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The Lemonheads - Lovey Audio CD

A fair review of the The Lemonheads "Lovey" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Lemonheads reviews here, or go back to the The Lemonheads tabs.

The Lemonheads Band: The Lemonheads
Title: Lovey
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Ballarat 2: Half the Time 3: Year of the Cat 4: Ride With Me 5: Li'l Seed 6: Stove 7: Come Downstairs 8: Left for Dead 9: Brass Buttons 10: (The) Door

Great Starter For Mellower Lemonheads Era
"

Pre-"Lovey" had the band in a harder, more punkish style. It seems that Lemonheads fans are split into two categories: Pre-"Lovey" and Post-"Lovey.

Post-"Lovey" had the band in a mellower, more melodic pop style.

It was not until the following album, "It's A Shame About Ray," that the band was pushed into headliner status. However, one can see that it was "Lovey" where the transition took place, bridging both eras. A little hard in some places (though not as hard as earlier stuff) and a little pop in other places.

Whether you love the older or later versions of the band, "Lovey" is a good album, but, in my opinion, not as good as what was yet to come (as I am in the group that prefers the later Lemonheads).


Lemonheads Loveliest
Lemonheads will unfortunately be remembered by the general public as a novelty act with a male alternabarbie doll as a frontman. This is a band overlooked and underappreciated by many. This is not a true depiction of Evan Dando or the Lemonheads. Although most of what the Lemonheads are and were owes a huge debt to fellow New Englanders Dinosaur Jr. by the time of their breakthrough album It's A Shame About Ray they had created their own distinctive sound.

One of the first bands I was in was basically a glorified Lemonheads cover band. Like everyone in that band It's A Shame About Ray was my introduction to the band, but also like everyone in that band after getting into the Lemonheads I preferred Lovey to Ray. What makes Lovey superior? Well I guess it's a matter of taste. . . nothing against Ray it's more accessible/poppy. Lovey had a harder edge and some turns into the absurd and random. Although it's not as hard as their earlier albums, this album was a transition from their punkier sound to their folkier sound. From the song Half The Time with the great absurdist lyric"Moving up the neck of my guitar/Turn the lamp off I see where you are" which corresponds to an ascending chord progression-understated brilliance. This song is how most of Ray would sound. But this album also has a beautiful Gram Parsons Cover-Brass Buttons. Some songs that could pass for metal(Li'l Seed, (The) Door). An understated powerish ballad Ride With Me. A love song to a Stove(definitely a highlight). And probably my favorite Come Downstairs. Plus as a tag the funniest answering machine message ever put on an album. . . " I am Pauline. I am Potato Man. I have Potato boys. Building strong bodies in five different ways. . . . I'm leaving a message on the telephone and my mom's just coming. . . goodbye" at 33 minutes there is no filler on this album. In a time when some people felt "cheated" if an album was not at least 40 minutes, that's another thing I like about this album.

All in all this album stands above any Lemonheads album before or since. If all you know from the Lemonheads is It's A Shame About Ray check this out. . . you might be pleasantly surprised and agree with me. .


Lemonheads Major Label Debut Sweet not Sour
They got screwed by the media. The Lemonheads got screwed. They got screwed by the biz. They got screwed by the fickle public. When Evan Dando seized control of the group from former leader, Ben Deily, it gave him an opportunity to unleash some truly brilliant pop songs on the general public. The general public responded by only paying attention to their rocked out version of Mrs. Robinson. It was truly the public who missed out. If you love great song writing, pick up Lovey. This album is before the fuss. If you are not moved by the song "Ride With Me", I'm afraid you're dead inside. How many people in the history of Rock n' Roll have written a love song to a discarded kitchen stove? What is a better way to say goodbye to the listener than the closing song "(The) Door"? The production value isn't as slick as their later releases, but the songs are understated monuments of pop brilliance.


Major Label Debut not so Sour
They got screwed by the media. The Lemonheads got screwed. They got screwed by the biz. They got screwed by the fickle public. When Evan Dando seized control of the group from former leader, Ben Deily, it gave him an opportunity to unleash some truly brilliant pop songs on the general public. The general public responded by only paying attention to their rocked out version of Mrs. Robinson. It was truly the public who missed out. If you love great song writing, pick up Lovey. This album is before the fuss. If you are not moved by the song "Ride With Me", I'm afraid you're dead inside. How many people in the history of Rock n' Roll have written a love song to a discarded kitchen stove? What is a better way to say goodbye to the listener than the closing song "(The) Door"? The production value isn't as slick as their later releases, but the songs are understated monuments of pop brilliance.


The best is yet to come.
Evan lays the blueprints here for his later masterworks. My first Lemonheads album, this was a taped copy now replaced by my cd. This is a midpoint where he began to kick off his thrashy past and discover cool melodies.

This cd is harder to love and contains many fewer standouts. Listening to this again I realise why I still had doubts about the band. Evan is still struggling to find his true voice and even the Fort Apache team can't produce a great product.

If you came to this blind you would doubt what lay ahead. It contains a few pointers with his Gram Parson's cover and Juilanna on backing vocals on 1 song.


You can see a complete list of all The Lemonheads discography, or go back to the The Lemonheads tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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