I Should Coco
I Should Coco | ||||
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I Should Coco is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Supergrass, released on 15 May 1995 by Parlophone. The title of the album is Cockney rhyming slang for "I should think so".[1]
Supergrass were formed in 1993 by
Recording and production
Supergrass formed in 1993 after the break-up of
A recording made at
Cover art and title
The album title is
Music
The group's primary musical influences came from bands such as
The musical styles and their particular inspirations for the songs on this album were extremely diverse. For example, there is the cheerful, fast, keyboard-augmented "I'd Like to Know", the guitar-driven punk narrative "Caught by the Fuzz", the mainly piano-based rhythm of the teen anthem "Alright", and the country music-influenced acoustic guitar in "Time to Go". Even in the varied genre of Britpop, I Should Coco was seen as eclectic. Overall, the album has been described as Britpop, influenced in equal parts by Buzzcocks and The Kinks, with strong hints of Supertramp in "She's So Loose", "Lose It" and the intro of "Strange Ones".[16]
In a 1995 interview with Metro, Mick Quinn said, "We listen to a lot of different kinds of music. We're not a '60s-revival band! We like things from the '70s and beyond as well; everything from Sly and the Family Stone and Motown to Frank Black and Tricky."[17]
"Strange Ones" and "I'd Like to Know" are both songs about the strange people on
"Caught by the Fuzz" was based on a real-life event: Gaz Coombes's arrest and caution for possession of cannabis aged fifteen.[18][19] In a 2004 interview, Coombes said "It wasn't trying to be a real statement, but at the time we knew that it was a big deal. Kids all around England were getting nicked for having a bit of hash on them. In Oxford that kind of thing happened quite a lot. It's all true so it was easy to write. It was a funny experience – not too funny at the time 'cause I was only 15 and shitting myself. The song has that disturbing energy. It's comparable to your heart racing. The adrenaline rush you get when your mum walks into the police station is similar to the energy of the song."[20]
"Mansize Rooster" is said to be about a young boy with a large penis, although this is not obvious from the lyrics.[21] Gaz Coombes once stated in an interview that "the most embarrassing moment in pop is on our album where it goes: 'Oi Mum! Got any mandies?'"[22] This was one of the many exclamations made between tracks on I Should Coco in the sped-up voices of the band members. It was said before the song "We're Not Supposed To" began.
Release and reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [23] |
Chicago Tribune | [24] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[25] |
The Guardian | [26] |
Mojo | [27] |
NME | 9/10[28] |
Q | [29] |
Record Collector | [30] |
Rolling Stone | [31] |
Spin | 6/10[1] |
I Should Coco reached number one on the UK Albums Chart,
Culturally, the album's glorification of teenage freedom made a very big impact on the overall Britpop music scene. The whole genre was seen as the voice of youth, but Supergrass, still teens themselves when the album was made, addressed the subject with more insight than most. The most well-known song from the album, "Alright", is still played regularly in Britain and Ireland, and held up as a musical example of teenage rebellion. Though it is one of their most popular songs, the band rarely play "Alright" in their live sets any more. In a 1999 interview, Gaz Coombes joked, "We don't play 'Alright' anymore. We should play it in a minor key, and in the past tense."[35] Around the time of its release Coombes said that "it wasn't written as an anthem. It isn't supposed to be a rally cry for our generation. The stuff about 'We are young/We run green ...' isn't about being 19 but really 13 or 14 and just discovering girls and drinking. It's meant to be light-hearted and a bit of a laugh, not at all a rebellious call to arms." Danny Goffey noted, "It certainly wasn't written in a very summery vibe. It was written in a cottage where the heating had packed up and we were trying to build fires to keep warm."[21]
All five singles released in the UK from I Should Coco were well received by the British public. The first single from the album, "Caught by the Fuzz", peaked at number 43 on the
In a 2005 interview with The Times, Coombes said, "It's insane that people think we would ever sound like that again ... We're proud of 'Alright' and how well it did, but we never wanted to find a formula and stick to it. Our aim was always to progress and keep the music interesting, for us and for the fans. So the people who see us in the street and still shout 'We are young' may not like the new album, but fans who have grown up with us and know to expect change probably will."[40]
I Should Coco was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[41] In a 2007 retrospective review of the album, Al Fox of BBC Music hailed it as "an iconic 90s masterpiece".[42]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Supergrass, unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "I'd Like to Know" | 4:02 |
2. | "Caught by the Fuzz" | 2:16 |
3. | "Mansize Rooster" | 2:34 |
4. | "Alright" | 3:01 |
5. | "Lose It" | 2:37 |
6. | "Lenny" | 2:42 |
7. | "Strange Ones" | 4:19 |
8. | "Sitting Up Straight" | 2:20 |
9. | "She's So Loose" | 2:59 |
10. | "We're Not Supposed To" | 2:03 |
11. | "Time" | 3:10 |
12. | "Sofa (of My Lethargy)" | 6:18 |
13. | "Time to Go" | 1:56 |
Total length: | 40:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | " The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover) | Jimi Hendrix | 3:10 |
2. | "Odd?" (John Peel Session) | 5:05 | |
Total length: | 48:40 |
Personnel
Additional musicians
|
|
Charts
Chart (1995–1996) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[43] | 57 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[44] | 73 |
Finnish Albums ( Suomen virallinen lista)[45]
|
32 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[46] | 70 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[47] | 20 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[48] | 36 |
UK Albums (OCC)[49] | 1 |
Awards
Year | Ceremony | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Ivor Novello Awards | Best Contemporary Song ("Alright") | Won |
1995 | Mercury Prize | Best Album | Nominated[50] |
References
- ^ a b c Bernstein, Jonathan (September 1995). "Supergrass: I Should Coco". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 6. p. 113. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "SUPERGRASS Second LP features a more mature sound". Dot Music. April 1997.
- ^ "Alright cecrtified award". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
- ^ Quinn, Mick. "I Should Coco". Children of the Monkey Basket. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ Quinn, Mick. "Oxford – The Apollo Theatre". Children of the Monkey Basket. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- ^ Hughes, Tim (21 December 2007). "Supergrass put on super show". Oxford Mail. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
- ^ a b Robinson, John (18 February 1995). "Little Cred Roosters". NME.
- ^ Supergrass Is 10 album booklet
- ^ "Supergrass live on BBC London – Part one (8', 53")". BBC Radio London. 2002. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
- ^ a b c "I Should Coco Artwork". Children of the Monkey Basket. Archived from the original on 30 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Supergrass Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
- ^ "Supergrass- interview and show review". Furious.com. 29 July 1997. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Beyond: Supergrass". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 April 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (1 August 2003). "Pumping on my stereo". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
- ^ "Supergrass – I Should Coco". Modern Music. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ Baxter, Nicky (22 November 1995). "Supergrass borrows from '60s hippie music and '70s soul". Metro. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ "Going Underground 476". Going Underground on Gouwestad Radio. Episode 476. 11 July 2008.
- The Biography Channel. Archived from the originalon 24 May 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
- ^ Collins, Robert (May 2004). "Still on the Buzz!". Play Music.
- ^ a b Maconie, Stuart (October 1995). "Hey! Hey! We're The Cheeky Monkeys!". Q. No. 109.
- ^ Parkes, Taylor (20 May 1995). "Coco Pop". Melody Maker.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "I Should Coco – Supergrass". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Caro, Mark (27 July 1995). "Supergrass: I Should Coco (Capitol)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (19 May 1995). "CD of the week: Supergrass". The Guardian.
- ^ Myers, Ben (November 2015). "Supergrass: I Should Coco". Mojo. No. 264. p. 105.
- ^ a b Sutherland, Steve (13 May 1995). "Supergrass – I Should Coco". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ "Supergrass: I Should Coco". Q. No. 105. June 1995. p. 118.
- ^ Kennedy, Jake (December 2015). "Supergrass – I Should Coco". Record Collector. No. 447. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (10 August 1995). "Supergrass: I Should Coco". Rolling Stone. p. 59.
- ^ "Number 1 Albums – 1990s". Every Hit.
- ^ a b c d e "Supergrass | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ ""Supergrass" Press Release". The Strange Ones Supergrass Site. July 1999.
- ^ 1999 interview with Johnathan Cohen from nudeasthenews.com
- ^ "Supergrass Discography: Lose It". Supergrass.tv. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- ^ "Supergrass biography: beginnings, career, success". Music City. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
- ^ "Highs and Lows of the Mercury Music Prize – 1995". BBC Online. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
- ^ "Award winning Supergrass". BBC Suffolk. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
- ^ Verrico, Lisa (13 August 2005). "'Grass get greener". The Times. London. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ^ Fox, Al (2 November 2007). "Supergrass I Should Coco Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 272.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Supergrass – I Should Coco" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Supergrass – I Should Coco". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Supergrass – I Should Coco". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ "Search for I Should Coco". Mercury Prize. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
External links
- I Should Coco at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
- I Should Coco at Last.fm
- I Should Coco at The Strange Ones
- I Should Coco Artwork