Genius, Madman or Both? Lee Mavers & The La's

[@andrewerlam2681]

I work with a guy that's involved in gigs etc in Blackburn. He's had John Power performing so spent some time with him. John spoke about keeping in touch with Lee and his turbulent their relationship was. He described going round to his house, a mess, scribbled bits for songs everywhere and internally begging for Lee to pick up a guitar and play something. One day he did and he said it was unbelievable, better than anything they'd ever done together. That room was full of the best music ever written that no one will ever hear.

[@tastemaker_87]

OMG 😭

[@LL-bl8hd]

I fell in love with "There She Goes" after hearing it on the radio, and purchased the album on cassette. Listened to it many times. I'm not sure how they're viewed in the UK, but here in the US they're severely overlooked and rarely mentioned when talking about 90s British groups. They do have a small but passionate group of fans, many of whom are musicians themselves. Despite all that, the song "There She Goes" has become very popular and is still heard on TV, in shops, etc. - but almost always cover versions!

[@Ethan-ts]

From Kentucky, love the Las. 33 years old. Timeless music

[@kopite2184]

I live in Huyton and see Lee now and again in the local co-op. I always get star struck

[@zeuszuul3035]

Yeah, the one in pinch Lane?

[@pongybossman]

@@zeuszuul3035 you mean pilch lane

[@JTucci100]

It's what you get when you're in the Tesco by Finch Lane and you try to talk about the Co-op in Pilch Lane.

[@jimbosaul3996]

yeah but whatever you do, dont go down to doledrum !! you wont see him there !~!

[@RC_991]

Here's a quote from Steve Lillywhite : 'After we finished I got a call from Johnny Marr, who excitedly told me that Lee had asked him to go into the studio as a producer. A few months later I got a desperate call from Johnny: 'Steve he just wants to re-record the old songs!'

[@wazreacts]

#autism

[@CK-ceekay]

Would love to see more of these types of videos. Having seen the lives of the Gallaghers, Morrissey etc documented so frequently, it's quite nice to learn about important figures in that scene that are less widely covered

[@Luke-ph9xf]

Truly blows my mind considering how amazing Lee was, but it's true you can totally self sabotage yourself and never get out of your own way.

[@AnGoosen]

Superb

[@pablojablo6371]

Turn the corner and walk into yourself.

[@LunarJetwoman]

Michael head from shack was exactly the same . I remember him being on the cover of one of the music mags when HMS fable came out and the cover said something like ‘ is this the best songwriter in Britain ‘ Then heroin gave him an atomic wedgie 😭

[@paulvallance4970]

Lee Mavers: drugs and an obsessional personality don’t mix. Why the hell they didn’t record a live album and forget about going into the studio is beyond me. I saw them live as a support act in London in the early 80’s and they were great. I don’t even remember who they were supporting!

[@gerrymchell]

He would've hated the live album too of course.

[@andreac6360]

I saw them open for They Might Be Giants in Finsbury Park

[@timcomley5948]

Early 80s you sure

[@davesmatedave]

Early 80's?

[@annafrost8659]

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Perhaps a need for psychiatric medicine? Not self medication ! However those were different times…….

[@ustheserfs]

mavers to this day says he never achieved the sound he set out to immortalize yet somehow 95% of those who've listened to it think it's pure unadulterated magic. those tunes must have been forged in another dimension because of their ethereal quality.

[@franciscouch8378]

Genius is overused these days....Not where Lee Mavers is concerned....truly one of the best this country ever produced just a crying shame how it all ended.

[@Jammo1978]

Mavers is your typical musical genius, they're always a bit troubled ain't they 🤷 and There she Goes is 1 of those songs that stirs your emotions and for some reason the 1st time I heard it it had me feeling nostalgic and the video that was filmed in the alleyway was perfect for it 🤷💯😉

[@ChrisJohnsonChannel]

“ There She Goes” as perfect as we’ll ever hear and to my ears it is. A true artist is never satisfied with their paintings yet to the rest of the world it is a masterpiece. The song is a layering of guitar brush strokes and swaths of color tickling our eardrums with an impression of an unescapably beautiful moment in time.

[@Bernard-Shakey]

Never been a huge fan of this band but really enjoyed the video, thanks. Your research is fantastic. I think Lee Mavers has that "Chinese Democracy" syndrome, you spend so long looking for perfection everyone else moves on including some of your bandmates. Pity he couldn't just embrace imperfection. Sometimes the mistakes are part of the charm.

[@oliverbird6914]

I think you got the first meeting wrong. Mike badger met captain beefheart in the foyer sketching

[@MickDarkHorrorSeries]

absolute genius album. I bought it when it was released and listened through, easily, hundreds of times. Every single track is brilliant and stands on its own. Another great Scouse group.

[@RoofLight00]

I met Lee in 92 and he was a wild but driven fella. There were quite a few lineup changes over the years and I knew Mike and Cammy beforehand. Lee was a visionary, madman, shamen, perfectionist, genius songrwiter, recluse. check out 'who knows' b side of there she goes to see the promise of what they could have been. They were a great band and far better than Oasis could ever dream of being...

[@IHATEYANKS41]

“A secret Liverpool” is a great book about the La’s, if you can get hold of it

[@waynesilverman3048]

The best smallest book I've read

[@TheBjberkow]

9 bucks on the kindle

[@kathrynmcnerney6490]

Just ordered it!

[@adamusohadamus]

Great video, very sad isnt it that The La's got stuck on the first album. A wonderful collection of songs, but weve heard enough to know a 2nd album could have been just as good...when you put together all of the difficulties the band members and engineers went through, as this video does well, they were so very patient, its testament to just how good those songs were really that the band kept going as long as it did. Great to see people still talking about them, heres to one day hearing a studio version of fishing net and raindance!

[@JJ_Marriott]

It’s mad because I never rated the album till the BBC sessions came out and then I fell in love with it. The band I play in (Sura Laynes) found a studio Lee has been using so if it’s good enough for Lee we know it’s got to be right for us.

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

Mavers’ “don’t buy it” routine is a great sales shtick! It works.

[@jimbosaul3996]

dont think it was that at all. he genuinely didn't like it at all. that's obvious from the 3 or more full recordings of it and still unhappy. he would have never been satisficed with any recording of it ever. OCD perfectionist personality

[@Vibeagain]

yes and no I would say to that. There have been favorite albums of mine that the artist slagged, and I was never able to hear them the same way again

[@neilmclaughlin2347]

An old friend turned me onto the La’s when I was a teenager into heavy mental and alternative rock. However the first time I listed to it it’s musical genius was unmistakable and I’ve considered it one of my favourite albums ever since. As a post-script, I was living in Republic of Ireland in the mid-2000’s and went to a music festival while there and to my utter surprise, The La’s were playing. I saw the whole set and it was like spotting a unicorn. Utterly incredible and unbelievable. Yet I did see them, and I honest never though I would, then having split in the early 90’s and only released that one seminal record. The only thing that would have pleased me more would be John Lennon and George Harrison coming back from the dead.

[@mike2462]

I LOVE this comment

[@theculturedthug6609]

Yeah they did do a few gigs in 2005 and if I remember correctly they did Glastonbury that year. Still very rare to spot the lesser seen Las.

[@Vibeagain]

We share a similar music trajectory then. At the end of the day it still comes down to heavy 'fuckin' metal for this kid though. \m/

[@backandfour]

Nice series of videos. Micheal Head from Shack, would make a nice follow up. HMS Fable is such a classic.

[@teodelfuego]

Here’s Tom With the Weather is as good or better! Both incredible

[@ewie9347]

I was blown away by Waterpistol.

[@iainsinclair7809]

Great stories behind waterpistol get on it pal 👍

[@alexanderwood3465]

'A Producer's Guide To Dealing With Lee Mavers' 😂 that's priceless, should get one printed up for my own studio sessions 😅

[@rdorman71]

James, you have an incredible talent for bringing these stories to life. As a fellow guitarist/singer-songwriter, I take my hat off to you.

[@brandonromano315]

Great video, mate. This album truly is timeless. Just a shame Mavers couldn't get out of his own way.

[@millennialanimal]

I have no idea how the engineers and producers recorded the La’s but if it was me, I would’ve set up all the room mics near Lee in the room, so when he heard the play back it would’ve been as close as possible to what he heard in the room. I would say, the best way to record them would’ve been to set up mics and recorded the sound of them in the room, the sound of the room. Similar to how Steve Albini records bands. A blend of close mics and room mics with the emphasis on the room mics. And get whatever era gear that would’ve kept Lee happy, indulging his strange ideas while capturing what needed to be captured.

[@Tristan.Suba.44]

Come on !!! Don’t try to rationalise his behaviour, please !!! The guy was such a psycho with the head full of snow. No matter what kind of gear and mics and set-up and whatever the ways you’d have tried to use them, the guy was so high that he’b have said : “I’m not happy with that recorded sound”…. Even if the microphones and the mixing console hadn’t started to run yet….

[@millennialanimal]

@@Tristan.Suba.44 your use of “psycho” makes your point pretty invalid.

[@Tristan.Suba.44]

@@millennialanimal If you say so 🤷🏼‍♂️ I'm not a psychiatrist but his sickly perfectionism in chasing the impossible and his obsession with playing the same songs over and over again for years and years in the same order (while he had new ones in his bag) make me think to people (I met and knew some because, unfortunately, I’m a trouble-minded person) who, unfortunately, suffer from some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder. And these kinds of troubles don’t mix well with drugs. Best regards…

[@stefanconradsson]

@@Tristan.Suba.44 I thought he was a weed-head.. not a coke addict. Regardless .. an unstable person should stay off all drugs. Cheers 🍺

[@me_fault]

Mavers was happy though; with the Mike Hegdes session. But later decided it was no good, allegedly because some of his band mates had gone on holiday without him.

[@gregsilsby6884]

This was excellent. By far one of if not my favorite album. I believe I bought it in 1991 and still listen to it. Ive managed to stumble on some La’s bootlegs and I highly recommend The La’s BBC In Session.

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

The La's are as alive to me as they were in the 90s. I saw John Power play live in 2021/22 and it was both an honour and a pleasure 100%. What a legend. Was an acoustic gig. I love The La's. Love and hate and fears etc all in one album. I still really appreciate it. That amazing album would be nothing without the search for perfection and something new (and traditional at same time) by Mr Lee Mavers. Legend.

[@aisle_of_view]

Have you seen the tribute band The TA's ? They thank everyone after each song.

[@mikewood9514]

Wahahahahaha

[@jamesjordan-davies2704]

Just wanted to say that I am really enjoying this channel the content is superb…so thank you James

[@raggedrascal5463]

It's a magnificent album. One of the best of its era or any other. Mavers' songwriting is sublime with endless hooks and a sound that isn't as derivative as that of their peers.

[@guesttheband]

I love "cast" too, great albums , especially the first one

[@m189283]

John did manage to get two future Cast tunes from that album smuggled into La’s setlists before he left

[@guesttheband]

Thanks for the information !

[@tcaudiobooks737]

The band with 2 names (depending from where you're from)

[@coryserratore5951]

John Power's 3 solo albums in the 2000s are fabulous. I bet Lee would agree.

[@robwood8331]

Oh yeah Cast are amazing

[@essexboy5520]

Really good documentary. I met John Power on a train to London from Liverpool, what a smashing bloke Really gave me the time of day. I quizzed him about the La's He mentioned a lot of this stuff in your documentary. I also got to see the La's a good few times they were a cracking band. Such a shame Mavers is so very bonkers.

[@brownson1970]

haha, hes not mad!!! (just very intense and anybody that doesn't 'turn a vibe',gets zero attention) hes actually a lovely,spikey sweet dude who is the most incredible musician) never will I hear a bad word against lee as what ive seen of him is boss la!!,

[@essexboy5520]

@@brownson1970 Hi Derran.Met an ex band of Lee Mavers who took me on tour of the pool. Another top bloke and great musician in his own right. He never said a bad word about Lee either...other than basically what you said. Liverpool is rich with talent. Looking forward to going back up there this summer.

[@brownson1970]

@@essexboy5520 mad as replying tsg came on 6 music ad! who was the guy? Barry? top lads all, insane musicians that being in pool is like breathing, simple as

[@essexboy5520]

@@brownson1970 Ha...the guy was ex La's....I won't say his name as I respect his privacy. He's in the video for way out.

[@brownson1970]

@@essexboy5520 yeh , nice one as they do respect privacy especially around LM and rightly so, I could of had hours of playing and hanging around having the crack on video but any decent human being would leave it

[@edwardsindustries-20yearsa54]

A 35 minute video about The La's, i must be dreaming

[@tomben6180]

Mavers is an absolute genius, I was close to tears the first time I listened to the album, it’s a masterpiece

[@MrFatdaz]

Best album I’ve ever owned! Still a regularly played, always will be

[@Gravedigger2024]

When I met John Power in the 90’s, I asked if he named his band Cast because of the last word on the La’s album. He laughed and said it was a clever idea, but no. Not sure if I believe him.

[@Camille_Anderson]

Cast were a great band as well. we had brilliant music in the UK from around 89 til 97.

[@letmetellyalilstory9122]

He's recently admitted that in a Channel 5 documentary on Britpop.

[@Gravedigger2024]

@@letmetellyalilstory9122 really? So I was right all along?

[@letmetellyalilstory9122]

@@Gravedigger2024 It does seem so! 😁

[@JRA73]

Brilliant album and i've got it on cassette. Still love it!! 🎶🎶

[@phrayzar]

Bless ya for doing this. We all loved the band and although we were happy with the mystery behind the band, this expose and footage is very much appreciated. Ta.

[@curly_wyn]

This just makes me so sad. Lee Mavers was such an ardent perfectionist that he never could see that he had already accomplished what he really wanted and needed out of The La’s. Even after he pushed everyone else away, he still dwelled on how he thought everything he had and made wasn’t good enough. He literally wasted his potential and, by extension, his life. That shot at 34:13 is absolutely heartbreaking…

[@jimbosaul3996]

re the shot of current day Lee - you have to understand something called age. Lee is in his 60's now. it happens to us all... if we get there !

[@curly_wyn]

@@jimbosaul3996 it’s not that, but it’s the image combined with what James said: he’s just alone, hating the good album that he made, and just makes music for him alone, and to this day refuses to except the album or have any joy in the music he’s made.

[@jimbosaul3996]

@@curly_wyn yeah i know all that. its sad. its a sad twisted way, a self defeating way of looking at and living life. thus the lives of true eccentric geniuses ! and Lee is a true music genius, he just doesn't seem to know it sadly.

[@thegoodsgone1965]

Thank-you for making this video. Not enough people talk about or give proper respect to The La's these days.

[@RickyMacHatton]

Always loved the la’s. This has a load of little bits I’ve not heard before and a few I’d thought were just rumour. Well researched, class video.

[@badkarmaonezero]

Maver's is the Scouse Brian Wilson

[@Dermot2927]

A great piece of work, thank you. I would like to have heard about the 2005 reunion - considering the bad blood it would be fascinating to know how they managed to work together.

[@jaysilverstone7221]

This is obvious I know but "there she goes" is one of those untouchable tunes that determined the moment.

[@Trevo1]

Nice video James! The BBC Sessions is a great La's record.

[@benwilkinson815]

Lee Mavers is my hero and that la's album is my favouirte album ever made, can't wait to watch this

[@ShivaCVIII]

First live band I saw was The La's, before they were famous. They were supporting Joe Strummer & The Latino Rockabilly War at Liverpool Royal Court in 1988. They were one of the best bands I've seen live.

[@ShowRyuKen]

Thanks for making this video, this is the kind of comprehensive and well-researched history of The La's I've always wanted to hear! Some amazing nuggets of info here that make the whole story make a lot more sense.

[@m189283]

Amazing band - definitely in my Top 5 - I was 10/11 when they disbanded but when I discovered them in the mid to late 90s off the back of Cast (first gig I went to) and Oasis recommendations they blew my head off and I became immersed and obsessed! Lee is a stunning talent and it’s a real shame he chooses not to revisit or open up his songs to people but at least we now have those recordings (and lots of bootlegs!)

[@BigB-qk6zh]

This album Is unbelievably under rated although I would say Timeless melody was never recorded the way it should have been. Such a well written song. The acoustic version of John and lee on KZbin is better than the album version

[@m189283]

The scrapped version got single of the week in the music press when the promo white labels went out

[@BigB-qk6zh]

@@m189283 interesting , although I felt that song In writing terms was on a par with the likes of live forever etc, just felt it never got the music or production behind it that it should. Could easily have been bigger than there she goes

[@m189283]

@@BigB-qk6zh the scrapped version is on here somewhere (and on various bootlegs) - there were test pressings/promos made for review but it got shelved - a more punchy but vintage sound

[@BigB-qk6zh]

@@m189283 Class I'll have a look for them. Pity they never realised what an album they had made, cheers James

[@modernchampionmusic81]

There's loads of great versions deleted vinyl version is pretty close.Its a amazing tune

[@mbgames73]

Saw them in 1990 as a 17 year old, blown away then and blown away now, great album.

[@nickdryad]

Nice to see these clips of Lee and John. If I only made one album and it was The La’s, I’d be very happy.

[@Crinkle65]

Nice work James. I’m from the states and knew very little about These guys. I imagine it takes a lot of time and effort to put together such a well laid out presentation. I appreciate and admire your efforts!!

[@thegeniusofthecrowd354]

Sounds like they needed a manager who didn't take any shit.

[@mikejones-lw9oc]

I enjoyed the video, ace stuff. I think it might have been worth talking about the 2005 tour where John Power rejoined the band, it was ace and they played two new songs. The live footage you use of Lee playing Looking Glass was taken from that tour, the Shepherds bush gig (I was there!).

[@kopite2184]

I went to the gig at the Manchester Ritz. Thought it was disappointing. I didn't like the acoustic nature of it

[@matthewvaughan8192]

Ar mate I remember that song from Trigger Happy TV. Never knew it was The La’s. That show had absolutely top notch music

[@michaelsnow7252]

What we're the new songs?

[@Keeleysound]

@@michaelsnow7252 Gimme the Blues (which was played at Glasto) and Sorry (which was played at only one date of the tour, in Cork!) I saw them the next night, in Dublin, where they arrived on stage 3hrs late, played no new songs, said not one word to the crowd all night (apart from John saying "Ta-ra!" right at the end) had Lee's gardener playing drums standing up, and played the whole set through tiny cube amps. And you know what? It was the best gig I've EVER seen/heard in my life.

[@starbuckita]

Wow, firstly, great vid James, thanks, please continue making bio's on bands we should know the story of. I knew only the one song and not the story, what a cautionary tale, sad. Glad Powers went on to do Cast. Hope Lee is ok. Go discs was immensely kind to keep recording. How do you throw away recording with Lilywhite on purpose, I do not know...but drugs, perfectionism, ocd?? in spite of himself Lee still had made music people love. I wish him healing and to be well. Cheers James!

[@grizcuz]

I've always struggled with Mavers problem with how the LP sounds. Saw them live a few times at the end of the 80's and the recorded version of those songs sounded very, very similar to how they sounded live to my ears.

[@Tristan.Suba.44]

The problem wasn’t the producers and the engineers. The problem was Lee Mavers, himself, and his psychotic troubles worsened by his massive consumption of drugs. Best regards…

[@brandonromano315]

Yeah Lee was his own worst enemy.

[@modernchampionmusic81]

He had a million quid and three years to record an album of mostly skiffle tunes ..what a loser

[@gustavliebher3410]

This is a great piece of journalism. Thanks a lot. It's very hard to find much info on the La's. If anyone has more video, could you share it please?

[@parlance.electricco]

La's should have been recorded like 1950s Rock n roll, ie just a couple of ribbon mics in the studio and each song done live. The magic evaporates in a moment of overdubbing.

[@ozzyb663]

I saw the La's three times between 1987 and '89. They played the same songs in the same order each time. But what great songs they were.

[@hamishridgway5620]

James mate, you always supply the goods. I watch your videos for my favourite band Oasis and then you make a video on my second favourite band The Las. Top man

[@peterheinen6110]

That album is one of my alltime favorites. And a big influence on my mixing/mastering

[@kevinhowes]

Great video. Hope that Lee and all of the La's are safe and well... Thanks for sharing...

[@Sleepy_I]

Another great video, thanks! I never knew the full backstory of the La's. Such a shame that he/they(?) aren't happy with the released album but it sounds like he is/was chasing the impossible.

[@BassByTheBay]

I've genuinely wondered whether Lee is on the autism spectrum. At a minimum, he appears to have OCD. The La's album has the longest legs of any album I've ever owned (with some XTC albums a close second). I simply never tire of it, and it never sounds dated to me. From the first time I heard "I Can't Sleep" on the radio, I was hooked -- and Lee's mystical, musical hook is still in me. Where his music is concerned, the change is _not_ cast, and I suspect it never will be for me. Thank you for this _excellent_ video! I learned/saw some things I had never known/seen.

[@t8br00k36]

Lee’s a top bloke! It’s pronounced “Mav-az” btw.

[@ScottMasson]

“Mavers” is only pronounced “Mavaz” if you like pronouncing English incorrectly.

[@t8br00k36]

Yeah? Weird. Everyone I know who knows him says it that way.

[@Gerardoooooooo]

«Alright» was a La’s song by John before becoming a Cast song.

[@domVentre]

Lee's formative years in Neuklon go unmentioned. I remember Lee and Lloyd playing Eric's...fantastic!

[@jonnyrooney1029]

Great video J, keep up the good work lad , enjoy all the vids

[@jimbosaul3996]

well done, well said. i couldn't agree more. Lee was searching for an impossibility. a self defeatist. a deadly self destructive attitude towards his music. on the continuous path to the never never ! i think Steve Lillywhite did a superlative job on producing the sound of that album. its a classic. if only silly Lee the genius could see that. alas he cannot. such a shame ! madman or genius or both? indeed !

[@lewisfisher4079]

Great video, truly one of the best albums ever made.

[@waynestanley2240]

Really sad story. Sad for the other guys but sad for Lee mavers as well. Sounds like he was really unwell. Always loved the LA’s, such a brilliant album, shame we never saw more than them. Very insightful video ✌️

[@waynestanley2240]

However don’t know why you cut out the bit on the absolute radio interview where John Powers sticks up for Lee and says “talented I like to say” in response to the interviewer saying Lee was nut.

[@vegasdogg111]

Thanks for turning me on to this album.. amazing!! Shame they couldn’t continue on making great music.

[@richgl31]

Good to see you branching out away from Oasis. The LA’s album is one of my favourites.

[@brendanbyrne6607]

James your channel is fantastic, thanks for the videos!

[@jimsully9851]

What a summary, great work. One of the few perfect albums in existence that’s for sure.

[@erikjansen8597]

This was one of my all-time favorite albums.

[@RickyMacHatton]

Can’t watch this just yet cos of work but I cannot wait to watch this! In my opinion the la’s are the best band you’ve never heard. Love mavers melodies and his voice was like an instrument itself

[@CupidStunt72]

Agreed ! His voice in Timeless Melody is just amazing.

[@jimbosaul3996]

so agree. he is a true musical legend. brilliant songs, great melodies, superb catchy hooks and his voice on top of it is amazing. to die for voice. so brilliant, but so ridiculously tortured trying to capture something that was a pipedream in his head. if he only knew for real what he had ! we all love the album and its sound. he was so wrong.

[@RikiNewtonMusicianSongwriter]

An excellent telling of the extremely tumultuous hiistory of The La's - and what a strange story it is !? Thanx James - for helping give some clarity to the weird & wonderful mind of Lee Mavers - a true odball genius who should've stuck to making music sober - perhaps ? Cheers 😎👋✌🇬🇧💖😍

[@williammartyn]

Thanks James, loved this. Fascinating. Some of my favourite videos you’ve made are the stories - like this and the Seahorses one. Keep it up 👍🏻 On this video specifically, I really hope that there’s another chapter still to come. Massively unlikely but I still hope those “new” Mavers songs see the light of day one day. Or I’d love to know what he’s really been up to. We can only hope. Thanks again. Will.

[@edwardmulholland7912]

The BBC Session’s album is incredible and along with the box set and the deluxe edition of the original album I’ve made alternate versions of the album for my own pleasure. The original album is great but I can understand Lee’s point. I saw the band in 2005 in Belfast and they were amazing.

[@Mattythebassman]

I think any musician who's recorded can relate to a certain degree to that feeling of hearing something back and it, for whatever reason, not QUITE sounding what you had in your head. It's a rabbit hole you can go down almost forever if you really are a perfectionist too. A big part of it is learning to let go sometimes. Maybe what you want wasn't obtainable in the first place anyways or you have obtained it but that ever lingering doubt and persuit of perfection makes you not see that. I find it useful to have someone you can trust and you know that has a good ear being there to tell you that actually what you've done is great. Taking a break is a big help too, when you've been playing something over and over and hearing it back over and over, it can taint your impression of it. My band used to do a good few takes, then take a 20 minute break in the pub next door to the place we used to record. It amazing how different something can sound when you're in a more relaxed frame of mind.

[@festersuncle6298]

The La's LP is a comic strip and Lee is a Rhinestone Cowboy. I've loved it for decades.

[@Qba19xx]

Your video is perfect on time for me. Last year you mentioned The La's in a movie. After I checked them out, I listened to the album over and over again. Two days ago I visited Liverpool and it was nice to see their drum kit at the Museum of Liverpool.

[@brianbullock7462]

Thank you James for the great history of the Las. I also agree it is an amazing album that has stood the test of time.

[@songlove7777]

2:21 From my memory of Mike Badger's book, what Mike was recalling here was meeting Don Van Vliet - Captain Beefheart, not Lee Mavers.

[@bigsby19]

Amazing documentary on a fantastic band. Sadly never to be repeated certainly for its adoring fans to hear.

[@evanphillips570]

Great video mate, awesome band and album! Be great to see you do a video on Shack and in particular one of the greatest albums to never be massive Waterpistol, there’s hell of a story to that band!

[@chicharito229]

Great suggestion, Shack are awesome.

[@shaunwade8059]

Used to have a demo tape for shack with sergeant major wrote on it. Great band with a cracking sound.

[@paulmessis1094]

Waterpistol and hms fable need vinyl reissues ASAP.

[@evanphillips570]

@@paulmessis1094 deffo mate, as well as the magical world of the strands

[@stuartcarswell2815]

Did some drumming for Mick in 2008...he's on top form these days and has a new record deal

[@stuartcarswell2815]

I went to audition for the La's in about 2011... went something like this..can you play (drums) standing up? I said nah you're alright 😂...and that was that..hung around while they got stoned playing my generation and roll over Beethoven on repeat... jimmy the pig and Gary bandit were both in attendance...saw them do two gigs at Kendall calling that year as a 2 piece... phenomenal songs

[@stuartcarswell2815]

@@modernchampionmusic81 ha ha yeah that's defo Gary...he's a sensible character now tour management is his game..John robbo moved to London I think with his Mrs...great days in the early 2000s in Liverpool at the Zanzibar...Gary had some great bands playing at the bandwagon...Noel G played for a fiver I think...Mick head used to do a turn...not seen Gary for a while

[@Themanchesteranthems]

Stu did you play with the real people for a short while?

[@stuartcarswell2815]

@@Themanchesteranthems I did fill in for their drummer in 2002 3 pretty decent shows..2 supporting Nelly Furtado...then one with Bowie in Denmark.... can't believe it's 20 years ago this summer!

[@Themanchesteranthems]

@@stuartcarswell2815 Yeah remember Stu. Thought I’d recognise the name. 👌

[@waynesilverman3048]

Seen the bandits support the libertines my first libs gig ,and Peter d first rehab ! (I was really looking forward to see pete) won the tickets from a free metro bus paper (carnt imagine anyone else entered as the band wasn't that big as they are now )

[@hisgracelorduxbridge]

'The Producer's Guide to Handling Lee Mavers' 🤣

[@taekwanlew]

That's my new albums title sorted

[@theculturedthug6609]

Absolutely Brilliant The La's are just something else very special.

[@pataleno]

Got to See the La's in 1988 in the picket. I used to go the Gym there and would see them bringing their gear in. My mate knew John power quite well and he would always have a chat. I also got to see them in 2005 in Ritz Manchester.

[@LunarJetwoman]

Ahhhh the picket … I remember it well. My kind of venue that .. used to love the L2 as well til it became an o2 academy

[@jameschalloner9195]

James Joyce joined my band at this time and I loved him. The lemmings then we called ourselves Speedball. We were years ahead of our time. Love to Lee.

[@stefanconradsson]

Metal head reporting in .. this album is one of my five best ever. Total genius! Cheers 🍺

[@miamitten1123]

Why do metal heads always have to announce that? You ONLY listen to metal!? Live eating the same meal every time you eat.

[@stefanconradsson]

@@miamitten1123 Good question and a direct answer: because many people think metal fans are of a one track mind and can't listen to anything outside of that narrow segment. I want to dispel that myth and give credit where credit is due. That is why I prefaced my comment with "metal head". I'd also like to add that I got the record when it was new entirely because of "There She Goes", but I fell head over heels in love with the album over the next few months. I consider it one of the greatest unknown albums AND bands of all time. Hope this helps Mia, and thanks for the question. Cheers 🍺🙂

[@pooeyrooey]

Grew up listening to this album religiously and I still do. All of the demos and outtakes, b-sides, unfinished jams especially ones like ‘robber man’, they have this beautiful dusty forlorn imperfection to them, like some tranquil boyhood pipe dream, or a raw and ancient sprite of energy representing chaos & the unity found in it, dwelling in forgotten echoes of places in time, perhaps to feed off the remnants of wisdom that most of everybody else is quick to leave behind. Lee is a man lost outside of time, and perhaps after all these years he’s finally found what he was searching for, but the repression of his demons, and fear of taking action, will probably haunt him for the rest of his life, and I like to hope he’s learned to find a sense of comfort in it somehow, understandably I would think. As a musician it’s not hard to see the strife he among so many others had faced. You really are harnessing something out of the air when it comes to spontaneity. Thom Yorke said something similar about his song Street Spirit. In our most perfect moments of control, it’s probable that we don’t even know we’re wielding it, or maybe we don’t wish to think any more of it because we are aware, because we’ve already found everything we sought after in the heat of a moment. I find those experiences so utterly inspiring. When I write my own pieces straight from the soul, every single time I’ve played wholly from where it’s true inside, I’m the only person who’s ever there to hear it, and that can be such a bummer when you want others to experience it so badly as well. There’s no pressure in those moments, it all just flows and it’s beautiful enough to make you cry. That awareness that you found something incredible, meant just for you, and it came, and has now passed not to be seen again. Those moments remind me I’m alive. Everything can matter if your perception is lit up enough to care. We all have those quirks within us where things have to be just right before we can proceed. When that spontaneity depends on everything you wish you had control over though, it will never happen. Attaining towards searching for your goals - will take you on a journey for as long as you live, but ‘finding’ them instead means to be free. The only moment that matters is this one now. The moment finds you, you don’t find it; but you’ll find instead that you still have put in the work to get to it though. If only Lee had learned earlier in life how to let the River carry him, instead of trying to control its flow himself. Here’s hoping he doesn’t have some kind of a plan to burn all of his private music before anyone can hear it though haha

[@joedent3323]

Drugs are quite good, aren't they?

[@Vibeagain]

​@joedent3323 you just supplied us with the most naff here. Bully

[@luke_r1782]

I love The Las. BTW I ordered both your EPs yesterday can't wait to get my hands on them finally.

[@JamesHargreavesGuitar]

Thanks so much LR, massive appreciation :)

[@Asyouwere-wv6eb]

So glad you have made this mate..i was 15 and would scale youtube prefusley searching for old interviews of lee mavers and las videos ..seems as though he set in his ways and his believes on how music should sound..favourite of mine is tears in the rain and something i said/fishing net ..give them a listen if you have never heard! Timeless tunes i am now 30 and life has just past me by like it does with us all

[@astoria9251]

Definitely in my top 5 favourite albums of all time

[@justineddy5306]

I'll add mine to the chorus of voices here in the comments saying that the album is indeed underrated. Every track is great, and the best tunes are absolute classics. I personally love "I Can't Sleep". The tightness and power reminds me of "Can't Explain" by The Who. If that was The La's intentionally playing below their greatest abilities, I can only imagine what they were capable of.

[@Aidyba81]

Wonderfully researched again James.

[@lara-kate3928]

It sounds like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder/ Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder. Its really REALLY hard to be satisfied with your work as a musician with OCD or OCPD. I have OCD (the actual disorder) myself as a musician. Ive been told ive got some really awesome songs and flowey guitar riffs and vocal melodies, almost reminiscent of the la’s and smashing pumpkins, but in my mind nothing i do can ever quite be enough. Its not that i dont think they are good, its just that i cant capture it or perfect it enough. Like it morphs with the emotional and physical variables. Although i feel for the band i also feel for lee. I know how it feels to be so stuck. Its a hell of a disorder and im still figuring out how i can rid of it before it drives me to quit music. I fucking love music and i dont want to let OCD turn me into a lee. Even now i cant press start on a recording and get out of my head enough to sing without extreme attention to detail and tenseness.

[@DavidAndrewsPEC]

Noel Gallagher is on record as saying that, if you're only ever going to make one album ... make that one. And, to be honest, I cannot see how the La's could have ever followed it up.

[@BassByTheBay]

I don't know. Listen to "Fishing Net". It promised further greatness from Lee. When I think about how the album ended with "Looking Glass", that alone promised even greater things to come. I get the impression that Lee was (is?) that rare unicorn who has, say, the lyrical depth of Lennon and the musical depth of McCartney. All that in one human being is utterly remarkable.