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Track Listings
| 1. Lose Control |
| 2. Goldfinger |
| 3. Girl From Mars |
| 4. I'd Give You Anything |
| 5. Gone The Dream |
| 6. Kung Fu |
| 7. Oh Yeah |
| 8. Let It Flow |
| 9. Innocent Smile |
| 10. Angel Interceptor |
| 11. Lost In You |
| 12. Darkside Lightside |
| 13. Sick Party |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Written and recorded while a teenage Tim Wheeler was doing his A-levels, 1977 (named after the year Star Wars was released) made Ash bona-fide indie starlets overnight, largely thanks to the quality of the singles it contains. Their timing couldn't have been better: the summer of 1996 belonged to the Union Jack guitar, and Ash were free to ride the wildsurf of the Britpop tsunami, electrifying everyone with the quirky ("Girl From Mars"), the funny (the Jackie Chan comedy of "Kung Fu") and the best Christmas song ever written by a guitar band--the heartwarming mixture love and science that was "Angel Interceptor".
It is unfortunately hindered by the trademark duvet production of Oasis man Owen Morris, which muffles Rick McMurrey's thunderous drums and does nothing for Wheeler's uniquely flat voice (one of the album's major shortcomings in itself). It also suffers from a monotony produced by its constant full-on nature which a couple of acoustic (or even slower) numbers would have fixed and balanced the album better. If these had replaced some of the more forgettable album tracks here ("Lost In You" and the needlessly bombastic "I'd Give You Any Thing"), then so much the better. Come to reminisce not just for the pubescent memories it evokes within the songs, but also the memories of the time it was released. Or, as Wheeler laments on the teenage love anthem "Oh Yeah", "I sometimes wish it was that summer again". --Ben Johncock
Product Description
CD
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
Without doubt Ash's best album, and possibly one of the very best of the 90's. There simply isn't one bad track on this album, and the singles are all class. "Girl from Mars" and "Kung Fu" are their finest songs, although everything else here isn't far off this quality.
There's no opportunity for the album to become too samey, as ballad often follows punk-esque thrash, regulating the pace, and improving the overall sound structure. And if you happen to be up for a laugh, wait until the very end of "Darkside Lightside" for what is described on the inlay card as "Sick Party".
Overall, this album comes pretty damn close to perfection, and if you've only heard the latest singles, this is the best album to start you off. Sheer brilliance.
There's no opportunity for the album to become too samey, as ballad often follows punk-esque thrash, regulating the pace, and improving the overall sound structure. And if you happen to be up for a laugh, wait until the very end of "Darkside Lightside" for what is described on the inlay card as "Sick Party".
Overall, this album comes pretty damn close to perfection, and if you've only heard the latest singles, this is the best album to start you off. Sheer brilliance.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Buzzing with youthful energy, Ash burst out of the traps at the height of Britpop with this debut. Named after the year Star Wars was released, 1977 begins with the sounds of an X-wing fighter plane soaring off into space. What follows is a variable collection of pop songs packed with oceans of guitar and blurred production. Tracks like Kung Fu, with it's aimless ramblings on the subjects of Jackie Chan and Fu Man Chu, betray the occasionally banal side of singer/lyricist Tim Wheeler's muse. Others, such as I'd Give You Anything and Lose Control, contain great rock riffs and creatively disorganised guitar solos, but little in the way of lyrical enlightenment. However, these minor imperfections are overshadowed by some of the murky brilliance this record contains. Take the wonderfully innocent Girls From Mars, for example; a warming tale of summer love, featuring the amusing choral couplet "We'd stay up late playing cards/Henri Winterman cigars". At first these observations seem ridiculous, but after repeat listening they acquire a certain charm. Oh Yeah is almost the in the same vein, yet far more hormonal, far less mysterious, and even better. Completed by evocative female backing vocals, Wheeler's teenage love anthem is the best thing on the album. Other delights include the riff-laden rock of Goldfinger and even a Christmas song, Angel Interceptor. An intriguing beginning for the Irish band.
Rating: 8
Rating: 8
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
My teen years began with this sort of music, and they're ending with it. I'm off to see them live this year, and after finally buying this album, i can't wait. No album of this style of music has ever matched this and never will. From the loving tones of "angel interceptor" through to the power of "kung fu", this album is a guide on how to do music. Many may believe they finally equalled or bettered this album with "free all angels", but none of it's standout tracks equal the major songs from this album: 'lose control', used on gran turismo 2 with a load of other tracks off here; 'goldfinger', an unusually titled track but anthemic in it's majesty; 'girl from mars', surely a song everyone of my generation rememebers; 'kung fu', a song about, um, well it sure ISN'T about kung fu; 'Oh yeah', another anthemic song you never forget; and finally 'angel interceptor', a fairly mellow track beautifully written and played. And those are just the STANDOUT tracks.
Buy it now, not later. That's what i did. Now i regret that i didn't just buy it when i originally wanted it so i could've been listening to this the last 6 years...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insanely great value
My rating is mostly based on the price of the purchase and well it is incredible value for this amount of tracks at £3.99. Read more
Published 7 days ago by sanskriteejit
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album!
'1977' is the first album from Ash that I've purchased, and it certainly won't be the last. There are some great songs on here that I was already familiar with and loved: 'Yeah'... Read more
Published 1 month ago by ReviewBlog51
5.0 out of 5 stars
Purchase
I ordered the CD and it came 2 days later. Safely rapped up and in first class condition. Well done.
Published 21 months ago by chris_pne956
5.0 out of 5 stars
ash 1977
Yes indeed a great album. But not as good as the previous mini album "trailer". the best thing ash have ever done, if you get a chance to buy the "uncle pat" single, buy it. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Mrs. S. A. Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars
oh yeah 1977's taking me over
okay i was two years short from hitting my teens upon its 1996 release but 1977 by ASH was the album that more or less reflected my growing up in some way's and this re-issue is a... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2008 by spike
4.0 out of 5 stars
young irish kickstarts bring it
ash,when this was released were a young punky band with an ear for a single,this album was packed with top 40 singles such was their ability to get into the head of the average... Read more
Published on 19 July 2006 by sean paul mccann
5.0 out of 5 stars
ash at their best
best album from ash, not yet matched by their later albums. moving forward from the punk pop 'trailer', ash entered the mainstream with 1977. Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2005 by "ben_23"
5.0 out of 5 stars
1977
A total classic. This is the album that Ash are trying to get back to with their most recent LP ('Free All Angels') after the slightly dissapointing 'Nu-Clear Sounds'. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2003 by Matthew Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Fave album . . . EVER
With excellent heavy/fast tempo tracks such as 'lose control' and 'darkside lightside', to slower songs as "goldfinger" and "oh yeah", to absoulite classics such as "girl from... Read more
Published on 29 May 2003 by Conradder
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another great album
This is the album that got them noticed – and it’s blatant to see why. Dubbed as their best album to date, 1977 is packed full of musical gems such as the hit single... Read more
Published on 11 May 2003 by "baybeedoll"
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