LUSH

1989 - "Scar" [A1]
+ Their first release, a raw mini-album of unpolished thrashers.

1990 - "Mad Love" [A2]
+ A four song e.p. of more polished shoegazer stuff. "De-Luxe" is their first classic track.

1990 - "Sweetness and Light" [A3]
+ The three-track follow-up. Not one of Reality's favorites.

1991 - Gala [A4]
+ The catch-up-with-Lush compilation produced initially for the U.S. market. Contains all three previous e.p.s together with two other assorted tracks.

1991 - "Black Spring"/"Nothing Natural" [A6]/[A5]
+ Another e.p., released in slightly different forms (and under different names) in U.S. and Europe.

1992 - "For Love" [A7]
+ Perhaps the most-sought-after Lush release, this e.p. contains two tracks not otherwise available, and another that was rerecorded for Spooky. Also, the track "astronaut" is the only recording that features Emma on lead vocals.

1992 - Spooky [A8]
+ Their first "proper" album, Spooky shows the overwhelming (for some) influence of producer Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins). Lot's of swirling guitars and vocals. Some people love it, some think it is Lush's worst.

1994 - "Hypocrite" [A10]
1994 - "Desire Lines" [A11]
+ Two 4-track e.p.s released simultaneously in the U.K. Each contains three non-album tracks, though two of these are dance remixes of arguable quality.

1994 - Split [A12]
+ For many, Lush's tour de force. Finally free of meddling producers, the sparse, crisp sound featured here is more polished than gala, but more clear and distinct than spooky.

1996 - "Single Girl"
1996 - "Ladykillers"
+ Two dbl-CD singles released in the U.K. If you buy both the CD and seven-inch versions you get no less than 16(!!) non-album tracks. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to hear these yet.

1996 - Lovelife
+ The latest album, and the quest for world domination continues. Some have cried foul (and cried "Elastica") where others have reveled in its sublime beauty. Gone are the Robin Guthrie influenced etheriel vocals, replaced with a much more upfront, unaffected vocal style.

1990 - Alvin Lives (in Leeds) [B2]
+ Reality's favorite single track by Lush is the cover of Middle of the Road's "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" found on this Anti-Poll Tax compilation. I still see (expensive) new copies of this in record shops now and then. But since Midnight Music has reportedly folded, I expect these will dry up soon.

1994 - All Virgos Are Mad [B19]
+ This 4AD compilation celebrating their L.A. 4AD celebration features (among several other excellent 4AD tracks) "the childcatcher," about which Miki says: "You think it sounds punky? What, we're NEWWAVEOFNEWWAVE now, are we? I think it's quite poppy. It's got that talk-over bit because I wanted a bloke talking in there. So Chris read a bit out of this terrible book called 'Alveston' or 'Alverton' ... I don't know what the fuck he's saying, something about soldiers walking over hillocks or something. I suppose the name comes from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (?) ... It's about some old geezer who thinks that going out with young girls is hip. It's telling you why he think's it's great, and then why it's not so great from the girl's point of view. Each verse is him talking, then her answering. It's all inspired by the likes of Bill Wyman."

1991 - Words & Music [D3]
+ This promo for Gala features tracks from the album interspersed with a nice interview with Emma and Miki.

1992 - The Lillies flexi [D8]
+ Not actually Lush, but rather a one-off "bliss-rock" super-group featuring Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Chris & Miki (Lush), and Kevin McKillop & Russell Yates (Moose). A very nice song written to celebrate their favorite football club, the 'Spurs! (However, I doubt if this can be found anywhere!)

1993/1994 - The Fan Club/Dirt Flexi [D10]/[D16]
+ Containing two, otherwise unreleased tracks, this fan club flexi (later reissued with Warner Bros Dirt promotional magazine). Reality finally got his hands on this and though the demo of "lit up" can be easily done without, the cover of the "rupert the bear" theme is quite cute!