by Jason Ankeny
Britpop band Shed Seven officially formed in York, England in 1991, although frontman Rick Witter, guitarist Paul Banks, bassist Tom Gladwin and drummer Alan Leach first began collaborating in bands while still in their teens. Signing to Polydor in 1994, Shed Sevens debut single Mark/Casino Girl raised few eyebrows, but their second effort, Dolphin, reached the UK Top 30; following a third single, Speakeasy, the group closed out the year with the release of their debut LP, Change Giver. Although widely dismissed as mere pretenders to the Britpop throne, subsequent Shed Seven singles including Where Have You Been Lately? and Ocean Pie continued to hit the charts, and although American success was not forthcoming, the quartet achieved megastardom in, of all places, Thailand. Heralded by the hit Getting Better, 1996s Maximum High earned stronger reviews than its predecessor, and after spending much of the next two years on the road, Shed Seven returned in 1998 with Let It Ride; when the album was not a breakout success, Polydor dropped the band soon after.
Britpop band Shed Seven officially formed in York, England in 1991, although frontman Rick Witter, guitarist Paul Banks, bassist Tom Gladwin and drummer Alan Leach first began collaborating in bands while still in their teens. Signing to Polydor in 1994, Shed Sevens debut single Mark/Casino Girl raised few eyebrows, but their second effort, Dolphin, reached the UK Top 30; following a third single, Speakeasy, the group closed out the year with the release of their debut LP, Change Giver. Although widely dismissed as mere pretenders to the Britpop throne, subsequent Shed Seven singles including Where Have You Been Lately? and Ocean Pie continued to hit the charts, and although American success was not forthcoming, the quartet achieved megastardom in, of all places, Thailand. Heralded by the hit Getting Better, 1996s Maximum High earned stronger reviews than its predecessor, and after spending much of the next two years on the road, Shed Seven returned in 1998 with Let It Ride; when the album was not a breakout success, Polydor dropped the band soon after.
