Supergrass – The X-ray record, third time around

The X-ray record, third time

On 20 September 1999, Supergrass released their self-titled third album on Parlophone. Fans still call it the X-ray album because of the sleeve: three skull overlays placed on white. Sessions took place at Sawmills in Cornwall and Ridge Farm in West Sussex with the band producing alongside engineer John Cornfield. After the darker swing of In It for the Money, this record pushes further into dense arrangements, stacked vocals, and a heavier pace without dropping the hooks that made them chart regulars.

The singles carried the campaign. Pumping on Your Stereo arrived in May 1999 with a Hammer & Tongs video of the band as soft puppets and peaked at UK No.11. Moving, issued in September, followed the album into the shops; Mary closed the run in November with a Sophie Muller clip. The album itself reached UK No.3, stayed on the chart for months, and went platinum in Britain. Australia got a live bonus disc with some pressings. Rob Coombes’s writing credit sits with the band across the set, even before his official member listing on the next album.

Listen for harpsichord on the outro of Your Love, the long melody of Faraway, and the glam beat that still sits under Pumping on Your Stereo. Jesus Came from Outta Space and Born Again lean into sci-fi joke titles with serious guitar work. Cornfield’s room sound keeps drums thick and guitars layered rather than a thin Britpop tone. At forty-five minutes it is the longest Supergrass studio album of the 90s, and it was built for headphones as much as for festivals.