Well this nomination has come at a time when I've got full on Covid. I've been feeling very under the weather from it and whilst I'm over the worse of it, Covid will always remind me of a particular album - and what a belter it is!
It was released in 1995 and despite being up against Oasis' What's The Story, Radiohead's The Bends, Pulp's Different Class, Blur's Great Escape and Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill, Goldie's Timeless and Leftfield's Leftism I think this was one of the best albums released that year and maybe even the best. I still think that period from maybe 93-98 or so was probably the last great era for albums - it seemed like every month someone would release a magnificent era-defining album.
I was young, carefree and at University and this album just seemed to be everywhere and we played it constantly. Many a night started with this immense album. It's joyous sense of fun, punky pop and brilliant melodies were a soundtrack that year.
There's some albums that just feel like they sum up and era and this is one of them. It's brilliantly melodic, clever and just brilliantly written. I do feel that this band have never really been given the Britpop credit they are due. The only thing I can think of is that one of the songs - Alright - just seemed to be a bit of a joke song when it was released.
It's 'I Should Coco' by Supergrass.
The reason this album means so much to me is that it's ended up being almost the anthem of 1995 but also kind of heralded the very last night out we had too before the Covid lockdown.
On Saturday 29th Febrarury 2020 - just a few weeks before Covid changed the UK - a big group of us had tickets to go and see them over in Leeds. We were staying over and looking at the set list they were basically going to play a lot from I Should Coco and everyone was buzzing for the gig.
We all got on the train and as the beers flowed, we were laughing and joking and generally chatting about life in general. Everyone was in great spirits and looking forward to an all-dayer and seeing a brilliant band.
Most of the lads on the train go to a couple of gigs a week and are well into live music and we were discussing bands and the scene back in the 90s. Then something bizarre happens which literally changed the atmosphere and it also ended up pretty much saving my job and the company I worked for.
One of the lads does a lot of business out in China and someone asked him 'What is this virus doing the rounds, will it affect your staff in China?'. This pretty naieve question sounds ridiculous now but I honestly don't think any of us expected Covid to come over here, not to the UK. Afterall, stuff like MERS and SARS was a Far East thing and had nothing to do with us!
He basically said: "It's stopped the manufacturing of goods that we import and we're running very low on stock now. We are in danger of breaking contracts and could get fined if we cannot get the goods out of China. I am seriously worried for our staff over there and I'm also worried I could lose my house, job and business by July if it continues. I'll tell you this - the whole of the UK will be working at home in 3 weeks maximum. This is pretty much going to be the last gig I go to for quite a while so enjoy it. My contacts in China are basically trapped and there's every chance a lot of them will die in the next few weeks. We cannot visit them and the only thing we can do is promise them we will pay for any medical treatment they need. We all hope that they get out of this alive."
We were taken aback with this. We had no idea that this could affect us. Then another lad says:
"I have to travel to London normally as part of my job and I've been told if I go to another office, I will be sacked on the spot. Our company are treating this Corona virus like nothing else we've seen before and they are seriously worried that it could take out the company if someone catches it".
As you can imagine, a few minutes before it had been laughs and jokes and all of a sudden the atmosphere changed. I think everyone was pretty shocked by this but as you can imagine the conversation soon moved on. We got to Leeds and we kind of just got on with having a good time, but I think everyone was slightly spooked with this warning from someone we respect.
We got to the O2 in Leeds and Supergrass came on stage and basically blasted out most of I Should Coco. I was stood there hearing these magnificent pop anthems, but I couldn't help but feel that there was something completely profound and unnerving about what I'd heard. The atmosphere was electric, partly because it was a blast from the 90s but I do think that many other people had a feeling that this was the last time they'd be able to go to a gig for a while. There was something in the air that night for sure. Funnily enough, when I heard 'The Eve of the War' the other week, it made me think that watching Supergrass in Leeds was almost like that - everyone carrying on as if there was nothing to worry about but little did we know what was about to happen.
And sadly, it would be the last night any of us would be able to go to a gig for a long time. One of the lads caught Covid shortly after and ended up in a pretty serious condition but luckily he is ok now. We think he caught it that night and how he got it but the rest of us didn't is a total mystery.
I went into work on the Monday and told my boss what I'd been told him what I'd been told and a couple of days later we made plans for the company to work remotely. That random chat on the train essentially saved our company and about 30 jobs as we managed to get everything done very quickly. It allowed us to get laptops in, cater for remote working and move everything online within a couple of weeks. Without it, we would've gone under.
I've listened to this album for decades now, but nowadays whenever I think of them, I can't help but think of THAT train journey. As I'm here, finding it odd how one minute I can have a runny nose, then a blocked nose, can't taste anything and the rest, I can't help but think of that night in Leeds. In the dark days of Covid when we really had no idea what was coming, I found this album took me back to that time in Leeds and gave me some hope that things, one day, would finally get better. Of course, it also reminded me of them hedonistic University days and summers that just lasted forever!
I loved this albumn in the 90s, I think it's almost perfect - infectious pop, slightly ridiculous and above all, fantastic melodies. They were a vastly underrated band.
Needless to say that live they were magnificent!
It really is quite strange how music can do this - on the one hand I associate I Should Coco with carefree days, parties and what seemed to be one of the best summers ever. Every song just seemed so effortlessly catchy, and it was also one of many brilliant albums that year. However, it also ended up being my pre-and-in-Covid album too! I will never be able to hear this album again without thinking of these two completely opposite experiences!
Anyway, some of you will have heard it before, but if not you are in for a treat.
It's a Britpop masterpiece.
