The Lemonheads’ debut album, released in
1987 is far away from the early 90s tracks where they made their name. There’s not the slightest tinge of country
about these tracks, there are 13 tracks over 24 minutes of mostly rather generic
speed-punk. Mainman Evan Dando alternates
lead vocals with collaborator Ben Deily.
Dando opens the album with the brief Eat It
which sets the tone for a bunch of sub two-minute, three chord thrashes. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t set
them apart. Deily’s 3-9-4 feels like a
cross between the S€x Pistols and very early Screaming Trees, and later he
shouts his way through the punk version of Amazing Grace you always knew you
needed.
The band are slightly more successful when
the drop the pace a little, Deily’s Second Chance works in a kind of Jam-like
way, but the one true great is the longest track here at three minutes. Don’t Tell Yourself, with a swaggering riff
and a dislocated, sullen vocal from Dando which works really well on a track
made to play loudly.
It’s an interesting
curio for Lemonhead completists (yes there are Lemonheads fans who can find
some motivation to collect their releases), but inessential.
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