The Bluetones
Expecting to Fly

THE REVIEW

There was an era, not too long ago, when records were still sold and everything seemed possible, optimism reigned, and everyone seemed to have their 15 minutes of fame. It was the mid-'90s in New Labour's England and Cool Britannia, of Oasis and Blur. Britpop was relentless and omnipresent, and classic English pop songwriting regained its luster and glory. Can such an era, where everything happened in broad daylight, have a lost gem?

Yes, it can have it, and this gem is "Expecting To Fly," the debut work of a meteoric band, in the noblest sense of the word, called Bluetones, a guitar-pop quartet from Hounslow, a suburb of London: Mark Morriss (vocals), Adam Devlin (guitar), Scott Morriss (bass), and Eds Chesters (drums).

At the time of its release in February 1996, this album (produced by Hugh Jones) managed to reach the top position of the UK Albums Chart, dethroning after countless weeks none other than the Majesty of britpop "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" by Oasis, thanks to its mix of romanticism and references to the C86 scene, jangly guitars and intelligent lyrics, and two bomb singles like "Bluetonic" and "Slight Return," one of the masterpieces of britpop as a whole.

Just a week later, however, Oasis reclaimed the top spot on the chart, and the group's fame soon faded. Two more albums followed in the Top 10 and then oblivion.

Now, twenty years later, it's time to rediscover this album, which has matured wonderfully, in an indispensable expanded reissue with additional material, b-sides, and live tracks. Enjoy listening!