Sunday 19 February 2012

Hmm, Lemony

It was a shame about Lemonheads.
They couldn't quite decide who they wanted to be.
Pulled between two worlds they were.
On one side, punk, grunge and going widdley-widdley-widdley-wee; on the other, sensitivity, indie stardom and the lure of poster-boy fame.

I experienced this first hand.
On the Lick tour, Lemonheads played at Kentish Town's Town & Country Club, and there was an obvious schism, two distinct audiences: punks enthused by early material and attitude, and female indie fans, ganged together at the front of the stage, staring up into the eyes of their beloved Evan.
It put the moshers right off.

Evan was quite happy playing to his new admirers, but for us others, it was all a bit embarrassing.
I lost interest in the band after that; and gave a knowing tut when 'Mrs. Robinson' started to get day time airplay on mainstream radio.

So Lick for me is really the last album they made that's worth listening to.
The punk attitude is still apparent, even if the shoegazing element has been turned up.
The songs are a little longer, and some of them even have a mosaic quality - the zeitgeist couldn't be ignored forever.

Interesting how they decided to end the album with two songs from the early part of their career: 'Sad Girl' from '87, and 'Ever' from '86'.
Mere nostalgia?
More likely their swan song.

Soon after, the band went through massive changes, and with Dando now fully in control, he commercialised the sound, signed with Warners, and adopted the definite article; always a sign that things have gone tits-up.
Like growing a beard.

Lemonheads - Lick (1988)

Mallo Cup
Glad I Don't Know
7 Powers
A Circle of One
Cazzo di Ferro
Anyway
Luka
Come Back D.A.
I Am a Rabbit
Sad Girl
Ever

Decent vinyl rip @320kbs
Squeeze ya lemons here

Perfect for Pancake Day. Enjoy!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree...
jb (JAPAN)