Despite being impressed with the new Blur album it is the return of another great 90s band that has me more excited. Next week I’ve got tickets to see The Super Furry Animals in Manchester and I can’t wait.
Rather embarrassingly I kind of missed them in the 90s when they burst on the scene. I knew the songs in the charts but in all honesty guitar music wasn’t large on my radar at the time (Ibiza has a lot to answer for!). By the time I had shaken off the need for over 140Bpm in my music, Rings Around The World had come out which whilst good is probably not their best album. The next few albums came and went. I caught them a few times at festivals and whilst enjoying their sets I wasn’t familiar with enough of the tracks to fully appreciate what I was seeing.
However gradually over the last three years largely thanks to the beauty of Spotify I have started listening to much more of them and begun to form the opinion that they might just be the best band that formed on these shores during the 90s. They have certainly been the one band from this time that has maintained a quality output well into the 00’s (Hey Venus being a good example of this).
So with a much greater appreciation of their back catalogue I am more excited for next weeks gig than any I have seen in a long time. Watching the S4C documentary on IPlayer last night has whet the appetite even further.
So is there much appreciation on here for them. What are your top 5? At the moment I’d say mine in no particular order are probably;
Juxtaposed with you
Hello Sunshine (loved the bit on last nights doc where they turned down £2m from Coca Cola for this track and instead gave it to a charity CD for free!)
Northern Lites
Run-Away
If you don’t want me to destroy you
The Super Furry Animals
I’m not really up to speed with their back catalogue, but this has always hit the spot for me:
One of my favourite bands of all time. My wife walked up the aisle to me with Fire In My Heart playing. Great live too. Wish I was seeing them.
Oh and can just about do a top 100. Couldn’t pick just 5!
You may well be me. I missed them completely in the 90s (for similar reasons) and got into them via a friend and the best of – ‘Songbook’ – in 2004. Then I realised they were definitely the best band of that era and one of my favourite of all time, although I’m not convinced Hey Venus or Dark Days/Light Years are that great (Love ‘Lovekraft’ though). Never seen them live, but also at the Albert Hall gig next week and I can’t wait.
My top 5…
Juxtaposed
Run, Christian, Run
Ice Hockey Hair
Zoom!
Fire In My Heart
Dark Days is my favourite, born out of a few people together jamming and creating a noise, it is a real rock album full of huge grooves and riffs. Witty lyrics, too.
http://youtu.be/tdfAQANHeY4
Moped Eyes
Also much different to the more melodic string laden songs that I chose above. But that’s the beauty of them in that every record sounds so different.
I do like Dark Days, and that track is great, I just don’t think it’s quite the work of genius that Radiator or Rings… or Guerilla are. But then I’m just judging against their previous work, as a standalone album it’s still quite special.
I have a liking for SFA myself but why didn`t they take the CC dosh and give that to charity?
But then that song would have forever been associated with a brand that the band were opposed to. However I take your point that the charity could probably have done with the £2m instead of just having the song on their CD!!
I love the SFA. The most consistently excellent band of the last 20 years. (Although, what would I know?)
The two greatest British bands of the 90s both began with ‘Super’.
‘Grass and …Furry Animals did the prefix proud. ‘Naturals sadly let the side down. I love the Super Furry Animals and I’m so disappointed that my work means I can’t see them live now that they’re back. Enjoy it; they give good show.
They are great live – no danger of miming or backing tapes!
Not sure about “top” 5, but 5 great tracks by them:
Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home)
Do Or Die
Dim Brys Dim Chwys
Chupacabras
and of course the fantastic:
The Man Don’t Give A Fuck
They were friends with some pals of mine so I was going to see them live around the time of the first LP so those earlier records are the ones I have the fondest memories of.
Top 5
God Show Me Magic (with my mate Jez on Piano!)
Bass Turned to D.E.A.D
Wherever I Lay My Phone That’s My Home.
Night Vision
The Man Don’t Give a Fuck – Live version.
My favourite thing about SFA gigs was when they would all troop off one by one and leave Cian on stage, house lights still down, who would then start mixing a live Techno set which could go on for 10-15 minutes – we just used to dance and get right into it. Others scratched their heads and wondered where the guitars had gone. SFA loved their dance muisc and I always thought they should have done a techno side-project – rumour has it they did but never released the results (never mind the mythical ‘Das Koolies’ project that was supposedly created during the sessions for Guerilla)
The best recorded evidence of the SFA Techno set is this:
A properly great band.
If I had to choose just one track it would be “If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You”. They really did emerge fully formed with that debut.
Also, can’t get this to best properly but @simonl, Fire in My Heart is a brilliant choice of wedding music!
Saw them many years ago supporting Blur and knew little about them at the time. Needless to say their back catalogue was purchased pretty sharpish thereafter and have bought all their albums since.
A great band, wilfully individual. Each album different……hell, each track different! Singing in Welsh, or just with a strong Welsh accent. Love it.
Gruff Rhys’ solo stuff is good too….
And TMDGAF is a personal favourite too……