Hurricane #1

Hurricane #1 was the group started by Andy Bell when Ride folded. In many ways, the group epitomized one aspect of Creation's slow decline in the 90s: they wanted to be like Oasis a little too much. Watch any of their videos (such as the excruciating "Chain Reaction") and you'll see singer Alex Lowe strutting around like a Liam impersonator. Lowe, a former boxer, even went so far as to allegedly get in a fight with Liam, who had publicly called him out as a fake. Ridiculous.

All that being said, Hurricane #1 did produce two great songs. What do these songs have in common? They both turn Andy's guitars up and Lowe's vocals down. The first track you've probably heard before. "Step into my World" was featured prominently in an ad promoting the then-new Volkswagen Beetle.

Listen to "Step into my World":

[Download the MP3 Here]

The second track was on their otherwise awful second LP, the ironically titled "Only the Strongest Will Survive" (Hurricane #1 broke up shortly after its release). Called "Rising Sign" it's almost 9 minutes of layered, swirling guitars. Yes, it falls victim to two of late Britpop's biggest crimes: 1) it's very long and 2) there's a flirtation with dance music. But there's something hypnotic about this track. Check it out and see if you think it's a diamond in the rough too.

Listen to "Rising Sign":

[Download the MP3 Here]