Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1989.[2][3] They have had five top 10 albums including a number one in 1997. They have also achieved seventeen top 40 singles and six top 10 singles to date.
Ocean Colour Scene were formed from two other bands disbanding; The Boys (Steve Cradock) and Fanatics (Simon Fowler, Damon Minchella, Oscar Harrison). Fanatics had released an EP titled Suburban Love Songs.[4][when?] The name was decided upon when the band went through books in a library looking for words they liked.[5] OCS signed to !Phffftt Records in 1990.[6]
Their first single, "Sway", was released in September 1990 during the indie era.[4] When their record label was swallowed up by larger company Phonogram their eponymous début album was remixed, against the band's wishes, to fit in with the Baggy/indie-dance musical trend of the time. The album was largely deemed a failure.[6] Being in dispute with their label, the band were forced back onto unemployment benefits, with no real direction and being only able to write new music with no outlet for it.
In 1993, the start of the turnaround occurred. Paul Weller invited the band to support him on some dates of his tour. On the back of these performances, Weller invited guitarist Steve Cradock to play on one of his singles, and vocalist Simon Fowler to sing on his album, Wild Wood.[6] Cradock was asked to play live with Weller on his tour, and the money Cradock made allowed the band to keep paying rent for a studio.[5]
Britpop fame (1995–2000)
The band recorded a demo that was sent to various industry figures. After hearing this tape, Noel Gallagher invited the band to play with Oasis on their 1995 tour. This support slot brought OCS to the attention of more record labels, and eventually in late 1995, the band signed with MCA Records.[6]
With the explosion of the Britpop scene, OCS's music became nationally and internationally known. Their second album Moseley Shoals was released to mixed-to-positive reviews, containing four hit singles and reached No.2 in the UK Albums Chart.[4] They also played at one of the concerts at Knebworth House supporting Oasis in August 1996.
Marchin' Already, the follow-up to Moseley Shoals, went to No.1 in the UK Albums Chart,[4] displacing Oasis' Be Here Now at the top of the charts in 1997. In 1998 they headlined their own arena tour in support of Marchin' Already and played three sold out nights at Stirling Castle, Scotland.
2004 saw the band release their first live album, Live: One for the Road. The album was a compilation of nineteen live tracks taken from various concerts. In 2006 the band released a live acoustic album, Live at the Jam House, which consisted of fifteen live tracks and also contained four new songs in "Great Man in Waiting", "The Word", "Still Trying" and "Matilda's England".
The band also released a live album in December 2006, which was recorded at Birmingham Academy and spread over two discs. People attending the gig were able to purchase the recording straight afterwards.
In 2009, the band went into the studio with producer Gavin Monaghan, known for his work with Editors, Scott Matthews and The Twang, to work on a new album, Saturday, with a release date of 1 February 2010 to mark the 21st anniversary of the band. The album had a working title of 'Rockfield', named after the studios where it was recorded, but it was released as Saturday - both "Rockfield" and "Saturday" being tracks thereon.
On 2 November 2009, the band released a free downloadable version of a new song, "Mrs Maylie". "Magic Carpet Days", the first single from Saturday, was released on 25 January, followed by the album a few days later. The album charted at No.35 on the UK Albums Chart. A second single, "Saturday", was released in May 2010 but it failed to chart. On 24 July 2010 they performed at the Wickerman Festival.
On 11 October 2010, the band released a 4-CD box set, 21, to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the band. It included many previously unreleased tracks and a brand new song entitled "Twenty One".
In March 2011, the band released a 15th anniversary special edition of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. It consisted of the full album, b-sides and live tracks. The band played a full UK tour in support of the re-release. December saw the limited edition release of a double CD/DVD release of the band's Moseley Shoals gig at O2 Academy Birmingham, which was filmed on 26 February 2011. They performed an acoustic set at Lanford Live in 2011 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.[8][9]
In December 2012, the band announced the forthcoming release of their tenth studio album, Painting, which was released on 11 February 2013. They also played at V-festival where Inbetweeners actor James Buckley performed "The Circle" with them in Chelmsford and at The Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland.
In 2014 a special edition of Marchin' Already was released on a 2 CD edition and a special deluxe 4 disc box set which included a DVD of their live performance at Stirling Castle in 1998. Early 2015 saw the band celebrate their 25th anniversary with some acoustic concerts around the UK. They released a double CD live album which was recorded at the Manchester concert on the tour.
The following year, in 2016, the band announced several special concerts around the UK to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. They also played several dates in Australia for the first time in their career.
On 22 June 2016, the band officially announced that Scottish musician Raymond Meade would be joining the band permanently on bass, following the departures of both Dan Sealey and Andy Bennett. Meade had already played live with the band since the start of the year.
In November 2018 the band unveiled their first new material in five years since the release of Painting. The four track EP was released on 10" vinyl and available only at the band's Christmas shows. The EP received a 5 stars rating from Flick of the Finger, with the publication stating that 'Lushly textured, these four compelling and diverse new offerings are nothing short of brilliant.'[10]
In 2023 the band released a career-spanning box set entitled Yesterday, Today 1992–2018, which contained all their studio albums and 5 bonus CDs, totalling 230 tracks. The set also came with a 72-page book. A companion vinyl box set was also released, covering their first three studio albums from 1992–1997. In May, a follow-up vinyl set was released, covering the three studio albums released between 1999 and 2003. August saw the release of the final box set, covering the remaining four albums from 2005 to 2013.
During their peak (around the time of the Moseley Shoals release) OCS also regularly performed on stage with Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis, with whom they were on tour at the time. One particular performance of note with the Gallaghers was a rendition of The Beatles' "Day Tripper", which was included as a live B-side to "The Circle". The song was also included on the B-side compilation album, B-sides, Seasides and Freerides. Noel Gallagher previewed an advance copy of the song during an interview on BBC Radio 1 with DJJo Whiley. The interview mainly focused on Oasis's then forthcoming gig in the grounds of Knebworth House, where Ocean Colour Scene were one of the supporting acts. Over 2.6 million people applied for tickets for the shows, making it the most in-demand concert in UK history.[14] There was a combined audience of over 250,000 people.
At a 2011 gig at the University of East Anglia, Ocean Colour Scene were joined on stage by former footballer Dion Dublin, an amateur percussionist, who accompanied them on The Dube, an instrument he invented.[15][16]
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as the Rain, the group initially consisted of Liam Gallagher, Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan and Tony McCarroll (drums), with Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher joining as a fifth member a few months after their formation. Noel became the de facto leader of the group and took over the songwriting duties for the band's first four albums. They are characterised as one of the defining groups of the Britpop genre.
Moseley Shoals is the second album by the British rock group Ocean Colour Scene which was released during the Britpop era. The album reached #2 in the UK charts, and amassed 92 weeks on chart, making it the band's most successful album in terms of weeks on chart, despite a later album reaching #1.
Marchin' Already is the third album by Ocean Colour Scene.
"The Riverboat Song" is a song by British band Ocean Colour Scene. It is heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin's "Four Sticks", from which it takes its main riff and a number of lyrics. The song is written in 6 8 swing time.
Stephen Cradock is an English guitarist, most notable for playing in the rock group Ocean Colour Scene. Cradock also plays the guitar in Paul Weller's band, having appeared on all of Weller's solo records following his self-titled debut solo album. Cradock began playing lead guitar for British ska band The Specials in 2014.
Simon Geoffrey Fowler is an English singer and acoustic guitarist, best known as the frontman of Ocean Colour Scene.
"The Day We Caught the Train" is a song by British rock band Ocean Colour Scene. The song was released on 3 June 1996 as the third single from their second studio album, Moseley Shoals (1996), and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, achieving platinum status for sales and streams exceeding 600,000. The single was also released as an acoustic alternative on a second CD, with additional B-sides, one of which "Justine" is a re-recording and had originally appeared on their self-titled debut album.
Oscar Lloyd Harrison is a British musician who currently plays drums with Birmingham-based Ocean Colour Scene and the British ska band The Beat. He also plays piano and bass guitar, and occasionally sings lead vocals.
A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad is the seventh studio album by English rock band Ocean Colour Scene. It was originally due to be released in September 2004 but Sanctuary Records requested the band record a live album instead and it was eventually released on 21 March 2005. The album was produced by Dave Eringa and recorded at a hunting lodge near Kirriemuir, Scotland. The album's unusual title was a phrase the band heard on BBC Radio 4 and decided they liked. Critical reception to the album generally agreed that the album would please Ocean Colour Scene fans, although the album charted lower than previous albums at number 30 in the UK album chart compared to number 14 for the previous album North Atlantic Drift.
Moseley Shoals Records is an independent record label in the United Kingdom. The company was set up by British rock band Ocean Colour Scene in 2004, so that they could release their Live Acoustic at the Jam House album. The name Moseley Shoals is taken from their breakthrough second album Moseley Shoals. Moseley is an area of Birmingham where the band formed, and they named their recording studio Moseley Shoals in deference to Muscle Shoals Sound recording studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
The Knebworth Festival is a recurring open-air rock and pop concert held on the grounds of the Knebworth House in Knebworth, England. The festival first occurred in July 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band, The Doobie Brothers and other artists attracted 60,000 people.
On the Leyline is the eighth studio album by Ocean Colour Scene. It was released on 30 April 2007 and entered the UK album charts on 6 May 2007, peaking at No.37, lasting only a single week in the top 75.
"The Circle" is a song by English rock band Ocean Colour Scene, released on 16 September 1996 as the fourth single form their second studio album, Moseley Shoals (1996). The song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart the same month. Like the previous single, this single was also released as an acoustic alternative on a second CD with additional B-sides.
"You've Got It Bad" is a song by English rock band Ocean Colour Scene. The song was released as the second single from their second album, Moseley Shoals (1996), on 25 March 1996 and reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The single was also released as a demo alternative on a second CD with additional B-sides. In the United States, the song was serviced to alternative radio in August 1996.
"Hundred Mile High City" is a song by British rock band Ocean Colour Scene, taken as the first single from their third studio album, Marchin' Already (1997). The song was released in 1997 and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's joint most-successful single on the UK Singles Chart and their second-most successful in terms of number of weeks spent in the top 75, staying in for seven weeks. It was also their first single to chart in Ireland and the Netherlands, peaking at numbers 15 and 98, respectively.
"Travellers Tune" is a song by English rock band Ocean Colour Scene. American soul singer P. P. Arnold provides additional vocals on the track. The song was released on 25 August 1997 as the second single from the band's third studio album, Marchin' Already (1997), and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.
"Better Day" is a song by English rock band Ocean Colour Scene. The song was released as the third single from their third studio album, Marchin' Already, on 10 November 1997 and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart.
"It's a Beautiful Thing" is a rock song by Ocean Colour Scene with P. P. Arnold.
Dan Sealey is the former session bass guitarist for the rock group Ocean Colour Scene. He was drafted in by the band after Damon Minchella left the band in 2003. Sealey is also in Merrymouth, a folk band with Ocean Colour Scene bandmate Simon Fowler and Adam Barry. Before joining Ocean Colour Scene Sealey was a member of the band Late.
The discography of the rock band Ocean Colour Scene consists of ten studio albums and thirty-four singles.
↑ Wright, Tom (8 September 2011). "Ocean Colour Scene to rock Langford Court". Weston, Worle, & Somerset Mercury. Weston-super-Mare: Archant Community Media Ltd. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
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