Failing to make the transition to stadiums like Oasis and reluctant to embrace the arty envelope-shoving of Blur, THE BLUETONES are often written off as Britpop second leaguers who shone brightly and briefly and then stalled when the party finally pegged out.
This is a slightly harsh reading of history as The Bluetones actually enjoyed two further Top 20 UK albums with 'Return To The Last Chance Saloon' (1998) and 'Science & Nature' (2000) and were even skimming the Top 40 singles chart as recently as 2003. In all they've notched up a very respectable 13 UK hit singles to date and while their appeal may now be a tad more selective, they've nonetheless survived to this day with a modicum of credibility intact. Usually a reason for the begrudgers to go into overdrive, of course.
Nevertheless, it's undeniable that Mark Morriss & the boys' purple creative and commercial patch did co-incide with the seemingly unstoppable rise of Britpop during the mid-90s and surely their finest hour (well, 51 minutes if we're being pedantic) arrived in February 1996 courtesy of their winning debut album 'Expecting To Fly'. At the time, it earned them 2 Brit Awards, knocked Oasis' almighty '(What's The Story) Morning Glory' off the No. 1 spot and garnered three Top 20 hits with 'Bluetonic', 'Cut Some Rug' and 'Slight Return', this latter still their biggest hit, making #2. Impressive achievements all, bearing in mind we're taking about a time when people still actually bought singles in relatively large numbers.
So while the fanfare heralding the arrival of the expanded re-issue of 'Expecting To Fly' might be a tad more muted 13 years after the fact, it's still deserving of our respect. It's a well-rounded and intelligent record which still stands up with confidence to spare long after the brouhaha of the Britpop explosion has been consigned to the dumper of history.
Although in their way every bit as much a London band as Blur, these Hounslow boys seemed to look north for their influences, especially to the arrogant, chiming swagger of The Stone Roses debut album, the record which most obviously springs to mind when considering the layers of chiming guitars and supple rhythms buoying up singer Mark Morriss' cocksure songs.
Ultimately, though, 'Expecting To Fly' is a showcase for that sweet'n'ecstatic Bluetones sound and to wallow in it all again remains a thoroughly pleasurable experience. For starters there are the singles and they're as impermeable as ever. 'Slight Return' was shamefully held off the No.1 by Babylon Zoo's execrable 'Spaceman' at the time, but it's still breezy and convincing. 'Bluetonic' has a spangly swagger and exquisitely layered guitars from Adam Devlin and 'Cut Some Rug' displays some junior Who-style powerchord slash and burn.
They're by no means the obvious highlights here, however. The syntactically-challenged 'Carnt Be Trusted' (sic) is still the epitome of The Bluetones at their most linear and direct and its' exhilarating headrush has barely aged a day. Its' fluid and heroic guitars remind us that Adam Devlin was always something of a pocket Johnny Marr, while the whole band pull out the stops on the epic 6-7 minute outings such as 'Talking To Clarry' and the haunting 'Putting Out Fires'. Yes, the nonchalent grace in Morriss' vocal delivery always brings Ian Brown springing to mind, though you're always a lot more confident that Morriss will hit the notes he's reaching for, which is a big plus.
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Crucially, The Bluetones were equally adept when they slowed it down a bit. Songs like 'Things Change' and 'The Fountainhead' lull you gloriously into a deceptively dreamy sense of security before playing the expansive rock'n'roll card while the excellent 'A Parting Gesture' proffers dignity and bitterness all wrapped up in one all-too-tangible package. You can almost taste the hurt in Morriss' voice as he sings “I'm not the same person I was a year ago/ you cut me deeply and the scars still show”, while the lullaby-esque atmosphere of the music acts as the perfect counterpoint. It's a lesser-vaunted track, but one of the best break-up songs this writer has heard and it reminds us that – even in its' less-celebrated moments - 'Expecting To Fly' always had a consistency and invention to go with the youthful swagger and ambition.
This expanded re-release goes the expected Radio Sessions route, with CD2 picking from the crop of Peel and Evening sessions The Bluetones laid down during a hectic 1995. 'A Parting Gesture', 'Bluetonic' and 'Cut Some Rug' show they were already fully finished and fabulous a good twelve months before their parent album arrived. 'Are You Blue Or Are You Blind?' takes its' inspiration from one of Morriss' favourite albums (Elvis Costello's 'Blood & Chocolate') and purloins a similar, garage-y energy and another song which didn't quite make the album cut – 'Driftwood' – proves they had some talented substitutes waiting on the bench should the need arise.
An ecstatically-received set from the Radio One Sound City Bristol rounds the proceedings off. Even though they're stripped down a little and shorn of some of the studio layers Devlin would add, they're in convincingly adrenalised form, racing through the album's soon-to-be-established favourites like 'Carnt Be Trusted' and a valedictory 'Time & Again' having a nicely-poised last word.
It seems to be the done thing to view The Bluetones as an anachronism these days, with few writers giving them the time of day anymore. And yes, it's probably true they're unlikely to make too many commercial waves again. However, they have survived with their integrity pretty much intact and a fanbase renowned for their fervour, two things which few bands over a decade old can rely upon these days. 'Expecting To Fly' adroitly reminds us what the fuss was all about. It's the sound of ambition, self-belief and a certain amount of arrogance, but it's backed up by talent, hooks and personality. It richly deserves this makeover.
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