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)
Fleeting Mind
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chimes like voices in foreign caves
It chimes in time - takes me where I'm going
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
Believe it when I pin it down
And that's not hard to forget
With my hands upon my knees
Remember all our words they are just smoke rings in the rain:
That's just a poem in brilliant places
But poets, they are too grim
They steal like party thieves from crowded rooms
To rhyme their homes with better places
The brilliance of their minds
Will seek with never knowing
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
Believe it when I pin it down
And that's not hard to forget
With my thought like sifting leaves
I believe in my fleeting mind
The brilliance of their minds
Will seek with never knowing
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
Believe it when I pin it down
And that's not hard to forget
With my thought like sifting leaves
I believe in my fleeting mind
The lyrics of Ocean Colour Scene's song "Fleeting Mind" are a reflection on the impermanence of the human mind, and the fleeting nature of our thoughts and ideas. The first verse highlights the brilliance of the fleeting mind, which chimes like voices in foreign caves, taking the singer where they need to go. The second verse acknowledges that others may try to steal from the singer's mind, yet ultimately their words and ideas will be forgotten like smoke rings in the rain. The final verse concludes by asserting the importance of the singer's own fleeting mind, which they believe in wholeheartedly.
The song appears to be a meditation on the human condition, and the transience of our thoughts, emotions and ideas. The idea that ideas themselves are fleeting is not a new one, and has been explored by countless artists, philosophers and thinkers throughout history. However, the lyrical style of "Fleeting Mind" is particularly poetic, using vivid metaphors such as foreign caves, smoke rings in the rain, and the sifting of leaves to illustrate the fleeting nature of human thought.
Overall, it is clear that the song is ultimately optimistic, affirming the value of the fleeting mind and the power of human creativity, despite its impermanence.
Line by Line Meaning
The brilliance of my fleeting mind
The intelligence of my mind is temporary and fluctuates
Chimes like voices in foreign caves
My thoughts and ideas resonate like echoes in unfamiliar territories
It chimes in time - takes me where I'm going
My mind synchronizes with my goals, leading the way for me
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
When I am detached from external influences, my mind is clear and aware
Believe it when I pin it down
Trust my intellect when I firmly express it
And that's not hard to forget
It's easy to recall my thoughts when they are precise and accurate
With my hands upon my knees
In a meditative state, I can harness the power of my intellect
You will steal from my fleeting mind
Others may take inspiration from my changing ideas and concepts
Remember all our words they are just smoke rings in the rain:
Our conversations and expressions are temporary, like smoke dissipating in the rain
That's just a poem in brilliant places
Our conversations are like poems, beautifying our surroundings
But poets, they are too grim
However, poets tend to focus on the gloomier side of life
They steal like party thieves from crowded rooms
Poets extract material from busy environments, just like thieves at a party
To rhyme their homes with better places
They use these experiences to create meaningful poetry and improve their own lives
With my thought like sifting leaves
My ideas resemble autumn leaves, shifting and moving constantly
I believe in my fleeting mind
Despite its impermanence, I have faith in my own intellect
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAMON MINCHELLA, OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON FOWLER, STEPHEN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@julianvickery8341
"Fleeting Mind" by Ocean Colour Scene (from the 1996 "Moseley Shoals") https://youtu.be/ljIZlPInzdQ
Lyrics:
The brilliance of my fleeting mind
Chimes like voices in foreign caves
It chimes in time - takes me where I'm going
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
Believe it when I pin it down
And that's not hard to forget
With my hands upon my knees
You will steal from my fleeting mind
Remember all our words they are just smoke rings in the rain:
That's just a poem in brilliant places
But poets, they are too grim
They steal like party thieves from crowded rooms
To rhyme their homes with better places
The brilliance of their minds
Will seek with never knowing
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
Believe it when I pin it down
And that's not hard to forget
With my thought like sifting leaves
I believe in my fleeting mind
The brilliance of their minds
Will seek with never knowing
Alone my fleeting mind is knowing
Believe it when I pin it down
And that's not hard to forget
With my thought like sifting leaves
I believe in my fleeting mind
@MarkAllentheProducer
Absolute Genius. I listened to this Album every day as a teenager in the 90's. It still blows my mind today ❤️
@GavJHawk
I will never tire of listening to this masterpiece.
@Shirazauman
Ocean Colour Scene are the most underrated band and they're still ding gigs. I can't even name my favourite OCS song cause there's too many to Mention, but this one is well up there. What a sweet song, melody and lyrics.....
@ralphie1962
One of my favourite bass lines ever!
@andrewjohnston5428
Best album of the 90s
@johnfraser1623
By far
@johnfraser1623
Best band from the 90’s
@richardgriffiths1187
Absolute masterpiece
@christophersmith99
This was my favorite back then and i didn't really understand why at the time - it was just the one that i could listen to endlessly. Its subtle but OCS at their best
@milesborg9812
Stunning !