Criminally underrated, the Boo Radleys ably continued the proud liverpudlian tradition of producing brilliant pop bands. While they initially pottered away in the guitar heavy shoegaze scene it was their 1993 album ‘Giant Steps’ that signalled their true intentions. Martin Carr was the prolific songwriter who for a time in the mid nineties was unable to put a foot wrong with the bands b-sides often eclipsing their more illustrious neighbours. ‘Giant Steps’ excelled in contemporary psychedelia, the schizophrenic song structures were often too skewed to be consumed on a first listen but once digested the masterly song writing was evident. Lazarus is one of the albums many highlights. The 12-inch version holds the exuberant trumpets back for a bit but this is not to detract from the songs power. The Jah Wobble like bass and drugged out delivery is a masterclass in dub and perfectly rolls out the red carpet for the aforementioned brass. Add in Sice’s crystallised down a telephone line voice and what you have is a classic song waiting for a future generation to embrace it. KD

The Boo Radleys - Lazarus (12-inch version)

Album: Giant Steps
Year: 1993