1977 - Ash > Reviews > Heady Summer Days of 1996

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	A mix a fast and mellow
Disadvantages:	Nothing that will stop you wanting this album

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Those summer days, revelling in my newly acquired GCSE results gave me some of my best memories. During these times, at the forefront of my mind was this pure ‘feel good’ album. I have only recently re-discovered ‘1977’ and it has brought great happiness with it.

‘1977’ was Ash’s second album release, the first being ‘Trailer’ which was a mini album that showed some promise with songs like ‘Jack Named the Planets’ but kept Ash’s profile relatively low.

This album brought Ash their thoroughly deserved acclaim with its take on teenage life. The band were mere teenagers themselves when it was released and they managed to produce a brilliant, fun-loving mix of tracks. I shall now write a little on each of the songs but if you don’t wish to read them all then the following come highly recommend: ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Girl from Mars’, ‘Kung Fu’, ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Let it Flow’, ‘Angel Interceptor’, ‘Lost in You’. Hang on a minute, all the tracks are great on this album.

~Lose Control
The opening track of the album blasts you straight into a wild, fast, go-crazy tune that gives you an idea of what is to come. The title of this song is totally representative of its content and the song starts with the sound of a Tie Fighter resulting from the band’s obsession with Star Wars (the date 1977 relates to the release of Star Wars and also the birth of Tim Wheeler (lead singer) and Mark Hamilton (Bassist)).

~Goldfinger
This song brings the tempo down to a more mellow level with an amazing symbol build up for the intro. I bought this single on 7” vinyl; it was clear with gold speckles and is one of the favourites of my collection. Also the lyrics talk about drinking wine and listening to records during a storm which sounds good to me. :)

~Girl from Mars
Perhaps one of the most famous of Ash’s songs, ‘Girl from Mars’ holds a very special place in my mind. An emotional guitar solo in the middle and memorable lyrics make it one of the ‘stand out’ tunes of the album.

~I’d Give You Anything
Starts off in much the same way as Oasis’ ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ which is one of my favourite Oasis songs, but Ash bring their own style to the tune and make it more easy on the ears.

~Gone the Dream
Originally, when I made a tape of 1977 I had to leave off a couple of tracks to make it fit and this was one of them. I have long since lost the tape (hence my jubilation at re-discovering this album) and after listening to it again perhaps I was a little harsh, but I think this is about the weakest song of the lot, while still being fairly good.

~Kung Fu
Another of the ‘stick out’ tunes; ‘Kung Fu’ is along the lines of ‘Lose Control’ and goes wild all the way through. It seems to be praising the days of kung fu films starring the likes of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee and wondering why there are no films like that any more. ‘Kung Fu’ starts with a comical fight scene which leads brilliantly into the song.

~Oh Yeah
This song reminds me of crushes when I was 15, I can relate so well to this track from my experiences in the summer of 1996. The song jumps straight into the vocals, starting with the title words ‘Oh Yeah’ and flows through a really lovely tune. I remember sitting in my friends house while he jammed with his band, I tried to sing this and did not care that I could not sing to save my life. One of the best tracks on the album.

~Let it Flow
A lesser known song that is one of the top tunes on ‘1977’, it is a very sweet song discussing the troubles faced when there is someone you fancy but don’t have the courage to approach them. Take time to listen to this one.

~Innocent Smile
‘Innocent Smile’ is the perfect driving song (that is to listen to while driving your car), it flows wonderfully well. This was another track that I missed off my tape and I deeply regret that because I think this is a very good song, if not very memorable. It holds the album together well in a way that I don’t think some of the Beatles albums held together well due to the mass of great songs.

~Angel Interceptor
A calm, yet fast flowing tune that makes good use of synthesisers. This is one of the singles released and I bought it as a 7” picture disc.

~Lost in You
Oddly reminiscent of the Frank Sinatra Classic ‘Strangers in the Night’; ‘Lost in You’ is arguably the best track on the album. It is slower than some of the other songs and may not be as memorable as the likes of ‘Girl from Mars’ or ‘Kung Fu’ but has greater quality. The song describes the anguish of being away from a girlfriend and missing her greatly.

~Darkside Lightside
The title perhaps comes from the bands obsession with Star Wars. It is very fast for the first half of the song then slows a bit. Not quite as memorable as other tracks and is a bit of an anti-climax to the album.

~Secret Track
About 12 minutes after ’Darkside Lightside’ there is a recording of the band supposedly drunk, with Tim Wheeler trying to vomit as much as he possibly can. The other band members are left in disbelief as he manages to paint many a pretty picture on the floor. This should be absolutely revolting but in fact is hilarious.

This album has more of a rock theme than that of Nu-Clear Sounds but contains several fine love songs (in disguise of course). Ash do suffer from the annoying syndrome wherby you cannot make out some of the words in the songs and some of the guitar playing is obscured. The only other thing I can say against Ash is the silly mohecan haircut that drummer Rick McMurray has acquired.

You most probably have heard of this album, and probably listened to it. If not you must give it a try, it will please a great range of music lovers.