The Bluetones are one of those bands history doesn't really have a lot of time for. They're most likely nobody's favourite band and their albums never tend to show up in "Best Album Of All Time" polls, but I kinda like em. "Expecting To Fly" probably never changed anyone's life, but it's a nice collection of jangly indie guitar pop. I first heard this album when i was 14 or 15 on a Duke Of Edinburgh award "Initiative weekend" (in other words, a hike to a campsite using maps to find our way, then camping, cooking our own food and hiking back the next day. Apparently using your initiative to buy a steak sandwich from some people having a barbecue elsewhere on the camp site "Is not in the spirit of things" so I never got the award...). I borrowed the tape from one of the girls hiking with us, in exchange for Supergrass's "I Should Coco" if i remember corectly, and it helped pass the tedium for a while.
They take their influences from The Kinks and The Byrds with jangly Rickenbacker's and 12 strings all over the place. The album got to number one in the charts (knocking oasis from the top, albeit only for one week) and the album spawned 3 top 10 singles, "Bluetonic", "Cut Some Rug" and "Slight Return", which are all pretty good (as are a few of their later singles), but my favourite track is "Putting Out Fires"...
You're right that the Bluetones were a thoroughly pleasant jangly combo but just never very memorable. In fact, I will remember your steak sandwich story long after I've forgotten how this song goes!
You're right that the Bluetones were a thoroughly pleasant jangly combo but just never very memorable. In fact, I will remember your steak sandwich story long after I've forgotten how this song goes!
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