House of Love: unjustly neglected?

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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)

one month passes...

forgot who posted it, but this got lost in the 17days:

http://www.artandindustry.co.uk/albums/dayssleeve.jpg

from NME.com:
Indie legends THE HOUSE OF LOVE are back after eleven years.

The band, who began life on Creation Records in 1988, release their first album since 1993’s ‘Audience With The Mind’ on February 28.

‘Days Run Away’ will be preceded by a single, ‘Love You Too Much’, on Valentine’s Day through Art And Industry Records.

The band, which sees mainman Guy Chadwick reunited with original guitarist Terry Bickers and original drummer Pete Evans, play London ICA on February 10. More dates are expected.

The album tracklisting is:

’Love You Too Much’
’Gotta Be That Way’
'Maybe You Know’
’Kinda Love’
’Money And Time’
'Days Run Away’
'Already Gone’
’Wheels’
’Kit Carter’
’Anyday I Want’

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I just know my hopes are going to do a swandive off the empire state when I hear this one. BIG SIGH. Thanks for sharing though, so I can mark my calendar.

― Bimble..., Tuesday, 21 December 2004 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Remember, it's the first one back with Bickers, so who knows...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 21 December 2004 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but I actually liked them better without him in the band, so it's just a nail-biter all the way around.

― Bimble..., Tuesday, 21 December 2004 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I will wait patiently...but why the Belle and Sebastian knockoff cover?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 00:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, that is kindof weird. Subconsciously I knew something was going on there and you just hit the nail on what it was.

― Bimble..., Wednesday, 22 December 2004 06:33 (twenty-one years ago)

i hope mr b never uttered this sentence "hey, i've got this old levitation song we could use"

― keith m (keithmcl), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Agreed. Although there was some promise on the first EP. Also, didn't he do the vocal on that "I'm Set Free" VU cover?

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 22 December 2004 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

four weeks pass...

Thanks to a certain ILX, I have heard this and it is wonderful. Not quite a stratospheric return, but a solid HoL album, I like it more than Babe Rainbow and anything after that. The sound is stripped down, but the songs and lyrics are very strong. I will be listening to this a lot.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

should of course be "Thanks to a certain ILXor..."

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Good to hear, Spencer. Thanks for letting us know.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 23:51 (twenty-one years ago)

"Gotta Be That Way" is just sublime.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Monday, 24 January 2005 02:00 (twenty-one years ago)

It grows on you well, does it not? What initially seemed like a samey listen gets more and more nuance with more listens.

― A Certain ILXOR, Monday, 24 January 2005 02:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Not that I want to hear it or anything.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Monday, 24 January 2005 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

why does the fontana self-titled get only three stars on amg, ned? it's a miracle of indie guitar pop, it shouldn't be rated at all. best album of 1990 by light years.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

Surely you've been around long enough to know why, Alex. ;-) (This has come up on past threads -- my reviews when submitted do get star ratings with them, but if as was the case here I was replacing an older review then often the older star rating remains for a while. Violator was like that for years.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:52 (twenty years ago)

Time to crack some skulls, Ned!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

*bows* You can see how effective this static is when you consider everyone came to me a year ago asking if I could 'fix' the AMG after the site upgrade.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 June 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

i exaggerated, i had listened to the first five songs. which are good for a 4 1/2 star rating. the album loses steam after. up to hedonist this album is so totally perfect. i have to relisten to the creation self-titled to find out which is their best release. probably the compilation, i suppose. they were a song band, not an album band, n'est-ce pas?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:19 (twenty years ago)

Look out, Alex, or Ned will destroy your heart.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

my heart has been destroyed long ago, alex...

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

Bumping up the rating for each album reviewed by Ned is a neverending process. Please be patient with us.

― AK (AK.), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:28 (twenty years ago)

He's right you know.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 23 June 2005 17:30 (twenty years ago)

the first ten songs on the 86-88 comp are identical to the creation album. the comp comprises creation. but i think i prefer the fontana album. taking sides. creation vs. fontana. what do you think?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 23 June 2005 18:04 (twenty years ago)

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