The Album Review Club - Week #191 (page 1286) - Harlequin Dream - Boy & Bear

Heard of the lemonheads name but that is it.
Going by spotify they had 4 albums before this.
I take it shame about ray was their breakthrough album.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
Few beers in here but I’m listening to Oasis as I prepare for Heaton Park next week and also to the Lemonheads … well, it’s just complete chalk and cheese - one is a massive loud rock band that goes into so much care for the intro/chorus and outro and doesn’t hold back even on their B sides and the other is stripped down 2 mins a track in a garage ‘jangle punk’ , how can one prefer this sound to the big rock sound I have no idea.
Anyway, I’ll take the contrast out of my mind and review Lemonheads on its own merrit, so far I can listen easily and enjoy but I feel that’s part of the problem.
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You’re coming up to Heaton Park for the gig? Nice. Hope you have a great time.

Heaton Park is just a few miles from where I grew up - Middleton.

I used to play golf on the municipal course there. It’s also the place where I saw Pope John Paul II in concert when I was 14 :)
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I like both sounds. But I like lots of sounds. I listened to Pop Will Eat Itself and a Windham Hill sampler just yesterday!!
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I do like a bit of PWEI. We’ve just had three ‘professional’ graffiti murals down the road in my local town. One for PWEI and another couple for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and The Wondestuff. Not a bad selection! Still campaigning for a Diamond Head one lol
 
GornikDaze said:
I do like a bit of PWEI. We’ve just had three ‘professional’ graffiti murals down the road in my local town. One for PWEI and another couple for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and The Wondestuff. Not a bad selection! Still campaigning for a Diamond Head one lol
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How do you think “This Is The Day . . .” would go over with this crowd? It’s kind of of its time but it’s still so hilarious. One of the best power chord records I’ve ever heard. Also in my top 20 of all time! Long live grebo!

“P-W-E-I / Turn it on and turn it up high!” :)
 
bennyboy said:
Maybe because it only has a couple of great songs on it.
In Utero on the other hand would be a far better pick.
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Well, I don’t agree with that first assessment in the least as I think there are zero misses, but In Utero is just a very different record in so many ways. I love it too. And though I wouldn’t post a live record, MTV Unplugged is an actual or near majority cover record, so you can listen to that as almost like a studio album.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
I am mate, next weekend, very much buzzing for it. Oasis on the Sunday and hope to have a beer beforehand with @Saddleworth2 and maybe couple other blues at Pub nearby.
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Meetimg up with some of the posters on the Labour thread ? ;-)

I'm not fussed about Oasis but seeing the excitement of everyone who is, I kinda wish I was; if that makes sense.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
How do you think “This Is The Day . . .” would go over with this crowd? It’s kind of of its time but it’s still so hilarious. One of the best power chord records I’ve ever heard. Also in my top 20 of all time! Long live grebo!

“P-W-E-I / Turn it on and turn it up high!” :)
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Wise Up Sucker!!!

Interesting question, it’s certainly of its time but I love it. I gave my lad a listen a few years back and he wasn’t impressed. Granted it’s a bit dated, but maybe worth a punt. At least they’re not Scottish @bennyboy ;)

They supposedly have a new album out later this year which should be fun.
 
Was giving this another listen last night and realised I had even given the "country" fans a little something, what with the steel guitar in the mix.
 
It’s A Shame About Ray – The Lemonheads

I thought that this was the Lemonheads album I once owned, but it turns out that that was Come On Feel The Lemonheads from the year after.

In truth, there’s not too much difference between the two; a sound clearly influenced by Nirvana, but with a lighter touch and some good melodies and vocals. Listening to all of these albums that people put forward, and comparing it to the albums that I’ve loved for years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I appreciate albums that artists have put a lot of effort into more than those that sound knocked off in five minutes. I mention this because @mrbelfry ’s excellent review suggests that he feels the same way and that It’s A Shame About Ray feels like it was put in the can as quickly as possible.

I must admit that that was my initial impression, but in this case, I’m prepared to give Evan Dando the benefit of the doubt because regardless of the circumstances in which it was recorded, he’s come up with a superb set of songs that are catchy as hell, hummable, singable and remain untouched by gimmickry.

The album contains at least three, if not great, then very good songs: “Confetti”, “It’s A Shame About Ray” and “Kitchen” and in truth there’s not really many duffers, the most obvious candidate being the why-did-they-bother “Frank Mills”. Despite sharing mrbelfry’s in-built loathing of celebrating drug and excess culture, I enjoyed “My Drug Buddy” with its soothing organ backing.

On the back of this nomination, I revisited Come On Feel The Lemonheads, an album that I haven’t listened to for 30 years, and found that key lines and chords in songs such as “Paid to Smile”, “Rest Assured” and “I’ll Do It Anyway” were still in my brain all these years later. These songs sound deceptively simple, and despite a lack of a lot of usual elements that I love, I found both albums chipper, optimistic and full of melody.

Congratulations to @LGWIO on a brilliant nomination. I’d say that the odd misstep aside, this has been an excellent round in the Album Review Club. Having enjoyed revisiting Jagged Little Pill, the sonic assault of Greenleaf’s Hear the Rivers and the otherworldly Aman Iman by Tinariwen – all of which I awarded an 8 – there’s only one way I can go for It’s A Shame About Ray because I enjoyed listening to it more than all of those albums, and that’s why it scores 9/10.

Not bad for a vocalist/songwriter whose name is an anagram of Dave Nando.
 
RobMCFC said:
It’s A Shame About Ray – The Lemonheads

I thought that this was the Lemonheads album I once owned, but it turns out that that was Come On Feel The Lemonheads from the year after.

In truth, there’s not too much difference between the two; a sound clearly influenced by Nirvana, but with a lighter touch and some good melodies and vocals. Listening to all of these albums that people put forward, and comparing it to the albums that I’ve loved for years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I appreciate albums that artists have put a lot of effort into more than those that sound knocked off in five minutes. I mention this because @mrbelfry ’s excellent review suggests that he feels the same way and that It’s A Shame About Ray feels like it was put in the can as quickly as possible.

I must admit that that was my initial impression, but in this case, I’m prepared to give Evan Dando the benefit of the doubt because regardless of the circumstances in which it was recorded, he’s come up with a superb set of songs that are catchy as hell, hummable, singable and remain untouched by gimmickry.

The album contains at least three, if not great, then very good songs: “Confetti”, “It’s A Shame About Ray” and “Kitchen” and in truth there’s not really many duffers, the most obvious candidate being the why-did-they-bother “Frank Mills”. Despite sharing mrbelfry’s in-built loathing of celebrating drug and excess culture, I enjoyed “My Drug Buddy” with its soothing organ backing.

On the back of this nomination, I revisited Come On Feel The Lemonheads, an album that I haven’t listened to for 30 years, and found that key lines and chords in songs such as “Paid to Smile”, “Rest Assured” and “I’ll Do It Anyway” were still in my brain all these years later. These songs sound deceptively simple, and despite a lack of a lot of usual elements that I love, I found both albums chipper, optimistic and full of melody.

Congratulations to @LGWIO on a brilliant nomination. I’d say that the odd misstep aside, this has been an excellent round in the Album Review Club. Having enjoyed revisiting Jagged Little Pill, the sonic assault of Greenleaf’s Hear the Rivers and the otherworldly Aman Iman by Tinariwen – all of which I awarded an 8 – there’s only one way I can go for It’s A Shame About Ray because I enjoyed listening to it more than all of those albums, and that’s why it scores 9/10.

Not bad for a vocalist/songwriter whose name is an anagram of Dave Nando.
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I'm more with Mr Belfry on this other than he took to the album and I haven't at all.
More later.
 
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