Ash are a Northern Irish rock band formed in Downpatrick, County Down in 1992 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler, bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer Rick McMurray. As a three-piece, they released mini-album Trailer in 1994 and full-length album 1977 in 1996. This 1996 release was named by NME as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time. After the success of their full debut the band recruited Charlotte Hatherley as a guitarist and vocalist, releasing their second record Nu-Clear Sounds in 1998. After narrowly avoiding bankruptcy, the band released Free All Angels in 2001 and a string of successful singles.
"Kung Fu" is a song by the band Ash, released as the first single from their album, 1977. It was released in March 1995 as a CD single, limited edition 7-inch, and standard 7-inch vinyl. The song was written by Tim Wheeler and produced by Owen Morris.
"Shining Light" is a song by Ash, which was released as the first single from their album Free All Angels. It was released on 29 January 2001. It was released as a single CD and as a 7-inch vinyl. It was also Ash's first single to be released as an enhanced CD. "Shining Light" reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The song had been covered by fellow Downpatrick songwriter Triona in 2015 which featured on a Power NI advert.
Intergalactic Sonic 7″s is a singles collection, released by punk-influenced band Ash on 9 September 2002. It is available in two formats, with and without the bonus disc, Cosmic Debris. These are both available on CD and vinyl. It was released to celebrate Ash's tenth anniversary and collected the band's eighteen singles along with "Envy" a new song recorded specifically for the compilation. The American mixes of "Burn Baby Burn" "Jesus Says" and "Wildsurf" are included instead of their original mixes and a shorter edit of "Shining Light is included in place of the version featured on Free All Angels
Meltdown is the fourth studio album to be recorded by the Northern Irish rock band Ash. The album was released on 17 May 2004 through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the success of their third studio album Free All Angels (2001), Ash debuted several new songs while touring throughout 2003. By October that year, they had travelled to Los Angeles, California, to record a follow-up album, which was co-produced by Nick Raskulinecz and the band. Recording sessions were held at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys and at Chalice Studios, Hollywood. Meltdown, which is described as a hard rock album, drew comparisons to the work of The Smashing Pumpkins and critics said the guitar work resembles that of Black Sabbath and Metallica.
"Goldfinger" is a song by Northern Irish band Ash, released from their debut studio album, 1977 (1996), on 15 April 1996. The song was written by Tim Wheeler and produced by Owen Morris. It was released as a single CD, a 7-inch vinyl, and as a cassette.
"Sometimes" was the third single released from Northern Irish rock band Ash's third studio album, Free All Angels (2001). It was released on 9 July 2001 as two CD singles, as a 7-inch vinyl, and a DVD single. Although "Sometimes" reached only number 21 on the UK Singles Chart, it helped contribute to increase in sales for Free All Angels. The song also reached number 41 in Ireland.
Free All Angels is the third studio album to be recorded by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 23 April 2001 through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Due to the mixed reaction to the band's second studio album Nu-Clear Sounds (1998), frontman Tim Wheeler suffered from depression. He went to his parents' house in Northern Ireland to write material for the band's next album. Free All Angels was co-produced by the band and Owen Morris, and recording sessions were held at El Cortijo in Puerto Banús, Spain, then moved to The Wool Hall in Beckington and RAK Studios in London. The album was described as pop punk, power pop and punk rock, and drew comparisons to the works of China Drum, Compulsion, Hüsker Dü, and the Replacements.
Nu-Clear Sounds is the second studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 5 October 1998, through Infectious Records and Home Grown. Following the release of the band's debut studio album, 1977 (1996), guitarist Charlotte Hatherley became a member. They wrote new material at a farmhouse, before going to Wales to record their next album at Rockfield Studios. With additional sessions held at the Astoria in London, Ash produced the proceedings alongside Chris Kimsey and Owen Morris. A garage rock record, the New York Dolls, the Rolling Stones and the Velvet Underground inspired the album.
Grey Will Fade is the debut studio album by English musician Charlotte Hatherley, the guitarist for Ash, released by Double Dragon Music on 16 August 2004. Spurred on by the positive response to "Grey Will Fade", which appeared as a B-side to Ash's single "There's a Star" (2001), Hatherley set about recording her solo album. Enlisting the help of Eric Drew Feldman, the sessions for the album were happening concurrently in Los Angeles, California, at Wild Hamster, while Ash was recording their album Meltdown (2004). Described as a pop punk and power pop record, Hatherley's vocals on Grey Will Fade earned her comparisons to Björk, Tanya Donelly, and PJ Harvey.
"Alive" is a song by S Club, released as a single on 18 November 2002. Called a "power-packed dancefloor thriller" in the Best inlay booklet, the track features strong disco beats and samples. "Alive" was the first single to be released under the "S Club" name rather than S Club 7, and it was also the first single to be released without Paul Cattermole. "Alive" was the penultimate S Club single and apart from the double A-side "Say Goodbye"/"Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You", was the only track to be released from the fourth album, Seeing Double. It reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, their only single not to reach the top three until 2023 release "These Are the Days", which failed to chart. The song also served as the main theme for Viva S Club, the band's final TV series. The B-side, "Discotek" was led and co-written by Tina Barrett, and features on the series finale.
"Angel Interceptor" is a song by Ash, released as the third single from their album 1977 on 9 October 1995. It was released as a single CD, a 7-inch vinyl, and as a cassette. The song was written by Rick McMurray and Tim Wheeler and produced by Owen Morris.
"A Life Less Ordinary" was a non-album single released by the band Ash on 13 October 1997. It was the title track of the film of the same name, "A Life Less Ordinary", starring Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor, and also appeared on the film's soundtrack. The single was released in three formats: CD, 7-inch vinyl, and cassette. The limited-edition 7-inch was printed on blue vinyl. The song peaked at number ten on the UK Singles Chart.
"Jesus Says" is a song by the band Ash, released as the first single from their second album Nu-Clear Sounds on 21 September 1998, reaching number 15 in the UK singles chart. It was released as a single CD, a 7" vinyl, and as a cassette. "Jesus Says" was Ash's highest selling single until "Shining Light" in 2001. The 7" version came with a picture sleeve and the UK promo version came in a custom rice paper picture wallet.
"Burn Baby Burn" is a song by Ash, released as the second single from the Free All Angels album on 2 April 2001, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 20 in Ireland. It was released as a single CD and as a 7" vinyl, and was also released for the first time on DVD format. The song can also be found on the Intergalactic Sonic 7″s hits collection.
"Candy" is a song by Ash, released as the fourth single from their album Free All Angels on 1 October 2001. It was released as a single CD as a 7-inch vinyl, as well as on DVD format. Candy performed only slightly better than previous single "Sometimes", reaching number 20 on the UK Singles Chart and number 25 in Ireland.
"There's a Star" is a song by Ash, released as the fifth single from their album Free All Angels, on 31 December 2001. It was released as a single CD as a 7-inch vinyl record and on DVD. "There's a Star" was a surprise hit for the band, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and giving them one of their best-selling singles, even though the single was deleted after one week. The song also reached number 38 in Ireland.
"Starcrossed" is the third single from the Meltdown album by the band Ash. It was released as a single on 19 July 2004 as a CD and a gatefold 7-inch vinyl, as well as a DVD format and various promo copies. "Starcrossed" was A-listed on BBC Radio 1 and was expected to be a major hit for the band, but it only made it to number 22 on the UK Singles Chart and number 43 in Ireland. However, the song was successful in the long run for the band and is considered one of their most popular songs.
Twilight of the Innocents is the fifth studio album by Northern Irish rock band Ash. It was released on 2 July 2007, through Infectious Records. Following the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley in early 2006, the band began recording their next album in New York City at Bang Studios, which they had leased from a friend of a friend. Frontman Tim Wheeler produced the recordings, with bassist Mark Hamilton and drummer McMurray acting as associate producers. Described as a pop and power pop album, Twilight of the Innocents placed emphasis on Hamilton's bass parts.
"Say Goodbye" is a song by British pop music group S Club, released as a single from the compilation Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7. The final single released before the band's split, it was released on 26 May 2003 as a double A-side with "Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You" in the United Kingdom and Australia; in other territories, it was issued alone.
