-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Ambient * Ethereal *
Artist..: Lush
Album...: Chorus
GENRE....: Indie
STYLE....: Shoegaze, Brit Pop, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
LABEL....: 4AD SCENE.....: 2015-12-21
BITRATE..: 264 kbps avg STORE.....: 2015-12-00
ENCODER..: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 TRACKS....: 105
SIZE.....: 737.0MB SOURCE....: CD
URL..: http://www.lushofficial.com/
- TRACKLIST
Disc 1
------
1 Sweetness And Light 5:19
2 Sunbathing 3:09
3 Breeze 2:47
4 De-Luxe 3:31
5 Leaves Me Cold 2:56
6 Downer 2:40
7 Thoughtforms 2:44
8 Baby Talk 2:18
9 Thoughtforms 2:45
10 Scarlet 3:27
11 Bitter 2:02
12 Second Sight 2:40
13 Etheriel 3:25
14 Hey Hey Helen 2:29
15 Scarlet 3:59
16 Leaves Me Cold (John Peel Session) 2:44
(Extra Track, Previously Unreleased)
17 Breeze (John Peel Session) (Extra 2:28
Track, Previously Unreleased)
18 Hey Hey Helen (John Peel Session) 2:36
(Extra Track, Previously Unreleased)
19 Blackout (Evening Session) (Extra 3:10
Track, Previously Unreleased)
20 Kiss Chase (Evening Session) (Extra 3:16
Track, Previously Unreleased)
21 The Childcatcher (Evening Session) 3:08
(Extra Track, Previously Unreleased)
22 Single Girl (Mark Radcliffe Session) 2:38
(Extra Track, Previously Unreleased)
23 Runaway (Mark Radcliffe Session) 3:36
(Extra Track, Previously Unreleased)
24 Heavenly Nobodies (Evening Session) 3:03
(Extra Track, Previously Unreleased)
25 Ladykillers (Evening Session) (Extra 3:13
Track, Previously Unreleased)
Disc 2
------
1 Stray 2:07
2 Nothing Natural 5:54
3 Tiny Smiles 4:11
4 Covert 3:49
5 Ocean 4:49
6 For Love 3:31
7 Superblast! 4:07
8 Untogether 3:33
9 Fantasy 4:27
10 Take 3:28
11 Laura 3:23
12 Monochrome 5:06
13 God's Gift (Extra Track, B Side) 4:05
14 Fallin' In Love (Extra Track, B Side) 2:37
15 Starlust (Extra Track, B Side) 4:17
16 Outdoor Miner (Extra Track, B Side) 2:45
17 Astronaut (Extra Track, B Side) 2:38
18 Sweetness And Light (The Orange Squash 5:26
Mix) (Extra Track, Remix)
19 Undertow (Spooky Mix) (Extra Track, 9:09
Remix)
Disc 3
------
1 Light From A Dead Star 3:16
2 Kiss Chase 3:18
3 Blackout 3:06
4 Hypocrite 2:53
5 Lovelife 3:56
6 Desire Lines 7:39
7 The Invisible Man 2:16
8 Undertow 4:58
9 Never-Never 8:05
10 Lit Up 4:01
11 Starlust 4:32
12 When I Die 4:20
13 Cat's Chorus (Extra Track, B Side) 3:23
14 Love At First Sight (Extra Track, B 5:12
Side)
15 Girl's World (Extra Track, B Side) 4:56
16 White Wood (Extra Track, B Side) 4:14
17 500 (Acoustic Session) (Extra Track, 2:44
Previously Unreleased)
18 Olympia (Acoustic Session) (Extra 3:16
Track)
19 Kiss Chase (Acoustic Session) (Extra 2:56
Track)
Disc 4
------
1 Ladykillers 3:13
2 Heavenly Nobodies 2:59
3 500 3:29
4 I've Been Here Before 4:36
5 Papasan 2:36
6 Single Girl 2:35
7 Ciao! 3:30
8 Tralala 5:34
9 Last Night 5:23
10 Runaway 3:36
11 The Childcatcher 3:17
12 Olympia 5:06
13 Sweetness And Light (Demo) (Extra 5:20
Track, Previously Unreleased)
14 Covert (Demo) (Extra Track, Previously 3:29
Unreleased)
15 Problem Child (Demo) (Extra Track, 5:30
Previously Unreleased)
16 Desire Lines (Demo) (Extra Track, 7:06
Previously Unreleased)
17 Hypocrite (Demo) (Extra Track, 2:47
Previously Unreleased)
18 Lit Up (Demo) (Extra Track, Previously 4:02
Unreleased)
19 Light From A Dead Star (Demo) (Extra 2:10
Track, Previously Unreleased)
Disc 5
------
1 500 (Shake Baby Shake) 3:23
2 I Have The Moon 3:54
3 Ex 3:14
4 I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend 3:19
5 Matador 3:02
6 Outside World 4:06
7 I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind 2:21
8 Carmen 3:22
9 Shut Up 3:48
10 Cul De Sac 3:52
11 Demystification 3:41
12 Tinkerbell 3:08
13 Piledriver (Extra Track, B Side) 3:08
14 Plums And Oranges (Extra Track, B 6:17
Side)
15 Half And Half (Extra Track, B Side) 3:17
16 Dear Me (MikiÆS 8-Track Home Demo) 3:10
(Extra Track, B Side)
17 Sweetie (Extra Track, B Side) 2:50
18 Heavenly (Extra Track, B Side) 2:56
19 Pudding (Extra Track, B Side) 3:58
20 Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep (Extra 2:39
Track, B Side)
21 All This Useless Beauty (Cover 3:47
Version) (Extra Track)
22 Mannequin (Cover Version) (Extra 2:29
Track)
23 Rupert (Cover Version) (Extra Track) 3:30
Total Playtime: 389:55
Notice: No info anywhere stating that this boxset has been remastered (to
the relief of many fans as they were originally mastered for CD anyway).
Even though compared to orginal 90s pressings the sound does subjectively
seem a bit more fresh and open.
All titles and extra info has been taken as on the cover or in the book
- (see jpgs)
Only "previouly unreleased" info taken from website.
http://lush.sandbaghq.com/chorus.html
*
In 2015, Lush -- masters of celestial harmonies, stab-and-swirl guitar lines,
and one-word titles -- announced their full reactivation. The 4AD label, with
assistance from the band's Emma Anderson and designer Chris Bigg, also
assembled and issued Chorus, a comprehensive box set of the band's 1989-1996
output. Each of the five discs leads with a full-length in its entirety and
is filled to capacity with an assortment of extras. What's missing is
negligible, mostly forgotten remixes and redundant 7" edits. Gala, the
compilation of early EPs with dream pop touchstones "Sweetness and Light" and
"De-Luxe," is joined by previously unreleased, career-spanning BBC radio
sessions. A set recorded in January 1990 for John Peel's program --
performances of three songs that had yet to be released in proper studio form
-- effectively displayed as many distinct sides the band fully explored and
refined throughout the following years. The discs that feature the Top Ten
U.K. hit Spooky, a patchy if often brilliant debut album, and Split, a
twisting and dizzying work of near perfection, conclude with B-sides and
strays. Among the better supplemental cuts are a blurrier early version of
"Starlust," a spirited version of Wire's "Outdoor Miner" (released three
years before Elastica lifted a different song by the same band), and the
exceptional "Desire Lines" B-side "White Wood." Third and fine studio
full-length Lovelife, the one that got Lush labeled as Brit-pop opportunists,
even though they were headed in that direction all along, is appended with a
smattering of demos. "Single Girl" and the Anthony Kiedis-inspired
"Ladykillers," two sharp singles from Lovelife, sent Lush close to the Top 20
of the U.K. pop chart, thanks in part to two-part CD singles and 7" releases
that all contained exclusive tracks. The B-sides from that album alone were
enough to prompt the existence of Topolino, a compilation that appeared in
Japan and Canada with varying inclusions. All of those offcuts, as well as
some earlier ones, are collected on Chorus' fifth disc, highlighted by covers
of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" (popularized by Middle of the Road),
"Mannequin" (Wire again), and "Demystification" (Zounds). Packaged
hardcover-book style, Chorus is somewhere between 4AD's similarly thorough
This Mortal Coil and Colourbox anthologies in terms of 'sthetic indulgence.
The image-rich book makes it more fan-friendly than either release,
illuminating one of the era's most dazzling bands.
*
Of all the recently reformed shoegaze bands - Ride, Slowdive and Swervedriver
√ Lush were the ones with proper attitude. Their music swirled with all the
heady delay and reverb that defined that late 80s/early 90s movement, but
guitarists Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, bassist Phil King and late drummer
Chris Acland made it hookier and spikier. And besides, they had wicked hair
and sang about how boys were rubbish. It was post-punk on their early
material, such as the track Baby Talk from 1990 compilation Gala, then they
bridged the gap between shoegaze and Britpop on their final studio album
Lovelife. Their last collection of EPs and singles, Topolino, showed how far
they were falling for catchier pop. These and the remaining two studio albums
feature on Chorus with a smattering of extras √ Peel sessions, acoustic
versions and remixes. It's a definitive Lush primer, and songs Ladykillers
and Single Girl still bring a wry smile. But it's also a reminder of how they
deserve a place at the head of the 90s indie table.
*
Chorus is the perfect title for an anthology of Lush's relentlessly
infectious songs.
Their studio albums, 1992s Spooky, 1994s Split and 1996s Lovelife are topped
and tailed by here two compilations, Gala and Topolino, as well as everything
else they recorded. A mammoth 105 tracks are spread over five lovingly
packaged discs.
Prior to their very welcome live return next year - their first shows since
the tragic passing of drummer Chris Acland twenty years ago - Chorus is
timely reminder of how wonderful Lush were. Whether pedaling the space rock
which saw them lumped in with Shoegaze initially or their spikier later
material, the theme of love runs consistently through their songs. They wrote
about it quite brilliantly, be that the rancour of "Bitter" or the melancholy
of "Nothing Natural."
Calling themselves Lush proved to be a double edged sword. On one hand, it
fitted with the beauty of their initially dreamy, gauzy songs. They didn't
look like your typical indie band either - Acland and bassist Phil King were
such a pair of handsome devils they could have been Gap models. However the
flipside to the name was their joy of enjoying a beer and letting their hair
down, which unfairly saw singing guitarists Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson
being written about in gossip columns almost as much as they were for their
music.
For all their down to earthness (Berenyi was hilariously dismissive about her
treatment at the hands of male musicians in the recent Girl In A Band
documentary), Lush were incredibly serious about the music they made, which
shines through in Chorus.
The first record here, Gala, was effectively their second album of sorts (if
you include the mini-album Scar) before they'd even released a debut proper.
With 4AD label mate Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins on production duties,
it was a perfect marriage of band and producer. The two versions of the
delight that is "Thoughtforms" show their progression from the tentative
sounding band of Scar into the blisteringly confident one of the Mad Love EP,
which was the sound of a group in the first flush of success. There are
highlights galore to be found on Gala, not least "Leaves Me Cold", which
miraculously manages to sound paranoid, ecstatic and annoyed at the same
time.
Yet when they released their debut album Spooky, there was justifiable
criticism that Guthrie's influence had gone a little too far. The sheer
effervescence of a song like Gala's mighty "Deluxe" and the wit of a line
like "Grass in my thighs, my aching legs" wasn't matched by a song such as
"Monochrome"'s "And sometimes I think if I stand by the phone it may ring".
But their knack for nailing matters of the heart remained, with the gorgeous
"For Love" telling a heartbreaking story of romance on the skids, and
"Superblast" showing they could still sound thrillingly energetic.
Split saw Lush at a crossroads, one where they still retained 4AD's signature
ethereal sound, but started to add a more jagged tone with the likes of the
punky "Hypocrite". At the time they were seen to be tentatively embracing the
nascent Britpop scene, when in fact they were refining the more abrasive
roots of Scar.
By their last album, Lovelife, Britpop had erupted and the spikier Lush of
Split was dialled up. Occasionally they strayed too close to the formulas of
the zeitgeist, as on the Boo Radleys-lite trumpets of "I've Been Here
Before", but generally - and admirably - they stuck to their pop guns. Album
highlight "Ciao" could be a Lee Hazlewood song, with Pulp's Jarvis Cocker's
vocal providing the perfect counterpoint to Berenyi's conversational singing.
Its acoustic feel is far removed from their expansive early records, yet
whatever Lush did had a pop DNA running through it.
They constantly knocked out mean cover versions too, tackling an array of
artists such as The Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, Elvis Costello and The
Magnetic Fields, but what made their covers so beguiling was that they always
sounded like themselves. Standouts are two breathless versions of Abba's
"Hey, Hey Helen" and an irresistible blast of Wire's "Outdoor Miner", but
perhaps their finest cover is a take on Vashti Bunyan's great lost pop
classic "I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind", which nails the melancholy of
the original to a tee.
Chronologically there's a minor quibble about Chorus's track-sequencing, with
lots of the additional material randomly added to unrelated albums. For
example, Gala's "Sweetness and Light" also turns up on two other discs,
Spooky has Kevin Shields' bonkers Orange Squash mix of it and a lovely,
faster demo appears on Lovelife. The tracklisting doesn't provide a true
narrative, but given the excitement of their imminent return, such gripes are
small beer.
Lush were a band who moved with the times, managing to straddle both the
Shoegaze and Britpop scenes, yet standing apart from them at the same time.
There's a slew of modern classics to be cherished on Chorus, which makes it a
must have for the completist and a treasure trove of gems for anyone
entranced by the combination guitars, pop music and songs about love.
*
LUSH biograhpy:
Meshing dreamy, feedback-drenched guitars with airy, catchy melodies, Lush
were one of the most prominent shoegazing bands of the early '90s. Led by
guitarists Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, the British band earned a cult
following within the British and American undergrounds with its first EPs,
yet the group never quite attained the critical respect given to its peers My
Bloody Valentine and Ride. Even so, Lush lasted longer than any other of
their contemporaries (with the exception of the Boo Radleys), developing
sharp pop skills as their career progressed. By the time of their final
album, 1996's Lovelife, they had converted themselves into a power pop band
with dream pop overtones, which resulted in the greatest chart success of
their career. Their success was dealt a blow when drummer Chris Acland
committed suicide in the fall of 1996, effectively bringing the band to an
end.
Miki Berenyi, Emma Anderson, Chris Acland, Steve Rippon (bass), and Meriel
Barham (guitar) formed Lush in 1988 in London, England. Prior to the group's
formation, school friends Berenyi and Anderson had collaborated on a fanzine
together, as well as played in a number of other bands individually.
Anderson, who had been working as a DHSS clerical assistant, had played bass
with the Rover Girls, while Berenyi had been a member of I-Goat, Fuhrer Five,
and the Lillies. Berenyi's then-boyfriend, Acland had previous played with
several other groups as well, including Panik, Infection, and A Touch of
Hysteria. Barham left Lush soon after the band's formation to form the Pale
Saints, and the remaining members began playing around London, quickly
earning a number of fans, including Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins.
Guthrie helped the band secure a contract with 4AD Records, and they released
their acclaimed debut EP, Scar, in 1989. Lush supported the EP with opening
tours for Loop and the Darling Buds, and by 1990, they had graduated to
headlining tours of their own.
Throughout 1990, the band's reputation in the British music press began to
grow as they released the acclaimed EPs Mad Love and Sweetness and Light,
played high-profile gigs like the Glastonbury Festival, and became favorites
of the music weeklies' gossip columns. Gala, an album compiling their three
EPs, became the band's first American release at the end of 1990. Lush spent
most of 1991 recording their debut album, releasing the Black Spring EP in
the spring. Rippon left the band during the sessions, and was replaced by
Philip King, a former picture researcher for NME and a previous member of
Felt, Servants, and Biff Bang Pow. Lush finally released their delayed debut
album, Spooky, in the spring of 1992. While the album sold well, reaching the
British Top Ten and topping the U.K. indie charts, it was criticized in the
press for Guthrie's heavy-handed production. The band supported the album in
America by appearing on the second Lollapalooza tour, but their dream pop
wasn't well-received by an audience hungry for metal. Lush released their
second album, Split, in the summer of 1994 to mixed reviews. Split was lost
in the twin waves of Brit-pop and American post-grunge, even through the
band's songwriting was more pop-oriented than ever.
After regrouping during 1995, Lush returned in early 1996 with Lovelife, an
album that showcased a debt to the pop-single ideals of Brit-pop. The musical
changeover paid off as "Single Girl" and "Ladykiller" became their two
biggest hit singles, and the album became a British Top 20 hit; in America,
it was their highest-charting album, even if it just scraped the charts at
189. Lush had completed their supporting tours and summer festival
appearances when Chris Acland unexpectedly hanged himself in his parent's
house on October 17, 1996. Devastated by his death, the remaining members of
Lush went into a long period of mourning, eventually disbanding.
*
4AD biography:
In a sense, the beginning of Lush was as inevitable as its ending was not.
Formed from a friendship started at age fourteen by Londoners Miki Berenyi
and Emma Anderson, the pair ran a fanzine, and attended a catholic variety of
gigs nightly at the likes of Fulham Greyhound and Hammersmith Clarendon. And
they were learning the ropes in other people's bands - Berenyi in The Bugs,
Anderson in The Rover Girls - working to make their own band a reality.
Eventually, along with the absurdly good-humoured Lancastrian punk drummer
Chris Acland, and bassist Steve Rippon, they went out on their own.
Read less
For music, the late Eighties were a vibrant and volatile time. There was acid
house, US art-core, death metal, fledgling industrial and European
sampledelia, a rising Madchester and the shimmering punk pop of The
Primitives, plus the delicate oceanics of The Sundays. Having much in common
with these last two and, attitude-wise, at least three of the others, Lush
were quickly hot property. One review in Melody Maker brought 12 major labels
to see them play at London's ULU. None called again, but 4AD's Ivo
Watts-Russell was interested, soon putting the band in Blackwing Studios with
John Fryer.
By the time debut LP Spooky was released in 1992, Rippon had amicably
departed, to be replaced by Phil King (ex of Felt and Biff Bang Pow!). The LP
went Top 10 in the UK and was an indie chart-topper. It sold upwards of
120,000 in the US too, in part due to one of the most glorious chapters in
the Lush story: Lollapalooza II. Regularly swapping band members with Pearl
Jam and Ministry, while proving beyond all argument their hellraising
credentials, Lollapalooza was a hedonistic and enlightening experience for
the band. Such was that case that on their return to the UK, Lush immediately
repaired to Rockfield Studios in Wales.
The recording of Split, their second LP proper (a collection of their early
EPs, entitled Gala, had been released in the US only) was exceptionally
testing. Expectations of an American breakthrough were high and the pressure
was on. However, despite being the band's best work to date, the album wasn't
the commercial success it promised and, as is often the case, failure proved
liberating. While the pressure came off, new enthusiasm was injected by the
arrival of new manager Peter Felstead. The band threw themselves into
recording what would be their final LP, Lovelife. T
he combination of personal freedom with a growing experience and expertise
took Lush onto a new creative plane. As such, the pressure was immediately
back on to break America. Now the touring became back-breaking and
repetitive. Frustration and bad feeling within the band grew inexorably.
Acland, ordered to rest by his doctor, returned to his parents' home in the
Lake District. Anderson, dissatisfied with her current position, called a
meeting and announced her departure. Then worse news was to follow. Up in the
Lakes - horribly, terribly - Acland had hanged himself. "For me," says
Berenyi "That was the end. There was no way on earth I could have gone on
with Lush without him, because I always firmly believed that without his
benign influence Emma and I would have torn each other apart years ago."
It should have come as no surprise that Acland's death finished Lush.
Privately and professionally, in their joyful celebrations and their painful
(and far more frequent) self-examinations, they were in the business of
living life, really living it. Their talent and their exuberance though had
already made a difference. Particularly in the States, where their music was
deeply respected and their lyrics - often moving, rigorous and earthy
appraisals of themselves and their relationships, their nature and nurturing
- were a motivating force for female songwriters. As well as being accidental
icons (the best kind), Lush also made exceptional music: classic pop, fiery
punk, soaring ambient and a modern, lilting folk. It can be harrowing - fun
or fraught, these are recognisably real life experiences. But it's all
worthwhile, all of it. And few bands could truthfully say that.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
--===--
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* NuHS we miss you! *
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