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)
Go To Sea
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Military Man will come and offer a hand and advances
Go to sea boy
Go to sea boy, go to sea
With the shipyards sunk on the Clyde
And the sea the junk life is dangerous
Go to sea boy, go to sea boy
Go to sea boy, go to sea
Then you'll sail away and we'll teach you a trade
That's for life
It's only killing but there's nobody willing
So we're asking on the Clyde
When you're Twenty-One and North of the border the chance is
You'll sail away to a life in the dirt then advances
The song “Go To Sea” by Ocean Colour Scene is a melancholic representation of the bleak prospects for young men living in the Scottish working-class community during the 1980s. The song reflects on the declining industrial world of Britain, where there was a lack of opportunities for young men to seek a career, leading them to join the military force. The lyrics, “When you're Twenty-One and North of the border the chance is, The Military Man will come and offer a hand and advances,” talk about how joining the military seemed to be the only option for Northern Scottish men at the time to escape their current circumstances.
The mention of “shipyards sunk on the Clyde” reflects the decline of the shipbuilding industry in Scotland. With the lack of job opportunities, many Scottish men were left with “pocket of woes in this perishing hole” as they struggled financially to make ends meet. Despite the harsh realities, the song encourages the young men to go to sea, to join the military and learn a trade that they could use for the rest of their lives.
The lyrics display the pain and struggles of the Scottish working-class youth during the 1980s, giving the audience a glimpse into a world far removed from the glitz and glamour of urban life. The song conveys the idea that in this world, men were forced to make difficult choices, with the only option available to them being to serve in the military for some security.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're Twenty-One and North of the border the chance is
At the age of 21, when you're in the northern part of the country, it is likely that
The Military Man will come and offer a hand and advances
A military representative will approach and offer financial incentives and job prospects
Go to sea boy
Take to the sea, young man
With the shipyards sunk on the Clyde
The closure of shipyards in the Clyde region has caused
And the sea the junk life is dangerous
Living a life of dangerous maritime work is a tough situation
With a pocket of woes in this perishing hole it's so obvious
It is clear that the people are struggling in this impoverished place
Then you'll sail away and we'll teach you a trade That's for life
You can depart and learn a trade that can be your profession for life
It's only killing but there's nobody willing So we're asking on the Clyde
Although the work may be hazardous and deadly, there are limited options and we urge you to consider it
Go to sea boy, go to sea boy Go to sea boy, go to sea
Once again, the artist is encouraging the young man to take to the sea
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON GEOFFREY FOWLER, STEPHEN JOHN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
katym0172
What an epic song. So many boys in Scotland end up going to sea with the Navy and taking part in wars simply because they don’t have any other employment prospects. At least they got a tribute song from OCS tho, silver linings 😅
Mullenio
Great song! Never heard it till I came here.
Gavin Bremner
Absolutely superb
Natalie W
so glad this has been uploaded..thanks!
Natalie W
+Adam Doyle (illustrator) same here. always typed it in on here and never came up and now it does! :) thanks!
Adam Doyle
+Natalie W Yeah I was craving it one day and couldn't find it anywhere. Such an epic tune. Such an epic band
Marky
Managed to bag the promo CD excellent
Michael Black
What ever happened the acoustic video in dublin.. Cant find it anymore ✌️