Rise of The Super Furry Animals

by Ric Rawlins

Rise of the Super Furry Animals tells the story of the greatest psychedelic pop band of our time. Welsh speakers with a lust for global communication, the Super Furry Animals shot to fame on Creation Records and found that, thanks to the record sales of label-mates Oasis, they suddenly had a vast budget to play with. Wasting no time, they bought an army tank and equipped it with a techno sound-system, caused national security alerts with 60-foot inflatable monsters, went into the Colombian jungle with armed Guerrilla fighters, and drew up plans to convert an aircraft carrier into a nightclub. Yet SFA's crazed adventures only tell half the story. By mixing up electronic beats, surf rock, Japanese culture and more, the band recorded some of the most acclaimed albums of the millennium, all the while documenting the mobile phone revolution in their uniquely surreal way. Written with the band’s own participation and housed in a jacket designed by Pete Fowler, the man behind some of SFA’s most iconic album covers, this is the remarkable story of their ascent to fame.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

226 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2015

Reviews

[J.T. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super Furry Animals were the band that changed my life, in that hearing riotous early single 'God! Show Me Magic' on the ITV Chart Show inspired me to check out the indie shows, start buying Melody Maker and so on. For the next ten years, they were my favourite band, their peculiar fusion of Beach Boys, Bowie and techno coupling with their wonky cover art and esoteric publicity stunts (tanks, inflatable bears, quadrophonic DVD albums) standing out from the pack. You'd never have seen the Bluetones dress their brass section up as monsters, or Shed Seven write a song like 'Some Things Come From Nothing'.

Yet the band members were never the most charismatic stage presences and their story, despite the surrealism, isn't peppered with the falling out and recriminations of yr essential rock memoirs. The quintet who played on 'Fuzzy Logic', their fantastic debut, were the same quintet on lame final album 'Dark Days/Light Years'. They had a few Top 20 hits, had some eccentric experiences, but had an essentially uncomplicated run. Is there all that much to tell?

Rawlins approaches this, I guess, as a fan. This sort-of authorised biog features insight from the band and their key associates, as well as a cover designed by longterm SFA associate Pete Fowler: he couldn't have asked for much more. The key Furry moments - invading Welsh-language festival Eistedfodd on a tank before stubbornly playing an instrumental set; recording a music video in the Colombian jungle; putting out a Welsh-language album to plaudits including MPs; persuading Sony to put out a DVD album (the frustrating 'Rings Around the World') - are all covered, and it's nice to have some clarity on the band's murky past as a techno outfit occasionally fronted by Rhys Ifans. Some of the conversations are fictional, which includes the improbable image of elfin Gorky's Zygotic Mynci frontman Euros Childs at a rave. Yet the individual personalities of the band members never come through - perhaps because they aren't strong enough - and the last ten years of their career are brushed over in just 30 pages. While it's true that the last few albums especially were a decline in form, is there really nothing to say about these works? Or about the band's extra-curricular activities and post-Furries records? Still, it's as I said: five guys form a band, have hits, stay together for 15 years, stop making music. What more can be said? On that front it's almost certainly the definitive book on this subject.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was a teenager, my life basically revolved around two things. One, the All Whites (Swansea rugby team, not some horrible Neo-Nazi set up) and two, what is/was known as indie or Britpop music. I'd spend my meagre pocket money on the NME and Melody Maker, 99p cassette singles and if I'd really saved enough the odd album. Me and my friends swapped albums and made copies on our tape to tape stereos and recorded the Evening Session with Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley or Mark and Lard on Radio 1, then listened to it sharing a 'bud' each of our walkman earphones on the field at lunchtime. I was fully invested in the battle for Roll With It or Country House to become number 1 even though I liked both Blur and Oasis. My favourite band were The Bluetones, I just loved their jingly jangly melodies, catchy lyrics and cute lead singer (Mark Morris, swoon). Whilst this was all part of Cool Britannia, it was also, for the first time since the shaggy haired success of our 1970s rugby players like JPR and JJ Williams, cool to be Welsh. Bands like the Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, Gorky'z Zygotic Mynci, Stereophonics, 60ft Dolls were not only from round here but they sang about it, sometimes in Welsh too, and played gigs on our doorstep! Amongst these local heroes, one of the best was the Super Furry Animals. Uplifting and quite frankly, mental, SFA were great fun and put on one of the best gigs I've ever been to, in Port Talbot Afan Lido in 1998. Their high energy tunes and witty words combined with brilliant album artwork and cool image gained them a cult following around the world until they faded slightly from view, pursuing solo careers and other projects.

I'd seen that this book was to come out so jumped at the chance to request it from Harper Collins UK on NetGalley (thanks for the ebook). Ric Rawlins' affection for the band is evident throughout as he charts their "rise and perch" (in his words) from mid-Wales schoolboys to Sony-signed megastars and beyond. Clearly SFA have some great ideas and a great knack for songwriting but I was expecting their story to be a lot more entertaining. There are a few amusing anecdotes but even to a mega-fan I don't think there's a lot to get particularly excited about here. Reading it was a diverting nod to my youth but I wouldn't recommend it, sadly.

2.5 stars

[Ross Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A playful ramble through the career of an easygoing band without a gameplan, taking in everything from (avoidance of) politicisation of language, to embracing technology, to album cover visions. A pleasant journey — one that firmly believes in consensually printing the legend — with no blistering highs or devastating lows; a path which is entirely befitting of this outfit.

[Tom Stanger · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not often I have a smile on my face from start to finish when reading a book but Ric Rawlins' account of the rise of one of the most unique bands in music history is a must read for anyone interested in music biographies.

Being only a short book it sadly does leave a few unanswered questions, such as

Did Daf ever sign off the dole?
Did the wheel ever make it to Norwich?

Maybe there'll be a follow up book?

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read which really feels like an extension of the Furries whole world in itself! Great commentary of the Welsh language scene from which the band (kinda) sprang and remained in a love/hate relationship. I personally think Mwng is their strongest and most interesting record... An essential for the fan and a great starting point for someone looking for a bit of background on the band.

[Niklas Pivic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quote from the start:

Within weeks, CB was more popular than ET. As soon as night descended on the valleys, entire networks of teenagers began transmitting messages to one another, using codenames to protect their identities from the police. The police, meanwhile, would be stationed on the other end of town, listening in from their vans. As far as they could fathom, an underground criminal network had come to town; it would be some weeks before they realised it was just a bunch of kids. Meanwhile, the codenames grew ever more mysterious: Gruff became known as ‘Goblin’, while the weediest kid in school renamed himself ‘The Black Stallion’. It was communication chaos – a kind of primitive social network – and the more it continued, the more an interesting side effect emerged: since all the coded language had been inspired by truckers in American movies, a weird hybrid language began to develop that was part Hollywood bandit-speak, part Welsh tongue.

This is one excerpt from how the Furries worked, and how they allowed shoots and outbursts of inspiration to guide them, and their creative process.

This story is not really rambunctious, neither in disarray; SFA was - and is - a group of highly clever, funny and well-tuned musicians who go where they may. Feet doused in psychedelia, their inspiration is everything and accidents, and this shows in their music. And how they're not afraid - unlike most lock-jawed pop stars - to say what they mean, be it about the royal family, corporations or very large animals.

At the Super Furries’ next London gig, at the Monarch in Camden Town, it wasn’t journalists that made up the audience, it was publishers, record labels, fans – and McGee. ‘Nice work, lads,’ he said after the show, patting Gruff warmly on the back, ‘but you might want to try singing in English next time!’ Gruff laughed nervously, keeping it to himself that they had in fact sung in English throughout.

SFA’s final EP for Ankst demonstrated a combination of pop flair and cheeky mischief. The title Moog Droog is a knowingly anglicised subversion of the Welsh slang for marijuana (‘mwg drwg’, meaning ‘bad smoke’), as well as a nod to Moog synthesisers and the dystopian ‘droogs’ in the film A Clockwork Orange.

And they drew inspiration from everywhere:

Another new instrument, the balalaika, would not. It had been decided that the Russian folk instrument would match the desolate atmosphere of ‘Gathering Moss’, so the band dialled up a session player from their Musician’s Union book. A Russian arrived the next day wearing a t-shirt that read ‘I LOVE AIRPLANE RUNWAYS’. Naturally enough, Guto enquired as to what this meant. ‘Well, you know those guys who protest airport expansion?’ said the man. Guto nodded. ‘I’m not one of them. I’m pro-airports.’ Suddenly there was a shout from upstairs that the lights had gone out. Then the ground-floor lights went out. Then the whole studio was plunged into darkness, leaving the Russian airport supporter in a confused panic. Guto ran upstairs to find Gruff looking out the window. There, out in the darkness of night, was a strange shower of sparks. ‘What the fuck is it?’ whispered Gruff. ‘It’s the twenty-third day of the month!’ howled Gorwel from behind a sofa. ‘We’re doomed!’ The next day it all became clear: a swan had flown into a nearby power line, exploding in the process and shutting down Rockfield’s electricity. Naturally the beast had croaked – but it was commemorated for posterity the next day in a song called ‘Fuzzy Birds’. It was the strange duality of the songs they were recording – that were both simple and twisted – that led to the band naming the record Fuzzy Logic. The phrase is traditionally a computing term, used to cover degrees of truth which can register anywhere between completely true and completely false – shades of grey, in other words. In the studio, fuzzy logic of a different kind was manifesting itself as the band began referencing a scrapbook of heroes and pop icons, including everyone from Bunf’s hamster Stavros and Ron Mael of Sparks, to the Welsh weathergirl Sian Lloyd and American stand-up comic Bill Hicks, whose leftist libertarianism appealed to SFA’s taste for outlaw culture.

Thankfully, there's a lot of Pete Fowler - their main designer of all things graphic - in here:

A month later, Pete was driving through the car park of a Bethesda music festival where SFA were due to headline. It was a sunny afternoon, and he smiled as he drove. Then he hit the brakes. The car skidded. He blinked a few times and got out of the vehicle – walking carefully sideways with his head tilted towards the sky. Up there, from behind some tall trees, a fifty-foot monster was slowly moving into view: a huge red bear with demonic eyes strapped behind a Zorro mask, its polyester belly gently but powerfully breathing in the sun. The monster’s creator took a few moments to take this in – then paused for a quiet laugh. His painting had travelled further than just the album cover; it had morphed into reality. It had all started at one of John Andrews’ notorious pub meetings. ‘OK, chaps, we’ve two grand in the bank – those Oasis albums have been selling very nicely indeed – and it’s time to whip up a marketing campaign for Radiator. Let’s have a look at the cover then!’ Gruff handed John the artwork, which depicted a cartoon bear strolling through a city with a drink in his hand. The bear was looking at his reflection in a shop window, which depicted an evil version of himself, with pointed ears, lizard eyes and a skull logo on his cola cup. ‘Nice artwork … very nice!’ said John. ‘So what did you want to do with the bears again?’ ‘Well,’ said Bunf, slurping on a margarita, ‘the idea is that we have life-sized versions of the good and evil bears on stage with us, during the tour. What do you think?’ ‘I don’t see why not,’ said John, stroking his chin. ‘Perhaps they could even be inflatable balloons. Tell you what,’ he said getting up, ‘give me twenty-four hours and I’ll let you know. Now I’ve got to get out of here. Anyone else for another margarita before I go?’ * The next day, John called Furry HQ in Cardiff. ‘Good news, guys: we can afford the bears!’ Gruff held the phone away and relayed the news to the band, who let out a small cheer. John continued. ‘And in fact it was curious, because as I was talking to the inflatables company, they mentioned that it would cost exactly the same price for an eight-foot balloon as it would be for a fifty-foot balloon! Can you believe it? Naturally I told her that … er …’ John noticed that the line had gone quiet. ‘Gruff?’ There was mumbling in the background. Mumbling, followed by another small cheer. Gruff returned to the call. ‘John?’ said the singer. ‘I think we’ll take the large bears.’

...and:

The following week, the bears were hand delivered in their crates to Creation, from where the band and John Andrews excitedly took them down to Primrose Hill. Once there, a pair of jet-powered steel burners were hooked up to the first bear – the evil one with the Zorro mask – and Gruff grinned as he prepared to pull the chain that would inject life into the creature. But then, suddenly, a cry came from over the hill. ‘Wait!’ John Andrews looked up to see a junior A&R scout, apparently in some kind of panic. ‘Stop!’ he shouted, staggering towards them. ‘We just got a call from the council. They’re aware of what we’re up to and phoned to see if we’ve got a bouncy castle licence …’ John Andrews raised an eyebrow. ‘What the fuck is a bouncy castle licence?’ ‘That’s beside the point – we’ll almost certainly be arrested if we inflate without one.’ Daf, sensing a publicity blitz, clapped his hands together. ‘Even better! Pull the chain, Gruff!’ ‘Wait!’ shouted John, moving between Gruff and the chain. ‘We have to take this seriously: if you inflate that bouncy castle it could spell the end of Creation.’ The band looked at one another, suddenly aware of the gravity of the situation. After a second’s pause, Bunf quietly spoke. ‘It’s not a bouncy castle, John. It’s a bear.’ ‘I know it’s a fucking bear!’

...and on how Fowler and SFA influenced each other:

With mobile phones and Shinto deities now informing aspects of Guerrilla, it was clear that Pete Fowler was inspiring the band just as they were inspiring his artwork. The two artistic entities were close to looping into one other, especially on themes such as technology and communications. ‘Almost every picture of Pete’s at the time contained a reference to mobile phones,’ confirms Gruff, ‘so I think it was Pete’s influence that led to us picking up on those themes in Guerrilla.’

I think it's lovely to read excerpts from a point in time when a) there were some great, mid-level record companies that endowed bands with cash and b) allowed weird things to happen, cue Mr. Alan McGee:

‘Hello, the British ambassador speaking,’ he piped up in a precise, BBC accent. ‘It’s reception, señor. There is a creative director on the phone from England. He says he wants to speak with you about the political situation.’ ‘Well, I suppose you’d better put him on.’ There was a click. ‘Hello, the British ambassador speaking.’ Brian immediately went into speech mode, explaining how he worked for a Sony-backed record label who wanted to shoot in Colombia. The video would be a celebration of their culture, promoting tourism and casting the country in a positive light. ‘But,’ he added, ‘I’ve been told there’s a civil war breaking out?’ There was a pause. ‘Just a minute, Brian,’ said the ambassador, putting down the receiver and leaning out the window. He paused, listened for a few seconds, then returned to the phone. ‘Everything looks jolly fine to me!’

Speaking of the Furries' wonderful outlook on monarchy:

Inside, the Furries were already getting reacquainted with Colombiana, a local drink consisting of lager, rum and soda. Behind closed doors, however, a small crisis was developing in the kitchen. Several of the club staff were gathered around a TV, which appeared to be announcing news of a fatal car crash. The junior waiter suddenly yelped. The words on the screen read: ‘THE PRINCESS OF WALES HAS DIED’. Minutes later he was explaining the situation to his boss. ‘No!’ exclaimed his superior, mopping his forehead with a tissue. ‘Our guests will be inconsolable. You must announce this terrible news to them! But … make sure you do it while offering them the best cocktails known to man.’ ‘Si, señor!’ nodded the waiter. Out on the club floor, the messenger nervously approached SFA’s table. He laid down his tray of cocktails, coughed, and respectfully made the announcement. ‘Your princess is dead!’ Bunf raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’ ‘Your princess is dead!’ Daf laughed. ‘I don’t have a fucking princess, mate!’ ‘You know Diana? She die in a tunnel! Is terrible car crash.’ ‘Ah,’ said Gruff. The band patted the waiter on his back and thanked him for delivering this tragic news. Bunf then promptly bought a round of drinks for all the locals. A huge toast was proposed: ‘Death to the monarchy!’ ‘The band wouldn’t wish death on anybody,’ remembers Brian Cannon, ‘but clearly they were not only not English but also republicans, and simply didn’t give a flying fuck.’ It was decided there and then: everyone was to have a big night out in Bogotá.

All in all, the Furries did a lot of things, a lot of more things, in fact, than what the above let on, and developed far beyond a noisy psych-band. It's the Beach Boys of the modern ages, people. Get in it.

This book is written kind of the way Jon Ronson writes, especially where "Frank" is concerned; it's a simple read, extremely entertaining and loads of fun. And it contains a long list of translations from Welsh to English, which was a boon for me! SFA OK.

[AA_Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Super Furry Animals; after reading Gruff’s ‘Ignore Phony Encores’ I lamented the lack of a in-depth biography of the band, but realising that I hadn’t actually looked for one I found this and was pleasantly surprised.

It’s well-written and engaging, the use of ‘cinematic’ recreations is nice and especially novel and the direct involvement of the band shines through. It is, however, pretty superficial- no great insight that I hadn’t gleaned from contemporary magazine articles is present, and the post-Mwng years are sketched in crazily fast and in the slightest detail, and there is no real analysis of the music and cultural impact of the band that I’m still looking for…

I guess if I’d bought a physical copy rather than a digital I wouldn’t be surprised by the brevity of the book, but I did, and I was.

[Luca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il titolo dice già tutto: si parla soltanto dell'ascesa dei SFA più per episodi folkloristici e di cronaca che attraverso una ricostruzione biografica minuziosa. Quindi, molte cose divertenti fino a "RIngs Around the World" e poi via un po' di fretta. Però certi passaggi fanno piuttosto ridere, altri meditare (quant'era facile vent'anni fa per un gruppo pop pressoché neonato avere un contratto con una semi-major ricca come la Creation, con relativo budget pubblicitario/promozionale, e quanto lo è oggi? etc etc etc), altri, boh, sono soltanto carini da leggere. Prezioso, comunque, per mettere nel giusto contesto il lavoro di uno dei migliori gruppi pop dell'ultimo ventennio.

[Ian Macleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Super furries were a huge part of my life and their music was always exciting and different from anything else at that time. This book had me hooked from start to finish. Kept me entertained throughout and just wanted to keep reading. I am not a big reader but this kind of book and the way it is written really worked for me.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a lot of great stories. If you are a fan of SFA, then you will like this book. The title is very accurate as this book only covers the rise of SFA and gives very little ink to anything past their first four albums.

[Marcel Uljee · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The Guerilla tour saw the band at the peak of their powers, and by now they’d learned the tricks of the road too; whenever they were scheduled to perform at student unions, for example, Bunf would feign chronic diarrhoea to get the band out of it.’

[Dilva · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long time to finally get around to reading this because I I was going through things but I'm very glad I finished it finally. This is a great book and it's a good way to let people understand how amazing super furry animals are. I really enjoyed this book.

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s got me fired up again reading this and working through the albums. Must pay attention to the later ones now post Guerilla.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captures the spirit of the band. A fun read

[Grant Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read history of one of the most inventive bands of the 90's. Super Furry Animals were my first gig at London ULU and I have never looked back since. Incredible band.

[Imogen Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book to summarise SFA’s history with countless facts and mass’s of information about the band and each member.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely terrible writing - if the John Dies At The End guy wrote a dramatic fan fiction of how the band came about.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting story of the rise of the Welsh SFA. Have to admit, I don't know much of their work, but do know Gruff's solo work. Certainly got me interested in searching out their back catalogue

[Jon Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

This should be brilliant. A story about a bilingual band prepared to screw about with the form and presentation of their music; who regard genres as tools rather than definitions; whose original lead singer ended up a Hollywood star; who turned a tank into a soundsystem before passing it on to Don Henley of the Eagles; who moseyed into Colombia during the civil war there to shoot a video; who sent a Welsh language album into the top 20 of the UK album chart. A band whose attitude was once summed up in an interview as ‘If we come up with an idea we don’t worry about being perceived as fools. We just do it anyway, celebrate life, do something fantastical instead of being cowardly. But flipping heck, there’s so much more we could do.’*

And in a lot of ways it is brilliant; primarily in the anecdotes provided by the band about their activities. It’s typically rock and roll (though the drug use here is played down) in the stories of wild behaviour mixed with occasional recording. And for those of us who loved the band it’s a lovely scramble through the first half of their career. The trouble it it’s a very superficial scramble which doesn’t endeavour to explore any of the personalities in the band, nor what makes them quietly remarkable. And the last nine years of their recording career is dealt with at a lightning pace, dismissed in 20 pages despite containing much of their best work. An ungenerous reviewer might surmise the author pushing close to either his deadline or wordcount, or perhaps deciding that older musicians aren’t as interesting as their younger selves. Said author appears to have a journalistic background, and this comes across in the speedy chapters, almost clickbait fast in their brevity and superficiality. Nevertheless, his ability to capture that there was often a thrilling spirit at the heart of the band redeems his flaws as an author to a degree, even if he can’t convey why it is.

As a further plus it’s a beautifully designed book, courtesy of long time Furries collaborator Pete Fowler. It’s always a pleasure to see someone craft a book you might actually want to own physically.

* NB ‘flipping heck’ may not be the phrase originally used, please use your imagination to substitute a splendidly filthier two word term.

[Mike Mantin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hugely entertaining and readable history of the Super Furry Animals, one of the most creative British bands of the last few decades. Their bizarre story is one that needed to be told, and the book does it with plenty of anecdotes and oral evidence. There are plenty of stories of intoxicated early antics ranging from the logistics of purchasing giant inflatable bears to a potentially life-threatening record label-funded trip to Colombia.

But Rawlins' writing also unearths some of the complexities and contradictions that make the Furries important. He follows them walking the line between being ambassadors for a minority language whilst believing passionately in global communication. They're shown experimenting and hopping between genres at a time when almost every British band was instantly pigeonholed. SFA should be treasured, and now they've got the history they deserve.

[Andrewmatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This band is one of my favorites of all time. Some people avoid them because of their name (they are not "furries" haha), but it's a shame because they are one of the most original bands I've ever heard. Everyone I have introduced SFA to has fallen in love with their albums. Some of my best memories include moments with people discovering this band, including a loved one who I wish I would be able to speak with again. During times of chaos beyond our control, we'd listen to SFA and she'd sing songs from Love Kraft. I'll always cherish those moments as some of the best. I once met SFA in San Francisco years ago backstage at one of their shows. Such down to earth and brilliant guys. All the band, but singer Gruff Rhys, are in Das Koolies currently (Pain Down the Drain is a great song), but it's not the same without Gruff Rhys. I hope they can get back together someday.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this.

I enjoyed the breezy, fun way it was written (although I could have done with a few alternatives to "says Band Member today").

I think I was expecting it to either give me more insight into the band, - which having followed the band and read a few interviews with them over the years- it failed to do. Or that it would have some great analysis into the albums - which it sort of does but only half of them.

It is a quick book to read, it's relatively funny and all of it is interesting. I guess it just feels a bit rushed, a bit incomplete maybe. I couldn't tell if the author was a fan of the band or just a commentator. It lacked passion.

If you don't know anything about the Super Furries it is certainly worth picking up.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unfortunately frivolous and ephemeral bio of the band. Entertaining, but beyond fluffy. SFA's crazed hijinks over the years deserve better documentation.

[Helen Marquis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth is often stranger than fiction, and that's certainly true about the Super Furry Animals rise to the dizzy heights of the music charts. Having interviewed them back in the day, I can't help but feel it plays down the drug-influences of the era and them as a band. But I guess they don't want to dwell on their mis-spent youth so much. It's not a particularly well-written biography, but the tales told are so crazy that the writing style doesn't matter so much. A must-read for anyone who rode the Indie wave of the 90s.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to the Ethnomusicology book I have also finished this weekend, there is a certain aspect missing from Ric Rawlings book. Super Furry Animals are one of my favourite bands, but... There is an imbalance in how Rawlings deals with the things he writes about, I understand why he changes the pace later on but prior to that significant parts of the band members' lives are dealt with with one sentence.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is getting a hard time but I did really enjoy it. The biggest complaint is how the final third of the bands career is skipped over so briefly. Then again the reasons for their hiatus have always been quite sketchy so maybe they just didn't fancy talking about this much. I've learned a fair few bits of trivia about the band and you also get some lovely Pete Fowler artwork. Anyway, I'm off to go take apart my gatefold Guerilla sleeve and look for the hidden track.

[teleri jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent insight into the band

I have only become an avid Super Furries fan in recent years and therefore this book gave me an insight into their history. Being from North Wales and having from up in the 80s and 90s I loved reading the account of how Welsh culture had shaped them but ultimately caused them to break free from it. I enjoyed the references to conversations with the band and key players. There are some hilarious anecdotes which make it a must read for any fan.

[Lizz-Ayn Shaarawi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rise of The Super Furry Animals is a well written romp through the formation of one of the best bands in existence. Chock full of behind the scenes anecdotes, it is an amusing and enlightening read that will be enjoyable for fans and newcomers alike.

[Séan Brazier · Rating 2 out of 5]

with source material this interesting for me (I love this band) it would have taken a really badly written book to disappoint. and I'm afraid it did. why doesn't it cover all their albums? why doesn't it bring the band members to life? why can't the author write convincingly about music? shame.

[Richard Kryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mish mash of tales surrounding the workings of this Welsh band. Great insights and hilarity.