On this episode, we discuss one of the most heralded debut albums of the early 1990's: The La's by the La's.
Heavily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion bands, The La’s is full of bright, jangly, melodic guitar pop, ear-worms all. The single “There She Goes” has become a classic, and is possibly one of the most perfectly constructed pop songs ever recorded. The album’s history, however, is one of the most tortured in the annals of rock and roll. The band’s leader, Lee Mavers became known for his uncompromising perfectionism in search of the perfect sound. He obsessed over everything: from the perfect placement of the microphones, to the required vintage feel of instruments and tape machines (even claiming that cleaning the 1960’s era dust off them significantly affected their sound).
As a result of Mavers’ never-ending dissatisfaction with the inability to replicate the sound in his head, it took over three years to complete the album, 12 separate studio sessions, 7 producers, and several lineup changes along the way. The band actually walked out during the final recording session, leaving the album to be completed by the producer, Steve Lillywhite. Predictably, the band publicly disowned the album after its release and even discouraged people from buying it. Despite all of that, the album became a critically acclaimed and extremely influential pop classic, and in the decades since its release, is considered one of the finest albums released in the 1990’s.
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