Smells Like Alternative

Since It’s A Shame About Ray is getting the extended and remastered treatment on March 25, it seems like a good time for an FYI on The Lemonheads.

• Evan Dando and Ben Deily formed the band in 1986 while in high school in Boston and the band was briefly known as The Whelps.
• Laughing All The Way To The Cleaners was the band’s first recording in 1986.
• Tanng! Records released three album by The Lemonheads: Hate Your Friends, Creator, Lick.
• The band signed to Atlantic Records and released Lovely in 1990.
• After the failure of Lovely, Dando went to Australia and wrote some songs that would eventually become the album It’s A Shame About Ray.
• It’s a Shame About Ray was released on June 2, 1992 and would make the Billboard 200 Album Charts at 68.
• The album featured a cover of “Mrs. Robinson”, which was released as a single (the band wasn’t happy this); it was also used to promote the video release of The Graduate and was also used in Wayne’s World 2.
• The album title and the track of the same name was taken from an Australian newspaper heading “It’s A Shame About Ray”, which was about the misfortune of a child named Ray.
• The Lemonheads released Come on Feel the Lemonheadson October 12, 1993; before this release the band was known as Lemonheads.
• “Into Your Arms” reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks.
• After some drug battles, Dando reformed The Lemonheads 1996 album Car Button Cloth.
• Also in 1996 the band contributed their version of “My Hero, Zero” for the Schoolhouse Rock! tribute album Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks.
• After touring in 1997, the band went on hiatus from 1998 to 2004.
• Atlantic Records released The Best of The Lemonheads in 1998.
• Dando reformed The Lemonheads in 2005 and on September 14, 15 the band performed It’s A Shame About Rayin it’s entirety, minus “Mrs. Robinson”, in London.
• The band signed to Vagrant Records in April of 2006 and released a self-titled album on September 25.
• The Lemonheadsfeatured Garth Hudson from The Band on keyboards and J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. on guitar.
• The band is currently in the studio working on their ninth album.
• Evan Dando is the only original member left in the band, the current line-up is something like this: Evan Dando, Karl Alvarez, Vess Ruhtenberg, Bill Stevenson and Devon Ashley.
• Former members include: Ben Deily, Corely Loog Brennan, John Strohm, Doug Trachten, Jesse Peretz, Juliana Hatfield, Nic Dalton, Dave Ryan and Patrick Murphy.

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