Life on Other Planets
Encyclopedia
Life On Other Planets, or L.O.O.P as it is often abbreviated to, is the fourth album from English rock band Supergrass
. It is the first album that includes Rob Coombes
as an official member of the band, and originally went under the working title of 'Get Lost'. It peaked at #9 in the UK charts.
and watching Carl Sagan
documentaries on the cosmos
. Carl Sagan
and Douglas Adams
are in fact mentioned on the reverse of Life On Other Planets under a list of people Supergrass
would like to thank.
The naming of the album was influenced by this excursion, but also by a telescope
which qualified astrophysicist and keyboard player
Rob Coombes
, would bring with him to the recording studio in order to see the planets; "...we got fascinated on everything above us and came up with the title," explained Mick Quinn
.
The band hired an outside producer, Tony Hoffer
, for the record, having felt that their last release, Supergrass
, lacked some of the urgency of their previous albums: "He helped us keep the takes quite short and sweet", says Danny Goffey
. "We really didn't mess around because he kept us moving. If we had done it on our own again, we'd just get really analytical and start crying and trying to mend things that weren't broken."
The album was first debuted at the Meltdown festival
in London's Royal Festival Hall
on 28 June 2002.
CD TOCP 66003 (JPN only)
The Japanese release of the album has the same track listing as above, but with the addition of:
13. "Velvetine" – 3:39
14. "Electric Cowboy" 5:09
Enhanced CD 440 063 685-2 (US only)
This contained the same tracks as the standard release, but the enhanced section consisted of the following:
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
. It is the first album that includes Rob Coombes
Rob Coombes
Rob Coombes was the keyboard player for Supergrass.He is the older brother of Gaz Coombes and was the newest member of Supergrass, officially joining in 2002...
as an official member of the band, and originally went under the working title of 'Get Lost'. It peaked at #9 in the UK charts.
Concept
The band claim that much of the inspiration for this album was gleaned from a "working holiday" in the Côte d'Azur, Southern France together, listening to the French radio station NostalgieNostalgie
Nostalgie is a very popular French FM radio station principally dedicated to the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and sometimes 1990s songs. From 60 to 80% of the songs are French songs. Nostalgie belongs to the NRJ Group....
and watching Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
documentaries on the cosmos
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
. Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
and Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
are in fact mentioned on the reverse of Life On Other Planets under a list of people Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
would like to thank.
The naming of the album was influenced by this excursion, but also by a telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
which qualified astrophysicist and keyboard player
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Rob Coombes
Rob Coombes
Rob Coombes was the keyboard player for Supergrass.He is the older brother of Gaz Coombes and was the newest member of Supergrass, officially joining in 2002...
, would bring with him to the recording studio in order to see the planets; "...we got fascinated on everything above us and came up with the title," explained Mick Quinn
Mick Quinn
Mick Quinn is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He formed the DB Band with bassist Paul Wilson, formerly of Shake Appeal in 2010 and released début EP "Stranger In The Alps" on the 17th September 2011...
.
The band hired an outside producer, Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer
Tony Hoffer is an American producer, guitarist, and music mixer who is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air...
, for the record, having felt that their last release, Supergrass
Supergrass (album)
Supergrass is the third album by the English rock group Supergrass. It was released in the UK on 20 September 1999 and reached #3. It is often referred to as both "the X-ray" album, due to the picture on the sleeve, and self-titled...
, lacked some of the urgency of their previous albums: "He helped us keep the takes quite short and sweet", says Danny Goffey
Danny Goffey
Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...
. "We really didn't mess around because he kept us moving. If we had done it on our own again, we'd just get really analytical and start crying and trying to mend things that weren't broken."
The album was first debuted at the Meltdown festival
Meltdown (festival)
Meltdown is an annual, English festival, held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward...
in London's Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
on 28 June 2002.
Track listing
CD 5418002 LTD. ED. 12" (with free poster) 5418001- "Za" – 3:04
- "Rush Hour Soul" – 2:55
- "Seen the LightSeen the Light"Seen the Light" is a song by Supergrass. It was the third single from their fourth album Life on Other Planets. It was the first Supergrass release on DVD and reached #22 in the UK Singles Chart when it was released in January 2003...
" – 2:25 - "Brecon Beacons" – 2:56
- "Can't Get Up" – 4:02
- "Evening of the Day" – 5:18 The track is in fact a tribute to Spinal TapSpinal Tap (band)Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...
song "All the Way Home", with the lyric "If she's not on that 3:15, then I'm gonna know what sorrow means." - "Never Done Nothing Like That Before" – 1:43
- "Funniest Thing" – 2:29
- "GraceGrace (Supergrass song)"Grace" is a song by the Britpop band Supergrass. It was the second single to be taken from Life on Other Planets, the band's fourth album. Unlike the previous single "Never Done Nothing Like That Before", it was released on all major formats in September 2002 and made #13 in the UK Singles...
" – 2:30 - "La Song" – 3:43
- "Prophet 15" – 4:05
- "Run" – 5:28
CD TOCP 66003 (JPN only)
The Japanese release of the album has the same track listing as above, but with the addition of:
13. "Velvetine" – 3:39
14. "Electric Cowboy" 5:09
Enhanced CD 440 063 685-2 (US only)
This contained the same tracks as the standard release, but the enhanced section consisted of the following:
- "Grace" (video) – 2:37
- "Seen The Light" (video) – 2:45