Boo Tube

Looking back to the mid-nineties, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the more modestly successful bands that toiled in the shadow of that huge mid-decade straddling three headed monster, the Blurpulpoasisaurus Rex. One such band was The Boo Radleys. For my money, the humble Boos were the most criminally overlooked band of the era. During the extended coked-up party of Britpop, they were quicky and unfairly pigeon-holed as scouse nearly men and one hit wonders after the phenomenal success of ‘Wake Up Boo!’. This, in spite of already sitting atop a ridiculous mountain of glittering psychedelic riches that stretched back to 1991.

Their pre Wake Up career had already seen them transform from convincing Dinosaur Jr aping noiseniks (Ichabod and I), to postmodern dream pop experimentalists (Giant Steps) by way of gorgeous unadultrated shoegaze (Everything’s Alright Forever). Driven by the restless, hyperactive imagination of guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr and the angelic vocals of Sice, the Boos’ entire back catalogue, while containing the odd misstep, is incredibly strong and lacking in dull moments. Even their B Sides were brilliant (sad but true-my twin brother and I spent a rainy weekend making the ultimate Boo Radley’s B Sides collection. We called it…Boo Sides).

Wake Up Boo! was to prove a humungous albatross for the band. It became ubiquitous, annoyed a lot of people and alienated many of their shoegaze fanbase. Yet, in retrospect, the song is a fantastic piece of craft and a fine example of Martin Carr’s unabashedly Liverpudlian lyrical tendency to ram the maudlin and the joyous into a sweet ‘n’ sour package.

The post Wake Up! career of the Boo Radleys consists of two fantastic albums, the recalcitrant and bonkers ‘C’mon Kids’ and their heart-breaking compendium of psych-pop swansongs ‘Kingsize’. By the time ‘Kingsize’ came out, the poor Boos were ready for the knackers yard. Riddled with the problems of drink, drugs, underperforming records and fights with their label boss Alan McGee, Martin Carr was singing about the transience of youth despite being only 27. I felt for him. The Boo’s back catalogue is nothing short of extraordinary. That they ended up being the band that recorded ‘that song from GMTV’ is nothing short of criminal. Courtesy of Youtube, here are a few pitstops through their illustrious career.

Does This Hurt?
Everything’s Alright Forever: 1993

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLQoIdS2Tg4]

This gorgeous, gliding pop song is not even the best track on their magnificent 1993 album, ‘Everything’s Alright Forever’. The video is cobblers though. Actually most Boo Radleys videos are kinda cobblers.

Lazarus
Giant Steps: 1994

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rff9UPbrJk]

An absolutely epochal pre-Britpop track and possibly the Boos’ best. Those trumpets are like John Lennon conducting herd of intelligent Elephants.

Wake Up Boo!
Wake Up!: 1995

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WumSB0vZ5l8]

It made them and destroyed them in one fell swoop. There’s no denying its brilliance though.

C’mon Kids
C’mon Kids: 1996
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2hhnJQ0kAQ]

I remember going apeshit when I saw this song on Top of the Pops. It was a scorching call to arms for their Britpop fans to follow them into choppier sonic waters (’Have we ever let you down?’). Unfortunately, the kids didn’t listen. Their loss.