The concept of Laughtour was fairly simple - an eight song record featuring non-LP goodies and rarities from three Sire Records bands who found themselves bundled up on a 20+ date package tour of the States in 1990. I'm not sure who signed off on the song-quotients-per band, but The Mighty Lemon Drops were accorded an entire side of wax unto themselves. Any why would anyone complain when they lead this affair off with an inspired reading of the Standells' cult-classic "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White?" We're also gifted with a decent b-side, "Forever Home at Heart," and a pair of captivating live cuts, including the Lemon Drop's early single, "Like an Angel." The then-up-and-coming The Ocean Blue are also present with a more than solid outtake from their 1989 debut in the guise of "Renaissance Man," plus an alternate mix of the relentlessly jangly "The Circus Animals."
But it's the final artist in this trifecta, one relatively ignored by yours truly, John Wesley Harding, whom dazzles with a double shot of magic, out-impressing just about anything I've encountered on his proper albums. His acoustic go-round of "Devil in Me" leaps off the grooves with the wit and tuneful acumen of Billy Bragg, almost as if JWH was born to be his doppelganger. As for the synchronous angle I alluded to early, when I went to digitize this last week I wasn't conscious of the fact that Harding's second cut here, coincided with the fortieth anniversary (to the day, in fact) of the song's topic "July 13, 1985!" For those of you who need me to spell it out, the paean concerns Live Aid, which a gaggle of us Gen-X'ers are commemorating this very weekend. The song is part flashback, part confessional and wholly spot-on... and I shan't give much more away. Enjoy.
7 comments:
Awesome stuff! Thank you!
I attended the Atlanta show on this tour and it was phenomenal. The reason that the Mighty Lemon Drops got half the album was that they were the headliners. They were incredible and I still listen to their songs 35 years later. At the time I had not heard of John Wesley Harding, but I became an immediate fan. I saw him later in the year as co-headliners with the Posies (who had just released their first album). He was so creative and funny. I believe that he met someone in GA on the next tour and moved to Athens, GA for a while. He's written a few novels under his real name Wesley Stace.
Thanks for this. I didn't know this existed. I too saw this tour, and all 3 acts were excellent. Sire really did great with comps like this, especially the Just Say series.
A great 12" I've owned for years.
One little thing: Wesley Stace (aka John Wesley Harding) is a Brit, although he literally just became a US citizen this past week, so the phrase "Billy Bragg's stateside doppelganger" is doing a little too much stretching there.
Also, his Sire LPs were all very solid (and I'm a fan of much of his more recent work, as well as his novels).
One of the most talented and generous performers/artists I've ever encountered. He lives outside Philadelphia, and I've seen him perform in some terrific intimate venues in the area...The Live Aid song is brilliant, of course, as was the precient When The Beatles Hit America, but they both pale in comparison to hilarity of the Jason Bourne song, though I don't think there's any good recording of that out there...there IS a terrific recording of him covering Adam McNaughtan's Hamlet, though...
J-Ro: Wow I really got my facts messed up about JWH. Thanks for setting me straight and for the trivia (seriously, he wants to be a US citizen NOW?). An thanks for the info as well Etienne.
Post a Comment