Short and Sweet

The Lemonheads- 'It's A Shame About Ray' doesn't hang around, it's said everything it needs to say within about 30 minutes but it made a big impression on me when it was released in 1992. For a start it was one of the first albums I bought on CD, it was a rare purchase of music by a US alt-rock band and it really made an impact on the way I wrote songs at the time.

My band-mates in Johnny Domino wholeheartedly embraced the US hardcore and alternative music scene (hope this isn't insultingly simplistic chaps), I found it more difficult, I own nothing on the Sub-Pop label and see elsewhere for my opinion on Sonic Youth. The instant accessibility of Evan Dando's songwriting combined with the unfussy production made it an instant hit round my way. Obviously he lost his way and became a crack poster boy but he has a good-sized satchel full of classic pop songs (Outdoor Life from the patchy 'Car, Button, Cloth' is a real gem).

This was US indie with stabilisers on and helped me start to understand the more gnarly stuff. If I record an overdriven guitar I usually put an acoustic underneath, pure 'Its a Shame About Ray'

The Lemonheads- 'It's A Shame About Ray'



The Lemonheads- 'Alison's Starting To Happen'



Buy The Lemonheads- 'It's A Shame About Ray' here