Shack

H.M.S. Fable

Regular price £26.00
Format
One of THE most iconic albums to hail from Merseyside. ‘H.M.S. Fable’ was the third LP released from Shack following 1988’s ‘Zilch’ and 1995’s ‘Waterpistol’....

One of THE most iconic albums to hail from Merseyside. ‘H.M.S. Fable’ was the third LP released from Shack following 1988’s ‘Zilch’ and 1995’s ‘Waterpistol’. A collection of majestic storytelling in guitar form, written by two extraordinarily talented brothers, Michael & John Head.
Originally released on Laurel Records/London Records in 1999, the band at that time comprised of MICHAEL HEAD - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar JOHN HEAD - Electric Guitar, Vocals REN PARRY- Bass Guitar IAIN TEMPLETON - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals. The album was voted #2 in both NME and Uncut’s critics album of the year polls, only missing out to The Flaming Lips’ ‘The Soft Bulletin’ in both.
Now released on the band’s newly-formed label Shack Songs, ‘H.M.S. Fable’ encompasses many musical styles, from orchestral guitar pop to psychedelic-tinged folk and even elements of Britpop, nicely summed up by the editor of NME Steve Sutherland in a 9/10 review, in June 1999: ‘’Not since Liam Gallagher howled his early indolent disdain has this music sounded so alive. 
'Pull Together' is an anthem easily the equal of Oasis at their most loved-up and huge. ‘Comedy' tender and uplifting, like the missing track from 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Daniella' a haunted and exhausted homage to Head's hero Arthur Lee, and 'Lend Some Dough' a rollicking Scouse Play For Today with a chorus that goes, "I've got a sore back and I'm itching’’ ”
The Shack story is one of music’s greatest legends. It incorporates hardship, bereavement and chaotic misadventure, but above all it tells the tale of beautiful music triumphing over trouble and tragedy. In the 80s, the two brothers from the notorious Kensington estate in north Liverpool were singer and guitarist with The Pale Fountains, an effervescent pop group which imploded under the weight of two albums in 1986. The Heads returned in ‘88 as Shack and a debut album ‘Zilch’. In 1991, Shack made ‘Waterpistol’, an inspirational guitar jewel that would have proved just as influential as any British album in that era had the studio not burned down, taking the master tapes with it. Four more years passed, but by the time it was finally released on Marina it had developed ‘lost classic’ status.
The Heads battled on. They toured as their hero Arthur Lee (RIP) of Love’s backing band. In ‘97, they created a new group called The Strands and recorded the delicate, dreamy masterpiece ‘The Magical World Of The Strands’. They spent a long time making another classic ‘H.M.S. Fable’...

Delivery

We currently only deliver to the UK. Delivery costs are clearly provided at the checkout at the time of purchase. We offer free delivery when spending over £60 in one transaction.

Royal Mail First Class (order value below £60) £2.95
Royal Mail First Class (order value above £60)
FREE

To qualify for free delivery please expect all your items to be delivered in one package i.e if you have ordered a 'pre-order' item please expect to wait until all your items are available before any are delivered.

We send our packages via Royal Mail. While we endeavour to get your purchase to you as quickly as possible, once it has left our depot it is out of our hands and we cannot be held responsible for any packages arriving later than expected.

Packaging

All our items are packaged in good quality cardboard packaging which should prevent any damage during transit. Please kindly note that any clingfilm or shrink wrap around the item is not considered part of the product.

Returns

If you decide that a product is not suitable within 30 days of delivery, you can return it to us at your own cost for a replacement or refund. Returns must be unused and in their original, undamaged packaging. Return address information will be included with your purchase.

If a product is damaged please get in touch so we can resolve it quickly for you.

Refunds

Refunds will be issues to the card that was used to purchase the item.

Refunds for returned items will be issued once the item has been received and checked.

Undelivered Packages

If a package is returned to us due to an incorrect address being supplied or because it was not collected from a local depot, an additional postage fee will be payable in order to resend. We will contact you to arrange this before anything is resent.