In 1993, the start of the turnaround occurred. Paul Weller invited the band to support him on some dates of his tour. On the back of these performances, Weller invited guitarist Steve Cradock to play on one of his singles, and vocalist Simon Fowler to sing on his album, Wild Wood. Cradock was asked to play live with Weller on his tour, and the money Cradock made kept the band afloat during this time.
Britpop fame (1995–2000)
The band recorded a demo that was sent to various industry figures. After hearing this tape, Noel Gallagher invited the band to play with Oasis on their 1995 tour. This support slot brought OCS to the attention of more record labels, and eventually in late 1995, the band signed with MCA Records. With the explosion of the Britpop scene, OCS's music became nationally and internationally known. Their second album Moseley Shoals was released to mixed-to-positive reviews, containing four hit singles and reached No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart. They also played at one of the concerts at Knebworth House supporting Oasis in August 1996.
Marchin' Already, the follow-up to Moseley Shoals, went to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart, displacing Oasis' Be Here Now at the top of the charts in 1997. In 1998 they headlined their own arena tour in support of Marchin' Already and played three sold out nights at Stirling Castle, Scotland.
One from the Modern was released in 1999, and peaked in the UK Albums Chart at No. 4. The record spawned three top 40 singles, "Profit in Peace", "So Low" and "July". A Greatest Hits album, Songs for the Front Row, was released in 2001.
Post-Britpop (2001–2008)
After splitting with bassist Damon Minchella, the band continued to record and perform. Releases in 2001 (Mechanical Wonder), 2003 (North Atlantic Drift), 2005 (A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad) and 2007 (On the Leyline) continued the trend of releasing new material every two years.
2004 saw the band release their first live album, Live: One for the Road. The album was a compilation of nineteen live tracks taken from various concerts. In 2006 the band released a live acoustic album, Live at the Jam House, which consisted of fifteen live tracks and also contained four new songs in "Great Man in Waiting", "The Word", "Still Trying" and "Matilda's England".
The band also released a live album in December 2006, which was recorded at Birmingham Academy and spread over two discs. People attending the gig were able to purchase the recording straight afterwards.
Recent years (2009–present)
In 2009, the band went into the studio with producer Gavin Monaghan, known for his work with Editors, Scott Matthews and The Twang, to work on a new album, Saturday, with a release date of 1 February 2010 to mark the 21st anniversary of the band. The album had a working title of 'Rockfield', named after the studios where it was recorded, but it was released as Saturday - both "Rockfield" and "Saturday" being tracks thereon.
On 2 November 2009, the band released a free downloadable version of a new song, "Mrs Maylie". "Magic Carpet Days", the first single from Saturday, was released on 25 January, followed by the album a few days later. The album charted at No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart. A second single, "Saturday", was released in May 2010 but it failed to chart. On 24 July 2010 they performed at the Wickerman Festival.
On 11 October 2010, the band released a 4-CD box set, 21, to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the band. It included many previously unreleased tracks and a brand new song entitled "Twenty One".
In March 2011, the band released a 15th anniversary special edition of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. It consisted of the full album, b-sides and live tracks. The band played a full UK tour in support of the re-release. December saw the limited edition release of a double CD/DVD release of the band's Moseley Shoals gig at O2 Academy Birmingham, which was filmed on 26 February 2011. They performed an acoustic set at Lanford Live in 2011 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. In December 2012, the band announced the forthcoming release of their tenth studio album, Painting, which was released on 11 February 2013. They also played at V-festival where Inbetweeners actor James Buckley performed "The Circle" with them in Chelmsford and at The Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland.
In 2014 a special edition of Marchin' Already was released on a 2 CD edition and a special deluxe 4 disc box set which included a DVD of their live performance at Stirling Castle in 1998. Early 2015 saw the band celebrate their 25th anniversary with some acoustic concerts around the UK. They released a double CD live album which was recorded at the Manchester concert on the tour.
The following year, in 2016, the band announced several special concerts around the UK to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. They also played several dates in Australia for the first time in their career.
On 22 June 2016, the band officially announced that Scottish musician Raymond Meade would be joining the band permanently on bass, following the departures of both Dan Sealey and Andy Bennett. Meade had already played live with the band since the start of the year.
In November 2018 the band unveiled their first new material in five years since the release of Painting. The four track EP was released on 10" vinyl and available only at the band's Christmas shows. The EP received a 5 stars rating from Flick of the Finger, with the publication stating that 'Lushly textured, these four compelling and diverse new offerings are nothing short of brilliant.' In 2023 the band released a career-spanning box set entitled Yesterday, Today 1992–2018, which contained all their studio albums and 5 bonus CDs, totalling 230 tracks. The set also came with a 72-page book. A companion vinyl box set was also released, covering their first three studio albums from 1992–1997. In May, a follow-up vinyl set was released, covering the three studio albums released between 1999-2003. August saw the release of the final box set, covering the remaining four albums, 2005-2013.
Studio albums
Ocean Colour Scene (1992)
Moseley Shoals (1996)
Marchin' Already (1997)
B-Sides: Seasides & Freerides (1997)
One from the Modern (1999)
Mechanical Wonder (2001)
North Atlantic Drift (2003)
A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (2005)
On the Leyline (2007)
Saturday (2010)
Painting (2013)
Do Yourself a Favour
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Letting out the garbage
Eating through the core of life
Sweet fragrance irritates
In a stale room death awaits
Persecute your own self pride
Suffocate the new high
Ride a thorny mule that cries
Like a Judas pay the price
Thirty pieces for a ride
Here's the fire take a chew
chorus: Do yourself a favour
Educate your mind
Get yourself together
Hey there ain't much time
Do yourself a favour (Do yourself a favour)
Educate your mind
Get yourself together (Get yourself together)
Oh there ain't no time
Shredded know-how gives away
Species of the human race
Those funky winds of ups and downs
Hall of grit is known too well
Heaven still is your hell
Poison slowly slowly drowns
Let the devil step right in
Lucifer's your only friend
Ain't a soul gon' pity you
Hurdle over time to death
With open arms it waits I bet
Don't you wish you could reach ground?
{Repeat chorus}
(Let the devil step right in)
(Lucifer's your only friend)
(Ain't a soul gon' pity you)
(Hurdle over time to death)
(With open arms it waits I bet)
(Don't you wish you could reach ground?)
Do yourself a favour (Do yourself a favour)
Oh educate your mind
Oh get yourself together (Get yourself together)
Oh there ain't no time
{Repeat}
(Do yourself a favour)
(Get yourself together)
The song "Do Yourself a Favour" by Ocean Colour Scene is a cautionary tale about self-destruction and the need for self-improvement. The lyrics describe a landscape of decay and despair - an "isolated junkyard" where "death awaits." The singer urges the listener to "do yourself a favour" by "educat[ing] your mind" and "get[ting] yourself together" before it's too late.
The song's themes are underscored by vivid and sometimes cryptic imagery. The line "sweet fragrance irritates" may suggest the allure of superficial pleasures that ultimately lead to ruin. The reference to "thirty pieces for a ride" invokes the story of Judas, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. The line "heaven still is your hell" suggests that even a life of comfort and privilege can be empty and unfulfilling.
The chorus serves as a repeated plea to the listener to take control of their life before it's too late. The reference to "ain't no time" suggests that time is running out and the need for action is urgent.
Overall, the song is a powerful reminder of the dangers of self-destruction and the importance of taking responsibility for one's own life.
Line by Line Meaning
Isolated junkyard
You are alone, like an abandoned place full of discarded things.
Letting out the garbage
Get rid of the bad things in your life, like trash that stinks up the place.
Eating through the core of life
Something destructive is consuming the very essence of your existence.
Sweet fragrance irritates
Something that should be pleasant is bothering you instead.
In a stale room death awaits
You are in a stagnant and dull place where nothing good is happening.
Persecute your own self pride
You are your own worst enemy, undermining your self-worth.
Suffocate the new high
You are preventing yourself from experiencing new and positive things.
Ride a thorny mule that cries
You are facing challenges and adversity, like riding a stubborn and painful animal.
Dig your grave and jump right in
You are making choices that will lead to your own downfall and demise.
Like a Judas pay the price
Your actions will have consequences, and you will have to face them alone.
Thirty pieces for a ride
Your betrayal will have a cost that is ultimately not worth it.
Here's the fire take a chew
You are facing a dangerous situation and have to make a tough decision.
Do yourself a favour
You should take action to improve your situation for your own benefit.
Educate your mind
You should learn and grow in order to improve your life.
Get yourself together
You should take control of your life and make positive changes.
Hey there ain't much time
You need to act quickly before it's too late.
Shredded know-how gives away
You are losing your expertise and knowledge because you are not using it.
Species of the human race
There are many different kinds of people in the world.
Those funky winds of ups and downs
Life has its good and bad moments that come and go in unpredictable ways.
Hall of grit is known too well
You are familiar with the hard and difficult parts of life.
Heaven still is your hell
Even good things can be painful or difficult for you.
Poison slowly slowly drowns
Something dangerous or negative is slowly taking over your life.
Let the devil step right in
You are allowing negative influences to enter your life.
Lucifer's your only friend
You are becoming so isolated and dark that you are more comfortable with evil than good.
Ain't a soul gon' pity you
No one will feel sorry for you, because you have created your own problems.
Hurdle over time to death
You are moving closer and closer to your own mortality.
With open arms it waits I bet
Death is inevitable and will come to all of us.
Don't you wish you could reach ground?
You feel lost or disoriented and wish for stability and security.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SYREETA WRIGHT, STEVIE WONDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
shitcasecinema
Wicked upload, seeing some of the old footage of the band back in 91/92 I'm more and more surprised they didn't make more of an impact to be fair. Good stuff.
katym0172
Brilliant cover from OCS, my favourite band ever. how funny is the old footage with Simon wearing eyeliner 😂
01ianca
Never seen this before, from 1990. superb performance
Craig Lefevre
The only Stevie Wonder cover I like better than the original. It's that good.
dennis o'cain
Incredible!
littlegreenbag
Amazing, smashing, thanks!
scouse2606
This is the studio track over live footage, still good though!
Miles Borg
Same lady at the piano that played with Weller in the 90s?