The tale of Shack is really the story of the Head Brothers, Mick and John. Originally the founders of ace indie band The Pale Fountains (criminally ignored by just about everyone), they formed Shack when their original band called it a day due to a complete lack of commercial success.
Their first album as Shack was similarly ignored. They recorded a second album. The studio got burned down with the masters inside. There was a copy on DAT but the producer left that in a hire car in the States. By the time they found it, their record company had gone bust. The album eventually got released on a German label
Disillusioned, Shack disbanded and the Head brothers formed Michael Head and The Strands, recording the unknown classic "The Magical World of The Strands". By this time, the brothers were both in the grip of heroin addiction and, again, the album was ignored by all except those who realised what a brilliant album it was.
Then they reformed Shack ... and released "HMS Fable" ... THE best album of 1999
The four influences on the album are easy to spot; the pop structures of The Beatles (the Head brothers are Liverpudlians), the strings familiar to all fans of Nick Drake, the fragility of psychedelic heroes Love, and heroin. However, whereas The Strands album was about the negativity a drug problem brings, this album revealed a new found joi de vivre that were reflected in the songs.
The band went on to make a couple more albums, but none topped this and its influence can be heard today in the songs of bands like Mumford & Sons
Comedy
Beautiful
Lend's Some Dough
Captain's Table
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