The La's mentions in media thread

[Tony]

Almost inevitable that the LP would make it on to this list.

Surprised at BBC error re release date all the same ...

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/201908 ... own-albums

Thanks, but what the fuck?

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[Fester]

Here's the La's bit Tony - its a list of Top LPs that were disowned by the bands that released them -


The La’s – The La’s (1990)
Liverpool’s The La’s had one enormous single in the 1990s – the chiming, wistful There She Goes, a song that graced soundtracks from The Parent Trap to So I Married An Axe Murderer (despite the fact the song might be about heroin addiction as much as unrequited love).

The song was originally released in 1998, but found its biggest audience when re-released as part of the band’s debut – and so far, only – album. It was an album only released after the band’s frustrated label could take no more; the band’s eccentric mainman Lee Mavers had worked with no less than 12 producers to try and bring his songs to life.

A finished album finally appeared thanks to Steve Lillywhite, but Mavers took little time in disowning the album completely, even as the band were promoting it. Fellow producer Mike Hedges, who had worked on the earliest demos with the group, told The Guardian in 2008: "I think [Mavers] got so stuck on what they should sound like that he didn't know what they should sound like.”

[Fester]

And here's a link to the article quoting Mike Hedges


https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/ ... opandrock1






.

[Tony]

Cheers

I remember that Guardian article, it's a telling one...

[Tony]

https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/do ... oo-2623904

Betty Boo met the La's in 91...

You won Best British Breakthrough Act at the 1991 Brits. Can you name two of the acts you beat?
“Was it The La’s and The Charlatans?”

CORRECT. You could have also had Happy Mondays and Beats International.

“I was in pretty good company there – apart from Beats International! I know it was pre-Norman Cook which is better, but I can’t name any of their records. But the others are amazing groups. I used to have a studio in Chiswick and The La’s were residents for a while, and they used to have a lot of violent fights. When the two brothers [Lee Mavers and Neil Mavers] played pool, they’d shout at each other and I’d have to leave the room. I was quite scared of them.”

[Tony]

https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/uncuts ... s-68155/3/

50 Best Bootlegs

Few artists have had such an uncomfortable relationship with recording studios as The La’s’ Lee Mavers. The band’s solitary album came out to Mavers’ displeasure in 1990, after numerous, aborted attempts at recording it. Since then: nothing. Into this void have stepped bootleggers. The best is The Kitchen Tape – apparently recorded in a kitchen in Devon in 1989, and leaked in 2006. Although few songs are finished, tracks like “Tears In The Rain”, “Something I Said/Fishing Net” and “I Am The Key” (a faster version of which Mavers played with The La’s in 2005) show that Mavers was still writing gorgeous, rootsy, pop songs every bit as timeless and melodious as “There She Goes”. Mavers described the recording as “a load of fucking garbage” but in the continued absence of any official second album, this is the best the fans have got. Also available is The Crescent Tape, featuring Mavers jamming with Liverpool band The Crescent in 1998, which features a lot of hiss and at least one outstanding song, “Human Race”.
Sound quality: Okay for The Kitchen Tape, but poor for The Crescent Tape
See also: The La’s’ ‘comeback’ in 2005 at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

[Tony]

https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/do ... mp-2636986

: At the 1991 Brit Awards, you and Vic Reeves got drunk, rode bumper cars and hurled abuse at which now-TV presenter?

“Oh I don’t know! I know I hurled abuse at the singer from The La’s [Lee Mavers] because he was antagonising me from a balcony. But Vic Reeves is hilarious – we had a good night.”

WRONG. Apparently it was The Sun’s then pop columnist, now ‘Good Morning Britain’ gammon-king Piers Morgan.

“Oh GOOD! I can’t remember doing that but whatever we said, he deserved it! I agree with whatever I said back then!”

[w1lko]

Some nice La’s mentions from The Coral (and friends) on their #Timstwitterlisteningparty about their debut album last night.

On influences:

By 2000, Britpop had become a bit overblown so we wanted our music to be smaller, more ‘toy’ if you like. We liked Love, The LA’s, Lee Perry, Syd Barrett, The Specials, Beefheart. Distorted but clean. Like Motown, 60s Garage and 2 Tone. Songs with melodies: short and punchy.

https://twitter.com/thecoralband/status ... 17089?s=20


And on Skeleton Key:

This tune was perfect for Lee’s style. Lee’s dad played with Merseybeat bands in The Cavern and he taught Lee that old way of playing. He could strum in that 60s way like Lee Mavers did on Doledrum, or The Beatles version of Anna. It was amazing to watch, like a lost art.

https://twitter.com/thecoralband/status ... 69763?s=20

[Kev]

[Marbled]

Clearly about/inspired by Lee - an unreleased song by Liam called "Eh La", with the line “Eh la, son of a gun, what have you done today?/ Come now, sing us a song, one for yesterday.”

https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-liam-gallagher-perform-acoustic-version-of-unreleased-song-eh-la-2659204

[Gav]

Some nice La’s mentions from The Coral (and friends) on their #Timstwitterlisteningparty about their debut album last night.

On influences:

By 2000, Britpop had become a bit overblown so we wanted our music to be smaller, more ‘toy’ if you like. We liked Love, The LA’s, Lee Perry, Syd Barrett, The Specials, Beefheart. Distorted but clean. Like Motown, 60s Garage and 2 Tone. Songs with melodies: short and punchy.

https://twitter.com/thecoralband/status ... 17089?s=20


And on Skeleton Key:

This tune was perfect for Lee’s style. Lee’s dad played with Merseybeat bands in The Cavern and he taught Lee that old way of playing. He could strum in that 60s way like Lee Mavers did on Doledrum, or The Beatles version of Anna. It was amazing to watch, like a lost art.

https://twitter.com/thecoralband/status ... 69763?s=20

Didn't Lee label them "Vernon Kay La's"? That must have hurt!

[w1lko]

Yeah think he did. I remember Bill Ryder Jones giving back as good as they got around the same time! All fun and games lol

[Tony]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-ci ... wn-2692983

[yesterphobia]

Couple of brief La's mentions I found interesting in recent-ish articles featuring Go! Discs founder Andy MacDonald and Ferdy Unger-Hamilton

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/andy-macdonald-independiente-essentially-music-is-an-emotional-language-that-connects-people/

https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=314488&title=THE-BELIEVER

Since Andy sold out of Independiente it would seem he has been recharging his batteries outside the music industry.

He will always have my respect for putting the profit from elsewhere on the table trying to get it all to amount to something / anything...