BCB 100 - Supergrass

[geoffcowgill]

I've only got the eponymous one. I quite like "Moving".

So...?

[Bungo the Mungo]

I've only got the eponymous one. I quite like "Moving".

So...?

It's their worst album!

Get the first, Geoff - 'I Should Co-Co'. It sounded brilliant at the time - far superior (more sussed and original) to 'Definitely Maybe' and 'Parklife'. And it still thrills. A mad band of lads with shedloads of ideas. Just how it should be, really.

The album before last - 'Life On Other Planets' - is also a gem. 'Grace' is a real breath of fresh air, one of the very best out-and-out pop singles of the decade so far.

[The Modernist]

In It For The money is the one: amongst other things you have the frantic neo- psychedelia of the title track, the killer chorus of Sun Hits The Sky, the intro to Richard The Third which is about as exciting as rock music can get and the fragile beauty of Late In The Day. However all the albums have something to recommend them. There's a real melodic originality to Supergrass, the songs never quite do what you expect them to.
Their problem was probably they made it appear all too easy.

[The Red Heifer]

I've only got the eponymous one. I quite like "Moving".

So...?

It's their worst album!

Get the first, Geoff - 'I Should Co-Co'. It sounded brilliant at the time - far superior (more sussed and original) to 'Definitely Maybe' and 'Parklife'. And it still thrills. A mad band of lads with shedloads of ideas. Just how it should be, really.

The album before last - 'Life On Other Planets' - is also a gem. 'Grace' is a real breath of fresh air, one of the very best out-and-out pop singles of the decade so far.

Don't listen to this dick.

Album: Supergrass

Song: Moving

[Neon Boy]

In It For The money is the one: amongst other things you have the frantic neo- psychedelia of the title track, the killer chorus of Sun Hits The Sky, the intro to Richard The Third which is about as exciting as rock music can get and the fragile beauty of Late In The Day. However all the albums have something to recommend them. There's a real melodic originality to Supergrass, the songs never quite do what you expect them to.
Their problem was probably they made it appear all too easy.

In a nutshell. In It For The Money is just such a joyous rush of an album. Crammed full of ideas, melodies and bits you can jump around to. One of the best records of that period easily.

Album - In It For The Money
Song - Cheapskate

[My name is Spaulding]

Their problem was probably they made it appear all too easy.

I would agree. Anybody else coming up with their songs and it would be 'classic songwriting... glorious tunes... blah-blah-blah', not forgetting what terrific singer Gaz Coombes is. But because it's Supergrass, it's supposed to be 'fun'. *sigh*

The Modernist and Neverknows are spot on, that pretty much sums up Supergrass for me. It´s one of the best bands of the last decade, and the sad thing is that their time will pass (if it hasn´t already) without them getting the acknowledgement they´ve deserved.

Album: In it for the money

I´ll have to think about my favourite song, there are way too many great ones.

[Bungo the Mungo]

Bollocks to the lot of you, and bollocks to 'In It For The Money'.

[Shaun]

Album: In It For The Money

Track: Going Out

[Tom Violence]

The first two albums are both fantastically brilliant 10/10. Everything after was a disappointment for me, not that the later albums didn't have some fantastic songs.

ALbum: Coco/In It For the Money
Song: Mary

[rorebhoy]

Ah Supergrass! One of my favourite groups....

They release a great punky energetic album as their debut, mess around on choppers for the Alright video, constantly release effortlessly excellent singles, have a great reputation as a live act, yet somehow they've never achieved the critical acclaim many think they deserve. Why? That bloody Alright video!! Read any review of them and it'll have "goofy, hirstute heroes, monkey man" - it's no wonder Supergrass seem to have given up on becoming a huge act.

So far they've released 5 albums - all worth getting IMO.

The debut I should coco is a bombastic, energetic, punky album - the sound of 17 year olds with big record collections let loose in a studio. Contains a plethora of singles (Mansize Rooster, Caught by the fuzz, Alright) but also the beautiful piano-driven Sofa (of my lethargy).

They followed it up with one of their best In it for the money - from the slow intro of the opener, through the 100mph Richard III, chorustastic Sun hits the sky, and the sly dig at Danny: Going Out this really is an album to cherish for years to come.

The third album, is seen as the weakest one - and I guess coming after IIFTM is a tough challenge. Still tonnes of great stuff on it, from lesser known songs such as Shotover Hill to the epic Moving. Of course, with the Pumping on your Stereo video, they enlisted the help of Jim Henson's muppet troupe and so their tag of clown princes of pop was further cemented.

Life on other planets was more a return to form, with some of the gloomier tracks on the eponymous third album replaced by a glamtastic album. Some criticise this album for being full of tracks trying to mimick whatever they've just been listening to. It's just a great upbeat album, again providing the obligatory gems of singles: the sub 2 minutes Never done nothing like that before, to the insanely brilliant Grace (complete with impossible to get out of your head chorus).

Before the latest album, Gaz and Rob's mum died, and this seems to have had quite an impact on the music. Road to Rouen, is a much heavier album, but still contains more ideas and invention than most bands pack in a lifetime. From the brooding Tales of Endurance and St Petersburg, they still manage to horse around in their cowboy throwabout Coffee in the pot. Their heart just didn't seem in it any more as regards fame: 3 singles released, one of which was a download-only, and an acoustic small venue tour followed.

So there you have it, 5 great albums (with the some of no. 6 written and about to be given an airing at some concerts next month) - a canon worthy of any group. Still impress your kids and grandkids, go and see them live and tell 'em how you liked them when they were around.

Best Album: Road to Rouen
Best Song: Sofa (of my lethargy)

[Tapiocahead]

In It For The Money
Late In The Day

This is the right answer

[My name is Spaulding]

Am I the only one who prefers their eponymous third album to "Life in other planets"?

I absolutely love their last one, by the way. While not many people was interested in listening to a mature Supergrass, I (never seeing them as a "Clown act" was quite happy to see how their gift for composing and arranging original -yet classic sounding- songs was adapted to a new, more laid back feel.


On another note, I´ve heard the single from this new band called The Fratellis, and it sounds exactly like the sort of music Supergrass was doing on their first album... I wonder if it´s already time for a "New Supergrass"in the market.

[Tom Violence]

Am I the only one who prefers their eponymous third album to "Life in other planets"?

No, I agree. Don't care for the latest one though. In fact for me, the albums have been progressively worse (albeit slightly) with the exception of the first two being equally brilliant.

[Clippernolan]

Album: In It For the Money

Song: A tough one, but my gut tells me it's "Richard III".

[Bad Ambassador]

I think I may have said on Now Playing fairly recently that I've only just realised how much I love this band. I'd always liked them and had played 'In It For The Money' a huge amount over the years, but I'd never really stopped and thought about how much of their stuff is flat out great.
What did it was 'Road To Rouen' which I liked when it came out about this time last year, but which steadily grew on me. Earlier this year it clicked into place as a real favourite. Then, I read somewhere that 'R2R' sounded rather splendid on vinyl so I picked up a copy which led to purchasing the entire back catalogue on vinyl (with the exception of 'IIFTM', which should be in the post as I type), which in turn cemented their position as one of my favourite bands. It was a joy to sit there rediscovering all of their splendid material.
I actually came to enjoy the third album a hell of a lot more than I remembered having done so, and I echo comments above about them not having a weak album. 'I Should Coco' has never lost its charm and 'IIFTM' was always my favourite until very recently. As I said, the third album has renewed its place in my affections and 'LOOP' always worked for me. It's nothing new or innovative, but it's bloody good fun.
'R2R' has recently moved to the top of the pile. I think it's as a result of the overall mood it creates. The playing is great and likewise the production. It's a slow-burner but well worth the time invested in it.

Album: Road To Rouen
Song: It's Not Me

[Insouciant Western People]

I've seen them three times, at the Hull Adelphi in 1995, 1996 at the Leeds T & C and at Glasto in 1997. Always very enjoyable.

Album: I Should Coco
Track: Caught By The Fuzz

[Penk!]

Album: In It For the Money

Song: A tough one, but my gut tells me it's "Richard III".

I'm hip to that.

The first two albums are magnificent, it's diminishing returns from then on but they can still knock off cracking pop songs with remarkable ease. It's a shame that those goofy early videos and sideburns have defined them so much because they're a much more mature and accomplished band than they're often portrayed as, one of the finest of their generation.

[Clippernolan]

Album: In It For the Money

Song: A tough one, but my gut tells me it's "Richard III".

I'm hip to that.

The first two albums are magnificent, it's diminishing returns from then on but they can still knock off cracking pop songs with remarkable ease. It's a shame that those goofy early videos and sideburns have defined them so much because they're a much more mature and accomplished band than they're often portrayed as, one of the finest of their generation.

Agreed.

I personally became aware of Supergrass just as their initial "lumping in with Britpop" seemed to be fading out a bit. I think this was to my advantage. I bought In It For the Money on the strength of "Tonight" which really caught my ear as a track that shows signs of traditional 70's rock n roll (lots of Bolan and the Stones in there to these ears), but with interesting twists and turns that make it something else entirely. I think this can be said of the whole sound of the band. Also, the playing is accomplished while still remaining loose and unobtrusive. The shape of the songs is skillfully maintained, making them great pop tunes, but with enough interesting angles to catch your ear on repeated listenings.

[The Modernist]

It is a great song, but I think my own favourite is Moving which does that sad/happy mood change they're so good at (in fact Late In The Day has a similar construction)..

[Clippernolan]

It is a great song, but I think my own favourite is Moving which does that sad/happy mood change they're so good at (in fact Late In The Day has a similar construction)..

"Moving" is one that is tied with "Richard III" for me, actually - it is melancholy and yet rocks just as hard. It's so hard to choose just one!