The Bluetones - Return To The Last Chance Saloon (PolyGram) With the final demise of the marketing hype they named 'Brit-pop', many onlookers prophesied the death of the Bluetones, whose heyday coincided neatly with the pinnacle of the era years ago.
But to crown the Bluetones as one of the pioneers of that scene has always been a mistake. The Hounslow gang is different from the average jangly guitar-pop group. Underneath the lively tunes lie retrospective lyrics, words of melancholy on heartfelt matters.
Fans will not be disappointed with Return To The Last Chance Saloon: they have not gone techno or prog-rock to achieve credibility. Tunes still come aplenty, but the weakness of being too lightweight - the reason why they were dragged into the Brit-pop quagmire - has been rectified with a meatier sound.
Solomon Bites the Worm, released earlier as a taster single, might have caused worries that the Bluetones had gone Led Zeppelin. But tracks such as If... with the 'na-na-na' refrain, the chugging Unpainted Arizona and the stomping Down by the Reservoir should reassure pop-lovers that the band has not strayed too far.
With the Echobellys and Sleepers of this world having fallen by the wayside, the Bluetones return to Earth after a long hiatus. They look set to conquer.
