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)
Sway
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If there's a movement then i want to sway
Get a piece of the action, uh huh
And i want to see you in the crowd
And i want to point your face out very loud
Get a piece of the action, uh huh
Don't you want a piece of the action
Yeah...oh yeah...
'sex-o-fact' it slips in vogue
Sells a star, furnishes your home
You get a piece of the action, uh huh
Violence on the silver screen
You got the most fashionable death since james dean
You get a piece of the action, uh huh
The lyrics to Ocean Colour Scene's song Sway seem to be a commentary on the desire of people to be a part of a movement or trend. The singer expresses his interest in saying yes to what others say, suggesting a willingness to follow the crowd. He wants to sway, to be caught up in the excitement of others and get a piece of the action. The desire to belong and be recognized is evident when the singer wants to see someone else's face in the crowd and point it out loudly. The repetition of "uh huh" throughout the song adds to the casual, almost indifferent tone of the singer, which could be interpreted as a criticism of the herd mentality.
The second half of the song continues this commentary on trends and consumerism. The term "sex-o-fact" is a play on words that implies sexuality, fashion, and fact. This term is associated with trends, especially in the fashion industry, where everything is fleeting and quickly becomes outdated. The singer notes that this trend is "in vogue" and how it "sells a star and furnishes your home." This suggests that people are willing to invest in trends that may not have any significant impact on their lives. The line "you get a piece of the action" reinforces this idea of wanting to belong and wanting to be a part of something popular.
Overall, Sway appears to be a critical commentary on consumerism and the herd mentality, where people are willing to follow trends without questioning their impact on themselves or the world around them. The singer seems to be asking "don't you want a piece of the action" sarcastically, suggesting that it may not be all that it seems.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to say yes to what you say
I want to agree with you and support your ideas.
If there's a movement then I want to sway
If there is a popular trend or idea, I want to be a part of it and follow along.
Get a piece of the action, uh huh
I want to be involved and benefit from whatever is happening or popular at the moment.
And I want to see you in the crowd
I want to see you join in and be a part of the same things I'm interested in.
And I want to point your face out very loud
I want to show others how great you are and make sure they notice you too.
Don't you want a piece of the action
Don't you want to be a part of what's popular and benefit from it as well?
Yeah...oh yeah...
An expression of excitement and agreement.
'Sex-o-fact' it slips in vogue
Sexual topics and materials become popular and trendy.
Sells a star, furnishes your home
Entertainment and products related to popular stars become popular and can improve your lifestyle.
Violence on the silver screen
Violence depicted in movies and TV becomes popular.
You got the most fashionable death since James Dean
You become popular and trendy for having a death that is similar to James Dean, who is known for having a fashionable death.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: BRADLEY JAMES FAFARA, CHARLES PETTIFORD, GREGORY CARLTON WIGFALL, JERRY BLOODROCK, MIGUEL RASCON, MIKE COX, RAYNA FOSS, RICHARD LEE FOWLER, SELITE EVANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ucity88
They were SUCH babies...I have such a soft spot for that first album, though the boys would like to forget it. LOL!
@bid84
Wish they would play the stuff from their first album. Some quality tunes in there.
@maddenjulio4054
@Jamal Carlos definitely, I have been using instaflixxer for months myself =)
@CbrigBear87
memory holed for a reason
@milesborg9812
This sounds so much better than most stuff out today! I love OCS. Wish bands now would ditch the fucking oos, ahhs & laas for a better groove, bass line, hook, riff or melody. OCS have a real unique sound, thank god for steve craddock's guitar abilities and simons voice.
@MarkNicolson898
Wow! Never ever seen this. Be interesting to hear Simons thoughts on his dance moves!!
@ht9399
Very cool tune! I didn't realize this was tune by ocs. Thank you for this post!
@TheDenman47
Luv
@Robinssoncravents
This sounds!!!! I love to much alternative dance!
@BilisNegra
Back when nobody knew them outside the UK... As a matter of fact, Moseley Shoals counts as their first album for the world at large.