Good Feeling - Travis > Reviews > All they wanted to do was rock! Funny thing!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	Britpop magnificence with unique laddish moments
Disadvantages:	They went for soft pop rubbish after this

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Well, well, well. I need to make everyone aware of this fantastic album before it's too late. Buy it now! NOW!!!
Let me first say; I hate Travis. Not dislike, HATE! Why? Because most people know of them as the soft chimey wistful balladeers with no real depth. I AM HERE TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT about their roots.

Believe it or not, Travis' first album displays all the laddish humour, abrasive vocals and love of loud guitars as Oasis in their prime. It prompted Noel Gallagher to invite them on as a support act in 1998. I own all Travis singles from this 'Good feeling' period, and the b-sides are superb too. But here's the album lowdown, to convince the unbelievers;

1. 'All i want to do is rock'
"What!?" I hear you shout! The NME said it was a false prophecy, but it was true on this album only. 'All i want to do is rock' is genius. The kind of track you want to write when you hear a great guitar riff. Very slow tempo, with a heavy chiming chord sequence, Fran Healey's voice is superbly abrasive, with a growl to his yelled vocals, and his screams add to the drama of the whole track. This track deserves immense radio play, but does not fit the nicey-nicey pop philosophy. A great mix of loud and soft.

2. 'U16 Girls'
Marvellous, stupendous, i can not speak highly enough of this nod to guys who fall for jailbait. With a perfect riff, and a lads: "Na-na-na-na-na-na-nah" background chant, it is an anthem for foolish men everywhere, packed with knowing humour. Again, Fran's voice makes the track.

3. 'The Line is Fine'
Someone else said this was a weak track. Huh? Are you talking about the same track? Me and my buddies whack this up to full volume in our cars! A cast-iron sing-along, you can almost guess how the rollicking chorus goes by the title. One of the best on the album!

4. 'Good day to die'
A morbid delight! The lyrics hint at child abuse, but bizarrely is another sing-along classic. Loud guitars clash at the end, with Fran screaming, then changing brilliantly to a melancholy whisper at climax. Recommended!

5. 'Good Feeling'
Cleverly layered title track, with time changes just to prove Travis aren't one-dimensional. Also, lyrics at start are quite poor, but grow, with wonderful lines like;
"Twenty years from now, I'll be the same,
and you'll be changing all the letters in your maiden name"
First hint of other instruments too, with a great 'saloon' piano sandwiched between guitars.

6. 'Midsummer nights dreamin''
You have a heart of stone if you do not sing along to this at the top of your voice. It is a marvellous celebration of troubled relationships and getting very drunk! Starting with a loud and fast pace, it ends with the line;
"Had too much to drink, don't ask me now, head in the sink", with Healey repeating "Too much" again, with rising drama and volume, until guitars are distorted and colliding, and Healey is screaming his lungs out to the finish. Also, we get a taste of Healey's brilliant and funny vocal mannerisms, adding some "Uuh"'s (bizarrely yelled like he is burping) here and there.

7. 'Tied to the '90's'
This is a wry and ironic tribute to that turbulent and special decade, the nineties. A brilliant structure and hilariously camp vocals from Healey make this a wonder, another knowing nod to popular culture that not enough bands display these days, or at all. More lads; "HEY!" backing vocals, and a whimsical melody add to it's immense appeal.

8. 'I love you anyways'
A break from the fast, and mostly loud pace, this is a dreamy love song, with gorgeous lyrics delivered with real passion by the heroic Healey. Like a master, he knows when to punctuate the soft singing with passionate screams, and this is a worthy ballad that should accompany any relationship's start.

9. 'Happy'
Back to the hectic pace, with a song that Fran Healey's mum cleverly noted sounds very similar in melody to 'Needles and Pins' by The Kinks. Apart from that, this is a joyous riot of a love song, loud and proud, with fantastic lyrical witticisms like;
"I got on the blower, the next thing i know you're speaking!" and
"I'm not a doctor and I'm not a lawyer, I'll get the prescription and set it on fire - blow me a kiss, I'll be happy the rest of my life"
Note: more vocal mannerisms to smile at too!Turn this to full volume!

10. 'More than us'
Released as a limited edition EP's lead track, this is a string-laden epic, a far more powerful ballad than 'I love you anyways', but softer in intent. Again, the lyrics are inventive and pasionately delivered, with a flowery melody to carry it along.

11. 'Falling down'
Although many would say this is the weakest track, I really like it's witty lyrical structure and very familiar-sounding melody, with a hollow-sounding piano the lead instrument this time. A subtle gem.

12. 'Funny thing'
The only complaint about the album is that it is lopsided, with almost all the softer tracks placed one-after-the-other at the end. That said, they are all worthy tracks, with 'Funny thing' another epic, with thought-provoking lyrics and a great soft melody. A big section of distorted guitar splits middle from end, and puts the capital 'E' in 'Epic'. A great end to a great album.

Okay? Now go buy it! After this, Britpop collapsed, and Travis unfortunately went for the soft pop option to sell, losing everything that made them special in the first place, like Healey's magnificent abrasive and humourous vocals, the wry, knowing lyrics and loud singalong choruses. We shouldn't blame them too much. After all money talks, and they get a lot more airplay, but one would like to think that creating timeless music and credibility would count for more. I almost dried an eye....