Steve Cradock • Simon Fowler • Oscar Harrison • Dan Sealey • Andy Bennett |
| Former members: Damon Minchella |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Ocean Colour Scene (1992) • Moseley Shoals (1996) • Marchin' Already (1997) • One From The Modern (1999) • Mechanical Wonder (2001) • North Atlantic Drift (2003) • A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (2005) • On the Leyline (2007) |
| Live albums: Live on the Riverboat (2003) • One for the Road (2006) • Live at the Jam House (2006) • Live at Birmingham Academy (2006) • BBC Sessions (2007) |
| Compilations: B-sides, Seasides and Freerides (1997) • Songs for the Front Row (2001) • Anthology (2003) |
| DVDs: Filmed From the Front Row (2003) |
