Hurrah - The Sound of Philadelphia

by Tony Gaughan

published: 20 / 7 / 2011

In our 'Re:View' section, in which our writers examine albums from the past, Tony Gaughan looks at 'The Sound of Philadelphia', a 1993 compilation from underrated Newcastle-based guitar pop Hurrah!, which has recently been re-released

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Geordie four piece Hurrah! were one of the original signings to the Kitchenware Record label and, although they met with some indie chart success, their guitar pop sound somehow fell under the radar. 'The Sound of Philadelphia' is a 23 track compilation mainly taken from their two acclaimed albums, 1987's 'Tell God I'm Here' and its follow-up 1989's 'The Beautiful'. Opener 'Live Intro Tape' is simply put a female introduction to the band, and is followed by their biggest hit 'The Sun Shines Here', which reached no. 7 in the indie chart. If are a fan of breezy indie guitar pop, then this is most certainly worth a listen. The single 'Hip Hip' also graces it, and has guitarists and singers Paul Handyside and David Hughes in turn providing lead vocals. Tracks such as 'Saturday's Train', 'Who'd Have Thought?' and 'Gloria' make you wonder just how the band were not a far greater force in their decade together, despite supporting David Bowie and U2 on 'The Joshua Tree' tour at arena and stadium gigs. The tracks are pretty similar and combine together the infleunecs of early Orange Juice and the Byrds . If you are a fan of either of these groups or even their Kitchenware label mates Prefab Sprout, then this is worth picking up.