The Bluetones
February 18th 2008 08:00
Originally named The Bottlegarden, The Bluetones were formed in 1994 by original band members, Mark Morriss (vocals), Adam Devlin (guitar), Scott Morriss (bass guitar) and Eds Chesters (drums).
The band name was apparently chosen after Adam had a dream about the best band in the world and they were called The Bluetones, so the next day the band began calling themselves The Bluetones although in another interview, the band said the name was chosen as an anagram of "The Subtle One".
The Bluetones rose to prominence during the mid 1990s - the height of the BritPop era - with their hit song "Slight Return", a single from their debut album Expecting to Fly released in 1996. The album was a bestseller and huge commercial success for the band and it proved so popular that it dislodged Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? off the No.1 spot on the UK music charts upon its release. The album spawned other hit singles including "Bluetonic" and "Cut Some Rug".
The bands sophomore album, Return to the Last Chance Saloon, was released in 1998 and had some huge shoes to fill. Despite never reaching the same heights as their debut effort, the album was well-received by fans and spawned four singles: "Solomon Bites the Worm", "If...", "Sleazy Bed Track" and "4-Day Weekend".
By the time the third album, Science & Nature, came along in 2000, the BritPop era was well and truly over but despite this, the album reached No.7 on the UK music charts - two positions higher than their previous effort. Together with the addition of new member Richard Payne (keyboards and guitar), the band achieved sound commercial success with hit songs "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia".
The Bluetones released Luxembourg in 2003 as a four-some once again after the departure of Richard Payne in 2001. The album peaked at No.49 - the band's lowest charting record to-date - but their popularity with fans was sustained through extensive touring, earning them the tag of "Britpop survivors" by the press.
The band's most recent and self-titled album was released in late 2006. Hoping to recapture some of the magic of their debut album, The Bluetones teamed up with former producer Hugh Jones to largely positive reviews from critics and fans. Despite the album charting at an all-time low of No.100, it still spawned the singles "My Neighbour's House", "Head On A Spike" and "Surrendered".
The Bluetones remains present to this day and are currently on a mini-tour of Scotland.
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