What happened to LUSH?

Thanks for that link (myoldman), Branwell

This keeps picking at my brain, so I'm going to have to type it out, why that mistake bothers me. (It's not implied as a dig at a music journalist, or a specific organ, because sic or anyone else goes at that again; more something that's more generally symptomatic.)

I am always the first person to insist that an artist's visual semiotics are hugely important! Image, haircuts, clothes, these things do *matter* in why people love bands and why bands are important or influential. It's more that... image and visual semiotics rely upon signifiers and associations. Even subtle things like colours are emotive and come with charged with pre-established meanings. It does not feel like an accident that (at least) two people, including one that was so confident of the memory that he published it in a national newspaper, despite accompanying pictorial evidence to the contrary, described Berenyi's hair as "shocking pink" when she was well-known for fire-engine / stop-sign / pillarbox *red* hair. And this is about the cultural *meaning* and associations of "shocking pink".

If you think this is just a simple error of mis-attribution in the description of a colour, try to imagine this: a music journalist describing Kraftwerk "taking to the stage in their iconic/distinctive/characteristic shocking pink shirts and black ties". It's the same exact colour, but that error of memory would be unthinkable.

I'm just disappointed with Lush interviews now, like I was constantly being disappointed with interviews, then. Like, how every interview will mention Berenyi's pillarbox red hair, but would not mention her cherry red 12-string. And that's not just quibbling "oh, only musos care about guitars" because reviews of Ride managed to mention "rave music with Rickenbackers" and reviews of MBV always managed to talk about the swooping sounds of their tremolos, even if the journalists didn't always know what the piece of kit was called. And how completely *integral* - not to mention distinctive and unique - Berenyi's use of the 12-string was to their music. Yet people will mention her hair colour a hundred times before mentioning her guitar?

I mean, that 12-string sound... I was just listening to Gala all over again, and on the those early EPs it was so amazing. Most bands of that era who used a 12-string would make like Ride or MBV in their Strawberry Wine phase, and jangle away in this really retro, pseudo-60s Beatlesy-Byrdsy prettiness. Lush managed to have a 12-string that did hark to the 60s at all, it was a much more aggressive, punky, whallop of a sound. I was always fascinated by that guitar because it didn't *sound* like a jangly, trebley Rickenbacker. It was something that sounded both (LOL) Lush and swirly and glittering, but was also huge and solid and as brash as punk, like sandpaper made out of diamonds, beautiful and deadly. It's hard to write about that music without coming across all ~cathedrals of sound~ because it's that weird contradiction of a tone that is both solid as marble and uncompromising as a concrete wall, but as intricate as the tracery on a Gothic arch. That whole "glittering shards of sound" thing was hugely down to the distinctive sound of that 12-string and how Berenyi played it. This was something that was particularly noticeable on seeing them live (which I was lucky enough to do, several times) but is easy to lose in the swirls of the records.

I know that they were always all about demystification - and I think that Berenyi and Anderson's constant self-effacement probably fuels the tradition that people do not talk about their craft or their instrument choices and aesthetic choices (or worse, project those choices onto the nearest (male) producer) as opposed to their hair or their mateyness or their drinking habits. But self-effacement is a game that's enforced upon women, and it's always lose-lose.

Yes. It *is* criminal, how underrated they were as songwriters, and also as authors of their own, intensely unique - and highly influential - sound. But this thing, where interviews write about their haircolour (badly wrongly, as it may be) and their drinking habits and their relationships; but never ever about their music. This contributes to that act.

Anyway, this has reminded me that I need to order the box sex (provided it's available in CD and not vinyl or cassette or etched into the stones of sonic cathedrals) and I'm excited to hear this new EP.

Thankfully it is on CD. Hoping it's not too limited. I'm waiting for it to pop up on amazon sometime today.

actual IRL LOL @ "box sex*" typo

*set

enjoyed that post branwell. was never much of a fan but that actually makes me want to give them another go.

Billie Joe Armstrong has never had his hair colour described as "Shocking Pink".

(hmm, think I'll google that to make sure..

I found myself locked in Billie Joe's arms, I mean seriously trapped, with my legs ... He had spiked shocking-pink hair, a nose stud, and looked so cool. ..

EXIT EXIT!!
)

this thing, where interviews write about their haircolour (badly wrongly, as it may be) and their drinking habits and their relationships; but never ever about their music

There is plenty of stuff in that Guardian piece about their music.

Looks like Miki herself wrote a comment on the Guardian article ...though she didn't address the hair colour gaffe.

Dear Guradian readers

I'm just back from seeing my little boy play drums at the Paddington Arts Club Christmas Show. Sad that they have had their funding cut and are about to become yet another victim of the future of London as a desolate landscape for the rich.

Anyway,

No, I didn't fuck Jeff Buckley

Kentish Town chippie was FAB and had the best chips and curry sauce

Phil is the nearest I will ever get to knowing a rock and roll legend

Genuine apologies to anyone I gave dirty looks to for standing on their foot.

Hate photo sessions - don't blame the photographer, we are just shit at them (and always were). Also, I look like a tired 50-year-old office worker because that's what I am. Like most men and women who work full time and have kids, I have no time/money for gym/beauty treatents/botox.

Really, Justin Welch is one of the nicest, kindest people you could ever meet. And a fantastic talent to boot. Mr Tumble would be a GREAT option, though.

Phil and I aren't journalists. Aparently the Guardian doesn't feel that its readers are intelligent enough to understand the terms 'sub editor' and 'picture researcher' so they substitute the writer's copy to say 'journalist'.

A general note to the 'haters': I'm fascinated that you spend your time poised over the keyboard, waiting for things you dislike to appear online so you can instantly get in early with your sour comments. Like an unwanted guest at a party complaining that you're not having a good time. Say that shit to my face, you piece of shit cowardly fuck.

Lots of love, Miki

http://steponmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/TdluNXKXXs8-300x225.jpg

Not shocking pink - but perhaps closer to Pantone 17-2031?

Hey - maybe Miki's 1990s hair is actually outside of the colour gamut of most of our monitors*. Did you think of that? We can only go by memories of the gigs ;)

(* Semi-seriously! Pillar-box/fire truck red is really hard to capture in sRGB/Rec.709 colour space.)

On the couple of occasions I met her, I was in drunken embarrassing fanboy mode. I wish I could get those evenings back.

well, the boxset is very lovely.

How does it sound compared to the originals?

no idea .. never heard the original cds ..sorry.

it's been 'tweaked' but not completely remastered supposedly so they're not shouting about it too much.
and from the unofficial facebook page here's a list of what is missing from the box

7” edit of sweetness and Light (4.14 instead of 5.19)
7” edit of Nothing Natural (4.02 instead 5.58)
Superblast! remix by Gil Norton from the US and Japanese promo cd singles.
Stray (The Choirmaster Mix) - Drum Club remix
Stray (Stray Groove Mix) - Drum Club remix
Stray (Hole In The Sky Mix) - Drum Club remix
Last Night (Hexadecimal Dub Mix)
Last Night (Latent Power Mix)
Last Night (Darkest Hour Mix)
Lovelife (Suga Bullit Remix)
Ladykillers (Demo-Ruff Mix ’95)
Plus there’s Flush’s version of ‘Single Bloke’ on the 12” promo of 500 (Shake Baby Shake)

Are the Drum Club remixes any good?

Was largely lukewarm on the whole thing, but Miki's "fuck the haters" letter has reignited a touch of my at-the-time intense fandom.

xp can't recall what the remixes sound like. fair dos that they didn't put all the variant mixes on the box. another disc would i guess mean another fiver on the price and i'm sure we can live without the stray bits and bobs.

hope this box isn't too limited as all the good reviews might make it scarce!

yeah i'm just really into hearing 90s ambient remixes of dreampop tunes (eg locust slowdive remix, bandulu slowdive remixes, global comm meets chapterhouse). the results are often not good, but i like the idea of it anyway.

Ha - remembering that I am in the company of many who've written about music professionally, here's an interview I did with Emma Anderson 21 years ago, just after Split was released. Ignore the callow phrasing and occasional fan-out. Full marks if you can read it through the eye-watering colour choices on the host site.
http://eyesore.no/html/interview/Lush.interview.kirkcaldie.html

That's a really good interview, MK. I love reading the little details of songwriting, like, right down to how they demo the songs.

Ta - she was very easygoing and willing to chat, not bad for a phone interview. I still have a cassette somewhere I think.

really good that. interesting to read about the songwriting process. i was never sure who wrote what in that band. had no idea Laura was about Laura Nyro nor what Etheriel was about!

Yeah, that was interesting.

I got partway through it. I'm going to have to c&p that into word to read the rest. But I'm glad someone answered that old question about what if Ronald McDonald was a music website.

(The new Firefox has a button that gets rid of graphics, sidebars, stylesheets and just displays the main text in b&w at a nice readable size. It's handy for stuff like this)

there's been a distribution balls-up on the box set front according to the fan twitter. very few copies seem to be knocking about so far, anyone on here got one yet?

i got one.

I bought one yesterday at a slightly higher price but I want this badly. Really hope it arrives soon.

http://www.discogs.com/Colourbox-Colourbox/release/3605246

Last Sold: 29 Mar 15
Lowest: $33.02
Median: $103.12
Highest: $151.78

http://www.discogs.com/This-Mortal-Coil-This-Mortal-Coil/release/3200556

Last Sold: 05 Sep 15
Lowest: $157.40
Median: $184.37
Highest: $300.00

Is "500" from the LP different from "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" from the single?

I believe so. Or they should be, anyway.

I had two TMC boxsets - the 1993 long-box version with the fourth disc of originals, and that 2011 remaster with the "Dust & Guitars" rarities disc. I sold the latter (after ripping it - though God knows where those WAVs ended up, they're not on any hard drive), and for a lot less than $150 :( I've still got the former.

box set sold out supposedly.

Amazon still has copies, better be quick though if you want one.

This makes me lack confidence in Amazon USA's release date on January 22nd.

whereas I decided not to wait for a relative to buy me one for my birthday and preordered

good idea. it's cheaper to order it directly from the UK anyway, turns out.

Looks like ilxors have snapped up all the remaining copies on Amazon UK following my tip-off. Says there'll be more in stock on Dec 20, but I wouldn't trust that.

blimey. glad i ordered mine when i did.
4ad love their (very) limited run boxsets.

Mine was dispatched recently, I was getting worried but I hope it will arrive soon.

I originally ordered through the Lush Sandbag store, payment was taken via Paypal but order was never processed. I'm glad I followed it up now or I'd be sitting waiting for something that'd never arrive! When they refunded me I ordered it from Norman Records instead and it is on its way.

I ordered mine from the sandbag store the day it went on sale and got it yesterday. Couldn't be happier with it!

You wanna know what happened to Lush?

Do you really wanna know?

Well,

I never stopped loving Lush completely.

That's what happened to them.

Back in stock at 4ad.com today, apparently.

So glad I got mine. Very nice package but I'd really prefer a regular box set with a big booklet that they could easier produce more of, so everyone could get it.

Are they going to reissue the albums individually? Do they sound different? Remastering 90s music sounds... dangerous

I've not done any comparisons but they don't sound particularly remastered to me.

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/rank-your-records-lush-emma-anderson

Correctly ranked.