The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 673

Monday, January 01, 2007

Number 673 - The La's

Number 673

The Las

"There She Goes"

(1990)
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Genre:Indie Rock

When the La's released their debut album in 1990, it made immediate waves in the British pop scene, as well as American college radio. Drawing from the hook-laden, ringing guitars of mid-'60s British pop as well as the post-punk pop of the Smiths, the La's' self-titled first album had a timeless, classic feel. It seemed like effortless music, yet that was not the case. From their inception in 1986, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Lee Mavers was a perfectionist with a nearly obsessive eye for detail. Consequently, the La's were never able to totally fulfill their promise

Lee Mavers formed the group in Liverpool with bassist John Power, guitarist Paul Hemmings and drummer John Timson. On the strength of their demo tapes, Go! Discs signed the band in 1987, releasing the single "Way Out"; it received good reviews, yet it wasn't a chart success. Similarly, the following year's "There She Goes" received good press yet stalled on the charts. With a new lineup featuring bassist James Joyce, guitarist Cammy (born Peter James Camel ), and Lee's brother Neil Mavers on drums, the La's began recording their debut album that same year.

The record didn't appear until 1990. Even though Lee Mavers claimed it was rush released, the Steve Lillywhite-produced The La's received glowing reviews and strong sales; a re-released "There She Goes" entered the U.K Top 20 and hit number 49 in America. For most of 1991, the band was on tour. At the end of the year, they went back to the studio to record their follow-up. This time, Lee Mavers was in complete control and he took his time to perfect the album, re-recording tracks and rewriting songs. The La's disappeared without a trace from the pop music scene. Lee Mavers and a reconstituted band resurfaced in the spring of 1995, playing a handful of supporting concerts that featured a couple of new songs. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine]

Crowbarreds choice for Website to find more on The La's ... Click on the address http://www.leonardslair.co.uk/las.htm

What does Rolling Stone think of the La's?

With just one album in its discography, and one genuine hit -- the enduringly charming "There She Goes" -- the La's look to be a lock for the one-hit-wonder hall of fame. Which is a shame, because the Liverpool group, which drew its sound from the spiderwebbed guitars of the Byrds and the Hollies, was for a moment or two among the most promising in all British pop.

First established in 1986, the La's recorded their debut with producer Steve Lillywhite. While the fragile, slightly anguished voice of Lee Mavers brings melancholic dimension to "There She Goes," the rest of the album, which later influenced Oasis and others, stretches from fantasy themes to gnarly garage rock to the near-frantic "Way Out." What connects these styles is Mavers' keen melodic sense: Even when he's projecting anger or hostility, there's an ethereal, floating-in-the-clouds effortlessness to the songs, a quality Mavers apparently tried, unsuccessfully, to replicate on a followup that was never released. After the success of "There She Goes," which turned up on the soundtrack to 1998's The Parent Trap, Mavers worked for years on a second record, and despite a tour in the mid-'90s, it has never been released; bassist John Power enjoyed some success in the U.K. with his middling, hippieish Brit-pop band Cast. ~ [source: Rolling Stone - From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]
For Oasis see Number 574

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (The wha?) and the album ranked at (huh? Album?)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 69.5 out of 108