Mechanical Wonder

Mechanical Wonder
Studio album by
Released9 April 2001
RecordedNovember 2000 Loco Studios, Moseley Shoals & The Fallout Shelter
GenreAlternative rock, blues rock
Length42:51
LabelIsland
ProducerMartin 'Max' Heyes
Ocean Colour Scene chronology
One from the Modern
(1999)
Mechanical Wonder
(2001)
North Atlantic Drift
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Alternative Press
entertainment.ie
The Herald
The Independent
NME
Pitchfork6.9/10
Q
RTÉ.ie
Under the Radar5/10

Mechanical Wonder is the fifth album by Ocean Colour Scene. It peaked on the UK album chart at #7 and lasted four weeks in the top 75. To date, it is the last Ocean Colour Scene release to enter the top 10.

Simon Fowler wrote in the liner notes of the band's greatest hits album "Songs for the Front Row" that the title referred to cars on the motorway. Live however, Simon Fowler often sings "and the radio plays only fucking Radio 1", a possible reference to the lack of airplay the band get. The other single from the album was "Up on the Downside", which fared better in the charts. The album was not a success, marking the end of the Britpop success of the band. After the failure of the album, the band decided to release themselves from their contract with their record label.