Song 148 - Elephant Stone - The Stone Roses

I feel I should be in my school uniform whilst writing this as this song reminds me of high school and pretending that I didn't like the Stone Roses just to get a reaction from some boy that I used to fancy! Out of all the Stones Roses' hits I have chosen this one for two reasons. Elephant Stone was on a compilation tape that my sister made (and I nicked! Sorry sis, I still have the tape if you want it back) and I fell in love with the song before knowing who was singing it. And two, it allows me to talk mention one of my favourite animals in my music blog!!

Okay, lets move on before I start talking trunks, if you read yesterday's blog closely you would have heard me mention Madchester scene and Stone Roses have to be the biggest band to come out of Manchester at this time. Elephant Stone was first released in 1988 and didn't chart, however, in 1990 after their debut album was release, it was re-released and reached number 8 in the charts. When asked what Elephant Stone was about, John Squires muted it may have been about a girl he once known. If you listen to the track carefully you can hear the incorporation of dance beat into the tune. Released as a standalone single in the UK, it is one of my favourite tracks the band ever recorded.

When their debut album The Stone Roses was released, it is fair to say the album was a slow burner with consumers and critics in the UK, with the exception of NME and Melody Maker, who were heavily involved with the Madchester scene. However, they say that the longer the burn the greater the heat and respect people build for music which is true about this album. Within the industry the talents of the band and the album is a testament to the fusion of rock and dance music  inspired by the late 1980s. Some would say it is one of the most important albums of all time as it capture a period of music and transitions the music scene of Manchester from bands from The Smiths to Oasis in the 1990s.

Whilst I will leave you to decide whether Stone Roses fits in your music taste; have a dance with elephant:

Elephant Stone by The Stone Roses

Written by Ian Brown and John Squires
Released: 1989, 1990
Album: N/A - it was a standalone single.

Song 146 - A life less ordinary by Ash

Like all good genres in music, the Britpop bands had their place in the films directed at the 1990s and one of the emerging director during this period was Danny Boyle.  Boyle would produce three iconic films of the 1990s; Shallow Grave,  Trainspotting and A life less ordinary that would launch not only his career as a director but the career of Ewan MacGregor, who would go on to star in films like Star Wars and Moulin Rouge. Each of Boyle's 90s film contain a kick-ass soundtrack and for today's song I am looking no further than the title track from the film of A life less ordinary. 

The request for Ash to work on the soundtrack of the film came straight from Danny Boyle and the title track was released on 13 October 1997. Written by the band's lead singer, Tim Wheeler, who stated the song was written about his muse, the White Goddness, a character from a Robert Graves book. Wheeler describe the songs as a weird love song and a description of how he would sell his soul for something to believe in. The song reached number 10 in the chart.

From Downpatrick in Northern Ireland, Ash formed in 1992 and released their first full album, 1977 in 1996. Hailed as one of the 500 greatest albums of all times by NME, Ash isn't particularly fond of the association with Britpop due to being Irish and in some ways has outlived many of the Britpop bands as they are still performing today. Starting life as a three piece band, they recruited Charlotte Hatherley as a guitar and they would remain a four piece band until 2006, when she left the band.

Like the film for Danny Boyle, this is probably not the most well known of Ash's songs from this period but it has its own charm but you can let your own ears decide.

To hear the song
A life less ordinary by Ash


Written by Tim Wheeler
Released: October 1996
Album: A life less ordinary (Official track)