Parlophone is pleased to announce the upcoming reissue of Supergrass’ chart-topping platinum debut album, I SHOULD COCO on September 4th. Remastered on 180-gram vinyl with a deluxe 3-CD expanded edition, this 20th ANNIVERSARY celebration features b-sides, demos, live recordings & much more.
Supergrass burst onto the UK music scene in 1994 with the hit singles ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ and ‘Mansize Rooster.’ Their infectious blend of power-pop melodies, youthful punk attitude and wicked sense of humour set them apart from their Britpop contemporaries. Their sound was not tied to a particular artist or era, so has allowed their music to remain timeless. When ‘I SHOULD COCO’ hit the shelves in 1995, it was an immediate smash, reaching the #1 spot on the UK album chart making it the biggest selling debut album for Parlophone sinceThe Beatles' ‘Please Please Me.’ The album featured two Top 10 hits: ‘Lenny’ and ‘Alright,’ the latter becoming one of the defining songs of their career. These young men devoured a lot of music in their youth; combining the melodicism of The Kinks & The Beatles, the ferocious rhythms of The Who, the Anglo-centric vocals of Madness with the punk/pop energy of The Buzzcocks into a musical stew that sounded like no one but Supergrass. They delivered a nearly perfect album to kick-start their career; a record that still resonates and charms two decades on.
To celebrate the 20th ANNIVERSARY of this modern classic, the trio of Gaz Coombes (lead vocals/guitar), Mick Quinn (bass/vocals) andDanny Goffey (drums/vocals), have opened the vaults to share a plethora of rarities with their fans in addition to a newly remastered version of the original album in the form of two extra CDs, LP and 12” vinyl.
Of the new edition, Gaz Coombes said, "It's been great seeing this anniversary re-issue take shape. There's loads of cool unreleased tracks and bonus goodies on there, and recordings that I forget existed. It's been cool talking again with people who were part of that record, and how they feel about it all now, there's still a lot of love for ‘I Should Coco’. We're really happy to get it out there again."
CD2 begins with all the B-sides from the singles released off the album with the addition of ‘Stone Free,’ here receiving its first digital release. ‘'I Believe In Love’ was released as a B-Side to 'Sofa (Of My Lethargy)' on 7” green vinyl as part of Record Store Day 2015. The remainder of this disc recreates the album running order using alternative versions of the songs, including home demos and parts of their recording session at Sawmills before the band was signed to Parlophone.
CD3 features two very distinct live performances recorded nearly ten months apart, which Quinn describes as “both fascinating and hilarious by turns.” The Bath Moles gig (October 1994) was recorded on their first major tour of the UK. The support set consists of their entire repertoire at the time, played at 100 miles an hour and in their original 'punkish' three piece band line-up. You can hear Gaz drunkenly announce 'Caught By The Fuzz' as the 'new' single before they launch into a ferocious version of it, only to grind to a frustrated halt as the crowd wipe out the mics at the front of the stage and they're forced to start from the beginning again. Other highlights include witty ad libs before the songs and an improvised version of 'Time To Go' as Danny's kick drum peddle is repaired mid gig. Quinn reports: “I was there and it still sounds fantastic and like you're in the room.”
The August 1995 La Route Du Rock gig is an entirely different kettle of fish. The punk freneticism is still there but after 10 months they expanded their sound with Gaz’s brother Rob Coombes on keys and the sound is much more polished. The vocals and guitar solos have progressed and so has the song selection. Playing to an audibly much bigger festival audience they start with what must be one of the first live outings of 'Going Out'. The sound man is still working out the audio for the first 3 songs but after this things really start falling into place. 'I'd Like To Know' is huge. Danny comically ad libs (in appalling French) between songs and, after a monumental encore of'Lenny', you can hear Gaz utter a perfectly timed 'Voila!’.
As far as the packaging is concerned, the 3-disc digipak includes a 20 page booklet which features a hyperbolic live review from King Tuts' Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, 22nd Feb '95 by Everett True from the Melody Maker, a previously unpublished photo of the band illegally sitting on the back of a China Clay Train at Sawmills Studios August '94 and a selection of 6 iconic shots from Martyn Goodacre. Also featured are all the single cover art released from ‘I SHOULD COCO’, including the latest RSD15 single with 'Sofa (Of My Lethargy)’/‘I Believe In Love'.
The 12” 180g, black vinyl reissue has some really exciting features. The front cover has been re-photographed at high resolution from the original painting by The Moody Painters who created all artwork for the original release and singles. The package has been designed by Nick Bax at Human Studios, who was also responsible for graphic design the first time around. The re-issue is dedicated toDavid Norland, founder of Backbeat Records, who died at the age of 40 last year from cancer.
The LP includes a special bonus: The original 7” single of ‘Stone Free’/‘Odd?’ on red vinyl with a reworked red/yellow classic Parlophone 45 label but in its original retro 'Parlophone' housebag. ‘Stone Free’ was originally recorded during a long night at Falconer Studios 12thApr 1995 just after the band returned home from their first American tour. ‘Odd?’ was recorded at BBC Maida Vale on 10th Jan 1995, as part of their first John Peel session which was initially broadcast 4th Feb 1995. It was Rob Coombes’ first appearance on keyboards with the band.
Pre-Order I SHOULD COCO from iTunes now!