The La`s
Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 6:59 pm
Fond memories of a group that were just amazing thought id be best to post this in my mate Kiras section seen there from Liverpool.The La's formed in 1983, with original member Mike Badger claiming the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse for "lads", and having obvious musical connotations. The band existed briefly as an arthouse / skiffle-type outfit with a few tracks included on local compilations.The La's attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their home town of Liverpool in 1986, and Bootleg demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. Several record labels heard these and offered recording contracts. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
The band's first single ("Way Out", released in October 1987 on Go! Discs , was mixed with producer Gavin MacKillop, but attracted little notice. It broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths' frontman Morrissey in the music magazine Melody Maker, but otherwise went generally unnoticed. Five thousand copies were pressed, making it a sought-after item for La's record collectors. This was the beginning of The La's music career, which would last for little more than four years until the band slipped away from the limelight in 1992.All too soon.........
The La's is the only album by the band of the same name, released in 1990.The album was re-released as a deluxe edition on 7 April 2008.
However, recognition, at least critically, came for The La's in 1990 when the self-titled album, The La's, was released. The album reached #30 in the UK charts and received a Silver certification, but the album did not fare as well overseas.The album included, among new material, re-recorded versions of all the previous singles, including a remixed version of "There She Goes" which was then re-released as a single. This time around, the song reached number 13 in the UK singles chart and remains the most visible and enduring of all the band's songs.
After his split of the band, John Power had great success with his band Cast. Drummer Chris Sharrock (who was a band member only briefly) also had high-profile post-La's gigs as an official member of World Party, The Lightning Seeds, Oasis, and Robbie Williams' backing band. Other ex-members of the band generally pursued their own musical directions, though none achieved the same sort of success as Power or Sharrock.
The La's- Timeless Melody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhiLpQqbO5E
Lee Mavers himself, however, never appeared comfortable with media attention or with the results of all his recording sessions, and did not reciprocate interview requests made by music journalists after the band broke up. His uninterested attitude to the press no doubt contributed to the "Mavers as recluse" personality as portrayed by music publications, and rumours persisted about him that were left undenied in his absence, ranging from perceived eccentricity to drug abuse.
However Mavers and an impromptu configuration of The La's did play some low-key shows again in the mid 1990s. Mavers played hastily-organised, short-notice support slots with Dodgy, Paul Weller and Oasis in 1994 and 1995, although he has since claimed this was to raise funds owing to a merchandising debt from their 1991 US tour, as opposed to staging a full-blown comeback. After these dates, nothing concrete was heard from or about Mavers for a number of years, and it was unknown what, if anything, he was going to do with his unreleased songs.
interestingly The band was denied another unexpected comeback in November 2008 when it was revealed that the planned new single was just a recording of Mavers on the bog.Erm maybe put that down to toilet talk....
anyway thanks for letting me in the liverpool project Kira,keep up the good work.
The band's first single ("Way Out", released in October 1987 on Go! Discs , was mixed with producer Gavin MacKillop, but attracted little notice. It broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths' frontman Morrissey in the music magazine Melody Maker, but otherwise went generally unnoticed. Five thousand copies were pressed, making it a sought-after item for La's record collectors. This was the beginning of The La's music career, which would last for little more than four years until the band slipped away from the limelight in 1992.All too soon.........
The La's is the only album by the band of the same name, released in 1990.The album was re-released as a deluxe edition on 7 April 2008.
However, recognition, at least critically, came for The La's in 1990 when the self-titled album, The La's, was released. The album reached #30 in the UK charts and received a Silver certification, but the album did not fare as well overseas.The album included, among new material, re-recorded versions of all the previous singles, including a remixed version of "There She Goes" which was then re-released as a single. This time around, the song reached number 13 in the UK singles chart and remains the most visible and enduring of all the band's songs.
After his split of the band, John Power had great success with his band Cast. Drummer Chris Sharrock (who was a band member only briefly) also had high-profile post-La's gigs as an official member of World Party, The Lightning Seeds, Oasis, and Robbie Williams' backing band. Other ex-members of the band generally pursued their own musical directions, though none achieved the same sort of success as Power or Sharrock.
The La's- Timeless Melody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhiLpQqbO5E
Lee Mavers himself, however, never appeared comfortable with media attention or with the results of all his recording sessions, and did not reciprocate interview requests made by music journalists after the band broke up. His uninterested attitude to the press no doubt contributed to the "Mavers as recluse" personality as portrayed by music publications, and rumours persisted about him that were left undenied in his absence, ranging from perceived eccentricity to drug abuse.
However Mavers and an impromptu configuration of The La's did play some low-key shows again in the mid 1990s. Mavers played hastily-organised, short-notice support slots with Dodgy, Paul Weller and Oasis in 1994 and 1995, although he has since claimed this was to raise funds owing to a merchandising debt from their 1991 US tour, as opposed to staging a full-blown comeback. After these dates, nothing concrete was heard from or about Mavers for a number of years, and it was unknown what, if anything, he was going to do with his unreleased songs.
interestingly The band was denied another unexpected comeback in November 2008 when it was revealed that the planned new single was just a recording of Mavers on the bog.Erm maybe put that down to toilet talk....
anyway thanks for letting me in the liverpool project Kira,keep up the good work.