Hms Fable
Shack
1999
Album Summary
H.M.S. Fable is the third album by Liverpudlian band Shack, released in June 1999 via London Records. It was the band's first album following their reformation after the interest generated by their previous much-delayed album Waterpistol and the album by offshoot band The Strands. H.M.S. Fable was well received by the critics: among the UK music publications, the album was placed at number 2 on both the NME and Uncut critics' poll of the albums of the year for 1999, and number 5 in Select magazine.
WikipediaAnother British pop album so important that the only sentence under the Legacy tab in Wikipedia is the one noting that it is on the 1001 albums list. I understand that sometimes you need a bit of distance between an album and the review to gain perspective on it, but that's exactly why it shouldn't be on this list. It's a late 90s pop album that sounds like a late 90s pop album. It's fine, but indistinguishable from a hundred other albums that came out in the same era. It's not special or groundbreaking or technically outstanding in any way. Why not throw a couple of Days of the New or Stabbing Westward albums on here while we're wasting everyone's time? 2/5
After listening to the first song I had a feeling this was going to be a maximum 3 star, on its way to a 2. But the songs on the album changed genre a few times and the stories for a few of the songs were fairly unique. In the end I went and listened to it all the way through again.
Reminds me a little of All The Roadrunning or REM. Their songs are really good at both hitting all of the satisfying resolutions while also moving in interesting unexpected directions.
Thought this was brilliant. Natalie's Party and Daniella are both superb and book end some absolutely brilliant 90's indie music.
It would be hard to review this album without comparing Shack to Oasis, so I won't try. It's a band fronted by troubled brothers who sing soaring melodies about scoring heroin accompanied by strings. They're the Liverpudlian Oasis. In fact, the two bands had a sort of co-dependent relationship, even if one made it big while the other one opened for them years later. This certainly sounds like an Oasis album, but better; a glance at the lyrics reveals a song-writing talent that the Gallaghers could only dream of. Shack is one of those "what could have been" bands that nevertheless managed to pull it together long enough to make one memorable album, and this is solid stuff. Best track: Beautiful
Some good easy listening - kind of distracting how often they changed time signature in many songs, but it felt like a precursor to Guster, so I liked it similarly.
Wasn't expecting to like it, but this is a gem of its genre! It sounds a lot like R.E.M. The strings were a wonderful touch throughout. I loved the songs that felt a little shanty-ish/adventurous/folksy, like Streets of Kenny or Daniella. At times a bit too cheesy, but it never was unenjoyable. The best songs I loved, and the worst songs were still very nice.
Bland and uninspired britpop. Wished I was listening to something else almost the entire time. No more of this, please
2.6 - Another lukewarm Britpop entry. To quote Beavis and Butthead: "We've got enough crap over here in this country. Why do we need to go to Europe to get more?" The pretty "Daniella" ends this pleasant but forgettable record on a hauntingly mournful note.
Great album, combines the best aspects of Britpop with some Indie and Folk elements. Especially loved the harmonies and the catchiness of the songs
I‘ve never heard of Shack before today. Before listening, a rudimentary glance at Wikipedia shows they’re from Liverpool, which is basically a 15 minute drive from where I live. Did Shack not get very big, or have I been living under a rock? Songs I already knew: None Favourites: Comedy, Lend’s Some Dough, Daniella Is it the familiar accent in the vocals? Is it the similar sound to other bands I like? Is it simply that one of the song titles is my name? The amalgamation of all these little parts, as well as the excellently orchestrated music, gave me goosebumps several times when listening to this today. As the guitar played out the final track, the goosebumps came back, I removed my headphones, and had to take a few moments to appreciate everything I had just heard. Truly, this was a phenomenal album that I thoroughly enjoyed today, and definitely something I’ll be returning back to a lot.
Very 90s garage rock. I liked the vibe but all the songs felt like they meshed together for me, not a lot of distinction between them.
A surprisingly fantastic album! I love the soft rock groove, and I added it to my playlist. Shack was never on my radar, but they are awesome!
The writer of this book being from UK is showing. Never heard of this. Sounds like pretty standard 90s britpop at first but it’s a lot deeper than that. Glad I pushed past my initial impression. I’m a little surprised these guys weren’t bigger in the states.
This is really good. I had never heard of this band before, happy to have now discovered them!
I love the liverpudlian accent making it’s way into the songs and the overall melodies. Feels very lightning seeds inspired and that is not a bad thing!
I had never heard of this, which is somewhat surprising given that this type of music was right up my alley during this timeframe (college). Pretty great stuff.
7/10. I can't quite pin down what it sounds like, but it sounded familiar, and I liked it.
solid britpop album, overall the style wasn't my favorite and some of it was overwrought, but i liked the variety and the stories. 7/10
Mij voordien totaal onbekend. Poprock met hier en daar een folk-toetsje. Prachthoes ook (4,5 is geen 5 -> 4)
A good album that I could easily listen to again. Sit back, relax and enjoy the tunes.
Not your usual Brit pop album some good songs on the album I enjoyed it 4/5
4 really really good album. Liked every song, but many 90s albums sounds just like it. Will relisten soon.
Genre: Britpop 4/5 The quick research session for this album before my listen did very little to illicit any genuine excitement from me. Blur’s Parklife was pretty bland, and most Britpop is fairly regular in concept and execution, but these guys really did something here! The orchestration and high-class production on this thing was incredibly unexpected, and didn’t feel facile or forced at all. Quite a refreshing listen, honestly. While the first two tracks are two of the band’s most popular, the album continued to impress, continued to have big, beautiful choruses, and continued to layer sounds in a very nice, very pleasing way. Even a song like Cornish Town, which starts rather innocuously, grows into a beautiful pop soundscape. I might be in the minority here, but I genuinely enjoyed this album!
Great album with plenty of songs I thought were really good. The album doesn't seem to be that well known, but it was surprisingly fun. Only complaint is that the second half didn't appeal to me as much as the first. Favorite Songs: Natalie's Party, Comedy, Pull Together, Beautiful, Lend's Some Dough
Close to a 5, really enjoyable listen from a band I’ve never heard of! Kind of Oasis crossed with Richard Hawley.
Kinda oasis but better - not a fan of britpop and didn't like this on release, but the songwriting is so good it's aged well
This was a lovely surprise. I thought I was going to hear Oasis with Michael Stipe as lead singer. But then we get these folk songs, as well as lush songs with strings in the background. This is the album that Oasis wished they could make.
I just love the sound of this album! No single song stands out but it’s the way they all flow together and belong with each other, makes the albums really feel like a single piece of work. I really did enjoy listening to it.
This was massive in the UK for a bit, but somehow it completely passed me by. It was better than I expected; the connective tissue between Oasis and Elbow.
J'ai beaucoup aimé cet album de la voix française de Shark, qui sécurise sa belle note de 4/5 grâce au superbe "2-0 pour les Bleus de Port-Marie" annoncé en fin d'album.
I have never heard of Shack before, and all of the music on HMS Fable was new to me. The album sounds like it could be grouped with some of the music I would have been listening to in the 90s. I didn't want to skip any tracks, but I didn't have any stand out tracks that I saved for my personal playlist either. This album comes in at exactly 3.5 stars. I'm not sure that I will think of listening to this album again, but I guess I will round up to 4 stars.
really loved this one, probably my favourite so far from the albums that I hadn’t already heard in some capacity before!
we've gotten a string of britpop recently in this project, and by and large it's been "just okay" for me. i don't know what happened with shack's h.m.s. fable, but i enjoyed their sound so much more. britpop appears to be a convoluted genre, so whether or not this album can be truly referred to as britpop, i don't know. i do know that the whole album flows easily, one song into the other. shack did well creating songs that were unique and can differentiate from one another, but taken as a whole, the songs are even better. the songs are pop in the sense that they are easy and catchy, but the songs are more broadly alternative. some songs are a little cheesy but charming ("beautiful"!). there are some good choices with the instruments. the horns on "reinstated" were particularly lovely. really, just a nice listen overall.
"H.M.S. Fable" is the third album by the Liverpudlian band Shack and the first album after the band's reformation following their previous album "Waterpistol" and an album by an off-shoot band, The Strands. H.M.S means Her Majesty Ship which makes sense given the album cover and some of the lyrics. Yeah, I had to look that up. Shack consisted of Mick Head (vocals, guitar), his brother John Head (guitar), Justin Smith (bass) and Mick Hurst (drums). This is a very well-crafted and well-produced (Hugh Jones and Youth (Martin Glove)) album. Definitely in the pop (or Britpop) category but also has some pyschedelic and prog elements. This is one of the most happy and optimistic sounding albums given that some of the songs are about the Head brothers' struggles with drugs, which was no secret. The album starts extremely strong with two great songs. "Natalie's Party" is pop sounding and also reminds me of Cracker. Very optimistic. Guitar bridge. Strings. Chorus. Great lyrics about two lovers. "Comedy" is slower, with strings. Nice guitar outro. Again, optimistic about someone pulling him through. "When you cry it pulls me through." The next two songs "Pull Together" and "Beautiful" sound more like the pop-side of Oasis. Both songs soar. "Lend's Some Dough" may be the happiest song I've heard about drugs... kind of Beatles-esque. The second half of the album incorporates some pyschedelia and prog. In "Streets of Kenny" he's searching for drugs. Pyschedelic and prog, it kind of reminded me of the Moody Blues. Pyschedelic ending with dual lead guitars. " I Want You" moves back to more pop. Lyrical references to ships, kings, queens and Merlin. Very Love-sounding with the pyschedelic guitars. The album ends kind of sad with the song "Daniella," unlike the rest of the album. Acoustic guitar. He lost his friend Jack. Wow, I think I made the most band references in anything I've written but Shack created music that is their own. I've like everything I've heard from Mick Head both previous with The Pale Fountains and subsequently. This album is no exception. I can see why his music is revered by many.
Okay. Hear me out. I think everything is great about this album except his vocals. I think they’ve got some great lyrics and I love the songs. Someone else has just gotta sing them. I especially liked Lend’s Some Dough.
Really good britpop LP. Not sure how I missed this one. I still prefer Teenage Fanclub or Del Amitri.
I like it. Reading by the reviews people are mixed. But in my opinion I think it's up my alley. I like the sound of it. British garage indie pop rock vibes...
Great album, very enjoyable from front to back. Favorite track: Re-Instated
I had never heard of this, so I expected this would sound like 90's Brit-Pop. At times it does, they definitely sound like Oasis on some tracks, while on others they almost sound like they could be American. This was an interesting and enjoyable listen, will have to listen again to get the full scope of the band.
Don't know how I've not heard of this britpop band before, being British and all. I was kind of hoping for sea shanties, considering the name and album art. Instead it was some indie britpop tunes. They were alright, seemed very well written. I found myself switching off during some of the songs, but overall it was quite good I thought. Favourite: Daniella
Another 1001 album with barely a Wikipedia page - always exciting! Oasis if they were from Liverpool. How come I’ve never even come across the name Shack before? This is great! The opening trio of songs are extremely well written and for a moment there I almost thought this might be a hidden masterpiece. There is some heavy R.E.M. vibe going on and I’m all in on Mick Head’s vocals. Unfortunately my interest starts to fade along the way but after just one listen I was still quite taken aback by this. Well hidden, Liverpool. Well hidden.
Levy alko ihan lupaavasti, mutta loppua kohden hyyty. Kuuntelin kahdesti.
mixed, it's pretty smooth but nothing too crazy. I have listened to other songs from them, not a bad band.
Not really my style, but I can appreciate some heroin-fueled pop rock as much as the next guy. Has its moments... fleeting ones, but perhaps it's better that way.
A lot of songs on here felt like they were mimicking the style of other bands; beatles, red hot chili peppers and even Blur. it was enjoyable but ultimately forgettable
this one was kinda sadly forgettable. i was psyched because i'd never heard of them, and they were from liverpool, which just seems like a good thing...Streets of Kenny was great, but nothing else really stood out here to me.
ei nouse mulle massasta, kuulostaa geneeriseltä brittiläiseltä kitarapopilta
I liked some of it and didn't hate any of it. If I could rate 3.5 I would... it's not quite 4 stars though.
Album tres 90. Bon son en general mais se compare pas vraimment aveci les gros albums de ces annees. Quand meme une belle ecoute. 3.25
Nice enough. The songs have a sixties feel at times. I prefer the sparse, mellower tracks. The horns were a nice addition to Re-instated. Michael Head is a better song-writer than singer.
I’ve never heard of Shack before and I’ve never heard any of these songs. Managed to listen 1.5 times through the album, and definitely liked it better the second time but I’m still not ready to do more than a 3. Gonna save “Pull Together” into one of my playlists though
Scouse britpop arriving at the fag end of the movement. Best Tracks: Natalie's Party, Comedy, Streets of Kenny
Some songs have a bit of an R.E.M. vibe to it and I quite like it. Full album is a bit much though.
Not as bad as I thought it'd be considering the previous britpop on the list. That being said, it's very forgettable and I have no desire to revisit it
Slightly above average but certainly nothing special. Everything you would expect from this genre.
Not heard of this band before which is surprising. You can hear the similarities to many of their related bands (lightning seeds, cast, the las), not bad but don’t know if I would choose to listen to them over others.
Turn of the millenia rock with 90's angst. This album clearly is setting the tone for what would be alternative noise for the upcoming era.
Je connais pas ce genre de musique, la "britpop" Nathalie's party (opening) : effectivement c'est pop. Mais c'est pas mal, ça ressemble à une musique de film. On dirait de la bonne soupe, genre la musique de Shrek Ca sent le 2.5 : ça me laisse pantois, même si c'est joli par certains aspects. Finalement ça finit sur un 3 C'est un peu cucul mais ça se chante autour d'un feu. Fav : Lend's Some Dough (elle représente bien l'album), Daniella (jolie)