Reef
Reef were an English rock band from Butleigh, near Glastonbury. The band members included Gary Stringer on vocals, Kenwyn House on guitar, Jack Bessant on bass and Dominic Greensmith on drums. Their album, Glow, is ranked at number 26 in Kerrang!'s "100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die " list.
They initially gained a wider audience when their single "Naked" from their now gold debut album Replenish was used in a TV advert for the Sony MiniDisc in 1995. During their touring in 1994 and 1995 Reef supported Paul Weller, The Rolling Stones and Soundgarden, amongst others.
"Place Your Hands", from their second album "Glow" released on 21 October 1996, was Reef’s most successful single to date, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart. During their touring for "Glow" in late 1996, Reef were supported by Feeder, who were at the time laying the foundations for their own career.
In 1999 Reef released their third album Rides, the album was very well received by critics, but commercially could not match the earlier success of its predecessor Glow. The fourth album and most commercial work yet, Getaway (Sony) was released in 2000.
In January 2003, their original drummer Greensmith quit the band on the eve of a major UK tour, and as the greatest hits were released, he was replaced by the relatively unknown Nathan Curran. Curran had also drummed for Basement Jaxx and R&B act, Lady Sovereign. Headlining the Falmouth Regatta Week, on 15 August 2003, was to be the final live Reef gig.
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Essential
Glow (1997)
The follow up to their debut, Replenish, was Glow, which was more diverse, with the band using different instruments and creating a more interesting style. Glow was recorded under the direction of The Black Crowes' record producer, George Drakoulious and engineered by Jim Scott, in Los Angeles. It spawned the hit singles "Place Your Hands", "Come Back Brighter", "Consideration" and "Yer Old" which increased Reef’s profile in the UK and abroad.
On the week of its release, Glow went straight to number 1 in the UK Albums Chart. It was also ranked at number 26 in Kerrang!'s "100 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die " list.
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Replenish (1995)
After recording a couple of demo tracks, the band spent much of 1994 touring and building up a fan base. They signed to S2, an off-shoot of Sony. Their first single "Good Feeling" was released on an independent label, but financed by Sony, then as an official Sony S2 release in early 1995. This paved the way for "Naked", the second single to be included on Replenish which was used in a TV advert for the Sony MiniDisc.
The band described this, certified gold album, as "We wanted our first album, Replenish, to be a really honest statement. Four people playing in a room and getting something that’s totally their own. It was recorded in the most basic way possible. Minimal room sounds. Up until recently, all I used for effects was a wah-pedal and I only used that on two songs."
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Recommended
Getaway (2000)
Their fourth album and most commercial work yet, it was produced by Al Clay, who has also produced for the Pixies and Stereophonics. "Set The Record Straight" was the highlight of the album, and this track was also used as the theme tune for the BBC Television drama series Red Cap.
The "Superhero" single released in the same year, features a video of an impromptu gig held at Bessant's Hoxton Square flat, in London, in the summer of that year. Bessant was vacating the property and used the opportunity to hold a small gig with a select guest list, predominantly from the music industry. One notable guest was Andrea Corr, whilst also in attendance were BBC Radio 1, plus Kerrang! and NME magazines.
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Wildcard
Together (2003)
During 2001, after a low key tour supporting Texas, they took a long summer break, in North Devon, to write new material for their fifth album. The self-financed sessions were deliberately performed at arms length from their record label and the music industry in general, and Reef enjoyed the opportunity to return to their earlier, more basic approach to making music.
Whilst they had a lot of new material, Sony forced Reef to only use around a third of this material as part of a greatest hits offering entitled Together - The Best of Reef. Jack Bessant denounced the complete lack of support from Sony and Kenwyn House called the release “a kiss of death.” However, many fans felt the new material had been some of their best work for some time.
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The rest of the discography rated:
Rides (1999)
Their third album was very well received by critics, but commercially could not match the success of Glow.
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