RETROSPECTIVE :: THE BOO RADLEYS

Current mood: WOKEN UP!!
Category: WOKEN UP!! Music

So, Brit Pop is over, was dead, was a marketing concept, existed?

Who knows. The Paul Giovanni opinion was there was some interesting things going on and they were hijacked by a lack of imagination that steered the attention away from these interesting things into more of the bleeding same dullard rock, - rock of which we're still suffering by the caseload some 12 years later..

Yes boss, regular readers know how I rant about the 4 boys in a band thing. You know I think it's way beyond stale. You know I think Quoasis should have blown up after 2 albums to have been anything at all. And maybe you know I wish someone would kick Liam Gallagher senseless and leave him to gurgle through his broken teeth about how working class and REAL he really is...

It's all very serious and I'm not really very serious, but like Bono Vox I'm bothered by unfairness and one band I felt made their own unfairness, by way of their admirable refusal to play the game, were The Boo Radleys..

Yes boss, of all Alan McGees bands, I feel The Boo Radleys were one of the strongest and most original outfits he promoted. From the bizarre daytime TV pop of Wake Up Boo, to the genius of the LP Giant Steps, to the self willing kick in the commercial teeth that was their penultimate LP C'mon Kids, The Boo Radleys were always interesting, and though it was possible to sell Giant Steps on cd for £30 in the late 90s, The Boo Radleys now seem to have been largely forgotten which seems like something of a crime...

So, for those of you unfamiliar with The Boo Radleys, here's a little background courtesey of their still existing fan site


The Boo Radleys formed on the Wirral in 1988, and originally consisted of guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, vocalist/guitarist Sice, bassist Tim Brown, and drummer Steve Hewitt.

The band released their first album, Ichabod and I, on local label Action Records in 1990; Hewitt was replaced by Rob Cieka after the release of the record.

With the support of influential British disc jockey John Peel, the band signed with Rough Trade Records with whom they released the Every Heaven EP in 1991 - a record which made it into the lower regions of the UK charts.

Rough Trade folded shortly after the release of Every Heaven, and The Boo Radleys moved to Creation Records, releasing Everything's Alright Forever in 1992.

The album was also released in the US through Creation's association with Columbia Records, but didn't gain much attention in America. In England, it received favorable reviews and the group began to build a fan base.

Topping several 'best of the year' lists, including those in Melody Maker and Select, 1993's Giant Steps was a critical success in England and sold respectably. In America, the record launched the alternative hit Lazarus and led to second-stage spot on the Lollapalooza tour in 1994.

Released in England in the spring of 1995, the more pop-oriented Wake Up! was the band's commercial breakthrough, debuting at number one.

The bright, horn-driven single Wake Up Boo! entered in the top ten and stayed on the charts until the early summer, preventing the follow-up single, Find the Answer Within, from charting higher than the top 30.

The Boo Radleys returned in the autumn of 1996 with C'mon Kids, a self-consciously loud and arty album designed to shake off the band's newfound pop fans.

It worked - the album debuted in the top ten but soon fell off the charts, despite overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Early in 1997, the band finalized an American contract with Mercury, and C'mon Kids was released in March, a half a year after its initial British release.

Kingsize followed in late 1998, and was again met with favourable reviews, but the Boos officially broke up months later, just weeks before the title track was set to be released as a single.

Martin Carr began working on his solo project bravecaptain in 1999, and has released several critically acclaimed albums since. Sice provided guest vocals on 2004's Good Life.

Currently listening : Giant Steps By The Boo Radleys Release date: By 22 January, 2001

3:27 PM - 6 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Clinker	"Giant Steps" is one of the best albums ever. Awesome album. Took Pet Sounds into the 90s. Marvelous stuff. Also I recommend the less popular "Everythings Alright Forever". Similar in epicness, but less commercial. "Wake Up Boo" was a bit too poppy to me, but "C'Mon Kids" was a return to the adventurousness I loved. Other top Creation bands for me are My Bloody Valentine and Primal Scream. Posted by Clinker on August 21, 2007 - Tuesday at 4:53 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Everythings Alright Forever didn't quite grab me in the same way as Giant Steps did, but then in my view none of their other Lps came close to that kind of quality.. The strange thing with Wake Up Boo is it's a very uncommercial LP, but the single comes from nowhere. Jesus - it could be a daytime TV theme, but whereas The Lighthouse Family did that kind of thing on loop, The Boo Radleys just knocked that one out and were done with it all... I'm not sure about either Primal Scream or MBV. I like them both in places, but I've never been a huge fan of either... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 21, 2007 - Tuesday at 5:01 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Clinker	You mention "daytime tv" and I remember seeing the Boos doing C'Mon Kids on Big Breakfast and they even got away with the cunt word at 8.00am (around then). I video taped it (yeah I know...but I just did ok?) so I checked it and he did. That beats Peter Gabriel getting sperm on TOTPs anyday. Primal Scream....a bit buy that one, miss that one but...all forgiven for "Screamadelica" and "Xtrmntr". MBV...are you mad??? I am a fanatic though. Posted by Clinker on August 21, 2007 - Tuesday at 7:22 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Well MBV are lurking in my collection and like The Fall did recently, they could emerge as a favourite if i hear them on the right day and suddenly get it, but up to now I've not been grabbed... Incidentally, I was just reading an interview with Martin Carr of The Radleys and he was singing the praises of MBV.. I think I'm getting a good breakdown of how the whole McGee empire worked and why certain bands did better with him than others... I'll be doing a piece on Creation soon... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 21, 2007 - Tuesday at 8:02 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	(not a groupie)	The only Boo I have is from the Help compilation. I liked it. I've wanted more. Thanks Paul. Posted by (not a groupie) on August 22, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:51 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :

There's never been a better time to pick up Radleys stuff on ebay. It's all going dead cheap..) Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 22, 2007 - Wednesday at 8:01 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]