One For The Road - The Life & Lyrics of Simon Fowler & Ocean Colour Scene

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Fowler is a unique front man, not many of his kind come along in our life time, but when they do you know you’re in the presence of someone special whether it be up on stage, in a studio setting or one on one, which I was fortunate enough to enjoy an hour or so of his time, along with the books co-author Daniel Rachel to discuss this exciting publication centered around the life of Fowler, each shared with me their travels towards the culmination of the book including some entertaining and revealing stories thrown in. In this extraordinary book, Simon Fowler recounts his life and songwriting through the prism of 69 songs from all stages of his career - from the first song he wrote when he was sixteen, through his formative groups, The Great Betrayal and The Fanatics, to Ocean Colour Scene and their multi-platinum selling albums in the mid-nineties. Revealing a panoply of influences from William Yeats and Cole Porter to David Bowie, Lou Reed and Neil Young, the book reveals the stories behind the songs, the people and the places that inspired them and how Simon feels about them now. Presented with an astonishing treasure trove of ephemera including 13 unreleased songs, over 200 personal photographs, never seen before original handwritten lyrics, and more than 150 rarely seen items of memorabilia, it offers a unique and illuminating visual record of one of the great songwriters. Collaborating with his lifelong friend, award-winning author, Daniel Rachel, One For The Road is presented as an extended conversation featuring 69 personally hand-selected songs by Simon, including never seen before original handwritten lyrics, 13 unreleased songs, and over 350 hand chosen photographs and rarely seen items of memorabilia.

That gig was also my first introduction to another very special band who’s songs I went on to absolutely love during the 90s and beyond… Ocean Colour Scene. Connections to Paul Weller… Revealing a panoply of disparate influences from William Yeats and Cole Porter to David Bowie, Lou Reed and Neil Young, Simon reveals the stories behind the songs, the people and the places that inspired them and how he feels about them now. It’s brilliant, beautiful, gorgeous, stunning… the kind of book you want to smell and stroke.’ CHRIS EVANS, VIRGIN RADIO Simon will play a selection of Ocean Colour Scene classics from ‘The Day We Caught The Train’, and ‘The Circle’’ to ‘Profit In Peace’ alongside a selection of new and previously unheard songs. Following the discovery of a cassette tape recorded in 1986 featuring over 20 previously unreleased songs, including a handful later recorded by Ocean Colour Scene, Simon will play a selection of these for the first time in public.Collaborating with his lifelong friend, award-winning and bestselling author, Daniel Rachel, One For The Road is presented as an extended conversation and arranged alphabetically to provide a kaleidoscope rather than chronological account. The result is a revelatory self-portrait and a testimony to friendship. It was a real honour to be joined by Ocean Colour Scene lead-singer and songwriter – Simon Fowler for this episode of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast…

I think that half of songwriting is actually just sitting down and being bothered to do it. You can have as many genius thoughts that you can prescribe yourself but if you don’t sit down and do it then you’ve got nothing.’ SIMON FOWLERDiscussing his extraordinary book, One For The Road, Simon Fowler recounts his life and songwriting through the prism of 69 songs from all stages of his career, from the first song he wrote when he was 16, through his formative groups, The Great Betrayal and The Fanatics, to Ocean Colour Scene and their multi-platinum selling albums in the mid-nineties. Simon Fowler is a success because of being blessed with a wondrous voice. He writes stunning songs. And he tells a damn good yarn. They are three critical elements that make this book.’ DANIEL RACHEL It’s brilliant, beautiful, gorgeous, stunning... the kind of book you want to smell and stroke.’ CHRIS EVANS, VIRGIN RADIO Collaborating with his lifelong friend, award-winning author, Daniel Rachel, One For The Road is presented as an extended conversation featuring 69 personally hand-selected songs by Simon, including never seen before original handwritten lyrics, 13 unreleased songs, and over 350 hand chosen photographs and rarely seen items of memorabilia. This new stunning book offers a unique and illuminating visual record of one of the great songwriters.

It was a very special evening, me and my best mate Tom, seeing Weller live for the first time. Although how I wish we weren’t up in the seated area and were instead down in the mosh pit! Schoolboy error (literally!).Following the discovery of a cassette tape recorded in 1986 featuring over 20 previously unreleased songs, including a handful later recorded by Ocean Colour Scene, Simon will play a selection of these songs in public for the first time. To find out more about ONE FOR THE ROAD and receive up to the minute news on the book and special offers, visit www.facebook.com/OFTRbook When I was a teenager, my dream was to become a football commentator. Wanting to become a pop star seemed a stretch too far. It seemed daft enough to want to be John Motson, let alone John Lennon.’ SIMON FOWLER