Customer Reviews

Going for Gold: Greatest Hits

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Before mid 90's Britpop was exported to the world, it was basically 2 bands leading the charge in the UK: Shed Seven and Oasis. Shed Seven were humbly content in the confines of their own country, while Oasis proceeded to dominate the world (and lock horns with Blur) opening the doors for similar brash guitar-bands like Supergrass, Elastica, and Pulp. As the UK press upstaged the rivalry between the Gallagher brothers and the common-bloke image of Blur, Oasis' Manchester peers gradually drifted out of the spotlight. Shed Seven is Britpop in every sense of the word, catchy psuedo-blues/pub-rock guitar-hooks with a touch of cockiness, attitude and a knack for melody. Central to Shed Seven's sound is Rick Witter's creamy smooth vocals, falling somewhere in between Midge Ure and Cliff Richard, with a tad of Brett Anderson's cheekiness. At times Witter's vocal style seems to be overly dominating, powerful with an operatic sensibilty, yet acts as a perfect compliment/balance to the flashy riffs and grit. The guitarwork, well, just think Graham Coxon placing his own spin on Suede's debut with a touch of Johnny Marr's ringing jangles...basically the formula for catchy riff-oriented Britpop, covering a range spanning Menswear and Echobelly to The Bluetones and the Super Furry Animals' debut. The Shed's may have a case of The Smiths or The Manic Street Preachers Syndrome, known at home but failing to strike a chord across The Atlantic, yet that doesn't necessarily mean a lack of talent. Shed Seven may have been lost in the mid 90's mini-wave of British bands, but by discovering their CD's, you'll also tip your hat to one of the true originators of Britpop.

Easily overlooked in the early 90's due to the Oasis/Blur rivalry, Shed Seven quietly released 14 top 10 hits in their short span. Going For Gold contains some of their best singles, including a re-working of their frantic "Dolphin". Solid songwriting, guitar work, and excellent vocals make for an extremely enjoyable compilation.

Lots of bands who were hyped during the short so-called Britpop era found themselfs in the awkard place of not knowing how to sound after the end of it . Shed Seven were one of these bands . The british media tried to promote them furiously yet failed because there wasn't simply anything really good about them to mark out . Forgetable voice and melodies which would sound fine as a backround listening under certain circumanstances yet fail to capture ones attention . Britpop has some good bands to present yet the english groups you must discover are those who created their own sound-style such as Portishead .