The Boo Radleys – Giant Steps (1993)

July Series: Why I’m (still) a “total man of the ’90s”

1. I miss what I never had
2. Efficiency + Effectiveness
3. I’m hooked early & often

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[Album 649/1001]

Do you have a favourite film-opening credits sequence?

The ’90s had a bunch of gems, perhaps none finer than the first few minutes of So I Married An Axe Murderer.

Through this cleverly filmed opening sequence, it quickly became clear:

a) that I was going to be a fan of the film

b) that I was going to be a fan of The Boo Radleys

In their solid cover of The La’s There She Goes, the horns were a nice touch, the increased tempo was also a good call.

But it was the James Hetfield-esque “There She Goes-ahh, There She Goes Again-ahh” (around 1:30 in the clip below) that sealed the deal for me!

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With their originals on Giant Steps, The Boo Radleys continue to demonstrate an ability to earn my attention early & often.

Within the first minute of each of the following tunes, plenty of positive associations come to mind:

The opener, I Hang Suspended, feels like a blueprint for future Shotter’s Nation Babyshambles tracks.

Ditto the blueprint vibe with Wish I Was Skinny, though this time venturing more in The Weakerthans A New Name for Everything direction.

Thinking of Ways (my personal favourite from the album) blends The Beach Boys & Badly Drawn Boy in the best possible way

The acoustic strumming to kick off Barney (…And Me) draws a smile, as anything that brings to mind The Cure’s In Between Days surely would…

…and the list could easily go on.

Which is not to say that The Boo Radleys are either overly derivative or unbelievably influential.

Instead, through those immediately favourable reference points, it quickly became clear:

a) that I was going to be a fan of Giant Steps

b) that eventually/inevitably, I’ll be exploring more by The Boo Radleys

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Verbalize the Positive

The So I Married An Axe Murderer soundtrack would be in my Top 5 Soundtracks!