The LA’s – In session for Nicky Campbell – BBC Radio 1 – March 1, 1989 – BBC Radio 1 –
The LA’s to start off the week. From a session recorded at BBC Radio 1 for the Nicky Campbell Show on March 1, 1989. To call The LA’s one-hit wonders would be only partly true. To call The LA’s a band interrupted might be more accurate. The LA’s were a 4-piece Indie/Jangle-Pop/Britpop band from Liverpool. Forming in 1983, the band underwent numerous personnel changes, while retaining the original core members, Lee Mavers and John Power, the band secured a label deal in 1987 and began work immediately on their debut album. In the interim, they released several singles, including their signature hit, There She Goes, which became something of an anthem in the 1990s and has been used in a string of movies, TV commercials and compilations. It came to be their biggest (and sadly only) hit. It was actually done twice – the first time in 1988 to fair reviews and attention, but did poorly in the charts. The was subsequently reissued several times, and finally issued as a remix by Steve Lillywhite, which became the much hoped-for hit.
After considerable controversy, a string of frustrating sessions and changes in the lineup, their debut album finally came out in 1990, and was heralded by critics and sold moderately well worldwide. However, co-founder John Power abruptly left the band in 1992, to form Cast. The remaining members called for a hiatus, and it lasted some two decades before getting back together. There was a brief re-forming in the mid-1990s, but nothing again until the mid-2000s.
Tonight it’s a session just prior to the release of their debut album. It doesn’t feature There She Goes, but it does showcase their other work, which gave some idea of what more the band had to offer musically. And it was considerable.
Further evidence the concept of the “one-hit wonder” may be a misnomer. As the LA’s proved, like so many bands before and since, that there is much more than meets the eye (or ear, in this case).
Have a listen.
