Ocean Colour Scene: Marchin' Already - 1997
This was Ocean Colour Scene's third album, and probably the last one they got away with before the music media and the the public turned on them as they did with other bands like Sleeper. Even more so with Ocean Colour Scene, I was at a loss to understand what they did wrong. Their albums, and particularly this one, are quirkily appealing creations, full of all sorts of influences and a myriad of styles. They were instrumentally extremely competent and inventive and their albums are always worth several listens. There is so much beneath the surface. What there also is, sometimes, is, despite a deep bass sound, is a bit of tinniness in the production.
Hundred Mile City kicks off the album off with a magnificently vibrant, frenetic piece of psychedelic riffy rock. It is packed with all sorts of freaky sounds, man. There is something of Thin Lizzy to it.
Better Day is a George Harrison-esque slow rock ballad with a lovely bass line and that late sixties Beatles influence all over it. Singer Simon Fowler had that somewhat (comparatively) weak, reedy voice that Harrison had. It also (predictably) has some strong Paul Weller influences in there too. There is also a progginess to it that reminds me of Supertramp, would you believe.
Travellers Tune is a lively piece of acoustic and electric rock with a Ronnie Lane feel to it. Big Star is an attractive quite slow number with some infectious percussion and another sumptuous bass line. The vocal is one of those popular in the late nineties. Del Amitri had a similar-sounding vocalist.
Debris Road has bassist Damon Minchella on top form once again. There is a real seventies vibe about it.
Besides Yourself is a plaintive, mainly acoustic ballad with more Harrison/Beatles influence. Get Blown Away has lots of sixties psychedelic vibes to it, more Beatles and maybe even a bit of early Bowie. Ocean Colour Scene were definitely very derivative but they knew how to use their influences well.
The strangely-titled Tele He's Not Talking is another dreamy pice of late sixties rock stuff given a powerful nineties makeover. It has a nice piece of sharp acoustic guitar soloing in the middle. Foxy's Folk Faced is a short, unsurprisingly, folky piece of fun.
All Up is a delicious piece of jazzy, funked-up piano-driven instrumental, sort of Traffic meets The Style Council. I love this. Spark And Cindy is an acoustic-driven but muscular number that reminds me, again, of Supertramp, instrumentally. The big acoustic intro sounds like Supertramp's Give A Little Bit. Half A Dream Away is similarly quirky and dreamily hippy in many ways.
It's A Beautiful Thing is a soulful ballad featuring the classic sixties voice of P. P. Arnold sharing vocal leads with Fowler.
Overall this is an album that is very difficult to categorise, so varied are its sounds and influences. It merits several listens before you start to get it, so to speak.
