THE HIGH

THE HIGH was an English band formed back in late 1989 by former Turning Blue singer JOHN MATTHEWS along with ANDY COUZENS on guitar, SIMON DAVIES on bass, and drummer CHRIS GOODWIN. Andy and Simon are from Macclesfield while John and Chris are from Oldham. They were generally regarded as part of the Madchester scene even though they are not all from Manchester. Although the members themselves came from different bands like Buzzcocks, The Stone Roses, The Patrol, Inspiral Carpets, and Waterfront, each of them didn't look into it as a burden but in some ways helped them. This only became a burden when it was used by journalists who could not pin down their sound and had to throw in a bit of band history to feed the reader/record company. I decided to feature this band right now due to the recent events here in the Philippines. So what am I talking about? THE HIGH cost of gasoline, THE HIGH cost of electricity. This also includes the recent Fare Hike on the Transportation like Jeepneys, FX, even the LRT/MRT. Let's also include THE HIGH cost of Pork, Beef ,and Chicken in the Wet Market. I am really HIGH right now. Ha Ha Ha!! Whether I use my vehicle or just commute definitely it affected my daily budgeting of expenses. YUP!! You got it right, all of these happened in just a month. Btw, even the Skyway Toll fare is being eyed to increase anytime. Wheeew!! Let's just look at the bright side. Are there any? Actually these are old news but all happening in barely a month. That's really HIGH!! He He He!! So let's go back to THE HIGH, not the school okay. WANBOL HIGH? Naaah!! THE HIGH was another underrated band during those times which was even compared to THE STONE ROSES.

THE HIGH was signed up by London Records and had three minor UK Singles Chart hits in 1990 before breaking into the top 30 in 1991 with a revamped version of their debut single, the Martin Hannett-produced "BOX SET GO". The band's debut album, "Somewhere Soon", peaked at number 59 in the UK Album Chart. THE HIGH never had an exposure on Philippine Radio back in the day but PINOY NEW WAVERS will remember them for their "BOX SET GO" song because Legendary 103.5 K-Lite New Wave program "LITEWAVE" included the song on their playlist. YUP!! They started playing the song back in 2004 up until the radio program closed on 2006. The band had two albums on London Records namely Somewhere Soon (1990) and Hype (1992).The band really didn't want to go to the Indie Route. According to Couzens, Independent Labels have been cheapened during those times and Major Labels took advantage of them using them as nursery. Well, definitely one advantage for these Majors are that there's no shortage of money. With the Madchester scene losing it's magic among the critics, the band's later releases failed to chart which caused their split up in 1993. John Matthews and Chris Goodwin went on to form the Manchester group "One Summer" with local musicians Stephen Fitzpatrick on guitar and Carl Wolstenholme on bass. THE HIGH is one band that can be included in the so-called "Where are they now?" thing.

THE HIGH "Somewhere Soon" debut album was released back in 1990 and contains 10 outstanding tracks that reflected the Madchester Scene just before it made the genre really popular back in early 90s. Aside from the critically acclaim "BOX SET GO" which incidentally is my favorite, I also love the songs "Up & Down" and "Dream Of Dinesh". The title track "Somewhere Soon" is also just as good as the others. Well, I bought the CD because I still think that this band should have been given credits too in nourishing the Madchester Scene back then.YUP!! They will always be compared to THE STONE ROSES, but they have a special unique identity which can also be heard on each track on the album. I made my CD available for download just in case you're interested to know their sound. ENJOY THE MUZIC!!


THE HIGH "SOMEWHERE SOON"
TRACKLIST

1. Box Set Go
2. Take Your Time
3. This is my world
4. Rather Be Marsanne
5. So I Can See
6. A Minor Turn
7. Dreams Of Dinesh
8.Up & Down
9.P.W.A.
10. Somewhere Soon


DOWNLOAD MY CD HERE:


Password: http://docmuzic.blogspot.com/

LISTEN TO "UP & DOWN" HERE:


LISTEN TO "DREAMS OF DINESH" HERE:


LISTEN TO "SOMEWHERE SOON" HERE:



WATCH THE Incomplete MUSIC VIDEO OF "BOX SET GO" HERE:




I guess with such HIGH Prices of commodities and other things, all I can say is just listen to THE HIGH. Definitely, it will leave you in HIGH SPIRITS. Hope you ENJOYED your stay. I'll leave you with the complete audio of "BOX SET GO". THANKS for dropping by again!!

LISTEN TO "BOX SET GO" HERE:


I'm high for
THE HIGH!!
-DR. STIRRING RHOD