OCEAN COLOUR SCENE: From Broke To The Big Time (Their Story From 1987-1997)

This is the story of ten years of Ocean Colour Scene, 1987 - 1997, in which the band went from penniless musicians on the dole, to the top of the indie world and the top of the charts.
Watch 'The Fanatics' here: • The Fanatics - a docum...
Watch 'SCENE' here: • SCENE By Tony Briggs
Massive thanks to Damon M for all his help!
Many images and videos in my KZread content have been found online without any attribution or credit available. In many cases I have therefore not been able to add a credit in the videos themselves due to lack of information. If your image or video has been used and a credit is required, please email me with your details and evidence of authorship and a credit will be added into the video description.
Many thanks, JH.

Пікірлер: 204

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar
    @JamesHargreavesGuitar4 ай бұрын

    Hey all, just a heads up, the full new interview with Damon is coming next, so keep an eye out for that JH

  • @Deathtoallsnowflakes

    @Deathtoallsnowflakes

    4 ай бұрын

    said it before ill say it again, ocs has never been the same without Damon! no bass player has even come close.

  • @khloekloset3645
    @khloekloset3645Күн бұрын

    'Day they caught the train' randomly popped into my head and came across your report. Wasnt a huge OCS fan, but have so much more respect for them now. Thanks for such detail and research ❤

  • @kieranjquigg6670
    @kieranjquigg66704 ай бұрын

    Haven't even watched this yet but this is the video I've been waiting on. I fucking love OCS. Simon fowler is so underrated it's almost criminal.

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    They definitely deserve a ton more recognition. Hopefully this doc can play a role is addressing that 🎸🎸🎸

  • @robertovalero6186

    @robertovalero6186

    4 ай бұрын

    ​@@JamesHargreavesGuitarWhen does your opinion video about Johns and Liams album come out.I ❤it!!!

  • @tweedlio2763

    @tweedlio2763

    4 ай бұрын

    Ive always thought that! It confused the hell out of me how they werent right up there

  • @jonathanmartin4125

    @jonathanmartin4125

    3 ай бұрын

    And my dad taught Damon and Daniel Rachel the bass for 4 years

  • @shaunmcgee4204
    @shaunmcgee42044 ай бұрын

    It’s great to hear the OCS fellas mentioning the Real People, instead of writing them out of the history books. If anyone deserves recognition (and long overdue major success) it’s Chris & Tony Griffiths. Incredible singers, musicians and writers.

  • @GT380man

    @GT380man

    3 ай бұрын

    The Realies! Love them.

  • @willamshaw6944

    @willamshaw6944

    3 ай бұрын

    even liam gallagher said the real people were better musicans than oasis in their earlier days an gave them an helping hand an advice

  • @thapthoptheep2076
    @thapthoptheep20764 ай бұрын

    One of my favourite bands of all time. I miss the mid 90's, it was glorious and I was obsessed with OCS - they introduced me to Weller, the Jam, the Who, the small faces...I discovered all of them thanks to OCS doing covers of their songs and working with Paul. This was amazing, took me back - wish it was longer.

  • @replicas11
    @replicas114 ай бұрын

    Travellers Tune is a gem.

  • @tweedlio2763

    @tweedlio2763

    4 ай бұрын

    Mechanical wonder!!

  • @robertedwards2527
    @robertedwards25273 ай бұрын

    These documentaries are getting better and better. Awesome, well done James.

  • @dustmusicyoutubechannel4351
    @dustmusicyoutubechannel43513 ай бұрын

    Love ocs. I’ve been lucky enough to do some support gigs with them a few times. I got to hang out with them and they are great lads. Steve Craddock produced a 3 track demo for me and my old band. That was a fun week recording with him. He even played a bit guitar on one of our tracks. Absolute legends. 🙌🏼

  • @amatingmind7258
    @amatingmind72583 ай бұрын

    The United States OCS fanbase is small but loyal. We're here Simon. We know how good "Dawn Cried The Day" is. Thanks for the great music.

  • @edwardmulholland7912
    @edwardmulholland79124 ай бұрын

    I remember when me and a bunch of friends traveled over from Belfast to Ayr in Scotland to see the band at a tiny gig. I think it was just before the second album came out. They were incredible, we all knew they were going to be huge. A great memory from that time. I remember they even played a great cover of the Small Faces “Song of a baker”. Thanks for reminding me of that wonderful era.

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    Nice! And you're very welcome

  • @robwood8331

    @robwood8331

    4 ай бұрын

    A great mod band

  • @glennhiscock478
    @glennhiscock4783 ай бұрын

    I considered myself the biggest oasis head around but OCS grabbed me to a point that I ended up seeing them more than any other band, I followed them over the county at times… getting hold of B sides, seasides and freerides was a high point more so than the rare oasis stuff I grabbed too. The nostalgia with OCS will always be unrivalled and I can’t wait to watch all of this. Thank you.

  • @woodyvc
    @woodyvc4 ай бұрын

    Love OCS - great band

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    They are indeed

  • @user-xm7vj9it7s
    @user-xm7vj9it7s4 ай бұрын

    Simply the best Mod Band of my Generation. Their lyrics and Tunes are on another level than anybody else at that time. Saw them in Blackwood Working Club before they went Bang!! And many times after including a BBC Wales appearance. This Band is not only the best Mod band but one of the best in the World!!!!!! Love ya guy's see you in a concert hall sooooooon

  • @robwood8331
    @robwood83314 ай бұрын

    Steve Cradock what a fantastic musician. 👏 . They all are

  • @owenstunes5804
    @owenstunes58043 ай бұрын

    Damon comes across as one of the most decent guys in the music business.

  • @quadrifern
    @quadrifern13 күн бұрын

    A more learned and in-depth documentary on OCS I never did see. Cheers, James!

  • @LiseMac
    @LiseMac3 ай бұрын

    I met and got to know them well during their Scottish tour, great times 🥰

  • @JRA73
    @JRA733 ай бұрын

    Best atmosphere ever for a charity gig at the Villa Leisure Center, Sept' 97!! 😎

  • @tc-ou2zb
    @tc-ou2zb4 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for this, James. I grew up with OCS in Solihull and their gigs at Sweat with Weller were legendary. I always felt that OCS were the band with the most charm and least arrogance of the Britpop era. You could see why the likes of Weller and the Gallaghers trusted them. OCS also helped local bands such as Shaker (Sergeant), so they were clearly just good human beings. Moseley Shoals is the best album of that era (just ahead of Urban Hymns). By the way, it was well known in Birmingham at the time that Simon was gay and it says so much about what a great person he is that nobody had any issue with it (even in that testosterone fuelled lad-focused society). The woman who outed him was widely lambasted locally, by the way. Great band, great guys and, yes, great times to be a twentysomething in the 90s.

  • @martynlucas2433
    @martynlucas24334 ай бұрын

    Great video with memories of Chris Cradock thrown in. He is a great bloke who always had time for fans of the band!! Seen them many times over the years and always been a great live performance.

  • @user-df4fq3mj6m
    @user-df4fq3mj6m3 ай бұрын

    I still love this band as much as ever.

  • @AreJayCee
    @AreJayCee4 ай бұрын

    First album was absolutely perfect. Saying that while never the biggest fan I somehow saw them 8 times live.

  • @JPMulheron
    @JPMulheron4 ай бұрын

    Absolutely fantastic. Couldn’t get enough of this. Very well put together. This Took me back to the early and mid 90s . I’ve been a massive ocs fan for nearly 30years and love everything about them :)

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks for that! Was a labour of love this one

  • @Gold_Legend666
    @Gold_Legend6663 ай бұрын

    Just watched this absolute gem.. thank you! A must for any OCS fans

  • @krissymarklewis1793
    @krissymarklewis17934 ай бұрын

    always had a soft spot for them and the people I know that have crossed paths with them say they are lovely guys.

  • @NoPointsHarry
    @NoPointsHarry3 ай бұрын

    Thank you james as a brummie native it’s nice to see a bit of ocean colour scene love mosley shoals is a classic and i always listen to it when strolling around mosley

  • @PJmusic1981
    @PJmusic19813 ай бұрын

    OCS are one of my favorites bands and the best band i have ever seen live. Simon Fowler has the best voice in indie

  • @michaeldallaway1988
    @michaeldallaway19884 ай бұрын

    Looking back, i think a big reason they weren't even bigger was that it all felt a bit safe. Even their biggest rockers - Hundred Mile High City, Riverboat Song i guess - were still pleasant enough. Put it this way - even my mum liked OCS, but if i put an Oasis record on it would be "what on earth is this?". There isn't t that sense of youthful abandon and excitement, maybe even a bit of danger that you got from listening to Definitely Maybe.

  • @lucasm3879

    @lucasm3879

    3 ай бұрын

    Oasis had the X factor that split them apart from almost all their contemporaries. The attitude, the look, the frontman etc are all contributing factors as well as the most important one, the music.

  • @tonys6237

    @tonys6237

    3 ай бұрын

    After their 1st 2 albums Oasis were over.

  • @leewhieldon4299
    @leewhieldon42993 ай бұрын

    I started off as a drummer…Oscar’s drumming was always a big influence on me style..the day I learnt riverboat song drumming was a Wkd feeling! Lyrically and melodically they’ve influenced quite a bit over the years too…mint band!

  • @user-nd1ck7eb2v
    @user-nd1ck7eb2v3 ай бұрын

    Great this James, love the scene. The sound of summer’96. Aahh the memories. Cheers 👍

  • @TheStrongBoyz19
    @TheStrongBoyz194 ай бұрын

    I am a Black Sabbath fanatic, not just for the Ozzy era as well. lol I always cite them as my favourite in the Birmingham scene. I am digging into these guys more and it's great to see you dive into other bands who are underrated and not as well known as the bigger, popular greats.

  • @hopforward1759
    @hopforward17593 ай бұрын

    This is awesome James! My 17 year old self is loving this. I used to write the (what became the official) Ocean Colour Scene fanzine, Ocean Colour Zine. There's loads of stuff I didn't know about OCS in this video, and I thought I knew everything! 😂 Keep up the good work.

  • @johnnycashlives316
    @johnnycashlives3162 ай бұрын

    The best band USA does not know about.

  • @danielhoskins4690
    @danielhoskins46903 ай бұрын

    This was really well done James. Great watch, and loads of stuff I wasn’t aware of before

  • @WWNbroadcasts
    @WWNbroadcasts24 күн бұрын

    Ocean colour scene is so underrated bro Steve cradock and Simon are so good

  • @robwood8331
    @robwood83314 ай бұрын

    I cant believe how much the world has changed from the 90s ....back then you could still make it via the great routes etc

  • @kieranjquigg6670
    @kieranjquigg66703 ай бұрын

    Just watched this. Absolutely brilliant pal. Can't wait for the 2nd half of it. Keep up the brilliant work pal. Amazing. Well done

  • @darrenjoyce7615
    @darrenjoyce76153 ай бұрын

    Brilliant James. Really enjoyed this one. OCS are definitely an underrated band IMO.

  • @user-uj8ib7hj5j
    @user-uj8ib7hj5j3 ай бұрын

    Great work James. Thank you for the knowledge.

  • @RubenSoler
    @RubenSoler4 ай бұрын

    Wow!!!! Great documentary. I'm waiting for the second part. Thanks for doing this. Cheers from Spain.

  • @GazPay1977
    @GazPay19773 ай бұрын

    James your videos are so great and full of so much info for all us fans 👍👍

  • @philipmcandrew
    @philipmcandrew4 ай бұрын

    amazing doc - really enjoyed this, great job!

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    Much appreciated!

  • @stephentaylor5500
    @stephentaylor55003 ай бұрын

    really enjoyed this. great documentary and interview, thanks.

  • @GidRover
    @GidRover3 ай бұрын

    Thanks James, that was brilliant 👍

  • @DanielRed2
    @DanielRed24 ай бұрын

    This Better Day story completely blows my mind. Been listening to that song since 1997 and I can't believe the names, that I didn't twig! Madness. One of my favourite bands of all time.

  • @andyhornett4507
    @andyhornett45073 ай бұрын

    So glad I stumbled across your channel a few weeks back - great stuff

  • @smitcher
    @smitcher4 ай бұрын

    Very well done James, that was a great video to watch and well worth the wait, you can see that you put a lot of effort into this. Always loved OCS and that took me right back to the 90s when I saw Weller in Glasgow and Oasis at Loch Lomond and OCS were always around before making it really big. Particularly liked the bit with Damon explaining who the characters in Better Day were...

  • @pauloexploder
    @pauloexploder4 ай бұрын

    Fantastic work, loved this!

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it

  • @stantheshagster1484
    @stantheshagster14844 ай бұрын

    one of my top 5 ❤

  • @Drummer8282
    @Drummer82824 ай бұрын

    As an Oasis fan in Canada, I’ve heard of Ocean Colour Scene only because I’d follow British music news in search of Oasis news but can’t tell you a single song they ever did and I don’t know anyone who has ever heard of them. Will have to search out some of their songs.

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    Cool - I recommend 1 The Riverboat Song 2 You’ve Got It Bad 3 Hundred Mile High City 4 The Circle 5 The Day We Caught The Train 😎🎸👍

  • @slidenaway

    @slidenaway

    4 ай бұрын

    ^^ songs from James are a great starting place, but please do listen to the full album, they're incredible -- Moseley Shoals and Marchin' Already, and even B-Sides, Seasides, and Freerides is great. Later albums are also good, but the 3 I just mentioned are CLASSIC

  • @user-qw1tr1bn3h

    @user-qw1tr1bn3h

    3 ай бұрын

    Well there great !!!

  • @5hillings
    @5hillings3 ай бұрын

    Went and listened to better day after watching this... mind blown..

  • @ThePercyGreen
    @ThePercyGreen3 ай бұрын

    Great documentary James

  • @philholmes9356
    @philholmes93564 ай бұрын

    Interesting watch. nice work. One of the great live bands of the incredible 90's.

  • @PhilBerry83
    @PhilBerry833 ай бұрын

    This is brilliant documentary well in James!

  • @nikreid298
    @nikreid2982 ай бұрын

    Thanks brother really enjoyed this.

  • @salparadiso
    @salparadiso3 ай бұрын

    That filled some gaps for me. Thanks very much.

  • @royalslim2024
    @royalslim20243 ай бұрын

    Great show as always

  • @user-js3cr6wu7g
    @user-js3cr6wu7g3 ай бұрын

    If there is one song by OCS that I wish I had written it's 'So Low'. Great melody and lyrics, and whenever I play it in clubs or even occasional busking in the streets, people always ask me who that song os by, saying they love it! I was chatting on the phone with little Liam garland about 8 years ago, and I asked him ' Where did Simon get the lyrics ' cornfields and pigtails and fish in the stream. The night where the boy stole a billion dollar dream, from the hi-jinx school for girls down the road'. and he said ' He's just got a really good imagination'. ;)

  • @GT380man

    @GT380man

    3 ай бұрын

    If you don’t mind me saying, that question about the origins of the lyrics is more important than you are likely to guess. I remember my father, a doctor, saying “Rare things are rare, common things are common”. He’d often say this at some point when someone he’d met, learning he was a doctor, would share a confidential worry that their symptoms were a sign of something deeply fatal. My dad reassured them. Same here. Rare things are rare. Don’t accept trite answers. If a band makes consistently good songs, and you can detect the style of that band, it’s probably them. It’s the odd standout song, wildly better than their other material, those are the times to be cheerfully sceptical if they say “It was just the usual blokes”. Life’s pretty much not like that. There are exceptions, like Feels Like Heaven by Fiction Factory. They never got close ever again. I bet they had significant help & why not?

  • @FelixFontana
    @FelixFontana4 ай бұрын

    Nice work James, really enjoyed this

  • @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    @JamesHargreavesGuitar

    4 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it

  • @ianblackmore-allen163
    @ianblackmore-allen1633 ай бұрын

    As usual, cracking video. Loved the reveal about the Better Day lyrics 👌

  • @paulwilliams-rk6fy
    @paulwilliams-rk6fy4 ай бұрын

    Excellent doc into the background story of a fantastic band well done sir

  • @SkipSpotter
    @SkipSpotter3 ай бұрын

    What a treat to behold - A superb documentary with so much research info. I never had a clue about the bands history. I've alway chosen to believe (from life experience), that some things in life, are just meant to happen, no matter what obstacles get in the way. *Subscribed*

  • @alanfarrell2889
    @alanfarrell28893 ай бұрын

    Great stuff !! Favourite band of the ‘90s . Seen them in Dublin in dec , still amazing live !!

  • @sitluxetluxfuit4481

    @sitluxetluxfuit4481

    3 ай бұрын

    Where did they play in Dublin ?

  • @danielthomas8507
    @danielthomas85074 ай бұрын

    Another fantastic doco........OCS were a top band............Love my Sabbath too.

  • @jacksstudios2406
    @jacksstudios24064 ай бұрын

    I was literally just thinking that you should do a video on ocean colour scene then I saw this video in my notifications after listen to them, cracking vid

  • @TheOnlineBusker
    @TheOnlineBusker3 ай бұрын

    Super stuff as aways James!! I still play Moseley Shoals to this day!

  • @robwood8331
    @robwood83314 ай бұрын

    Mid 90s was so great

  • @sanmusic3134
    @sanmusic31343 ай бұрын

    Great documentary !! Thanks James 🙏 For me OCS it’s the best British band in the 90’s !! By a Belgium fan…

  • @michaelmulhall5007
    @michaelmulhall50074 ай бұрын

    Have met Steve craddock had good 2 hour chat with him one the most underrated players ever. Playing with the specials and weller. Great great bloke gave me so much time and let me ask obscure questions about gigs, weller and some b side ocs songs

  • @peanuthowe
    @peanuthowe3 ай бұрын

    The sound of those second 2 OCS albums was fantastic - Brendan Lynch really did a great job producing a number of albums around this time and I'd love to see a good interview with him @JamesHargreavesGuitar!

  • @Wolves1967
    @Wolves19673 ай бұрын

    I really enjoyed this, excellent information!

  • @robsol123
    @robsol1234 ай бұрын

    I used to love ocean colour scene brilliant band 🇬🇧🎸🎶

  • @FredCaneh
    @FredCaneh4 ай бұрын

    Class band and class vid. Will definitely check out that Scheme doc you referenced mate. All the best! 👍

  • @Ian-sj1wy
    @Ian-sj1wy4 ай бұрын

    Best band from Birmingham - Spencer Davis Group

  • @HighlandPhoenix
    @HighlandPhoenix2 ай бұрын

    Great documentary, really enjoyed it! OCS #1

  • @timmitchell5565
    @timmitchell55653 ай бұрын

    Brilliant!

  • @coalitionperformance5901
    @coalitionperformance59013 ай бұрын

    Great documentary on OCS

  • @waynefraser6808
    @waynefraser68083 ай бұрын

    Learn something new every day didn't no they come from there 😮

  • @wickamahn1852
    @wickamahn18523 ай бұрын

    PS thanks for the links James, I'm watching The Fanatics documentary as we speak. Hargreaves Forevaaaaaaahhhh

  • @ldgelectricalservices8052
    @ldgelectricalservices80523 ай бұрын

    Unbelievable band. There albums after 2000 were all amazing. Painting in 2013 quality. My favourite album has got to be North Atlantic drift 2003. One of the best live bands still.

  • @gothgurlfriend
    @gothgurlfriend3 ай бұрын

    This was BRILLIANT, James. Would LOVE you to start doing deep dives on the following bands - Sabbath Nirvana The Doors Hendrix Britpop in general as a movement - maybe a series of documentaries cover the ENTIRE scene (not just the Northern bands). Keep it up! x

  • @matthewbate870
    @matthewbate8703 ай бұрын

    Great video, James! I'm becoming a regular on your channel. Keep up the good work! I was obsessed with OCS growing up. Such a talented band. They were criminally underrated and the whole 'too retro' tag the music press threw at them was never fair, especially when you think of Oasis & The Beatles or Blur & The Kinks. OCS also introduced me to some other wonderful bands and musicians. It's crazy to think now of a major national tabloid outing a singer in an indie band?!? My, times have changed, and for the better in that respect.

  • @RobotGuy44998
    @RobotGuy449984 ай бұрын

    Could you make a video about the jam Keep up the great work

  • @robwood8331
    @robwood83314 ай бұрын

    Yes fantastic band in a fantastic era 👏

  • @edwardbliss8931
    @edwardbliss89313 ай бұрын

    Great band.

  • @brianstones6234
    @brianstones62343 ай бұрын

    Right on OCS Rule!!! Damon is a bass star!!! Cheers

  • @damianrf6309
    @damianrf63094 ай бұрын

    I guess Damon didn’t think much of my band’s demos I gave him at a Steve White drum clinic in Bournemouth in around 2003. And, looking back, he was right.😂

  • @egotram
    @egotram4 ай бұрын

    Cool vid fella. 👍

  • @duffers29
    @duffers294 ай бұрын

    Best Band of the 90s in my opinion.

  • @AaronholtomGolf
    @AaronholtomGolf3 ай бұрын

    Absolutely top quality again, James you are fantastic. I would love to see something on Radiohead, the bends ok computer time

  • @SethMace
    @SethMace3 ай бұрын

    Loved this, great video! OCS have been my fav band since I was a teen, even ran a fansite called The Downstream. Are you planning to cover the next decade?

  • @LouisBidmead
    @LouisBidmead2 ай бұрын

    Good stuff 👍🏻

  • @D.L91
    @D.L913 ай бұрын

    Great video again! One of the best channels on youtube. I know it's probably alot of extra work but any chance you can caption your videos? KZread ones are awful.

  • @jennybyford8071
    @jennybyford80713 ай бұрын

    Ocean Colour scene is one of my favourite bands at one time, with Oasis and Bluetones. I remember Liam Gallagher response on Soccer AM about him being gay, he said ‘I don’t care, what’s that song with the Spice Girls about’

  • @backandfour
    @backandfour3 ай бұрын

    Great work James! Oasis were my number 1. OCS were my number 2. They sum up the 90's for me.

  • @user-qw1tr1bn3h
    @user-qw1tr1bn3h3 ай бұрын

    Weller wanted the ocs sound for the stanley road era , thats the biggest compliment they could of got

  • @tonys6237
    @tonys62373 ай бұрын

    It was a great time to be 18 in 1995

  • @neasom
    @neasom4 ай бұрын

    Yes more OCS!!

  • @happyvinyl1013
    @happyvinyl10133 ай бұрын

    This is a really impressive doc on OCS. Be good to see you do one of The Verve.

  • @gavintuesday4959
    @gavintuesday49593 ай бұрын

    OSC , ya. They were a fine group . Talented too . Drummer and bass player were good and the individuals were indeed charming. Very Likeable . Do remember Noel always beating their drum , one of the few Noel would publicly slagged off but might have liked (eg Blur ). The circle and day caught the train are beautiful songs . TFI Channel 4, before being old enough to go out and drink (legally , cough ) was must watch tv .