Lush - OPO

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Seeing that ol' Levi's commercial brought back all my passion and love for Lush...but what was their best? My vote is for "Split" all the way, but I'm curious to see if any Lush fans exist in this rarefied ILM air.

― Erick H (Erick H), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Sweetness And Light.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:10 (twenty-three years ago)

When I Die is a fantastically bereft gasp and is brilliant.

― alexfack (alexfack), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:14 (twenty-three years ago)

ooh... either 'deluxe' or 'for love' depending on the day

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:14 (twenty-three years ago)

"De-Luxe"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:15 (twenty-three years ago)

miki and emma are far better songwriters than they are taken for most of the time

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:15 (twenty-three years ago)

Lush are fantastic and those who say otherwise are wrong.

I have this strange feeling I might love Sing-Sing better, though. Not sure.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:16 (twenty-three years ago)

"De-Luxe", but there are SO MANY SONGS I want to pick as well...

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Sing-Sing are fantastic but they're no Lush.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Sing-Sing's album is better than any Lush album but the Lush best-of thing is glorious glorious and Necessary.

― alexfack (alexfack), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:19 (twenty-three years ago)

See, trouble is I never actually bought any of Lush's albums, just the best of. Which I need to listen to far more than I actually have done.

Whereas Sing-Sing has been listened to scary amounts of times, and is probably one of my ten favourite albums ever.

So, y'know, is tricky.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I hate to admit it, but individual track for track, I like Spooky the best. They never made a great album, but they wrote a lot of good songs.

But my personal favorite is Delux.

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Some people are picking songs, others are picking albums. Huh?

Song: "Sweetness and Light"
Album: Split

― paul cox (paul cox), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Picking songs is easier cos I ain't got the albums.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:46 (twenty-three years ago)

Agree that the Sing-Sing album is monstrously undervalued and really deliciously luscious and fantastic, kind of a 'weather' record but I don't really know what I mean by that. Fields/windmills/breezes? no, I don't know where I'm going with this either.

I think Split is probably my favourite Lush album, Spooky is really very hard work. If the best of had I've Been Here Before and maybe The Invisible Man on it I'd be inclined to say that it's all the Lush you need. But I think I'd be wrong.

― alexfack (alexfack), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:48 (twenty-three years ago)

I only ever listen to the first EP nowadays. I like it fast and it doesn't devolve into cocteau blah.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Weather... hmm. I do get that, sort of. Summery. Everything is the evening, kind of thing... Panda Eyes feels like it's shot entirely in 1983-1986-vision, but lovely, kind of taps into the same vein as Look Around You (the telly series)...

It's sunshine, and the darkness that follows. More generally it's thirteen fantastic pop records. The ahhhhhh-ohh-waaah-aaah on Tegan is fucking irresistible.

(I'm better when I think about things, honestly)

But yes. The Joy Of Sing-Sing rules the bargain bin with gossamer fists. Now we return you to your scheduled programming...

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:52 (twenty-three years ago)

For Love, easy

― Aaron A., Thursday, 27 March 2003 00:57 (twenty-three years ago)

Spooky is a hard album, but if you ever listen to any of the songs outside of the album context it is really good.

I think the best way to think of Lush is like a really rich choclate cake, a small slice of it is delicious and leaves you wanting more, but an entire cake makes you wake to throw up. That is how i describe Spooky.

― Mike Taylor (mjt), Thursday, 27 March 2003 01:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Thoughtforms

― Nicole (Nicole), Thursday, 27 March 2003 01:05 (twenty-three years ago)

ARGH NICOLE I was hoping no one would mention "Thoughtforms" and I wouldn't feel the resurging conflict about my choice.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 27 March 2003 01:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Heh heh, Dan. But think of it this way -- WHICH VERSION? ;-)

Argh, too many choices. I just relistened to Gala the other day too. That said...*thinks*..."De-Luxe," "Thoughtforms," "Sweetness and Light," "Nothing's Natural," "Stray," etc., all great, but I'll have to go with "Monochrome." A brilliant album-ender and simply wonderful sounding through and through.

RIP Chris Acland.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 March 2003 01:20 (twenty-three years ago)

i'll go with gala

― kephm, Thursday, 27 March 2003 02:00 (twenty-three years ago)

we've done this before and I picked "Scarlet" off the first mini-album/EP Scar there too

― Paul (scifisoul), Thursday, 27 March 2003 02:02 (twenty-three years ago)

I say "Kiss Chase"

― xnelio (xnelio), Thursday, 27 March 2003 07:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Deluxe sounded like a real bolt of lightning at the start of 1990 and still sounds fantastic. Great live band, really primal on stage. Such a cool band by the tme of their Sweetness & Light EP but Split wins out on the album fromnt unless Gala counts as one.

― David Gunnip (David Gunnip), Thursday, 27 March 2003 09:21 (twenty-three years ago)

The only song I can remotely remember a hook from is "Sweetness And Light" so that's probably their best. Gauzy nonsense.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 27 March 2003 10:47 (twenty-three years ago)

The moss-baked-in-a-tin-bath wash of "Sunbathing".

Also props for bigging up Stephin Merritt at every opportunity when it was neither profitable nor popular to do so.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 27 March 2003 11:08 (twenty-three years ago)

Has occurred to me that I don't know of the Levi ad referred to in the question, which track is used and what is High Concept that it soundtracks?

― alexfack (alexfack), Thursday, 27 March 2003 11:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Dammit, I found Gala on vinyl at MVE in Notting Hell and Debbie Smith stuck a different bloody record in the sleeve! Argh! I was so upset, that was one of my fave records ever.

― kate, Thursday, 27 March 2003 11:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Just to be contrary I'm going to pick one of the b-sides from the two singles issued the same day, only problem is without a discography I'll be damned if I can remember the bloody song title... otherwise it would probably be either "Deluxe" or "Etheriel"... ah, now I've found a discog I can't decide whether it was "White wood" or "Girl's world"... not much use really, am I? I'll have to dig in my attic and find the single.

― Rob M (Rob M), Thursday, 27 March 2003 11:52 (twenty-three years ago)

one of the songs you refer to is their lovely cover of The Gist's "Love At First Sight"..

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 27 March 2003 11:53 (twenty-three years ago)

I agree a bit with Spencer (although it's a MINI-LP, dammit, not an EP!). So I'll say "Bitter".

― OleM (OleM), Thursday, 27 March 2003 13:00 (twenty-three years ago)

thoughtforms (mad love version obv.)

― piscesboy, Thursday, 27 March 2003 13:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Lush people are one of the reasons I felt welcome in London: Phil who joined after Steve left invited me to my first parties here. I haven't seen Miki in ages but Emma was at Goldfrapp a few weeks ago. I could really groove on Sweetness and Light right now.

I miss Chris.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 27 March 2003 15:51 (twenty-three years ago)

A friend of mine interviewed Chris a few months before he died -- said he seemed wonderfully affable and chatty, and couldn't have guessed at any hint of turmoil. :-(

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 March 2003 15:55 (twenty-three years ago)

And if that's not bad enough, I believe one of his parents also self-destructed that way after Chris died.

It is weird, still. That was a year of my life I do not care to dwell on - way too many friends and relations died - and it's very difficult to make the mental jump between the affable person I thought I knew and the one who took his own life. And in a year, as I said, where things got so strange one person I know died after drinking liquid ether for his last beverage in his bender. So essentially, Ned, not a soul saw it coming.

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 27 March 2003 17:21 (twenty-three years ago)

I need to take a time-out to say how excited I am Lush is a topic. All the albums are quite stellar, but if I had to pick one, I'd say "Split" is my favorite, though I'm not sure it's necessarily their best.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Thursday, 27 March 2003 18:25 (twenty-three years ago)

Blimey, how to choose ? "De-Luxe" has to win just for being such a blindingly, erm, lush noise at the time and a cooler-than-cool video on the Chart Show, though "Nothing Natural" does their 'washing' guitar sound lovelier than most and should have been a bigger hit.

What about their covers? "Outdoor Miner" was a 'textbook' cover - ie: Lush do the Wire song note-for-note but make it sound like their own - and isn't "Hey Hey Helen" one of the best ever Abba covers ?

― darren (darren), Thursday, 27 March 2003 19:35 (twenty-three years ago)

seven years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdhXvCc1RJE

I would still pick this song.

― O'Donnell and the Brain (HI DERE), Tuesday, 26 October 2010 13:52 (fifteen years ago)

I would pick this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx9wAE40Bl8&feature=related

― kkvgz, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 14:09 (fifteen years ago)

Always absolutely loved their cover of The Gist's 'Love at First Sight. Even though I'd probably pick others over it, it's a b-side so can easily be overlooked so I want to show it some love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8SpJhZp_Zw

― Chewshabadoo, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 22:12 (fifteen years ago)

Another great b-side from the same period:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7I2CcPh7x0

― Chewshabadoo, Tuesday, 26 October 2010 22:14 (fifteen years ago)

"Lovelife" off Split is an underrated track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwViT7t84rw

(but my OPO would still be "Sweetness and Light")

― lol @ dog w/ sunglasses (Pillbox), Tuesday, 26 October 2010 22:15 (fifteen years ago)

three years pass...

I am convinced right about now that this band is probably #2 of the 90s. I mean, well, for me. It's not really that big of a deal

Bottom line is I honest to God LOVE them. Gala, Spooky, and Split are just all around essential releases, once you get into them.

― ,max,, Monday, 7 July 2014 21:18 (eleven years ago)

"Breeze" and "Etheriel" are my favorites at the moment, as well as "Kiss Chase"

― ,max,, Monday, 7 July 2014 21:20 (eleven years ago)

one? only one? impossible. for years i would've said "lovelife", these days probably "superblast" or "fantasy".

― brimstead, Monday, 7 July 2014 21:27 (eleven years ago)

ILX to hip for its own good sometimes, Spooky best lp and For love best song

― X-101, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 13:12 (eleven years ago)

Co-sign.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 13:51 (eleven years ago)

still "De-Luxe"

― Star Gentle Uterus (DJP), Tuesday, 8 July 2014 13:52 (eleven years ago)

otm

― Daphnis Celesta, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 14:10 (eleven years ago)

there's a much longer thread here FYI

What happened to LUSH?

― piscesx, Tuesday, 8 July 2014 15:23 (eleven years ago)

The Wolfhounds were my favourite band on this night. Lush were very nervous. I genuinely start to feel dizzy when trying to recall MBV . I still have the MBV T shirt. Why?

1989.02.16 London University of London Union, Malet Street

My Bloody Valentine
The Wolfhounds
Lush
The Sperm Wails

De - Luxe still rules

― Jessie Fer Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 8 July 2014 18:00 (eleven years ago)

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