Supergrass Is 10 (The Best Of Supergrass 1994-2004) - Supergrass

Supergrass are the peter pans of the music scene. It seems like only yesterday the 70s style sideburn trio was churning out the first brand of cheeky chappy music we got to know them with. I'm thinking 'Alright' and lyrics like 'well you ate our chips and you drank our coke, and then you showed me mars through your telescope' off 'Grace'. By the blink of an eye 1994; as if by some crazed Life on Mars time-warp, became 2004. Supergrass was 10 years ...
...In it for the money, Supergrass and Life on other Planets). It brings all the best bits together.

Here's an individual mini review of the each of the 21 songs on the album:

1. Caught By the Fuzz - 2:19
This was the birth of Supergrass. They came out kicking and screaming with this rocky number which recalls the true life incident of lead singer Gaz being arrested by the 'fuzz' for smoking cannabis. Despite only ... more

Supergrass are the peter pans of the music scene. It seems like only yesterday the 70s style sideburn trio was churning out the first brand of cheeky chappy music we got to know them with. I'm thinking 'Alright' and lyrics like 'well you ate our chips and you drank our coke, and then you showed me mars through your telescope' off 'Grace'. By the blink of an eye 1994; as if by some crazed Life on Mars time-warp, became 2004. Supergrass was 10 years old. (14 now). Amidst the party celebrations, Gaz, Micky and Danny lumped together this classy collection of singles and album tracks, releasing it in 2004.

'Supergrass is 10: The Best of 94-04' reminds me of just how many catchy tunes they had over the BritPop period. From girl band poppy handclap (alright), slick retro rock (seen the light), punk, and gentle acoustics (late in the day) the 21 songs cover it all. The bands quintessentially English writing style (ala Kinks, Small Faces, Madness) is on display here, to perfectly celebrate a band who've served us well over the years. This album is a must buy even if you liked just one of their songs, and even if you already own their 4 previous efforts (I Should Coco, In it for the money, Supergrass and Life on other Planets). It brings all the best bits together.

Here's an individual mini review of the each of the 21 songs on the album:

1. Caught By the Fuzz - 2:19
This was the birth of Supergrass. They came out kicking and screaming with this rocky number which recalls the true life incident of lead singer Gaz being arrested by the 'fuzz' for smoking cannabis. Despite only reaching 43 in the singles chart it became one of the fans anthems at live gigs, perfect for head bopping along too. If you can't get round to seeing them, you can just ball your heart out in the car to lyrics like "Just like a bad dream, I was only 15" along with the numerous uuuhhs and ahhhhs at the end.

2. Pumping on Your Stereo - 3:20
You may remember the video showing the band with their heads grafted onto puppet bodies dancing around, but beneath all that was a genuinely catchy song. It came off their self titled third album, reaching 11 in the single charts. The song and album signaled the band was happy again to write pop songs like 'Alright' once more, rather than revert back to rock which had served them well on 'in it for the money'. Play this song and you'll start bopping along. The beat carries through the entire song, which you may find annoying. I love it though!

3. Alright - 3:03
Chances are if you've heard of Supergrass, you'd have sung along to this at some point. In the summer of 1995 it stayed in the top 3 for a whole month as Britpop was at its peak. "We are young / we are free / Keep our teeth / nice and clean" is hardly the most rebellious of statements but it summed up Supergrass' snapshot of adolescence. They were having fun playing it and performing it on stage and on the video, and so were we watching along. Infamously Steven Spielberg was so impressed with the song and the video that he contacted them and offered them to film a monkees style TV-show. They declined, and moved onto recording their second album. To this day people still love the song, with its cheerful piano tune reminiscent of Madness, and sing-a-long lyrics. A bona fide teen anthem.

4. Moving - 4:27
This song is my Dad's favorite of theirs, which sums up its widespread appeal. It begins quietly in the background with the simple sound of acoustics and Gaz's echoing voice. 1 minute passes, and before long you're thrown into a stomping chorus of discontent with lyrics like "Got a low, low feeling around me, And a stone cold feeling inside, And I just cant stop messing my mind up". It's a sure fire change from songs about keeping their teeth clean, but catchy to boot. It only got to 9 in the chart but I believe this song; along with Alright, will have the longest lasting imprint.

5. Richard III - 3:21
One of their darkest and heaviest songs, 'Richard III' is a menacing anthem, again representing change as you listen through the album. It's raunchy, raw, and relentless, but also rich. The musical arrangements are sophisticated and the lyrics introspective, setting it apart from a lot of the other songs on this album. The country obviously liked it in 1997, as it got to number 2.

6. Grace - 2:32
From the menace of the last track, Grace is another helping of fizzy pop; literally. With lyrics in the verse which talk about drinking coke and eating chips, the slightly annoying, but catchy chorus bursts its way through. 'Save your money for the children' Gaz yells. Its all very 70s in its sound. At points throughout the song it sounds like singer Gaz is impersonating Marc Bolan. It's not their finest song on the album, as you're bound to get sick of it after a while. Savor the sound for the first 3 listens, it is catchy as always.

7. Late in the Day - 4:47
The track begins similarly to 'Moving' with gaz's echoing voice and just an acoustic guitar plugging along. A piano then kicks in, with the chorus, and bittersweet lyrics "All the time I thought of you, In an ordinary way, You slip back down the heart away". It's the most tender song Supergrass has written, very Coldplay-ish, and very beautiful. One of the best 5 songs of the 21.

8. Seen the light - 4:54
If late in the day was winter, this song is summer. It acts as the perfect follow up, very well selected. A lot of compilation albums just don't flow. This song did nothing much in the charts, but its one of my 3 faves from the album. Similarly to 'Grace' it sounds very 70s, and reminds me a lot of T-rex. Combine 'metal guru' and 'ride a white swan' together and you have it. If you're a fan of any 70s glam rock, listen to Supergrass now!

9. Mansize Rooster - 2:40
T-Rex glam rock meets Buzzcocks catchy sing-a-long punk with this song. It was their second single release, some time before they really broke through with 'Alright'. A chart entry of 20 signifies its juicy goodness.

10. Sun Hits the Sky - 4:54
The 3rd release from arguably their best album 'In it for the money'. Catchy as ever, you'd have though by 10 songs in standards would fall. This summery blast of twangly guitar riffs and jumpy base lines proves otherwise. The chord changes are sensational midway through the chorus, setting the song alight, before finishing off with a Beatles-esuque instrumental. Retro indeed, catchy as ever. Another album highlight!

11. Kiss Of Life - 4:03
Released as a new song to coincide with this compilation album, it just doesn't work. For a start it has keyboards on it, then there's the sound effects. From about 2.30 in it begins to sound like the doctor who theme tune. Now that's all well and good for David Tennant, but not for a rock band. Album filler at best. Possibly it was forced upon the band to write a song to help promote the album. Bloody Parlophone.

12. Mary - 4:02
After 'kiss of life' you're hoping for an improvement. Mary manages to provide that, sounding all retro and glam rock as it booms out of our CD player. Sing along to this one kids! With deep, emotional (sarcasm) lyrics like 'Ahhhhh... ay ya ya' it's a song for everyone. Not their finest creation but it fits the bill, even if the video didn't. Infamously it was banned for being too frightening. If you're bored, check it out on youtube. Expect skeletons, blood and drowning. The juicy bits are between 2:37 and 2:50!

13. Going Out - 4:16
After the boys put the breaks on their 'Alright' Bed, all toothpaste smiles, they released this song. With a brass section and a church organ they took off their stabilizers and got more serious. Although not their best of songs, it still got to number 5 (largely due to the wave of popularity which followed 'alright'). It keeps the album flowing for a little longer, complimenting the heavy rock, and catchy pop which dominate the album. You can't head bop, but it's suitably for swaying, side to side. Do you want to go out?

14. Lenny - 2:42
By now it's clear that we'll never reach the golden pop moments heard through songs 1-10 again. No compilation albums are perfect. Still, these are all good songs worthy of a mention. 'Lenny' is a song which represents their early days, pre mass popularity and pre mass production. It's punk fuelled, with 3 simple elements (guitar, base and drums) which manage to create a mammoth noise. The guitar and base together sound incredibly like the Arctic Monkeys. Can't be a bad thing if you were born after 1992 and know how to dance like an electro punk robot from 1984.

15. Bullet - 2:32
The lowest point on the album thus far, sinister sounding with multiple guitar layers, it sounds like a background track on Gran Turismo or Need for Speed Underground. If you've played these games you'll know what I mean. Considering it's a new song, I expect similar to 'kiss of life', it was forced upon the band to write something; anything. I don't want to believe their songwriting skills have diminished over the years. Skip it.

16. It's Not Me - 2:57
After writing the review for the awful 'bullet' this song slowly began, and although not stand out ish, or ballsy, it found a way of getting into my head. Unlike all the other songs, it was the first time I'd heard it as well, as it was taken from the album 'in it for the money' which I never fully listened to. I've found it as a great addition to the album. It doesn't ask to be listened to, but just sits there, drifting lazily in and out of your mind as it rolls through the 3 minutes. Perhaps the band took inspiration from this song, as a lot of 2005's 'Road to Rouen' sounds similar to it. Surprising even to me, its one of my album highlights. The best of 11-17.

17. Rush Hour Soul - 2:56
After 'It's not me' I craved more gentle numbers as my body became all wonderfully drowsy and calm. 'Rush hour soul' ruined this feeling for me, as the stormy riff began. As catchy as it is, the song just doesn't fit on this part of the compilation. The experience of listening was quite unsettling too, as I found myself wondering which advert had used the song. You know the feeling. Life just doesn't sit right until you know. And I still don't!

18. Strange Ones - 3:59
The song begins with the creepy sound of a small boy shouting 'I can't find you, where are you? I can't see you'. It's all very strange. Gaz and co then burst out from the boys shadow like some playground villain with, "There's a place where the strange ones go,
Where nobody here could know". Like a chant, half 'Another brick...' half 'teenage kicks', the chorus asks to be sung along to. The swooping guitars sound very 70s, typical to the band. After the chorus, a bluesy verse begins and lyrics like "Well, are you strange enough, Are you deranged enough, Every f*cker needs a home". You can imagine it sounds fantastic live. One search on google highlights its fans favorite status, as the official Supergrass fan site is in fact called strangeones.com. Another great album track, this time unreleased off debut 'I should Coco'. Well worth a listen to this- album highlight!

19. Lose It - 2:39
Just when I thought the album had died at track 15 'Bullet', this, 16 and 18 act as the renaissance, finishing the album off well. It's back to basic with this one, no synths or sound effects. Just guitar, base, drums and plenty of ahhaaas to sing along to. This was the bands 3rd single release from 'I should coco' in 1995. If you happen to have the US vinyl version, insure it now (very rare).

20. Time - 3:14
'Time' continues where the last song left off, with plain simple guitar and base. Nonetheless it's still interesting, with a bluesier, more country style. Another album track, and again off 'I should coco' demonstrating its quality.

21. Wait For The Sun - 4:08
If you've reached this point on the album listening the entire way through you'd be satisfied enough to take whatever comes here. 'Wait for the Sun' is not catchy, nor particularly memorable, but its pyscadellic feel and acoustics provide a half-decent finish to what is a fantastic collection of songs. It represents the road Supergrass was heading in come 2005, as it poses similarities to their later to come album 'Road to Rouen'.

'Supergrass is 10: The Best of 94-04' is an album you will most definitely hear pumping on your stereo. Forget about the odd moment where things look a little drab (tracks 11-15) and remember the good ole days of 1-10. You've heard it all along the way, from the fizzy pop moments of 'alright' to the pie and chips of 'grace. From the gourmet well crafted delights (moving) to egg and chips (seen the light), raise your glass and have a toast to Supergrass! Happy Birthday Lads! Bring on Diamond Hoo Haa. 

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