Customer Reviews

Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad

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Ocean Colour Scene is the official mod group. They are featured in a lot of Guy Ritchie films. They are well dressed lads. This records starts off well with "Everything Comes At The Right Time" which rocks with unique fury. "Free My Name looks back at Northern Soul and Motown. They even do "Wah Wah" by George Harrison, which is from one of my all time favorite albums. The Modfather himself, Paul Weller, shows up on one track "Waving Not Drowning." Many British musicians make appearances on this recording that is very British. This is another quality record by the Scene.

Ocean Colour Scene have never had a big following in the US. Like Paul Weller, they are one of the UK's best-kept secrets. Like Weller, OCS write songs that have a very British feel and lyrics that deal with often Brit/European themes. Perhaps this is why widespread success has eluded both artists in the US. After a couple of years without a US distributor, OCS are back in the US (on cd at least) with "A Hyperactive Workout..." Unfortunately, I don't think this cd is likely to win them any new fans in the States. Although quite good, many of the songs are slow, mournful sounding ballads that suggest a recent relationship breakup for singer Simon Fowler. There are upbeat tunes such as first single "Free My Name" and "This Day Should Last Forever". Drummer Oscar Harrison also makes his lead vocal debut with "My Time" which has a somewhat reggae feel to it. Fans of OCS know that this is their first studio album since the departure of bassist Damon Minchella, who was replaced by Dan Sealey with Andy Bennett brought in on second guitar to round out the sound. What's curious about this is that all of the songs on "Hyperactive Workout..." were written and performed by the nucleous of original members Simon Fowler/Oscar Harrison/and Steve Craddock. Sealey and Bennett do not appear on the album at all. Apparently, they are in the band on a "live performance" basis only. Overall a good cd, but again, nothing in my opinion that will gain new fans on this side of the Atlantic.

Having been an Ocean Colour Scene fan for since 1996 I was shocked at the quality of this album after their previous album "North Atlantic Drift" was such a good release full of promise and great songs.

This album is just weak from cover to songs. The boys have taken an approach to songs that just sounds very lazy, there is probably only 2 songs on this album that could be in the bracket of "good" which when you consider other OCS releases "good" is average as normally there are 2 songs that are "amazing".

Their take on "Wah-Wah" is appaling and rigid. Next single "This Day Should Last Forever" makes you wish the song didn't seem to last forever. The albums first single "Free My Name" seems like a traditional re-packaging of any old OCS song and it shows through with it's tacky string section hookline and Spectoresque/grotesque wall of sound attempt.

There are moments on this album that make you go "wow that's not bad" but these moments are far and few between, mainly it is Steve Cradocks guitar playing that makes for these comments.

If you only own 1 or 2 Ocean Colour Scene albums or don't own any then I recommend looking at other albums as this newest one is simply for the collector.

This is OCS' first recording without Damon Minchella. Where he is missed, the lads still managed to come up with another terrific recording. There are a number of highlights here (Everything Comes at the Right Time, Drive Away, God's World) but among them is a brilliant cover of George Harrison's Wah Wah. This is a dense record that is masterfully performed and recorded. The only criticism lies with the fact that there are a number of slow numbers. Where some are truly gorgeous it seems to disrupt the pacing of the record. Still, this is a must have for OCS fans.

The problem with being a journeyman group is that, no matter how good you are or how much you grow, you tend to have the same stalwart fans. Ocean Colour Scene were overrated when they first happened on the Britrock scene, but they got better and better from then on. Problem is, most U.S. exposure was to their Faces-like debut, and the taste of the time was not for blues-based rockers. Too bad. Because OCS's last release, Mechanical Wonder, was wonderful. And their latest, with its long and awkward title, is almost as good. Their rockers are good here (if unspectacular), but its the ballads where Simon Fowler shines. "I Love You" is as grand and simple as its title. And -- here here -- it's felt, not processed like so much other rock and roll on both sides of the Atlantic.