It wasn't until fairly recently that the prospect of dedicating a Chanukah post to
Baby Lemonade occurred to me. I suppose it helped that a small stack of their original demo tapes had fallen into my lap - that and a fairly pristine live recording I came across, from the band's late '90s heyday, no less. There have been multiple bands monikered Baby Lemonade over the years, spanning at least two continents. The one in question was a fabulous Los Angeles-area quartet, who in fact
didn't sound like Syd Barrett or PFloyd, but were loosely affiliated with the neo-psych movement. Truth be told they were more in league with L.A.'s burgeoning power-pop scene, entailing the likes of the Wondermints, Sugarplastic and Cockeyed Ghost. Helmed by two talented singer/songwriters,
Rusty Squeezebox (likely an assumed name) and
Mike Randle, they stuck around for three albums, and a handful of briefer releases, before touring as a full time backup band for
Arthur Lee's reconstituted version of
Love, a pretty sweet gig that lasted two decades right up until Lee's 2006 passing.
I've featured two B/L records previously. First, 1993's
Wonderful ep and the "Local Drags"
single. Additionally, I even pitched you a live recording of a 1996 Reseda, CA
performance on top of that. There isn't much more that I can tell you now, that I didn't back then, however I can't emphasize enough the closest the band came to delivering an outright masterstroke was their '98 sophomore LP,
Exploring Music, an album that encompassed B/L's ever-maturing aptitude and acumen. Not quite
Forever Changes or
Pet Sounds (okay, relatively far off in fact),
Exploring... often suggested a patina of orchestral pop classicism. Before that album the band dropped
68% Pure Imagination in 1996. If not the most stunning jewel in their collective crown, they were nonetheless gathering steam and speed at a rapid clip.
The demos featured in this meager clearinghouse foreshadow 68%..., including one of the group's signature numbers, "Pop Tarte," a fuzzy mesh of power-chords clad to copious melodic camaraderie, that coincidentally resembled what Superdrag were dishing out right around the same time. Several of the remaining tracks follow suit with varying results, highlights ranging from the delicate and textured strains of "Open Up Yourself" to the crunchy, amp-ridden "Over My Head," exuding subtle glam-rock sway. I think I counted four or five songs here that never appeared on any future B/L release.
As for the 1998 concert, this was their Exploring Music record-release show at Jack's Sugar Stack in Hollywood. As aforementioned, Baby Lemonade soar to new heights with this record, and nine out of it's dozen songs are represented in this sublime set list. The gig was capped off with an extended rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," and a roiling reading of "Hot Love" that just might have made Cheap Trick themselves green with envy. Clap your hands indeed.
1995 demos
01. Over My Head
02. Drown
03. Heavy
04. Luminosity
05. Postman's Son
06. Pop Tarte
07. Shake the Shelter
08. Never Mind the Hype
09. Never Again
10. Open Up Yourself
Exploring Music record release - Jack's Sugar Shack, Hollywood, CA 11/13/98
01. -intro-
02. Clap Your Hands
03. Stay Awhile
04. Better Things
05. Green Boat
06. Once Again
07. Long Train Rides
08. So Long
09. Summer Song
10. Underground D.J.
11. Hot Love
12. Let's Stay Together
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