Rounding up all the B-sides, demos and rarities
Ocean Colour Scene
released over the course of 1996, when the band was riding the crest of their popularity,
B-Sides: Seasides & Freerides
, for all its inconsistency, illustrates the depth of their ambition, as well as their flaws. Primarily comprised of acoustic material, including a demo of
"The Circle"
and a fine, stripped-down version of "The Day We Caught the Train," the 16 tracks on
B-Sides
can tend to sound a little samey, but when the group branches out to the neo-prog-rock of the very English "Huckleberry Grove" or to the funky instrumental "Chicken Bones and Stones," they sound better than ever, and a couple of early songs by the pre-
band the
Fanatics
are interesting. Still, about half of the songs suggest that
OCS
may be a little too reverent in their appreciation for late-'60s rock, since they come across as only stylistic exercise, not full songs. And their live cover of "Day Tripper," featuring
Noel Gallagher
on guitar and
Liam Gallagher
on vocals, is an embarassment, simply because
Liam's
restrained vocals slay
Simon Fowler's
bellowing. But this is an isolated moment on
, since it contains enough first-rate material to make it necessary for dedicated fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine