House of Love: unjustly neglected?

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Funny with this thread bouncing around with the one about Suede's "Nude". Lots of poeple at the time referred to butterfly album as The House of Love's "Fontana".

― Keith Watson (kmw), Thursday, 10 June 2004 17:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe not unfairly neglected, but the highs ("Love in a Car", "Destroy the Heart") are stratospheric. For those 2 songs alone, they deserve to be more widely known.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 10 June 2004 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't even 'Babe Rainbow' officially untitled, Keith? It's just got the words someone in the cover art?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 10 June 2004 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick, yeah right you are...

Actually the sleeve says it's reproduced with kind permission of Peter Blake and PETE TOWNSHEND.

I should know, being a massive W!H!O! fan.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Thursday, 10 June 2004 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

For those 2 songs alone, they deserve to be more widely known

and "Marble"

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Thursday, 10 June 2004 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

A Spy in the House of Love has some staggeringly awesome moments, the highest of which is probably "Safe" -- what a great freaking song!

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Thursday, 10 June 2004 21:13 (twenty-two years ago)

wasn't 'safe' meant to be the single that 'never' ended up being? or am i confused?

― the surface noise is so overwhelming that it renders the contents of the re (ele, Thursday, 10 June 2004 21:58 (twenty-two years ago)

you are correct

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

also, that Guy Chadwick solo album had one really good song - "This Strength".

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I like "beatles and the stones!" I still have the butterfly album. But I admit it does sound very dated in ways that the debut doesn't.

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I quite liked most of the stuff on the Chadwick solo album. It was a shedload better than the previous House of Love album.

― Keith Watson (kmw), Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i always hated that line "your face is a foreign food". Apart from that i know nothing.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

'christine' is still mighty to these ears

― the surface noise is so overwhelming that it renders the contents of the re (ele, Thursday, 10 June 2004 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

How was Guy's previous band, Kingdom or The Kingdoms or some name like that? I've seen their single for sale a few times.

― svend (svend), Friday, 11 June 2004 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I only have the Butterfly album and Babe Rainbow (never seen the proper first album anywhere. Did it even come out on CD?). I think both mix some awesome moments with cringeworthy ones (mainly in the lyrics department) - in fact they're an odd band in that they can go from awesome to cringeworthy in just a few seconds. Like, the song on Babe Rainbow with the chorus that goes "I'm going high, I'm going higher, I'm going higher than life..." - I kinda dislike that chorus for its anthemic naffness, but then it suddenly goes dark and gloomy at the end of the chorus when Guy wails "...when I grow cold!" and the post-punk guitar rings out in the background and suddenly it's magical.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 11 June 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

there was a CD version of the debut released on Relativity (i think) which i have.

― the surface noise is another unwelcome bonus resulting from a preamp's inab (ele, Friday, 11 June 2004 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

i think there's also a cd version of the rough trade compilation of the first couple of releases too, but i haven't seen it.

― the surface noise is another unwelcome bonus resulting from a preamp's inab (ele, Friday, 11 June 2004 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

'Feel' off Babe Rainbow I used to love. Maybe I still do. It featured in a great compilation tape segue I once made. I can't remember with what though.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 11 June 2004 00:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah "Feel" is great. I also love their half-hearted attempts to belatedly come to grips with baggy, pretty much all frontloaded at the start of the record.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Friday, 11 June 2004 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Tim, there's a UK collection of all their Creation stuff (the whole first album, the 'Destroy the Heart' single and b-sides) on one disc which you NEED.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 11 June 2004 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Wot Spencer said. It is urgent and key. Here's an amazon.co.uk listing for it.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 11 June 2004 04:02 (twenty-one years ago)

i'd forgotten all about that release!

― the surface noise is another unwelcome bonus resulting from a preamp's inab (ele, Friday, 11 June 2004 04:04 (twenty-one years ago)

And to say further, it's the self-titled first album, the singles before the album which appeared on the German compilation also called The House of Love -- it made collecting all this stuff back in 1990 a bit of a chore -- and "Destroy the Heart" and B-sides, as indicated.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 11 June 2004 04:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I love In A Room for these lines:

When I'm drunk in a room
That's when I think of you
Oh my baby, she went AWOL
Drove to a shop, never to return
And it broke me, like a flower

His delivery cracks me up every time, and then the guitar parts are fabulous. Also great for driving because he keeps shouting "and i can't! slow down! no i can't!"

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 11 June 2004 04:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw the video for Christine on 120 minutes when it was new. I taped it. I then taped it onto a video mix I made. I still have it. somewhere. Beautiful song. Beautiful video. The video was kinda like the Swans Love Will Tear Us Apart video. kinda.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 11 June 2004 05:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow. That Creation comp is all you need, innit?

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Friday, 11 June 2004 07:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Does it have the excellent 'Safe' on it? They wanted it as first major label single but the record company made them put out the stadiumesque rubbish that was 'Never' instead.

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Friday, 11 June 2004 08:11 (twenty-one years ago)

'safe' was actually recorded for fontana. it's on "spy in the house of love"..

― the surface noise is another unwelcome bonus resulting from a preamp's inab (ele, Friday, 11 June 2004 08:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Safe was actually recorded while they were still on Creation tho'. It was going to be the last single for Creation before they signed to a major. It was the B side of the 12 inch of 'Never' and as you say on that compilation.

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Friday, 11 June 2004 08:23 (twenty-one years ago)

true but i don't think creation held the rights unfortunately..

― the surface noise is another unwelcome bonus resulting from a preamp's inab (ele, Friday, 11 June 2004 08:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought "The Girl With The Loneliest Eyes" was an absolutely gobsmacking single at the time - all those bruised, abstracted strings like they'd tried to channel Jimmy Webb and these magnetic disturbances was all they could summon. Also memorable for its appearance, low down but covered in unexpected glory, on a vintage Reynolds MM singles page.

"Destroy The Heart" remains some kind of anaerobic peak - a high-altitude sprint through a sparkler factory. I love the way Chadwick shadows his vocal with a lower-register double.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Friday, 11 June 2004 09:18 (twenty-one years ago)

> I saw the video for Christine on 120 minutes when it was new.
> Beautiful song. Beautiful video.

both the 'christine' and 'destroy the heart' videos are wonderful in their simplicity. one is just a slow 360' pan around the studio as the band play. they open and close the first of those creation videos. http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=285903

― koogs (koogs), Friday, 11 June 2004 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Jones is on the moony. The Rooney. The money.

N.'s disdain for the butterfly is just unfathomable.

I like reading the lyrics of 'In A Room', above: reminding me what a tremendous, little-known track that is.

― the bellefox, Friday, 11 June 2004 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

No one likes the sodding Butterfly - why pick on me?

I was going to mention how much I loved 'The Girl With The Loneliest Eyes' but I'm not sure I do anymore. The title is just too meh for me now.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 11 June 2004 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I LOVE the Butterfly album!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 11 June 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't understand this idea that it was all downhill after the first album. I bought that first album when it came out and other than "Love In A Car" & "Christine", everything else went in one ear and out the other. That album left no impression on me whatsoever. Butterfly album also didn't interest me much (although it's grown on me over time). Strangely it wasn't until I heard their leftovers (Spy In the House Of Love) that I started getting interested, and when I saw them live at Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival in '91 (same festival featured in Sonic Youth video 'The Year Punk Broke') I suddenly realized I was a complete House Of Love nut. Something about Chadwick just came across so charmingly in a live setting. I remember he kept having a problem with a bee that kept flying near his face. It was funny.

Babe Rainbow was their masterpiece, terribly underappreciated in my book, and Audience With The Mind was only a tiny step below Rainbow for me. HoL got better with age, not worse.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 12 June 2004 06:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno, I love Babe Rainbow but the last album was tremendously drab.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 12 June 2004 06:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I think it would have been much better and cohesive without those few songs sung by the other guy in the band.

Here's an interesting link about the Babe Rainbow painting:

http://www.belgraviagallery.com/DetailBP101.htm

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 12 June 2004 06:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Also I thought it was totally strange that the Chadwick solo stuff sucked so mightily. I really thought when I bought his first single that I was betting on a sure thing. Hard to believe he could fail like that.

I guess if there was any news on the reunion, someone would have already posted it here...

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 12 June 2004 06:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Today I put on a tape: it turns out to be the HoL sessions again. And I open an e-mail - it's Dave Boyle, asking about 'Feel'!

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 22 June 2004 10:23 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

In Canada the first thing I heard was the Butterfly album, which is brilliant. I would even go so far as saying it comes to the proverbial desert island with me. I loved the other albums too, although I was disappointed by 'Audience..', with the exception of the title track and 'Shining On'.

This past Sunday, the sun was shining here in London so I went to my local park with the Creation recordings comp to have a little lie-down. I had never really listened to the whole thing through and it was pure bliss. 'Love in Car' really hit me. Wonderful stuff.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 09:20 (twenty-one years ago)

safe is the bside of never on all versions not
just the 12" just in case anyone's arsed.

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

So I check out the unofficial website every few months and saw this!

"10th October
Work is almost complete on the bands new album. Recording is now finished and mixing is well under way. The band are hoping to release the album in early Spring."

Guy and Terry and I think Pete on drums - recording with Pat Collier who did the engineering on their Creation era releases!!! I'm very excited.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 28 October 2004 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Nice! Glad you posted this. Was thinking about them the other day when Tom mentioned hearing "In a Room" on one of their Peel Sessions.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 28 October 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

How is it that I never answered this thread? In any case, absolute classic.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 29 October 2004 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

i heard 'in a room' on the radio today. it was on indie 1150. i think better than ezra was on next.

― keith m (keithmcl), Friday, 29 October 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hannah", opening up the butterfly album (which segues seamlessly into "Shine On") is sheer magnificence.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 29 October 2004 00:52 (twenty-one years ago)

their cover of pink frost was lovely.

― keith m (keithmcl), Friday, 29 October 2004 00:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Now, I am listening to the B-side of 'Never': 'Soft as Fire'.

― the firefox, Thursday, 11 November 2004 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

They are making a new LP??

Yes, 'In A Room' is smashing: Tom E likes it? Cor.

― the bellefox, Thursday, 11 November 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Skipping 66 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Wow that is rotten.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 24 October 2022 00:22 (three years ago)

Is there any particular article or source for that? I'd like to be able to share the news further.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 24 October 2022 00:23 (three years ago)

This would be very sad. Andrea Heukamp had been contributing backing vocals to a band in Münster called Loving the Sun.

There was an obituary published in Münster earlier this month for a 57-year-old employee of the city called Andrea Heukamp, so that could well be her.

She sang vocals on what is probably my favourite House of Love track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lut2wm-qtdk

― Portsmouth Bubblejet, Monday, 24 October 2022 01:53 (three years ago)

I think I saw it on a Steve Hoffman forum thread, and it came by way of a post from someone claiming to be her cousin in a German Rolling Stone forum:

https://forum.rollingstone.de/foren/reply/11898217/

Google translate says:

Rest in peace Andrea Heukamp. (guitarist and background singer of The House Of Love and girlfriend of Chris Groothuisen)
Andrea is my cousin, lived in Munster after she left the band. She started with music in a shared apartment here in Münsterland, that's where she met Chris and they later went to London, founded House Of Love and recorded songs and played concerts. The music business and drugs bothered her, she became seriously ill and withdrew. In Münster she lived a secluded life and in recent years has made a living doing housekeeping jobs. My younger brother was in contact with my her right up to the end, he now arranges everything necessary with a friend/partner of Andrea's.
Andrea didn't get in touch last week as agreed, she was found lying dead in her room. A heart attack was probably the cause of death. Andrea was only 57 years old.
Take care up there, Andrea. It wasn't so nice for you down here. Bye.

So I guess there's a chance it's not accurate, but at the same time, no reason to believe it isn't, sadly.

― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 24 October 2022 04:20 (three years ago)

six months pass...

perhaps they are unjustly neglected in 2023. I splurged for the Fontana box and yes it sounds wonderful. I like the butterfly album a lot more now, except for “never”.

I don’t really know what to say about this music. I think their records sound fabulous and guy had a real unique sensitive middle aged guy voice. The guitar playing is exquisite and vividly colorful, lush like fresh fruit, the drums hit just right in that British anthemic way…

― brimstead, Friday, 19 May 2023 20:08 (three years ago)

“shine on” really is sheer perfection, whichever version

― brimstead, Friday, 19 May 2023 20:08 (three years ago)

unjustly neglected perfection!

― Terrycoth Baphomet (bendy), Wednesday, 24 May 2023 00:13 (three years ago)

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