The Lilac Time - & Love For All (1990)
The singles "American Eyes", "The Girl Who Waves At Trains" and "The Days Of The Week"
(Stephen always thought of this as a b-side) and the album all failed to chart.
They didn't even bother to make a promo video for "The Days of the Week" things were that low.
But the option had been picked up and the band had already set up residency at Rockfield
recording faux power pop with Andy Partridge producing.
As Stephen said at the time "I may have to turn thirty but old age wouldn't scare me. A strange
new lilac sound emerged unlike the first 2 albums and nothing like how we sounded live."
The money ran out and so did Andy Partridge so the last six tracks were "knocked out" with John Leckie.
Stephen fondly remembers those tracks as coming "closest to sounding like us".
The band went off to America to meet the promo team from Mercury, sans Nick. They were now just
bass, guitar and drums. "The three piece line up of guitar, bass and drums made us all work
and we'd worked hard around the U.K. doing three gigs a day - Bedford Riviera Lights (lunchtime).
Cambridge Browns (afternoon). Cambridge The Anchor (evening). Outside a seminary here, being
ignored by students as they ate their lunch there, of course this didn't mean we'd got "tight"
or anything quite so vulgar or become a road hardened outfit. However I had started to behave
like someone at the vanguard of the acid renaissance, I was definitely on the bus."
"San Francisco of course resonated in my snoozing beat soul. We played "Only Passing Through"
which I'd written on my first trip to SF. It was the properest gig we'd done for some time, it
seemed to go quite well."
That night Michael jumped out of bed in the middle of the night sure he was in the jungle
and had to coaxed reassuringly back to bed by Micky. Cara Tivey wondered if the Trinity was
father, mother, wife and child and that this song was about Stephen's fear of committing
to a family. But to Stephen this was a name song, the name of a road in Aston.
The threesome had played through most of the west coast, including Vegas. Whilst breakfasting
in a small restaurant Stephen chatted to a waitress and got the story of a brutal relationship.
He wrote "The Waitress' Story" about her but substituted his own story.
Alan McGee became the bands new manager when the last one (Tarquin Gotch) disregarded the contract
he had insisted upon and went to Hollywood to produce movies. The move to Creation went
badly and just at the time "And Love For All" was released. Phonogram insisted on a full
colour in focus picture of the band on the cover instead of the beautifully designed faux
Peter Blake heart that Stephen and Nick wanted.
Nick had really had enough now and refused to go to Northern Ireland on the Radio 1 Roadshow,
which left Stephen a week to teach Sagat the guitar. Returning to England they played a few
gigs with both Nick and Sagat.
As Stephen laments "The album came and went & we never did return to America."
Essential listen: In keeping with some previous eras I will point you in the direction
of a classic b-side or two. In fact they are both on the same single. The perfect "Cover" alongside
"Julie Written On The Fence" make "It'll End In Tears" an essential CD single. If "Cover" doesn't
make you tingle, I recommend a Doctor or better still a pathologist.
Essential buy: If you can find the vinyl LP of "And Love For All" make sure it has the
free Retro 1 compilation with it. It has the highlights of "Paradise Circus". Alternatively get
the new (2006) re-issue with the Bob Harris Sessions. Terrific.
Chris
~ Click on the cover images for more details ~
| Artist/Composer | Title | Release Year | Format | Cat. Number | Label | Country | Length | Tracks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | LP | 846 190-1 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 42:53 | 14 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | LP | 846 190-1 & RETRO 1 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 70:29 | 22 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | CD | 846 190-2 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 42:53 | 14 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | CD | PHCR-1019 | Nippon Phonogram | Japan | 42:53 | 14 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | CD | 846 190-2 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | USA | 42:53 | 14 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | CD | 846 190-2 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | USA | 42:53 | 14 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love For All | 1990 | Cassette | 846 190-4 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 42:53 | 14 |
|
The Lilac Time | & Love for All | 2006 | CD | 983862 1 | Mercury / Universal | United Kingdom | 77:04 | 22 |
|
The Lilac Time | All For Love & Love For All | 1990 | 7 inch | LILAC 8 (Int. 876 376-7) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 06:40 | 2 |
|
The Lilac Time | All For Love & Love For All | 1990 | 12 inch | LILAC 812 (Int. 876 377-1) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 11:54 | 4 |
|
The Lilac Time | All For Love & Love For All | 1990 | Cassette | LILMC 8 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 06:40 | 2 |
|
The Lilac Time | All For Love & Love For All | 1990 | CD single | LILCD 8 (Int. 876 377-2) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 11:54 | 4 |
|
The Lilac Time | It'll End In Tears | 1990 | 7 inch | LILAC 10 (Int.875 846-7) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 08:56 | 2 |
|
The Lilac Time | It'll End In Tears | 1990 | 12 inch | LILAC 1012 (Int. 875 847-1) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 14:49 | 3 |
|
The Lilac Time | It'll End In Tears | 1990 | Cassette | LILMC 10 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 08:56 | 2 |
|
The Lilac Time | It'll End In Tears | 1990 | CD single | LILCD 10 (Int. 875 847-2) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 14:49 | 3 |
|
The Lilac Time | The Laundry | 1990 | 7 inch | LILAC 9 (Int. 875 510-7) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 06:21 | 2 |
|
The Lilac Time | The Laundry | 1990 | 12 inch | LILAC 912 (Int. 875 511-1) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 09:04 | 3 |
|
The Lilac Time | The Laundry | 1990 | Cassette | LILMC 9 | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 06:21 | 2 |
|
The Lilac Time | The Laundry | 1990 | CD single | LILCD 9 (Int. 875 511-2) | Fontana/Phonogram, UK | United Kingdom | 10:42 | 4 |