this is a warning to all of you! if for some reason someone comes to your door asking you to take part in some kind of survey about home allergens and the like, say no and calmly shut the door. my wife made the mistake of saying yes and was proceeded to have the bait and switch pulled on her by a kirby vacuum salesmen. i was sleeping and at about 5 pm i heard vacuuming and then male voices which kind of alarmed me but not really. when the vacuuming didnt seem to have an end in sight, i got up to see what the fuck was going on. long and short, they wanted to sell me this vacuum for $1945! by the time the left, 4 hours later, the price was down “only” $1100, we could put down $300 and our payments would only be like $80 a month for 24 months!? if i half a nut, i would have thrown him out as soon as i saw what was going on, but i am way too damn nice. i love at end of his hard sell he started the guilt trip saying that he wouldnt let a baby crawl on our floor with the vacuum we are using. so, dont say i didnt warn you.
friends of captains dead, hallelujah the hills are offering up a free download of their prepare to qualify ep, which i can attest is pretty freakin awesome. here be a couple of tracks, click here for the whole deal.
hallelujah the hills site
for my friends in the uk, on april 24 my favorite record of 2007, the everybodyfield’s nothing is okay is being released in your neck of the woods. i cannot recommend the sheer beauty and brilliance of this record enough. even if you’re not going to listen to all of the tracks, at least listen to “leaving today.” me thinks you shall be deeply rewarded.
the everybodyfields site / myspace
as you may or may not know, or actually care for that matter, i am a sucker for the hook and harmonies. knowing this, it should come as no surprise to learn that when i popped in boston boys, the rationales’ the going is gone ep, my ears were like puddy in their hands. fronted by singer/songwriter dave mirabella, the rationales are made up of some of the finest musicians that side of the mason dixon, and their the going is gone was recorded at the famed q division studio with producer ed valauskas (the gentlemen, gravel Pit, graham parker, juliana hatfield). the ep is a cool mix of big star and kinks like poppiness and wilco and the jayhawks inspired rootsy jingle jangle. check em out!
the rationales myspace
my path to the lemonheads all started with juliana hatfield, who i thought, at the time, was the most gorgeous creature mine eyes had ever happened upon. she’s still strikingly beautiful, that goes without saying, but my school boy dreams have since waned. i was a huge blake babies fan and when i read that she was going to be working with some guy, and purported boyfriend, evan dando, i was on board with whatever she was putting her name on. what became of this union was the lemonheads classic 92 release, its a shame about ray. by the end of my third listen i was like juliana, who? my only problem with its a shame about ray is that its too damn short, coming in under a half an hour. i suppose thats part of its charm and dando is a master of the 3 minute get in and get out pop song. so, really what am i bitchin bout? in my book, ray ranks in the top 5 records of the nineties, and is definitely in my top 20 of all times. it’s just a wonderful pop record about a boy, chicks, drugs, hopes and dreams.
i have been lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of the recently re-released rhino records collectors edition of its a shame about ray an am going to give it away to one lucky person. here’s a wee bit about the collection…
The 10 bonus tracks feature “Shaky Ground,” which was originally released as the B-side to “My Drug Buddy.” The remaining nine songs are unreleased demos that Dando recorded in 1991, including early renditions of album tracks “Confetti,” “Rockin Stroll” and “Hannah & Gabi,” plus “Bit Part,” which includes vocals from Hatfield.
The DVD contains 45 minutes of videos and live performances that were previously released only on VHS as Two Weeks In Australia. The disc features videos for several songs from IT’S A SHAME ABOUT RAY, including the title track, the breakout single “Mrs. Robinson,” “My Drug Buddy” and more. Also included is a video for “Being Around,” a song that would appear a year later on the follow-up to RAY and “Half The Time” from the Lemonheads’ Atlantic debut, Lovey. A trio of live performances include “Alison’s Starting To Happen,” “Ride With Me” from Lovey and “It’s About Time” from 1993’s Come On Feel The Lemonheads. The DVD also features candid commentary by Dando recalling the band’s wild Australian antics.
all you gotta to do to win is leave a comment, i was going to make up some elaborate challenge, but got lazy.
i love offering shows that i actually attended. today’s the lemonheads playing at the taste of chicago on the 4th of july in 92. its the xrt radio broadcast.
2. rest assured
5. favorite t
7. ride with me
9. buddy
10. kitchen
11. into your arms
12. allison is starting to happen
13. great big no
14. paid to smile
15. its about time
16. confetti
17. dawn cant decide
19. being around
20. rudderless
woohoo. a comment! come on lemonheads.
3 words. big gay heart.
(i would love to not spend the 25$!!)
I suffered from the same Juliana Hatfield obsession my friend! Had a huge autographed poster on my wall that she signed for me and me alone at Tower Record back in the day…ahh…so purty!
Went and saw her play at the Palace with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Breeders! In just 1 word…RAD! She rocked so much harder live than I ever expected. Really talented musician.
Anyway, she’s what turned me on the the Lemonheads as well. Great Great band!
Thanks for doing this!
ditto on the whole juliana to lemonheads fan trajectory! love me some shame about ray, lovey and come on feel. i even love me some car button cloth, not to mention the most recent eponymously titled one. i’ve picked up this reissue in the store, but haven’t been able to pull the trigger due to its hefty price tag. it did inspire me to dig out my cassette boot of a london show, also from 92. good times indeed. rudderless slays…
I completely agree that this album/CD is definitely part of the Soundtrack to the 90’s. But like the previous comment, it’s hard to justify purchasing it (yet again).
The Everybodyfields did a great set on the Loft (XM) last week. They did a really nice cover of Lionel Ritchie’s “Say You, Say Me” that I would love to get. If you find it, please post it.
I bought “It’s A Shame About Ray” the week it came out. My wife and I had separated, I had just moved into a small apartment, and needed some new tunes to use as the soundtrack to feeling sorry for myself. The album lifted me out of my doldrums, and was the soundtrack to my summer. Still love it to this day.
We were separated for 3 months, got back together, and are together this very day. Twenty-three years now.
Pick me! Pick me!
I saw a (reunited) Blake Babies around the turn of the century with Evan and Ben Lee opening up. It was in Birmingham, where John Strohm had settled at the time. A damn fine show.
Dude. I twigged to the Lemonheads pre-Juliana, pre-Ray, pre-fucking everything. I lived in Arlington, MA and they used to drive around town in a beat-to-shit blue van with the logo from the Lemonheads candy box painted on the side in what looked like yellow house paint.
This was somewhere around the time just after Hate Your Friends came out and just before Creator came out. On vinyl. 1988 I think.
I saw them open for Naked Raygun at TT the Bear’s place in Cambridge, MA, that year. Raygun was awesome in those days, a precursor to Pegboy (best of the Chicago hardcore bands I think), but that version of Lemonheads, which was a lot harder than when Dando took over completely later, well they blew that place apart.
Fantastic show.
thanks for this show! xrt used to air some great shows, huh? last time i saw e. dando, he was playing solo with a solo ben kweller opening. want to the see the latest incarnation (w/ descendents members!) though. cheers on the giveaway!
Thanks for the tip about the release of the Everybodyfields album on this side of the pond. I got it from eMusic a while back, but would definitely buy the CD as it’s a gorgeous album. Hopefully it’ll mean a tour over here as well.
Speaking of tours, I saw Jason Isbell playing a pub gig on Sunday night. It was a hell of a show. Thanks for all the Isbell music over the last year or so!
Andrew
Lemonheads must be the great lost band of the 90’s. So many great songs. ‘Stove’ breaks my heart every time I hear it. I had the chance to meet Evan, Nick and Dave backstage at the Riv(?) in Chicago in 92. They were opening for Soul Asylum. Dave Ryan invited me to go watch the SA set with him. Little did I know that was the peak of my Gen-X years. Now I am just fat and middle aged.
comment mofo
hey there… thanks for the Rationales tip. I enjoy a harmony or two as well. As far as the Lemonheads go, I like 90% of what they put out. I was able to see them live a couple of times but it didn’t translate as well as they did on cd. However, Juliana did.
I just bought Two Weeks in Australia on video and now you tell me it’s on DVD! Oh well nothing like dusting off the ole’ VHS player. What an unusual coincidence!
Thank you muchly for the 92 show.
i still listen to ray and sunburn pretty regularly. could a juliana crush be the secret to good taste or does it just make us all 35ish?
Love love love love love love love Lemonheads AND Captain’s Dead!
the first and last (for now) comment made by me! woo hoo!
It’s A Shame About Ray remains in my top 5 of all time because of the reasons you mentioned, but, back in 1992 when I was a 15 year old kid, just diagnosed with end stage kidney disease, (yes, this is about to sound horribly cheesy and played-out, but here I go) it damn near saved my life… it was the record that got me through dialysis and back on my feet (never mind that I didn’t catch all the drug undercurrents)… but the 30 minutes of escape it provided was all I needed. It still comforts me and takes me to that place everytime.
and, your blog is a must-read for me everyday - thanks for putting great music out there everyday.
Saw the lemonheads in front of Stone Mountain, GA. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, its a huge piece of exposed granite with a Confederate Memorial of Robert E. Lee, Jeff DAvis and someone else on their horses. I can tell you the crownd at the show wasn’t exactly into Alternative Rock. I suffered throught the crownd, but only because of the grerat music.
Thanks
“And though it wasn’t hard or far/I walked you to your car” simply beautiful
it’s a shame about ray > everything ryan adams ever managed.
thanks for the show!
This album was the soundtrack to my relationship with my first girlfriend. I get gooey just thinking about it.
When I was in 12th grade I used to rock the cassette of “Come on Feel The Lemonheads” in my 1979 Oldsmobile Cutless supreme constantly. Mostly I’d be listening to it while I would be parked behind the Taco Bell making out with this “Rubenesque” chick that I went to school with. She had braces and smelled like medicine all of the time but her boobs were pretty huge. Huge boobage was a massive bonus for 16yr old me. Come to think of it, 32 yr old me isn’t much different. Thank you Evan Dando for helping me to get to second base for the first time. If it wasn’t for “Rick James Style” I’d probably still be a virgin. More importantly, thank you for constantly puttin gout great music that still means something to me today. Heck, I even love your solo album :)
The Lemonheads are not my favorite band.
But this is my favorite blog!
trampus, you fiend! quit sucking up!
Captain–
many thanks for the ‘heads show. I too must confess to a deep–DEEP–feelings for Julianna Hatfield. I met her once, many years back, and as much as I’d love to say I was smooth and collected, and wowed her with some witty, pithy bit of ha ha and you don’t say, i pretty much mumbled a ” hi, I really like your music, uhnnnnnnn, duhhhhhh,” and that was about it….Fantasy? Out the window in a flash. This album though has always been one of my very favs, top 20 to be sure.
love yer site, man; it’s a daily stop for me on the internets.
matt, flattery will get you everywhere, but keep in mind my bullshit radar is pretty solid.
i am glad to read that i am not the only one to be all kind of gay over this record. i have a feeling that the average age of all of you who have responded is around 30. just cause i dont know if a younger person would pick this record up, in 2008, and fawn all over it like we all did back in the day.
@ h. i love that lyric too, my personal fave is from “paid to smile” and it be “please dont hold the door/i can work the handle on any car/its really not that hard..” i love that line for some reason…
Thanks for posting this show! I had a cassette copy that melted in a hot car. I go through kicks with the Lemonheads (nothing for a year, then nonstop for a month), I feel a kick coming on. Hadn’t heard about the re-issue, very cool.
woo hoo! another comment by me! this is fantastic.
Was “C’mon” the one with someone licking a bald head? Or was there an album “Lick”? 1988? And the Blake Babies doing Tempation Eyes from some EP always made me a bit gooey. That voice!! Any guesses if the rumors about the two of them were true?
ship without a rudder like a ship without a rudder like a ship without a rudder like a ship without a rudder…
I’m 25 now… I picked this album up for one dollar at the local CD store when I was a sophomore in college. Best dollar I ever spent.
Since I’m cursed with youth, the first time I got to see The Lemonheads live was in December 2006, supporting the new(est) album. I think they played eight songs off this record. It was a great show… Evan did a little acoustic bit towards the end during which he played “Outdoor Life” — one of my favorites, and a cover of the Misfits song “Skulls.” Fantastic.
bill, yes lick was the licking of the bald head and from everything i have ever read, they did date briefly.
matt, i never really got into the newest one, although i hear its pretty ok. outdoor life is a great song.
the contest is closed, btw. i will announce a winner tomorrow.