The Way We Came is becoming my favourite La's song

[Mavers Needs A Wee]

This and Lookin Glass.

It's 10 minutes of molten silvery glass magic and you should all do yourselves a favour and put that bitch on immediately and lay on the floor with your eyes closed.

I've been trying to hear all of the lyrics. From what I can work out they're fucking perfection but I'd love to know the whole lot.

Talking of difficult to hear lyrics and the fact that he plays the Knock Me Down riff at the beginning, I've seen loads of people trying to work out what that one line in Knock Me Down is. It's almost certainly "hook-and-line sinkin' drug", probably referring to addiction.

[Tony]

I love the tracks like that, there's more sides to the La's than There She Goes and Timeless Melody. Not knocking those, but some bsides like Who Knows / Man, I'm Only Human / Endless / All By Myself are meLancholic.

Way we Came is almost as new to us; only surfaced when Viper unfurled it. It's... boss. Brooding and psychedelic. To me, when Lee said the La's have "been places like Ride, done all that", I think I get it now: they really did, he really has.

Barry Sutton was on here a few year back and I asked him those very same Knock me Down lyrics. You are correct! The addiction angle is interesting, especially with the dullards who've never been in love, written a song, or just been bursting with inspiriation who reckon a load of the songs are merely "about drugs". Get a soul la! Seems explict enough there. Lee has a bit of a rep for talking in riddles but his lyrics are straight as fuck and there we go. And the next line links it to love.

I sort of envy your journey. Sure I've poured fucking days of the La's onto youtube and it has its own happy rewards but even that's just me trying to find the first time all over again.

Way we Came is a grower.. a bit like Lookin Glass, for me, it's not one I'll dance around to in my garden (not ruling it out!), but put on special. I first listened to it walking down Albert Dock a summer or two ago, not a bad way. And with the Knock me Down riff starting it off, it screams inspiration. Compare those tunes; how different!

Sláinte, new listeners to this timeless band are amazing to second-hand enjoy

[Mavers Needs A Wee]

I love the tracks like that, there's more sides to the La's than There She Goes and Timeless Melody. Not knocking those, but some bsides like Who Knows / Man, I'm Only Human / Endless / All By Myself are meLancholic.

Way we Came is almost as new to us; only surfaced when Viper unfurled it. It's... boss. Brooding and psychedelic. To me, when Lee said the La's have "been places like Ride, done all that", I think I get it now: they really did, he really has.

Barry Sutton was on here a few year back and I asked him those very same Knock me Down lyrics. You are correct! The addiction angle is interesting, especially with the dullards who've never been in love, written a song, or just been bursting with inspiriation who reckon a load of the songs are merely "about drugs". Get a soul la! Seems explict enough there. Lee has a bit of a rep for talking in riddles but his lyrics are straight as fuck and there we go. And the next line links it to love.

I sort of envy your journey. Sure I've poured fucking days of the La's onto youtube and it has its own happy rewards but even that's just me trying to find the first time all over again.

Way we Came is a grower.. a bit like Lookin Glass, for me, it's not one I'll dance around to in my garden (not ruling it out!), but put on special. I first listened to it walking down Albert Dock a summer or two ago, not a bad way. And with the Knock me Down riff starting it off, it screams inspiration. Compare those tunes; how different!

Sláinte, new listeners to this timeless band are amazing to second-hand enjoy

Yeah I'm young, not even 20 yet, so I'm getting to do all this the first time. Fucking mad journey it is. Honestly don't know what I was expecting picking up that CD but by the end of Son of a Gun I knew something was up

As much as I adore all the album stuff (well, the only song on the album I actually choose to listen to the album version of is Lookin Glass. The way it all comes together at the end wow) it's those dreamy purely spiritual tracks that really get me. Feels like they could all come together and make the second album.

The "life is all a game you know, of tears of joy and pain sorrow" part of All By Myself is in The Way We Came as well but I like it even more here where it's "don't say you didn't know/these tears of joy and pain sorrow/but life is all a game, you know/along we came, away we'll go". Ain't that just magical? This song feels to me like it's all that magic and inspiration in it's pure form before sorting itself out into songs.

And about the drugs thing I can't think of any other times when Lee's actually explicitly mentioned drugs so it annoys me too when people just give him that druggie label and be done with it. Granted he probably didn't live life completely clean (do any of us?) but if you hear what this man's done and think the only explanation is drugs then I'm sorry to inform you but you have no soul.

[Tony]

If I am jealous of anyone when it comes to the La's it isn't the band themselves, it isn't an engineer or a producer (although frankly I don't know how you can cock some of this music up), it's jealousy of someone finding it for the first time

It'll never get old... sometimes the band story is a bit depressing, sometimes a bit inspirational, but for me, the music stands alone. Even if the creator does not like the way it was ultimately presented without his say-so, there's something very touching and human about the way the music touches people who merely listen to it.

That's all good music wants - to be heard & enjoyed. Never before has the term "music business" seemed so contradictory. All it needs to do is enable the art.

[Mavers Needs A Wee]

If I am jealous of anyone when it comes to the La's it isn't the band themselves, it isn't an engineer or a producer (although frankly I don't know how you can cock some of this music up), it's jealousy of someone finding it for the first time

It'll never get old... sometimes the band story is a bit depressing, sometimes a bit inspirational, but for me, the music stands alone. Even if the creator does not like the way it was ultimately presented without his say-so, there's something very touching and human about the way the music touches people who merely listen to it.

That's all good music wants - to be heard & enjoyed. Never before has the term "music business" seemed so contradictory. All it needs to do is enable the art.

Completely agree with all of that. Like yes, I have bought all the La's stuff under the sun and I do enjoy obsessing over the various details of the different versions, and I do get a bit sad knowing the band didn't last and don't like what they did, but as soon as that music hits my ears and soul it's like all of that ceases to matter because it transcends everything. Naturally, I do have my favourite versions, sessions etc. but I think with music that really knows what its about, it doesn't matter how "well" or not its presented, because the song itself is always going to come through and disprove everything I thought I knew about music.

And I know it will continue to do so for the rest of my life and one day I'll be in the same boat thinking "god I wish I could do that all again". Already do in some cases. The first time I heard the single version of Way Out, it was so magical i ain't sure I have the words for it, and now I can't hear it without being all sad about how I'll never get to feel that exact way again. Such is life