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In the seven years since their formation, The Mighty Lemon Drops have established themselves as one of the freshest, most inventive ensembles in modern pop music. Now, with the release of Ricochet, their Sire Records offering, the quartet takes another giant leap of originality with a collection of eleven songs that capture all the energy, exuberance and sheer excitement of the group's fabled live sound. Recorded in the studio with a minimum of overdubs and no wasted time, the intent behind Ricochet is unmistakably immediate. The Mighty Lemon Drops' hard-edged concert sound has always been a key factor of their wide-ranging appeal. Taking that sound off stage and into the studio was a bold step for the veteran group and led them to an equally bold creative decision: producing the album themselves to assure the greatest possible control over the outcome. The result is Ricochet, featuring the group's latest single, "Into The Sun". With a sound that's raw, riveting and right up to date, Ricochet putsan intriguging new spin on The Mighty Lemon Drops success story. Formed in Wolverhampton, U.K, in 1985, The Mighty Lemon Drops sharp-edged pop and roll quickly caught the attention of local audiences and soon spread, as the band embarked on an extensive of country-wide touring. The group's debut, independently-released single "Like An Angel" was an alternative hit and led to the inclusion of another Drops classic, "Happy Head", on a 1986 New Musical Express compilation. A bidding war among no less than nine labels resulted in a signing to the feisty Blue Guitar label in the U.K with a subsequent Sire Records pact following. Stephen Street (of Smiths reknown) produced the Mighty lemon Drops debut album, also called Happy Head, providing proof of the group's over-the-top live response and featuring many of their performance favourites, including the singles "Other Side Of You" and "My Biggest Thrill". The Drops followed it up with a U.S. tour, garnering cult status and spawning the U.S - only mini-lp Out Of Hand, a chart topper on college radio. World Without End was the band's second fully-fledged studio effort and copntained two scintillating singles, "Fall Down (Like The Rain) and "Inside Out". Graduating from the controlled mayhem of Happy Head with the help of producer Tim Palmer (Robert Plant, The Mission, House of Love), the abum was multi-textured, musically refined tour de force that landed in the U.K. Top 40 and was another hit on American college radio. 1988 and early '89 were spent on a barnstorming 120-date world tour, which included sold-out venues in the U.S., the U.K., Brazil and across Europe. 1990 found the Drops back in the studio - this time Peter Gabriel's state-of-the-art facility in Bath, working on a third long player. The result, the abovementioned Laughter, sparked yet more touring, this time with the focus on the States where they headed the bill on the acclaimed Laughter tour with label mates The Ocean Blue and John Wesley Harding. Returning from the road, the group entered the studio to begin work on a new album, with producer Andy Paley (Brain Wilson and J.W Harding) at the helm. Sound featured the key track "Unkind" and spurred another round of touring both in their home country and back in America. Work on a new offering commenced earlier this year, with the stated intent of transforming their concert sound into an equally exciting recording. The result is Ricochet, featuring such standout MLD tracks as "Nothing", "From The Sky", "More", "Between The Lines" and the abovementioned "Into The Sun". With Ricochet, The Mighty Lemon Drops have bounded back with a wholly unexpecte, and completely satisfying new musical direction. Top Of Page or Back |
