SUPERGRASS
The Strange Ones
1994-2008
Super Deluxe Box Set
(Echo)
This sprawling collection sails well
beyond 200 tracks and creates a perfect
catch-all for anyone wishing to become an
instant Supergrass completist. The set
includes every Supergrass album begin-
ning with the band’s manic 1995 debut I
Should Coco, celebrating the 25th birthday
of tracks like the cheeky “Caught by the
Fuzz” and hyper-caffeinated Britpop gem
“Alright.” The timeline continues to the
band’s accomplished swan-song Diamond
Hoo Ha, capping Supergrass’ career with
the Quixotically soulful fusion of
krautrock, Motown-styled shimmer, and
psychedelic jangle-pop of “Rebel in You,”
as well as the thundering “Diamond Hoo
Ha Man,” swaggering “Bad Blood” and
brash “345.” The amassed discography
reveals the band’s evolution from scrappy
glam-pop underdogs to British rock fron-
trunners with influential talent at every
position and memorable songs to match.
The catalog boasts landmarks like the evo-
lutionary leap of sophomore album In It
for the Money and 2005’s underrated gem
Road to Rouen, but the beauty is that
Supergrass never made a bad record.
A collection of “Roots & Vines” presents
demos, early versions of developing
songs, and outtakes. Included are the 4-
track demo of “Lose It,” an 8-track demo
for the wistful “Moving,” and an early
rehearsal take of the bouncing “Brecon
Beacons.” With its funky clavinet, harmon-
ica, and bleepy sound effects, the upbeat
instrumental “Stinkfinger” sounds like a
cross
between
Stevie
Wonder’s
“Superstition” and an 8-bit video game
score. An exploratory, spacefaring trip
toward “Dark Star” veers into the weird.
The band tears through a hard-charging
version “Next to You” while imprinting
the early Police single with the signature
Supergrass sound. A block of 38 B-sides
includes a few remixed and alternate ver-
sions of familiar songs, including “Kiss of
Life,” but otherwise gathers spare tracks
that were often worthy of the A-list. The
low spark and pulse of “Don’t Be Cruel” is
no Elvis cover, and could have been an
album favorite on **In It for the Money.
Ditto for “Pumping on Your Stereo” B-side
“Lucky,” a witty power-pop gem that
would have done Cheap Trick proud. The
crashing chorus to “Believer” stacks vocals
toward sky-high rapture in celebration of
20 illinoisentertainer.com february 2020
glorious sound. “Lenny” B-side “Sex!” is a
loopy country shuffle for the novelty bin
that benefits from Rob Coombes saloon
piano. The band makes a muscular but
groovy cover of Kenny Rogers and the
First Edition’s psychedelic soul single
“Just Dropped In (To See What Condition
My Condition Was In).” The band’s cover
of The Smiths “Some Girls are Bigger than
Others” is taut and raging. “Tishing in
Windows (Kicking Down Doors)” revisits
the bratty bravado of the band’s early,
hedonistic fare. Diamond Hoo Ha outtake
“Car Crash” is propelled by Mick Quinn’s
krautrock bass and Danny Goffey’s Police-
styled tom-tom fills. “You’ll Never Walk
Again” is a mellow musical track with
trash-talking lyrics threatening a dirty
brawl. Oddball outlier “You Too Can Play
Alright” is an audio tutorial from a guitar
magazine to help you catch Gaz Coombes’
vibe. A mountain of live tracks includes
full concerts, compact festival sets, TV per-
formances, and radio sessions. The various
settings reveal different strengths and
facets of Supergrass’ collective personality.
An acoustic performance of “St.
Petersburg” for Radio Kerrang! in 2005
focuses on Gaz Coombes’ evocative song-
writing strengths rather than his guitar
heroics. The same session’s stripped
arrangement of “See The Light” exposes
brother Rob Coombes’ nimble accompani-
ment on electric piano, reminiscent of clas-
sic British pop session man Nicky
Hopkins. Four performances of the pile-
driving rocker “Richard III” underscore
the formidable prowess of the rhythm sec-
tion composed of bassist Mick Quinn and
drummer Goffey. Hearing the 1997
Glastonbury crowd singing along to
“Alright” pulls the listener into the
thrilling moment. “Sun Hits the Sky” is a
pure adrenaline rush, with Gaz Coombes’
energized vocal propelled by the tight but
feral band. “This one is dedicated to all the
freaks and weirdos out there,” says
Coombes while introducing “Strange
Ones.” “You know who you are,” he adds.
The Super Deluxe box includes a picture-
disc LP and CD of Supergrass’ six studio
albums. Seven additional CDs include the
live recordings, B-sides, outtakes and
demos. The set includes color posters and
badges. A book contains the stories behind
each album and offers new quotes from
the band. A 7” vinyl single contains remix-
es of “Caught by the Fuzz” and “Richard
III.” The band’s career is also reduced to a
standalone 26-track overview on 2xLP and
a 22-track set on CD for those who don’t
want to take the deep dive.
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