34 replies to this topic

[BobtheSquid]

So I know the House of Love has gotten a little... er... love on this board, but it's high time the band received its own full-blown appreciation thread. To my mind, these guys were every bit as essential as the Stone Roses in the late-'80s, early-'90s -- and they certainly were more consistently great -- and yet have never received the credit they're due.

Furthermore, I think a lot of people believe everything went sour after Terry Bickers left, which is slap in the face of Babe Rainbow, a fabulous and forgotten record that I put on an equal level with the self-titled "Butterfly" album as the band's best work. (FWIW, I find the self-titled Creation disc to be pretty severely overrated; the Rough Trade/Creation singles comp -- also self-titled -- that preceded it is actually much stronger.) HoL post-Bickers is kind of like Suede after Bernard Butler; they had one killer record left, and then, well...

Anyway, in an effort to spread the gospel, I spent the last week hashing out a best-of comp spanning the band's original incarnation (for whatever reason, I can't get into Days Run Away).

Here goes:


The House of Love I Don't Know Why I Love You: The Best Of, 1987-1993

http://www.sendspace.com/file/wj17ma

01.) Marble
02.) Shine On
03.) Crush Me
04.) Yer Eyes
05.) Blind
06.) Real Animal
07.) Plastic
08.) Beatles and the Stones
09.) Never
10.) Kiss the Fountain
11.) Fade Away
12.) I Don't Know Why I Love You
13.) Sweet Anatomy
14.) Feel
15.) Phone
16.) Destroy the Heart
17.) Shake and Crawl
18.) Someone's Got to Love You
19.) Christine
20.) Loneliness Is a Gun

[Slackmo]

Looking forward to this, but wondering where "You Don't Understand" is. All-time top 100 track for me. Well done, though, sir. Thanks.

[Pavement Ist Rad]

Love this band. Just great, outstanding guitar pop wonderfulness.

The Creation Recordings disc is essential ownage. I mean, the self-titled debut that makes up tracks one through ten is quite wonderful, but man, the second half with the non-album tracks absolutely PISSES all over the first half.

[BobtheSquid]

Looking forward to this, but wondering where "You Don't Understand" is. All-time top 100 track for me.

Check out "Kiss the Fountain."

[Bobzilla]

This is also pretty great:


The Peel sessions' versions of "Loneliness Is A Gun" and "Christine" are really simple and beautiful. "Destroy The Heart" is just so direct, as opposed to the dense squall of the original studio version.

How good is The House Of Love that I can look at BtS's mix and say, where in the hell is "Road"? "32nd Floor"? "Hannah"?

Still, great job. Great thread. Great band.

[ericmaloney]

"I Don't Know Why I Love You" was one of the dozen-or-so songs that got me through the separation and divorce process. I have the 12-inch single and play it every chance at DJ gigs.

[BobtheSquid]

Kind of old news, it appears, but....

13th March
Announce details of re-issue of debut album and Don't Look Back show.

The House Of Love have announced details of the re-issue of their
seminal self-titled debut album on 3rd September 2007.

The band are also set to perform the first album in its entirety when
they play London's Koko on 13th September as part of the Don't Look
Back series of gigs.

They are additionally set to re-release a compilation of early singles
and rare tracks on September 3rd. This record, also self-titled, was
initially released in 1988 as an import only through Rough Trade Europe
and collected together the A & B sides of the bands first 2 singles,
Real Animal and Shine On, plus some previously un-released tracks. The
re-issue will also feature the A & B sides of the band's seminal
single, Destroy The Heart, which didn't appear on the original album.

The band's debut long player was first released on Creation Records in
1988 following their much-acclaimed single, Christine. The 10-track
album, featuring classic tracks such as Hope, Man To Child & Love In A
Car was quickly hailed as one of the definitive independent releases of
the late 1980's.

Long out of print, the re-issue will come lavishly packaged in a card
gatefold sleeve featuring the definitive original artwork plus
extensive new sleeve notes.

The band re-formed in 2005 to release the warmly received long player,
Days Run Away. This incarnation of the House of Love saw original
members Guy Chadwick and Terry Bickers re-united for the first time in
over a decade. This original line up, also featuring Pete Evans on
drums, will perform at the Don't Look Back show in September.

Starting in 2005, the Don't Look Back series features bands playing
seminal album works in their entirety and the past few years have seen
The Stooges perform Fun House, Teenage Fanclub play Bandwagonesque and
Ennio Morricone perform some of his most well known film scores.

[Bobzilla]

Or you could troll around eBay looking for this:



The complete contents of the reissues described above. But why reissue one album when you can make people pay for two? Or even better...

http://www.mediafire.com/?byhnmxehpyz

01. Christine
02. Hope
03. Road
04. Sulphur
05. Man To Child
06. Salome
07. Love In A Car
08. Happy
09. Fisherman's Tale
10. Touch Me

11. Shine On
12. Plastic
13. Love
14. Real Animal
15. The Hedonist
16. Flow
17. Nothing To Me
18. Welt
19. On The Hill
20. Loneliness Is A Gun
21. Destroy The Heart
22. Blind
23. Mr. Jo

[Pavement Ist Rad]

That's what I'm talking about. Elastico, download this album.

[54cermak]

Looking forward to this, but wondering where "You Don't Understand" is. All-time top 100 track for me.

Well done, though, sir. Thanks.

OTM

[BobtheSquid]

Looking forward to this, but wondering where "You Don't Understand" is. All-time top 100 track for me.

Well done, though, sir. Thanks.

OTM

Take a listen. It's on there, just in a different form.

[AFTERSHOCK]

One of my all-time faves. Not a bad track from start to finish.

[jasperjones]

very cool, thanks!

[Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ҈҉Ѡ]

one of those bands I'd probably love but never got around to checking out, thanks for the impetus to do so.

[avec]

wow great thread, I'll check this stuff out too. Been meaning to for some time (damn you hoes is makin' my computer esplode wit all the shit I gotsa downlode)

[biggie mcsmalls]

Great songwriting and guitar playing.

[BobtheSquid]

Some HoL rarities:



Live

01.) Never
02.) Road
03.) Beatles and the Stones
04.) In a Room
05.) Christine

hxxp://www.sendspace.com/file/lgejn4

Promo-only EP recorded live by WXRT at Cabaret Metro, Chicago, 6/2/90.





Blind: Black Sessions

01.) Shine On
02.) Hope
03.) Hannah
04.) You Don't Understand



Burn: Black Sessions

01.) Crush Me
02.) Girl With the Loneliest Eyes
03.) Philyphile
04.) Fade Away

hxxp://www.sendspace.com/file/d10o4l

Live acoustic recordings for Benard Lenoir's Black Sessions, 5/5/92. 'Blind' was given away by French magazine Les Inrockuptibles, 'Burn' was given away with initial copies of 'Babe Rainbow' in France.

[54cermak]

Anyone have the song "Hollow" to upload? Great track from the much maligned (and horribly titled) last album Audience With The Mind.

[BobtheSquid]

Anyone have the song "Hollow" to upload? Great track from the much maligned (and horribly titled) last album Audience With The Mind.

Here goes:

hxxp://www.sendspace.com/file/vtgxf6

[54cermak]

Anyone have the song "Hollow" to upload? Great track from the much maligned (and horribly titled) last album Audience With The Mind.

Here goes:

hxxp://www.sendspace.com/file/vtgxf6

Thanks! I'll nab this when I get home.