2 out of 2 similar offers for 1977 (Collector's Edition) - Ash
1977 - Ash
Written and recorded while a teenage Tim Wheeler was doing his A-levels, 1977 (named after
... more
the year Star Wars was released) made Ash bona-fide indie starlets overnight, largely thanks to the quality of the singles it contains. Their timing couldn't have been better: the summer of 1996 belonged to the Union Jack guitar, and Ash were free to ride the wildsurf of the Britpop tsunami, electrifying everyone with the quirky ("Girl From Mars"), the funny (the Jackie Chan comedy of "Kung Fu") and the best Christmas song ever written by a guitar band--the heartwarming mixture love and science that was "Angel Interceptor". It is unfortunately hindered by the trademark duvet production of Oasis man Owen Morris, which muffles Rick McMurrey's thunderous drums and does nothing for Wheeler's uniquely flat voice (one of the album's major shortcomings in itself). It also suffers from a monotony produced by its constant full-on nature which a couple of acoustic (or even slower) numbers would have fixed and balanced the album better. If these had replaced some of the more forgettable album tracks here ("Lost In You" and the needlessly bombastic "I'd Give You Any Thing"), then so much the better. Come to reminisce not just for the pubescent memories it evokes within the songs, but also the memories of the time it was released. Or, as Wheeler laments on the teenage love anthem "Oh Yeah", "I sometimes wish it was that summer again". --Ben Johncock
1977 - Ash
Written and recorded while a teenage Tim Wheeler was doing his A-levels, 1977 (named after
... more
the year Star Wars was released) made Ash bona-fide indie starlets overnight, largely thanks to the quality of the singles it contains. Their timing couldn't have been better: the summer of 1996 belonged to the Union Jack guitar, and Ash were free to ride the wildsurf of the Britpop tsunami, electrifying everyone with the quirky ("Girl From Mars"), the funny (the Jackie Chan comedy of "Kung Fu") and the best Christmas song ever written by a guitar band--the heartwarming mixture love and science that was "Angel Interceptor". It is unfortunately hindered by the trademark duvet production of Oasis man Owen Morris, which muffles Rick McMurrey's thunderous drums and does nothing for Wheeler's uniquely flat voice (one of the album's major shortcomings in itself). It also suffers from a monotony produced by its constant full-on nature which a couple of acoustic (or even slower) numbers would have fixed and balanced the album better. If these had replaced some of the more forgettable album tracks here ("Lost In You" and the needlessly bombastic "I'd Give You Any Thing"), then so much the better. Come to reminisce not just for the pubescent memories it evokes within the songs, but also the memories of the time it was released. Or, as Wheeler laments on the teenage love anthem "Oh Yeah", "I sometimes wish it was that summer again". --Ben Johncock
...1977 is a superb album. You will recognise most of it on a first playing from massive radio playing, and even featuring on Gran Turismo! Strongly Guitar based and Superb Moshing Material, all backed up with tunefull melodies and recitable lyrics. Live they are something else.
Nu-Clear Sounds was released on 5/10/98 and it's good but doesn;t quite live up to 1977 in my humble opinion. There are good songs and they were all great live, I particularly enjoy low ebb but the highlight of ash still has to remain with loose control and Kung Fu....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: A load of great three minute guitar-pop, variety of styles Disadvantages: One or two duller tracks
...of the same name, is anything but so its renewed availability is welcome.
All in all, if you're new to Ash, or only a casual fan, this is certainly a good place to start. On the other hand, it's drawn heavily from 1977 and Free All Angels so if you have those albums this is hardly essential. More attractive for completists will be the limited edition - featuring a second disc of b-sides.
One other quick point is that unlike many 'best ofs', the inlay includes all the lyrics :o)
[Update: It's a CD. Available from all good CD shops (inc Virgin, HMV, Amazon, etc). RRP £10.99 apparently, but I've regularly seen it cheaper. Now it's a bit older, more likely to be in sales - though if you want the 2 CD version that will be harder to find.]...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: A reasonably solid effort... Disadvantages: ...but it lacks any real stand-out, Girl From Mars-esque face-melters.
...Following the departure of Charlotte Hatherley, I had high hopes for this latest offering from Irish rockers Ash. Would the return to the original trinity mark a return to form? It was undoubtedly in the early days that they produced their finest material - particularly in '1977'. For me, though, this album flatters to deceive. Opener 'I Started a Fire' holds promise, but lacks the killer punch. From there, it's hard to find a stand-out track. 'Polaris' is a decent enough ballad, and 'Ritual' and 'Palace of Excess', once it gets going, make a fair stab at emulating past glories, but somehow it all leaves me a little cold. The more I listen to this album, the more I sense that Ash have grown up (they are nearing 30, after all!). Let's face it, '1977' was a long time ago....
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
somewhat helpful 10.07.2007
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