Travis: Good Feeling---Ink Blot Magazine

Travis: Good Feeling

at a glance...

Hometown: Glasgow, Scotland
Year Formed: 1995

Personnel:
Andy Dunlop -guitars
Fran Healy -guitars, vocals
Dougie Payne -bass
Neil Primrose -drums

Bands In The Family:
Oasis, Radiohead, The Clint Boon Experience

Notes:
Part-time bartender and drummer Neil Primrose, having answered an ad by guitarist Andy Dunlop to join his female-fronted cabaret band, The Glass Onion, recruited songwriter Fran Healy after serving him drinks during an all-day bender at a pub. Soon, they were a pop band with the name Travis (chosen in honor of a character in the 80's film, "Paris, Texas"), with Fran at the mic. At their first ever gig, Travis were introduced (accidentally) by Neil and Fran's mutual Glasgow School of Art mate, Dougie Payne. When the band found major-label interest, they were told to sack their bass player, and quickly replaced him with Payne, who had never played bass until he joined Travis. The band moved into a shared house in London to record demos, the same house that appeared on the back of their debut record, 1997's Good Feeling. Recorded in upstate New York and produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album was well-received by fans and critics, yielding several Top 40 hits and the Brit Award for Best New Band. Travis returned in 1999 with the delicately textured, Nigel Godrich-produced, The Man Who. Three popular singles, including "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?," propelled the album to the top of the British charts three months after its release, beginning a wildly successful end to 1999 through the start of Y2K. Approaching three million copies sold in Europe, it won the Brit Award for Best Album, with the band winning Best Band accolades.

Travis
Good Feeling
Independiente/Epic, Released 1997

Rarely has a title described a record so well. From the opener "All I Wanna Do Is Rock," whose swagger and jangle reminds you of an early Elvis Presley tune, you can tell that Travis have that magic that reaches right inside you and forces you to be affected. Travis do sing-a-long songs like "Tied To The 90's" and "Happy" with the same tongue-in-cheek aplomb as the Beatles did in their middle period, when such songs almost seemed beneath their ability. "The Line Is Fine" practically channels Lennon and McCartney with its trippy wordplay and wistful delivery.

And yet while Travis seem to be a good-time band, there is a richness to their abilities. "U16 Girls" may be cheeky, but it's also extremely well-crafted, from the lyrics to the hook. Much of the second half of Good Feeling is quieter, which makes their potential all the more apparent. Healy's voice, which radiates with a sexy gallantry on the rock tracks, becomes much softer and evocative, often settling between the quavering tones of Thom Yorke ("More Than Us") and the breathy hum of Bono ("I Love You Anyways").

People may throw around the term "Beatlesque," but Good Feeling is actually deserving of it. This is what Oasis' Be Here Now should have been. You can drink, shag, laugh, slow dance, or sing with this album in the background, and it all works. With music that captures the spirit of the best rock, Good Feeling should have proud place among your most essential albums.

If you like Travis, check out:
Travis The Man Who
Oasis (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Embrace The Good Will Out
Weezer Pinkerton
Radiohead Pablo Honey
The Beatles Rubber Soul

-- Pierre Stefanos

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