Hosts: Neil & Chris
Duration: ~104 minutes
Release: 9 June 2025
Ash were 18, 19 and 20 years old when they recorded 1977 at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and somehow that youthful energy, that slightly chaotic brilliance, that feeling of not quite knowing what you're doing but doing it anyway, comes through in every single second. Released May 1996, the album arrived at the perfect moment, lumped in with Britpop despite sounding like Northern Irish kids discovering what happens when you mix Star Wars, martial arts films, massive pop hooks, and Owen Morris's legendary mad scientist production style. It peaked at number one in the UK, spawned five huge singles (Goldfinger, Girl From Mars, Kung Fu, Oh Yeah, Angel Interceptor), and captured something impossible to recreate: teenagers making a genuinely great rock album while juggling school holidays and studio sessions.
Chris recorded Circularity at Rockfield's Quadrangle, knows the Coach House intimately, understands the Bosendorfer piano legend, but Ash's album carries something different. Nick Bryan engineered (same guy who did What's the Story, Morning Glory), Owen Morris produced with his trademark overnight drug-fueled sessions encouraging imperfection and spontaneity, and the band borrowed The Verve's gear to record Kung Fu in one take (five minutes to write, single take to record, using borrowed equipment, absolutely perfect). The Sick Party secret track captures the band vomiting in Rockfield's courtyard, mic'd up beautifully, Nick Bryan referenced asking "is Nick pressing record yet?" proving Chris's story over internet mythology. That TIE fighter sound opening the album, Eric Cantona writing to say "I spit on your record" after they used his infamous kung fu kick on the single cover, strings appearing from nowhere on Oh Yeah like somebody left The Verve's session budget lying around, everything about this album feels beautifully accidental, wonderfully youthful, impossibly authentic.
Goldfinger kicks off with that TIE fighter scream (how did Disney not sue?), Tim Wheeler calling it the best song and best words they've ever written, Gran Turismo soundtrack immortality, guitar intro then drums jumping up 3-4 BPM when band kicks in (authenticity over perfection), sets tone for entire album. Oh Yeah is Chris's favorite, six-minute anthemic brilliance nobody knows the title of but 80 people in room of 50 would recognize instantly once it plays, manages both heavy dark wall of sound guitars and lush string section appearing from nowhere like beautiful ballad crashed into punk song, dynamics light shade transposing keys creating gorgeous dissonance. Kung Fu written five minutes at Belfast International Airport, recorded single take using The Verve's borrowed gear, references Bruce Lee Jackie Chan X-Men, Eric Cantona's infamous kung fu kick on single cover prompting handwritten letter "I spit on your record" which band presumably framed immediately, 2:59 runtime exactly Neil's preferred length. Girl From Mars, Angel Interceptor (2:38 peak Neil), Dark Side Lightside (5:20, Chris's actual favorite contradicting his short song preference), all singles all bangers, album feels like journey rather than agonized composition. Recorded super hot analog tape compression squashing sounds together beautifully not brick wall digital nastiness, overdriven tape saturation giving that authentic 90s sound impossible to recreate with modern remasters. 42 minutes, 12 tracks (plus Sick Party hidden), wrote 18-20 songs chose only strongest 10-11, no fat nowhere to hide, every second essential. Common threads ambient intros footsteps soundscapes long fade-outs (Neil misses hearing room studio fuzz talking echoey bits, everything gets cut now in Pro Tools era, adds authenticity feeling of being there). Title references Star Wars (1977 release year) but also birth years of Tim Wheeler (January 1977), Mark Hamilton (October 1976), Rick McMurray (December 1975), teenagers recording while still in school during half term Easter holidays Christmas break, phenomenal.
1977 exists as perfect time capsule, impossible to recreate, teenagers in studio during school holidays recording with mad scientist producer using borrowed gear capturing lightning in bottles. You cannot manufacture this, cannot get bunch of kids and expect same result, everything about it (production style, people who produced it, youthful energy, imperfection embraced, spontaneity encouraged) marks specific point in time that Owen Morris and Nick Bryan captured perfectly. Mucking about with remasters takes it out of that moment, Chris gets frustrated but understands he's got remaster probably can't hear original anymore, that analog tape compression beautiful squashing not brick wall digital nastiness defines era. Album arrived perfect moment 1996, lumped with Britpop despite being Northern Irish teenagers sounding more like transitional space between UK 80s and American 90s grunge, deserved US release never came despite hooks anthems 50,000 people stadium singalongs. Platinum UK (300,000), five subsequent albums also certified (Nuclear Sounds 98, Free All Angels 2001, Meltdown 2004, Twilight of the Innocents 2007), Charlotte Hatherley joined 98 for Nuclear Sounds, band still releasing records 2024 worth checking streaming service if disconnected. Toured relentlessly 90 shows UK Ireland Europe 1996, played Glastonbury Reading supported U2 played with Oasis Supergrass, Reading Festival performance Kung Fu recorded live for special single release, kids their age mates got famous Arctic Monkeys moment, scenes come from that attachment. Tim Wheeler Mark Hamilton Rick McMurray inspired by British heavy metal then Nirvana Teenage Fan Club big pop hooks, infectious Records, rumours about finding/stealing money to finance album (Mark Hamilton says probably more mundane than mythology but stories persist), Owen Morris encouraged imperfection spontaneity meaning recordings done one two takes maximum. Legacy: introduced wah pedal to massive rock context (Kirk Hammett Jimi Hendrix territory), proved teenagers can make genuinely great albums if you let them be themselves, captured moment in British alternative rock that feels authentic vulnerable real never watching show putting on just band doing their thing, nobody writes pure youthful energy quite like this anymore, rough edges are what make bands interesting don't lose them polish to pieces.
Perfect for: Anyone who grew up in 90s and remembers Star Wars TIE fighter sounds opening albums, Britpop fans who want the less-polished authentic edge, people who discovered Ash through I Wanna Go Where the People Go or Girl From Mars and never went back to find where it came from, fans of Teenage Fan Club Weezer early Green Day who appreciate big hooks with punk energy, anyone who loves albums that sound like teenagers recorded them during school holidays because that's exactly what happened, Owen Morris production completists (What's the Story Morning Glory, The Verve stuff, mad scientist overnight chaos), Rockfield Studios obsessives who want every story about Coach House Quadrangle borrowed gear courtyard recordings, people who appreciate secret tracks vomiting hidden after 10 minutes silence captured on expensive microphones, those who believe rough edges imperfection spontaneity make music better than agonized polish, anyone frustrated trying to find original album versions on streaming services instead of bloated reissues, wah pedal enthusiasts, Gran Turismo video game soundtrack nostalgists, people who think Eric Cantona writing "I spit on your record" is absolute peak rock and roll achievement