ORCHIDS (the) : Lyceum + Singles

tracklist

01 It's Only Obvious

02 A Place Called Home

03 Caveman

04 The York Song

05 Carrole-Anne

06 Hold On

07 Blue Light

08 If You Can't Find Love

09 I've Got A Habit

10 Apologies

11 Give Me Some Peppermint Freedom

12 Defy The Law

13 Underneath The Window Underneath The Sink

14 Tiny Words

15 Walter

16 What Will We Do Next

17 As Time Goes By

18 Yawn

19 An Ill Wind That Blows

20 All Those Things

The first of three CD album re-issues by acclaimed Glasgow band The Orchids, who recorded for cult label Sarah between 1987 and 1994. Formed in 1987, this prolific yet overlooked five-piece recorded a string of singles for Sarah as well as three excellent albums, Lyceum (1989), Unholy Soul (1991) and Striving For The Lazy Perfection (1994). Often compared to similarly cerebral pop operators such as Felt, Aztec Camera and Primal Scream, the band split in 1995 at the height of their powers. Almost all of their records were produced by Ian Carmichael of One Dove. Newly remastered for CD, Lyceum + Singles runs for 74 minutes and includes liner notes by Alistair Fitchett. Stand-out tracks on Lyceum include It's Only Obvious, the punk rock rush of Caveman and the minor chord gem Blue Light. Among the pick of the twelve bonus cuts are Tiny Words, Yawn and the anti-Poll Tax protest song Defy The Law. Also included are both sides of the rare single released on Bob Stanley's Caff label. Contemporary reviews praised the album as "another fountainhead of unqualified greatness" (Bob Stanley in Melody Maker) while the NME awarded it a "splendid" rating of 8/10. Lyceum scored highly in the indie charts. The Orchids reformed in 2004 and new material is expected this year.