The Supernaturals
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| The Supernaturals | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Genres | Rock, indie, power pop |
| Years active | 1993 – 2002 |
| Labels | Parlophone Universal/Koch |
| Associated acts | The Hussy's |
| Former members | |
| James McColl, Derek McManus, Alan Tilston, Ken McAlpine, Mark Guthrie, Gavin Crawford, Paul Malcolm, David Mitchell. | |
The Supernaturals were a five-piece guitar based pop band from Glasgow, Scotland. Fronted by singer-songwriter James McColl, they signed to Parlophone in 1996 and had a string of singles which were taken from their three albums and four EPs. Other members included Mark Guthrie, Derek McManus and Ken McAlpine. The band's best known songs ("Smile" and "I Wasn't Built To Get Up") were featured prominently in a series of television advertisements, but the group never achieved the mainstream success that had been predicted for them. In total they scored five Top 40 entries in the UK Singles Chart.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Career
The band's sound was similar to many 1960s rock bands, with elements of 1990s synth culture, especially later on. Two guitars were used, often one acoustic and one electric, and a variety of effects. Drums were for the most part subdued.
The band were nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in 1998 for best contemporary song for "Smile" along with The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work" and Radiohead's "No Surprises". The band won a Tartan Clef award in 1997 as the best new Scottish band.
Songs are often related to other songs on the same album by a common theme. The album It Doesn't Matter Anymore received good reviews (8/10 NME and 4/5 Q) as did the follow up A Tune a Day (7/10 NME and 4/5 Q). The band's third album saw a change of musical direction into europop and electronica. This album struggled to get good reviews, with the lead single not receiving media coverage of its release following the September 11 attacks.
The creative output saw around 100 songs written in five years. They played at music festivals and supported other artists including Robbie Williams, Paul Weller, The Boo Radleys and Tina Turner. They were also a staple on compilation CDs such as Shine, and played radio sessions for BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, Virgin and others.
The band split up soon after their third album's release in 2002.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- It Doesn't Matter Anymore, 1997 - Number 9 UK
- A Tune a Day, 1999 - Number 21 UK
- What We Did Last Summer, 2002
[edit] Cassette mini albums on Tourette Sounds
- Big Seven 1993 (7 tracks)
- Dark Star 1993 (8 tracks)
[edit] CD EPs on Tourette Sounds
- "Sitting in the Sun" 1994 (7 tracks)
- "Let it Bleat" 1995 (5 tracks)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart position[1] | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Smile" | - | It Doesn't Matter Anymore |
| "Lazy Lover" | 34 | ||
| 1997 | "The Day Before Yesterday's Man" | 25 | |
| "Smile" | 23 | ||
| "Love Has Passed Away" | 38 | ||
| "Prepare to Land" | 48 | ||
| 1998 | "I Wasn't Built To Get Up" | 25 | A Tune a Day |
| "Sheffield Song" | 45 | ||
| 1999 | "Everest" | 52 | |
| 2001 | "Finishing Credits" | - | What We Did Last Summer |
| 2002 | "What We Did Last Summer" | - | |
| "Life Is A Motorway" | - |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 541. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
