Moseley Shoals - Ocean Colour Scene
The Soundtrack to my life, like everyone else's, is made up of a thousand songs representing a thousand happy, sad and contented memories.
The happiest of these are the eclectic music choices of my parents during family holiday car journeys stretching anywhere from Tina Turner, through the Everly Brothers to The Who. There is a paradox about long childhood car journeys. They seemed to torment and bore and distress you in equal measure at the time, but later in life you realise you were in fact happier than you might ever be. And you were totally unaware that the tunes drifting by in the background would end up being some of your favourite sounds for the rest of your life.
It's probably why one of my favourite albums, although not a choice by my parents, comes from a similar callback to that travelling theme. The album is Moseley Shoals by Ocean Colour Scene.
Released at a very important time in my own life, this album was to be the soundtrack to an entire summer. Having just left school, passed my driving test and landed a job at the local publishing firm as a potential Graphic Designer, my adult life was kickstarting in just the way I had hoped. And this album was to be the score.
My driving friends and I spent that entire summer running the others lifelong compadres backwards and forwards between houses, pubs, clubs, cinemas and the seaside (okay, Skegness, but growing up in Lincolnshire, you take what you can get…).
The album itself, although I must admit this statement comes heavily loaded with precious memories of those times, I would suggest is a perfect album – all killer, no filler!
There are very few albums in my collection, even of my favourites artists, that I can make such a bold statement. Moseley Shoals by Ocean Colour Scene is such an album.
The reason for this is of course the well-crafted tunes of nostalgic alternative rock and britpop vibes so prevalent at the time (1996) but never bettered in my humble opinion. But one of the main reasons for this album making my ultimate cut is down to the first 10 seconds, the opening guitar riffs of the very first track 'The Riverboat Song'. The kind of opener that makes a 17 year old want to drive, destination unknown, blissfully unaware that the sounds drifting by would become some of his favourite sounds for the rest of his life.
Lee is an independent illustrator, animator and graphic design professional. Take a look at some of his awesome work at the Lee Daniels Art website. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!
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