Lush

THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION

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hypocrite : noun

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.
3. a tremendous near-hit single released on 30 May 1994

mp3: Lush – Hypocrite

4AD was a great home for Lush as neither the label nor the band cared about convention, but I occasionally wonder what possessed both of them to decide to more or less thrown away its chances of being a hit by deciding to release two new EPs on the very same day

Yup, 30 May 1994 also saw this released as the lead-track on a separate EP:-

mp3: Lush – Desire Lines

Hypocrite entered at #52 and Desire Lines at #60.  The latter, at almost eight-minutes in length, was hardly radio-friendly.

I’ve tracked down all the other tracks issued on the EPs:-

Hypocrite

mp3: Lush – Love At First Sight
mp3: Lush – Cat’s Chorus
mp3: Lush – Undertow (Spooky Remix)

Desire Lines

mp3: Lush – White Wood
mp3: Lush – Girl’s World
mp3: Lush – Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)

I think it’s fair to say that one listen to the music on the two EPs nails the myth that Lush were ever a one-dimensional shoe-gaze band, a myth that would be totally blown away a couple of years later when songs like Ladykillers, Shake Baby Shake, and Single Girl brought them chart hits.

JC

8 thoughts on “THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION”

  1. Always good to hear Lush and this is a particularly fine brace of EPs.

    Regarding the lead song title, was your post prompted by [insert any Tory MP name here]?

  2. Shoegaze, much like twee, was until relatively recently a term that was generally spat out with projectile spit and derision. Much like twee it’s a genre that I enjoyed at the time and enjoy now – although, without a snide weekly music press, bands that would have once ‘fitted’ into those genres are less pressured by lazy soundbite journalists.

    From 89’s Scar LP to 91’s Spooky (singles and EPs included) I’d most definitely describe myself as a fan. By the time 94’s Split LP had been released (and both of JC’s chosen singles) my musical tastes had found a different focus. It wasn’t till Lovelife (the LP, not the song) that I was reintroduced.

    Hypocrite. Is it Tweegaze? Have I just made that term up? Probably not. I think I’ve ‘acquired’ it from a good friend. Lush did, I believe, always demonstrate pop sensibilities – however, Single Girl was, for me, an out and out pop song that popped!!! It was duly purchased – on CD – quite the thing for me in 95 as I was still rather anti-CD.

    I’ve long said to myself that a full Lush playlist should be enjoyed. This article has given me a push to put a date in my diary. Just had a wee listen to Thoughtforms… aaahhhh!

    I need to re-familiarise myself with songs that brought such joy and I hope songs, less familiar, will provide additional moments of excitement.

  3. P.S. Anon is Flimflamfan – leaned over for a sup of coffee and hit ‘post comment’.

  4. Lush was a great band! I was lucky to lay my hands on one of the RSD pizza-boxes (Origami) with all their albums (Gala summing up the first releases), including an extra download code for home-demos.
    I think I have to pick up Miki’s book.

  6. I thoroughly recommend Miki’s autobiography, an excellent read although quite disturbing in places, very compelling.

  7. Lush was (is?) an amazing band. Britpop destroyed them, unfortunately, and the longer they went on the less interesting they became (which is the reason their greatest hits is in reverse chronological order)

    “Blind Spot” was their redemption

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