More Info
• A new five-disc boxed set anthology celebrating the recordings of The Mighty Lemon Drops, between 1985 and 1990 for Chrysalis Records imprint Blue Raincoat.
• Featuring 97 tracks on five discs, including the albums ‘Happy Head’, ‘World Without End’ and ‘Laughter’ plus non-album singles, B-Sides / bonus tracks, US radio mixes, previously unreleased demos and rare session recordings.
Always original, and difficult to categorise, The Mighty Lemon Drops formed in 1985. Definitely guitar-driven, probably post-punk, maybe neo-psychedelic, they drew comparisons to The Velvet Underground, Love and almost inevitably (and a little lazily) Echo And the Bunnymen.
After appearing on NME’s hugely influential ‘C-86′ compilation, the band signed with Geoff Travis’ new Chrysalis subsidiary Blue Guitar for their debut album ‘Happy Head’, a collection of uncluttered songs with a chiming Rickenbacker sound that Sounds dubbed one of the 50 best albums of 1986. They followed up with 1987’s more mature ‘World Without End’, which peaked at No. 33 on the UK charts and at No. 1 on the US College chart, and included the hit ‘Inside Out’.
The following year saw the release of “Laughter” which the press describes as “by far the band’s best”. The band sound continued to evolve, with well-crafted vocal arrangements and sophisticated musicianship, but above all instantly memorable melodies.
This five-disc career spanning retrospective is the most thorough overview to date of this much loved band. It has been put together with their collaboration resulting in the first appearance of previously unreleased recordings, along with some extremely rare tracks.
The extensive sleeve notes were compiled with assistance from founding member David Newton, giving a unique overview of the band’s career. David has also contributed to a high-profile new book, Whatever Happened To The C86 Kids? by Nige Tassell, which is bound to generate renewed interest in the band.
Tracklist
DISC ONE
Happy Head (1985 – 86)
1. The Other Side Of You
2. My Biggest Thrill
3. All The Way
4. Hypnotised
5. Like An Angel
6. Behind Your Back
7. Happy Head
8. Pass You By
9. Take Me Up
10. On My Mind
11. Something Happens
12. Turn Me Round
13. Like An Angel (Original Dreamworld Single Version)
14. Something Happens (Original Dreamworld Single Version)
15. Sympathise With Us
16. Now She’s Gone
17. Uptight
18. Pass You By (Faster Version)
19. Open Mind
20. Take My Heart
21. Rollercoaster
22. Wait And See
DISC TWO
World Without End (1987 – 88)
1. Inside Out
2. One By One
3. In Everything You Do
4. Hear Me Call
5. No Bounds
6. Fall Down (Like The Rain)
7. Crystal Clear
8. Hollow Inside
9. Closer To You
10. Breaking Down
11. Out Of Hand
12. Going Under
13. Splash #1 (Now I’m Home)
14. Count Me Out
15. Shine
16. Head On The Block
17. Fall Down (Like The Rain) (Single Version)
18. Paint It Black
19. Laughter
DISC THREE
Laughter (1989)
1. At Midnight
2. Into The Heart Of Love
3. Where Do We Go From Heaven?
4. The Heartbreak Thing
5. One In A Million
6. Written In Fiction
7. The Real World
8. All That I Can Do
9. Second Time Around
10. Beautiful Shame
11. Rumbletrain
12. Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White
13. Forever Home At Heart
14. Where Do We Go From Heaven? (Full Length Remix)
15. Written In Fiction (Alt Mix)
DISC FOUR
Demos, Sessions and Live (Part 1: 1985 – 1986)
May/June 85
1. Pass You By
2. Take My Heart
3. Like An Angel
4. My Feelings
5. Sympathize With Us
6. Now She’s Gone
7. On My Mind (Live at North Staffs Poly College)
8. There She Goes Again
Radio 1 Session, Dec 1985
9. Like An Angel
10. Pass You By
11. Something Happens
12. Now She’s Gone (Radio 1 Session, February 1986)
13. Happy Head (NME C86 TAPE)
14. Turn Me Round (March 1986)
Demo, June / July 1986
15. Behind Your Back
16. Take Me Up
17. Uptight
18. All The Way
Live at The Astoria, Nov1986
19. My Biggest Thrill
20. Hypnotised
21. The Other Side Of You
DISC FIVE
Demos, Sessions and Live (Part 2: 1987 – 1989)
1. Out Of Hand (Rockfield Version)
Manchester Radio Session, 1987
2. Inside Out
3. Breaking Down
4. Closer To You
5. Fall Down (Like The Rain)
6. Take Me Up (Live)
7. Hear Me Call (Demo)
8. World Without End (Demo)
9. Fall Down (Like The Rain) (Live at The Astoria, February 1988)
10. Mighty Lemon Talk
Live at The Astoria, February 1988
11. Inside Out
12. Happy Head
13. Hollow Inside
14. Paint It Black
15. Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White (Live at The Dominion, October 1989)
16. At Midnight (Live at Moles Club, Bath, August 1989)
17. Like An Angel (Live at Moles Club, Bath, August 1989)
18. Written In Fiction (Live at Moles Club, Bath, August 1989)
19. Out Of Hand (Extended Version)
20. Inside Out (Extended Version)