The La's
Encyclopedia
The La's were an English rock
band from Liverpool
, originally active from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers
, the group is most famous for their hit single "There She Goes
". The band was formed by Mike Badger
in 1984 and Mavers joined soon after. For most of the group's history the frequently changing line-up consisted of Lee Mavers (vocals, guitar) and John Power (bass, backing vocals) along with numerous other guitarists and drummers such as Paul Hemmings
, Chris Sharrock
, Barry Sutton
, Neil Mavers and Peter "Cammy" Camell.
After the departure of Badger in late 1986, the band signed to Go! Discs in 1987 and commenced recording of their debut album. Following the singles "Way Out
" (1987), "There She Goes
" (1988) and "Timeless Melody
" (1990) and after several aborted recording sessions with different producers, the band released their debut album The La's
in 1990. The group has been on hiatus since 1992 and following short-lived reunions in mid-1990s, 2005 and 2011, the group have yet to release any new material.
stating that 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 released on local compilations. Lee Mavers
joined in 1984 as rhythm guitarist, eventually gaining songwriting prominence and emerging as the band's enduring figurehead. Longtime bassist John Power joined the group in 1986, having met Badger on a local council-run musicianship course. Badger however left the group in late 1986, to form The Onset
.
The band attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their home town in 1986, and demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. One of these demo tapes was sent to Underground Magazine. A journalist there with the task of reviewing unsigned bands gave the cassette to Andy McDonald at Go Discs. Several record labels later became interested in signing the band. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
Gavin MacKillop. When it was released in October 1987, it broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths
' frontman Morrissey
in the music magazine Melody Maker
, but attracted little notice. The band continued to perform around the UK and gained success as a live act, drawing comparisons to The Beatles
due to their origins, vaguely Merseybeat
sound, and Mavers' expressive lyrics.
"There She Goes
" was released in 1988 with the B-sides "Come In Come Out" and "Who Knows". The song garnered moderate attention and airplay, but performed poorly in the charts. The music video
for "There She Goes" features The La's scampering through run-down Liverpool streets and was filmed in an afternoon on a handheld camera. It was later re-released a number of times, the earliest being 1990's Steve Lillywhite
mix. After working with producer Jeremy Allom at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool in May 1989, the band were set to release "Timeless Melody
" as a single. While test pressings had been sent out for review, and was nominated for "record of the week" in the NME
, Mavers was reportedly unhappy with the production and the single release was scrapped.
The La's then spent two years fruitlessly recording and re-recording their intended album, with a constantly changing band lineup, where only the core of Mavers and Power remained the same. Discarded producers included The Smiths' producer John Porter
, as well as John Leckie
and Mike Hedges
. Both Leckie and Hedges in interviews have been very complimentary about the band's songs and their respective sessions.
The previously volatile band lineup settled in 1989 with Lee's brother, Neil Mavers on drums, and Peter "Cammy" Camell as lead guitarist. The group then entered London's Eden Studios
in December 1989 to again record their debut album with Simple Minds
and U2
producer Steve Lillywhite
. Despite this lineup being arguably the most stable, and press interviews from the time painting them as extremely confident, the sessions still did not satisfy Mavers. In one instance Mavers was reported to have rejected a vintage mixing desk, claiming it did not have the right sound because "it hasn't got original Sixties dust on it" although this claim has since been revealed as apocryphal. The Eden sessions with Lillywhite would become the band's final attempt at recording the album. The frustration of not achieving the right sound and mood in their songs, as well as increasing friction with Go! Discs, who had spent a considerable sum of money on recording sessions for the album, led to them simply giving up on the sessions. Lillywhite pieced together the recordings he had made with the group into what became the eventually released album. The band, particularly Lee Mavers, were not pleased with this decision.
Among the band's complaints were that Lillywhite used vocal guide track
s on the LP and that he did not "understand" their sound. Mavers would later go on to claim that the band had played poorly deliberately during the sessions in the hope that the material would not be released, as they did not gel with Lillywhite from day one.
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 only reached #196 on the Billboard 200
and to date has sold fewer than 50,000 copies in the U.S.
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.
Additional singles from the album included the LP versions of "Timeless Melody" and "Feelin'". Both sold reasonably well, reaching chart placings around the top 40. A short promotional tour proceeded, accompanied by television appearances on shows such as Top of the Pops
. Press interviews conducted during this period were generally confused in tone, owing to the fact the critics generally adored the album yet Mavers was assuring journalists that he "hated" the album and it was "like a snake with a broken back".
. The remainder of the 1991 concerts were performed with James Joyce on bass as well as a handful of 1992 dates. The band stopped touring and rehearsing in 1992 until further short-lived reunions, with various line-ups, throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
, Paul Weller
and Dodgy
. The reformed band consisted of differing line-ups for each concert and as well as Lee Mavers other performers included several former members such as Barry Sutton, Lee Garnett, John "Boo" Byrne, James Joyce, Peter "Cammy" Camell and Neil Mavers.
In 1996, Mavers began recording at The Arch studio in Kew
, London owned by ex-The Damned drummer Rat Scabies
. Initially working alone, he was later joined in the studio by ex-The Stairs
frontman Edgar Summertyme, Lee Garnett and Neil Mavers. The sessions ended because of damp in the studio, however Mavers and Summertyme continued to rehearse and record in Liverpool for a year. After the collapse of Go! Discs, Mavers recording contract with the label was acquired by PolyGram
and eventually expired in 1998. In 1998, Mavers began rehearsing with the then unsigned Liverpool band The Crescent. A bootleg recording of one of these rehearsals known as The Crescent Tape would later leak on to the Internet.
In the late 1990s, Mavers renewed contact with founder member Mike Badger
and subsequently two compilation albums of early demos and home recordings were released by The Viper Label
(founded by ex-La's Badger and Hemmings), Lost La's 1984–1986: Breakloose (1999) and Lost La's 1986–1987: Callin' All (2001). A Japan only compilation album Singles Collection (2001) was released by Universal Music Japan containing all of the band's singles and b-sides released from 1987 to 1991. A biography about the band In Search of The La's: A Secret Liverpool by MW Macefield was published in 2003. The book contained interviews with many former members of The La's including Lee Mavers, Mike Badger, Paul Hemmings, Barry Sutton, Peter "Cammy" Camell and Neil Mavers.
Following a reunion between Mavers and John Power, The La's reformed in June 2005 with a lineup of Lee Mavers (vocals, guitar), John Power (bass, backing vocals), ex-Cracatilla frontman Jay Lewis (guitar) and Nick Miniski (drums), playing dates in England and Ireland ahead of an appearance at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan and other UK festivals. After three concerts, Miniski was replaced as drummer by roadie Jim "Jasper" Fearon, who was Mavers' school friend and one time bass player for The La's. The set lists were mostly the same as in the late 1980s, although certain encores contained some previously unheared songs such as "Gimme the Blues" and "Sorry". Since the reunion gigs it has been rumoured that Mavers has continued working on The La's' elusive second album. When interviewed in August 2006, John Power explained that Mavers was still "tinkering with something that's majestic" and of the release date, "I can’t tell you where and when...' cos whatever he does, whether it’s in this lifetime or the next, it can’t be rushed".
A compilation of The La's live radio sessions BBC in Session was released on 18 September 2006. In 2008, a new deluxe edition of The La's was released containing the lost Mike Hedges album, alternate recordings and live recordings for radio and television including previously unreleased songs "I Am the Key" and a Buddy Holly
cover "That'll Be the Day
". Also Lost Tunes (2008) was released as a download only EP of studio out-takes and alternate recordings.
After being introduced to each other by Gary Murphy of The Bandits
, Lee Mavers began jamming with Pete Doherty
in 2008 and appeared on stage with Doherty during his 2009 tour. Mavers then started performing live with artists such as Drew McConnell
and Jon McClure
in London in April 2009. In 2009, Babyshambles
drummer Adam Ficek
revealed plans of The La's second album to be recorded with the Babyshambles as backing band and Drew McConnell revealed plans for him to join The La's as bassist, however this supposed line up did not materialise and live appearances were cancelled. In 2010, a four disc box-set of singles, b-sides, studio out-takes, alternate recordings and live material Callin' All (2010) was released by Polydor which collected most of the band's still unreleased recordings produced whilst signed to Go! Discs.
In June 2011 Lee Mavers, accompanied by Gary Murphy on bass guitar, played a surprise concert in Manchester under the name Lee Rude & The Velcro Underpants. Following this Mavers and Murphy reformed The La's and played a series of "stripped back" shows across the UK and Europe including a performance at Rock en Seine festival in France in August 2011.
and 1960s British rock music
and the band often faced comparisons to The Beatles
who were also from Liverpool. Founder member Mike Badger has named Captain Beefheart
as The La's' main influence and the band have also cited artists such as Bo Diddley
, Chuck Berry
, Elvis Presley
, Bob Dylan
, The Beatles
, The Rolling Stones
, The Who
, The Kinks
, James Brown
, Bob Marley
, Pink Floyd
and Jimi Hendrix
as influences. Lee Mavers has described their sound as "rootsy" and "raw and organic" whilst Allmusic have noted the band's "simple, tuneful, acoustic-driven arrangements". The La's were also noted for their distinctly different style to other popular British bands in the late 1980s such as The Stone Roses
and Happy Mondays
.
The La's have gone on to influence many other British alternative rock
artists for the next twenty years. The band had great influence on the Britpop
movement of the mid-1990s and have been cited as an influence by artists such as Oasis
, Paul Weller
, The Charlatans and Travis
. Pete Doherty
of The Libertines
and Babyshambles
has also cited the group as an influence. The La's have also influenced many later Liverpool bands including the "cosmic scouser" bands of the early 2000s such as The Coral
and The Zutons
.
Former members
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, originally active from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers
Lee Mavers
__notoc__Lee Anthony Mavers is an English musician from Liverpool, England. Mavers was the songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist in The La's and is perhaps best-known for the hit "There She Goes" in the late 1980s....
, the group is most famous for their hit single "There She Goes
There She Goes
"There She Goes" is a song written by British singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded first by Mavers' band, The La's.In May 2007, the NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.-Lyrics and meaning:...
". The band was formed by Mike Badger
Mike Badger
Michael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...
in 1984 and Mavers joined soon after. For most of the group's history the frequently changing line-up consisted of Lee Mavers (vocals, guitar) and John Power (bass, backing vocals) along with numerous other guitarists and drummers such as Paul Hemmings
Paul Hemmings
Paul Hemmings is a Liverpool based musician and photographer. He played with The La's, Mike Badger and The Onset and Ian Broudie and the Lightning Seeds...
, Chris Sharrock
Chris Sharrock
Chris Sharrock is an English drummer from Bebington, Merseyside, England who has a long history of being an official member of many noted British bands, including The Icicle Works, The La's, The Wild Swans, World Party, The Lightning Seeds, The Robbie Williams Band, Oasis, and Beady...
, Barry Sutton
Barry Sutton
Barry Sutton is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Liverpool who has performed with numerous alternative rock bands since 1981. His career began as the songwriter and vocalist in the unsigned bands Western Diplomats and Marshmallow Overcoat...
, Neil Mavers and Peter "Cammy" Camell.
After the departure of Badger in late 1986, the band signed to Go! Discs in 1987 and commenced recording of their debut album. Following the singles "Way Out
Way Out (song)
"Way Out" is the debut single by The La's released in October 1987, after signing to Go! Discs Records.-Formats and track listings:* All songs written by L.A...
" (1987), "There She Goes
There She Goes
"There She Goes" is a song written by British singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded first by Mavers' band, The La's.In May 2007, the NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.-Lyrics and meaning:...
" (1988) and "Timeless Melody
Timeless Melody
"Timeless Melody" is a pop song written by Liverpool singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded by Mavers' band, The La's.-Formats and track listings:* All songs written by L.A...
" (1990) and after several aborted recording sessions with different producers, the band released their debut album The La's
The La's (album)
The La's, the self titled album by The La's, was the only studio release from the Liverpudlian four piece, released in 1990, but it earned them a place in the history books of British music and inspired a generation of bands, from Oasis and The Charlatans to Pete Doherty...
in 1990. The group has been on hiatus since 1992 and following short-lived reunions in mid-1990s, 2005 and 2011, the group have yet to release any new material.
1984–1986: Formation and early years
The La's formed in 1984, with original member Mike BadgerMike Badger
Michael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...
stating that the band name occurred to him in a dream, as well as it being Scouse
Scouse
Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
for "lads", and having obvious musical connotations. The band existed briefly as an arthouse/skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
-type outfit with a few tracks released on local compilations. Lee Mavers
Lee Mavers
__notoc__Lee Anthony Mavers is an English musician from Liverpool, England. Mavers was the songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist in The La's and is perhaps best-known for the hit "There She Goes" in the late 1980s....
joined in 1984 as rhythm guitarist, eventually gaining songwriting prominence and emerging as the band's enduring figurehead. Longtime bassist John Power joined the group in 1986, having met Badger on a local council-run musicianship course. Badger however left the group in late 1986, to form The Onset
The Onset
The Onset were formed in 1987 by Mike Badger after he left his former band The La's. Mike teamed up with local Liverpool legend Danny Dean on guitar, Hamish Cameron on Piano and Colin Becket on Drums. The first demo "Let's Go Home" can be found on the 2006 compilation CD, Lo Fi Electric...
.
The band attracted the attention of several record labels after a series of performances in their home town in 1986, and demo tapes copied from a session at the Flying Picket rehearsal studio in Liverpool began circulating. One of these demo tapes was sent to Underground Magazine. A journalist there with the task of reviewing unsigned bands gave the cassette to Andy McDonald at Go Discs. Several record labels later became interested in signing the band. The band chose to sign with Go! Discs.
1987–1991: Record deal and debut album
The band's first single "Way Out" was mixed with producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Gavin MacKillop. When it was released in October 1987, it broke in to the top 100 and was praised by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
' frontman Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
in the music magazine Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, but attracted little notice. The band continued to perform around the UK and gained success as a live act, drawing comparisons to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
due to their origins, vaguely Merseybeat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
sound, and Mavers' expressive lyrics.
"There She Goes
There She Goes
"There She Goes" is a song written by British singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded first by Mavers' band, The La's.In May 2007, the NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.-Lyrics and meaning:...
" was released in 1988 with the B-sides "Come In Come Out" and "Who Knows". The song garnered moderate attention and airplay, but performed poorly in the charts. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "There She Goes" features The La's scampering through run-down Liverpool streets and was filmed in an afternoon on a handheld camera. It was later re-released a number of times, the earliest being 1990's Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
mix. After working with producer Jeremy Allom at the Pink Museum Studio in Liverpool in May 1989, the band were set to release "Timeless Melody
Timeless Melody
"Timeless Melody" is a pop song written by Liverpool singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded by Mavers' band, The La's.-Formats and track listings:* All songs written by L.A...
" as a single. While test pressings had been sent out for review, and was nominated for "record of the week" in the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Mavers was reportedly unhappy with the production and the single release was scrapped.
The La's then spent two years fruitlessly recording and re-recording their intended album, with a constantly changing band lineup, where only the core of Mavers and Power remained the same. Discarded producers included The Smiths' producer John Porter
John Porter (musician)
John Porter is an English musician and record producer.-Biography:He attended St Michael's School, Allerton Grange School, King's College, and Newcastle University....
, as well as John Leckie
John Leckie
John Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
and Mike Hedges
Mike Hedges
-Career:Mike Hedges started as a tape-op at Morgan Studios in London in the late 1970s. Having graduated to engineer, he went freelance in 1981 and became an engineer/producer....
. Both Leckie and Hedges in interviews have been very complimentary about the band's songs and their respective sessions.
Eden Studios
Eden Studios was a commercial recording facility in west London. It opened in 1967, originally at 11 Eden Street in Kingston upon Thames, before moving to 20-24 Beaumont Road in Chiswick in 1972. It was started by Philip Love, Mike Gardner and Piers Ford-Crush. Love and Gardner owned the studio and...
in December 1989 to again record their debut album with Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
. Despite this lineup being arguably the most stable, and press interviews from the time painting them as extremely confident, the sessions still did not satisfy Mavers. In one instance Mavers was reported to have rejected a vintage mixing desk, claiming it did not have the right sound because "it hasn't got original Sixties dust on it" although this claim has since been revealed as apocryphal. The Eden sessions with Lillywhite would become the band's final attempt at recording the album. The frustration of not achieving the right sound and mood in their songs, as well as increasing friction with Go! Discs, who had spent a considerable sum of money on recording sessions for the album, led to them simply giving up on the sessions. Lillywhite pieced together the recordings he had made with the group into what became the eventually released album. The band, particularly Lee Mavers, were not pleased with this decision.
Among the band's complaints were that Lillywhite used vocal guide track
Guide track
A guide track or ghost track is a recorded selection of music or song used as an aid in sound recording, filmmaking and performance. It is closely related to the click track, and the two are typically used in conjunction....
s on the LP and that he did not "understand" their sound. Mavers would later go on to claim that the band had played poorly deliberately during the sessions in the hope that the material would not be released, as they did not gel with Lillywhite from day one.
However, recognition, at least critically, came for The La's in 1990 when the self-titled album, The La's
The La's (album)
The La's, the self titled album by The La's, was the only studio release from the Liverpudlian four piece, released in 1990, but it earned them a place in the history books of British music and inspired a generation of bands, from Oasis and The Charlatans to Pete Doherty...
, 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 only reached #196 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and to date has sold fewer than 50,000 copies in the U.S.
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
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and remains the most visible and enduring of all the band's songs.
Additional singles from the album included the LP versions of "Timeless Melody" and "Feelin'". Both sold reasonably well, reaching chart placings around the top 40. A short promotional tour proceeded, accompanied by television appearances on shows such as Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Press interviews conducted during this period were generally confused in tone, owing to the fact the critics generally adored the album yet Mavers was assuring journalists that he "hated" the album and it was "like a snake with a broken back".
1991–1992: Post-album and departure of John Power
1991 promotional tour dates were fulfilled in the UK and Europe including a few festivals, a well-received US tour. Bassist John Power left the group on the 13 December 1991, frustrated with having played essentially the same set of songs since 1986, and resurfaced a year later with his band CastCast (band)
Cast are an English rock band from Liverpool, formed in 1992 by John Power and Peter Wilkinson after Power left The La's and Wilkinson's former band Shack had split...
. The remainder of the 1991 concerts were performed with James Joyce on bass as well as a handful of 1992 dates. The band stopped touring and rehearsing in 1992 until further short-lived reunions, with various line-ups, throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
1992–present: Hiatus and reunions
The La's reunited sporadically for a series of live performances throughout 1994 and 1995. The comeback was brought about due to a merchandising debt from the 1991 U.S. tour and the band played support slots to artists such as OasisOasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
and Dodgy
Dodgy
Dodgy are an English power pop rock trio, that rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s, who are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough"...
. The reformed band consisted of differing line-ups for each concert and as well as Lee Mavers other performers included several former members such as Barry Sutton, Lee Garnett, John "Boo" Byrne, James Joyce, Peter "Cammy" Camell and Neil Mavers.
In 1996, Mavers began recording at The Arch studio in Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
, London owned by ex-The Damned drummer Rat Scabies
Rat Scabies
Christopher Millar , better known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known for his tenure as the drummer for The Damned....
. Initially working alone, he was later joined in the studio by ex-The Stairs
The Stairs
The Stairs were an English rock band formed in Liverpool around 1990 by vocalist and bassist Edgar Summertyme, guitarist Ged Lynn and drummer Paul Maguire...
frontman Edgar Summertyme, Lee Garnett and Neil Mavers. The sessions ended because of damp in the studio, however Mavers and Summertyme continued to rehearse and record in Liverpool for a year. After the collapse of Go! Discs, Mavers recording contract with the label was acquired by PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
and eventually expired in 1998. In 1998, Mavers began rehearsing with the then unsigned Liverpool band The Crescent. A bootleg recording of one of these rehearsals known as The Crescent Tape would later leak on to the Internet.
In the late 1990s, Mavers renewed contact with founder member Mike Badger
Mike Badger
Michael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...
and subsequently two compilation albums of early demos and home recordings were released by The Viper Label
The Viper Label
The Viper Label is an independent record label from Liverpool, England and was founded in 1999 by Paul Hemmings and Mike Badger who were key figures in the Liverpool music scene; both ex members of the La's and The Onset. Hemmings also played with Ian Broudie in The Lightning Seeds...
(founded by ex-La's Badger and Hemmings), Lost La's 1984–1986: Breakloose (1999) and Lost La's 1986–1987: Callin' All (2001). A Japan only compilation album Singles Collection (2001) was released by Universal Music Japan containing all of the band's singles and b-sides released from 1987 to 1991. A biography about the band In Search of The La's: A Secret Liverpool by MW Macefield was published in 2003. The book contained interviews with many former members of The La's including Lee Mavers, Mike Badger, Paul Hemmings, Barry Sutton, Peter "Cammy" Camell and Neil Mavers.
Following a reunion between Mavers and John Power, The La's reformed in June 2005 with a lineup of Lee Mavers (vocals, guitar), John Power (bass, backing vocals), ex-Cracatilla frontman Jay Lewis (guitar) and Nick Miniski (drums), playing dates in England and Ireland ahead of an appearance at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan and other UK festivals. After three concerts, Miniski was replaced as drummer by roadie Jim "Jasper" Fearon, who was Mavers' school friend and one time bass player for The La's. The set lists were mostly the same as in the late 1980s, although certain encores contained some previously unheared songs such as "Gimme the Blues" and "Sorry". Since the reunion gigs it has been rumoured that Mavers has continued working on The La's' elusive second album. When interviewed in August 2006, John Power explained that Mavers was still "tinkering with something that's majestic" and of the release date, "I can’t tell you where and when...' cos whatever he does, whether it’s in this lifetime or the next, it can’t be rushed".
A compilation of The La's live radio sessions BBC in Session was released on 18 September 2006. In 2008, a new deluxe edition of The La's was released containing the lost Mike Hedges album, alternate recordings and live recordings for radio and television including previously unreleased songs "I Am the Key" and a Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
cover "That'll Be the Day
That'll Be the Day
"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison and recorded by various artists including The Crickets and Linda Ronstadt. It was also the first song to be recorded by The Quarrymen, the skiffle group that subsequently became The Beatles...
". Also Lost Tunes (2008) was released as a download only EP of studio out-takes and alternate recordings.
After being introduced to each other by Gary Murphy of The Bandits
The Bandits
The Bandits were an English blues rock band from Liverpool. They are most notable for the singles "Take it and Run" and "2 Step Rock", which both reached the Top 40 on the UK Singles Chart.-History:...
, Lee Mavers began jamming with Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
in 2008 and appeared on stage with Doherty during his 2009 tour. Mavers then started performing live with artists such as Drew McConnell
Drew McConnell
Drew McConnell is the bass guitarist and backing vocalist with Babyshambles, the band formed and fronted by frontman of The Libertines, Pete Doherty. He lived in Tenerife, Spain, for much of his childhood, and he speaks Spanish fluently...
and Jon McClure
Jon McClure
Jon McClure, known as the Reverend, is lead singer and frontman of Reverend and The Makers and ex-vocalist of 1984 and Judan Suki. He claims that the name "Reverend" became his moniker because "I'm a big mouth and always running on at people"....
in London in April 2009. In 2009, Babyshambles
Babyshambles
Babyshambles are an English indie rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty during a hiatus from his former band The Libertines, but Babyshambles has since become his main project . Babyshambles has released two albums, three EPs and a number of singles...
drummer Adam Ficek
Adam Ficek
Adam Ficek is an English musician who performs under the 'Roses Kings Castles' name, and was a song writer and member of Babyshambles....
revealed plans of The La's second album to be recorded with the Babyshambles as backing band and Drew McConnell revealed plans for him to join The La's as bassist, however this supposed line up did not materialise and live appearances were cancelled. In 2010, a four disc box-set of singles, b-sides, studio out-takes, alternate recordings and live material Callin' All (2010) was released by Polydor which collected most of the band's still unreleased recordings produced whilst signed to Go! Discs.
In June 2011 Lee Mavers, accompanied by Gary Murphy on bass guitar, played a surprise concert in Manchester under the name Lee Rude & The Velcro Underpants. Following this Mavers and Murphy reformed The La's and played a series of "stripped back" shows across the UK and Europe including a performance at Rock en Seine festival in France in August 2011.
Musical style and legacy
The La's' sound has been compared to that of MerseybeatBeat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
and 1960s British rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and the band often faced comparisons to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
who were also from Liverpool. Founder member Mike Badger has named Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
as The La's' main influence and the band have also cited artists such as Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
as influences. Lee Mavers has described their sound as "rootsy" and "raw and organic" whilst Allmusic have noted the band's "simple, tuneful, acoustic-driven arrangements". The La's were also noted for their distinctly different style to other popular British bands in the late 1980s such as The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
and Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
.
The La's have gone on to influence many other British alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
artists for the next twenty years. The band had great influence on the Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
movement of the mid-1990s and have been cited as an influence by artists such as Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
, The Charlatans and Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
. Pete Doherty
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty is an English musician, writer, actor, poet and artist. He is best known musically for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he reformed with Carl Barât in 2010. His other musical project is indie band Babyshambles...
of The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
and Babyshambles
Babyshambles
Babyshambles are an English indie rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty during a hiatus from his former band The Libertines, but Babyshambles has since become his main project . Babyshambles has released two albums, three EPs and a number of singles...
has also cited the group as an influence. The La's have also influenced many later Liverpool bands including the "cosmic scouser" bands of the early 2000s such as The Coral
The Coral
The Coral are an English band formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula in England. The band first emerged during the early 2000s and found success with their debut album The Coral and follow up Magic and Medicine...
and The Zutons
The Zutons
The Zutons are an English indie rock band from Liverpool. They were formed in 2001 but did not release their first album, Who Killed...... The Zutons?, until May 2004. They achieved their biggest hits with "Why Won't You Give Me Your Love?" and "Valerie", both taken from their second studio album...
.
Members
- Lee MaversLee Mavers__notoc__Lee Anthony Mavers is an English musician from Liverpool, England. Mavers was the songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist in The La's and is perhaps best-known for the hit "There She Goes" in the late 1980s....
– guitar, vocals (1984–1992, 1994–1995, 2005, 2011) - Gary Murphy – bass (2011)
Former members
- Mike BadgerMike BadgerMichael Clifford "Mike" Badger is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and sculptor from Liverpool, England. He was co-founder of The La's and went on to form alternative country/roots rockabilly band The Onset in 1988 and The Kachinas in 1996...
– guitar, vocals (1984–1986) - John "Timmo" Timson – drums (1984–1985, 1986–1987)
- Phil Butcher – bass (1984)
- Jim "Jasper" Fearon – bass, drums (1985, 2005)
- Bernie Nolan – bass (1985–1986)
- Tony Clarke – drums (1985–1986)
- Paul Rhodes – drums (1986)
- John Power – bass, vocals (1986–1991, 2005)
- Barry Walsh – drums (1986)
- Paul HemmingsPaul HemmingsPaul Hemmings is a Liverpool based musician and photographer. He played with The La's, Mike Badger and The Onset and Ian Broudie and the Lightning Seeds...
– guitar (1987) - Mark Birchall – drums (1987)
- Peter "Cammy" Camell – guitar, bass (1988, 1989–1992, 1994–1995)
- Iain Templeton – drums (1988)
- John "Boo" Byrne – guitar (1988, 1995)
- Chris SharrockChris SharrockChris Sharrock is an English drummer from Bebington, Merseyside, England who has a long history of being an official member of many noted British bands, including The Icicle Works, The La's, The Wild Swans, World Party, The Lightning Seeds, The Robbie Williams Band, Oasis, and Beady...
– drums (1988–1989) - Barry SuttonBarry SuttonBarry Sutton is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Liverpool who has performed with numerous alternative rock bands since 1981. His career began as the songwriter and vocalist in the unsigned bands Western Diplomats and Marshmallow Overcoat...
– guitar (1988–1989, 1991) - Neil Mavers – drums (1989–1992, 1994–1995)
- James Joyce – bass (1991–1992, 1994)
- Lee Garnett – guitar (1994–1995)
- Jay Lewis – guitar (2005)
- Nick Miniski – drums (2005)
Studio albums
- The La'sThe La's (album)The La's, the self titled album by The La's, was the only studio release from the Liverpudlian four piece, released in 1990, but it earned them a place in the history books of British music and inspired a generation of bands, from Oasis and The Charlatans to Pete Doherty...
(1990) #30 (UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
), #196 (USBillboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
)
Compilation albums
- Lost La's 1984–1986: Breakloose (1999)
- Singles Collection (2001)
- Lost La's 1986–1987: Callin' All (2001)
- BBC in SessionBBC In SessionBBC In Session is a compilation of four BBC sessions by The La's, containing the band's session appearances on radio shows hosted by Janice Long, Liz Kershaw, Bob Harris and Nicky Campbell.- Track listing :# Doledrum# Way Out# Freedom Song...
(2006) - Lost Tunes (2008)
- De Freitas Sessions '87 (2010)
- Callin' All (2010)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
NL | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Mod | ||
| 1987 | "Way Out Way Out (song) "Way Out" is the debut single by The La's released in October 1987, after signing to Go! Discs Records.-Formats and track listings:* All songs written by L.A... " |
86 | — | — | — |
| 1988 | "There She Goes There She Goes "There She Goes" is a song written by British singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded first by Mavers' band, The La's.In May 2007, the NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.-Lyrics and meaning:... " |
59 | — | — | — |
| 1990 | "Timeless Melody Timeless Melody "Timeless Melody" is a pop song written by Liverpool singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded by Mavers' band, The La's.-Formats and track listings:* All songs written by L.A... " |
57 | — | — | 12 |
| "There She Goes" (remix) | 13 | 57 | 49 | 2 | |
| 1991 | "Feelin' Feelin' "Feelin" is the final single by The La's from their debut album released in February 1991.-Formats and track listings:* All songs written by L.A... " |
43 | — | — | — |
Other appearances
- A Secret Liverpool (1984) "I Don't Like Hanging Around"
- Elegance, Charm and Deadly Danger (1985) "My Girl (Sits Like a Reindeer)" and "Sweet 35"
- Unearthed: Liverpool Cult Classics, Vol. 1 (2001) "Don't Lock Me Out"
External links
- the-las.com (forum)