1977 - Ash > Reviews > Summer never ends

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
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:	Summery Britpop greatness from Irish kids
Disadvantages:	Can't stop playing it dammit !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Hello there! Like most others, I feel compelled to review this as I grew up with the singles playing at school disco's and the like. Aah....nostalgia! They don't build 'em like Ash anymore!

First up, I own all Ash albums bar 'Free all angels', so a quick comment on the group. In the summer(s) of 1995 (when most singles came out) and 1996 (when album was out), Ash were playing Glastonbury while finishing their exams! Two budding young guitarists, Tim and Mark, got together with a nerd called Rick, the only drummer they knew, and formed Ash by looking at the first word in the dictionary that 'sounded cool' according to Mark Hamilton (bassist).

'Trailer' their 'mini' 1994 debut spawned three singles, despite only having seven tracks on the whole record! A sign of things to come....
Wheeler had a knack for sugary hooks, and great hard-rock riffs. So the long-haired Irish brats who liked booze and drugs, and idolised Metallica and Nirvana made '1977' aged just 17! '1977', as you may know, is the year of Tim and Mark's birth.

After this album, when Britpop collapsed, Ash searched for a darker, more experimental sound on 'Nu-Clear sounds', which went down like a lead balloon with their public, especially with the quite awful single 'Wildsurf'. Mark and Tim cut their hair and stopped smiling, Charlotte Hatherley was introduced as a second guitarist. But enough of that. What's the album like?

When the opening track is the best track on the album, and isn't even a single, it bodes well. 'Lose Control' delivers what it promises, with a maniacal fret-crunching riff and rapid, thumping drums bursting into life after each verse. The solo is fantastically over the top and loud, with the effects pedal going into overdrive.

After that breathless start, we go in to the most unique track, 'Goldfinger'. Unique apart from it's title that is.
This is a hypnotically grungey ode to teen relationships, which many a young girl would have sweatily moshed to in '96.
'Girl from Mars' needs no explanation, except it is not really deserving of the adulation it receives. Still excellent all the same though.

Now we kick into 'I'd give you anything'. Tim wears his influences on his sleeve, taking a Black Sabbath riff ('N.I.B.'), and giving it more punch and pace to deliver possibly the hardest track on the album.
After this opening salvo, there is room for reflection on 'Gone the Dream'. Ash critics may note that this has been compared to Pink Floyd in it's song structure. All I know is it is a string-laden epic, with gorgeous intent and lyrics. Note;
"Hours pass, ticking slowly, lying wide awake,
all across the land the lights are on, under an open sky,
I fear for you, and everybody, dreaming in your beds,
I'm feeling lost, there is nothing, nothing more than this"
After this dreamy ballad comes the complete opposite, 'Kung Fu', a brilliant tongue-in-cheek reference to Tim and Mark's childish love of Kung Fu movies. With possibly the simplest riff ever, and a rabble-rousing chorus that grabs you by the throat and demands you sing along, it is two-odd minutes of rock joy.

'Oh Yeah' contrasts totally again with it's preceding track. The ultimate summer break-up anthem, this is Tim at his heart-rending best, with strings added for full aching effect.
A flawless opening is broken with the slightly weak 'Let it flow'. A good hook, but this should not drag on for four and a half minutes.
From one slightly weak link comes another with 'Innocent Smile', a song that it is weak but necessary for the album's balance, being that it is the only song totally written by Mark Hamilton, and has a darker melody, a foreshadow of Ash's next album. A massive not-great solo to endure in the middle too.
The frown that may appear after these tracks is well and truly replaced with a big grin with 'Angel Interceptor', my fave track next to 'Lose Control'. With 'Ooh' and 'Aah' backing vocals, a vibrant and magnificently uplifting riff, if this song doesn't fill your heart with joy you must be dead.

'Lost in you' is unfortunately quite weak as well, dragging with a lovely but forgettable chorus. If it was a movie, it would be a chick-flick.
Luckily, the album finishes how it started, with a burst of energy and adrenaline that is 'Darkside Lightside', a joyous reminder of what can be achieved with an effects pedal and able fingers. After an explosion of melody, it filters down to an indulgent solo, the music fading very slowly to the five-minute mark. Another clever reference is made as the band hum the 'Star Wars' theme as it fades!

Do not stop the player now!!! After a long pause (over five minutes), we are treated to an amateur recording of Mark, Tim, Rick and friends having vomiting and peeing contests, entitled 'Sick Party'. Funny? You bet it is!

Some may fob you off, saying that Ash are just a singles band, but tracks like 'Lose Control' and 'Gone the Dream' dispel that notion. I recommend all early Ash singles from this period too, as the B-sides match some of the album tracks in brilliance. You have been warned. These kids were drunk, high and childish. But boy, were they good.

p.s. see if you can count the number of times, Tim sings the word 'summer' on the album!