Very Good Songs: The Lemonheads
You all know that handsome devil Evan Dando and The Lemonheads from their early 90s cover of Mrs. Robinson and the perfect platter of indie pop rock known as “It’s a Shame about Ray,” but do you know about all the great and gritty, punk-tinged TAANG! Records Dando made prior to that with Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz? If you don’t, you are in luck. I’ve listed some of the band’s best early tracks below, plus some of their stone-cold hits and lesser-known, late-era jams.
I think Dando is an underappreciated singer/songwriter and he’s easily my favorite pop rock crooner of the 90s. Cool Story Alert: We shared a lovely chat in the mid 2000s during a Lemonheads show at the North Star Bar in Philly while he was dancing and rocking out to his opening band, Vietnam. He was very funny and sweet and just a little high. Okay, enough dropping names, let’s pretend we’re having a beer with Julianna Hatfield in a smoky crowded kitchen in the 90s and someone very cool (me!) pops in a crowd-pleasing Lemonheads mixtape.
Track | Album | Year |
Ever | Hate Your Friends / Lick | 1987/1989 |
Second Chance | Hate Your Friends | 1987 |
Clang Bang Clang | Creator | 1988 |
Postcard | Creator | 1988 |
Die Right Now | Creator | 1988 |
Mallo Cup | Lick | 1989 |
Glad I Don’t Know | Lick | 1989 |
Half The Time | Lovey | 1990 |
Ride With Me | Lovey | 1990 |
Left For Dead | Lovey | 1990 |
Paint | Favorite Spanish Dishes | 1990 |
Different Drum | Favorite Spanish Dishes | 1990 |
Rudderless | It’s A Shame About Ray | 1992 |
Hannah & Gabi | It’s A Shame About Ray | 1992 |
Kitchen | It’s A Shame About Ray | 1992 |
Bit Part | It’s A Shame About Ray | 1992 |
Great Big No | Come On Feel The Lemonheads | 1993 |
It’s About Time | Come On Feel The Lemonheads | 1993 |
Into Your Arms | Come On Feel The Lemonheads | 1993 |
Down About It | Come On Feel The Lemonheads | 1993 |
Big Gay Heart | Come On Feel The Lemonheads | 1993 |
Break Me | Car Button Cloth | 1996 |
If I Could Talk I’d Tell You | Car Button Cloth | 1996 |
The Outdoor Type | Car Button Cloth | 1996 |
Pittsburgh | The Lemonheads | 2006 |
Let’s Just Laugh | The Lemonheads | 2006 |