Richard III by Supergrass
BETWEEN starting and finishing “Richard III”, Supergrass enjoyed a close encounter with Steven Spielberg. The director had plans to make a TV show with the band, envisioning the Oxford trio as ’90s version of The Monkees. By the time the interested parties met in Hollywood, however, Supergrass had already begun writing a fresh narrative for themselves. Even in its embryonic state, “Richard III” was dark, intense and abrasive. “I think there might have been a bit of, ‘We ain’t no Monkees! We ain’t no silly little pop band! Check this out!’” says singer and guitarist Gaz Coombes. “‘We’ve got more than that, and we’re heading in different directions.’”
Released three weeks before the second, superlative Supergrass album, In It For The Money, “Richard III” evolved into a blistering statement of intent. Thunderous and vaguely malevolent, blending punk, garage rock, Zeppelin and post-grunge scuzz, its creation is a layered tale involving not just Spielberg but a burgundy Ford Escort, Scooby-Doo theremin, mohawks, Mexican standoffs and, in the words of bassist Mick Quinn, the “devil’s chord”.
Following the success of debut album , the band (augmented by Coombes’ brother Rob on keyboards) were intent on taking greater control. Producing themselves alongside engineer John Cornfield, they returned to Sawmills, a remote Cornish residential studio on the banks of the River Fowey. Recording on and off for
