http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1232&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rssThe La's inception goes back to 1984, when Mike Badger asked fellow Scouser, Lee Mavers, to join his band, which, at the time, was a rockabilly outfit struggling to make a name for themselves among the plethora of talented bands in Liverpool. Never having a stable lineup, each subsequent personnel change over the years brought a new set of ideas and alliances to the band, which culminated in the firing Mike Badger, its founding member, in 1986. Mavers, who had already begun writing the sort of '60s-inspired jangle pop that the band is known for, assumed leadership of the La's and began writing in earnest. Having nabbed a deal with Go! Discs, the La's released their first single, "Way Out" in 1987, much to the delight of critics who gushed enthusiastically about this perfect pop nugget. With another lineup change behind them, the La's released another chiming gem, "There She Goes," a year later. When the single failed to chart, the band put it down to bad distribution and headed into the studio to record their album, with the idea to get in, record and get out quickly. But wasn't what happened. Reality found the band struggling to accurately capture the sounds that were swirling around Lee Mavers head; vintage equipment was assembled under the tutelage of producers who were hired and then fired. Eventually, the band hooked up with Steve Lillywhite, whose sessions went slightly better than the band's earlier efforts, but in the end, the band walked out on the esteemed knob-twirler. That became a sticking point, resulting in the band and their label taking very different paths. The band maintain they walked out of the sessions for good and that Steve Lillywhite produced a clunker of an album that featured wrong vocal tracks, unapproved art and the wrong track listing. The label, on the other hand, said the band recorded the album and then refused to take part in any of the post-production for it. In the end, the La's eponymous debut sparkled brightly, crackling with raw energy and overflowing with melody, but Mavers never recovered from the betrayal. Not even a remixed version of "There She Goes" hitting the charts in 1990 could pull Mavers out of his funk. Whispers of a nervous breakdown quickly followed rumors of a drug addiction, and Mavers' hermit-like behavior added fuel to the fire. Most of the band waited patiently for singer to make his next move, but after a full year of inactivity, bassist John Power left to form Cast. A handful of shows here and there was all that was left and the La's sputtered to a halt—without ever really formally breaking up. For the most part, Mavers has foregone music completely, putting his energy into raising his children, while their big hit, "There She Goes" lives on in TV commercials for Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control pills. - Linda RyanBrit Pop/Brit Rocken720Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:21:16 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1232&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss The La's inception goes back to 1984, when Mike Badger asked fellow Scouser, Lee Mavers, to join his band, which, at the time, was a rockabilly outfit struggling to make a name for themselves among the plethora of talented bands in Liverpool. Never having a stable lineup, each subsequent personnel change over the years brought a new set of ideas and alliances to the band, which culminated in the firing Mike Badger, its founding member, in 1986. Mavers, who had already begun writing the sort of '60s-inspired jangle pop that the band is known for, assumed leadership of the La's and began writing in earnest. Having nabbed a deal with Go! Discs, the La's released their first single, "Way Out" in 1987, much to the delight of critics who gushed enthusiastically about this perfect pop nugget. With another lineup change behind them, the La's released another chiming gem, "There She Goes," a year later. When the single failed to chart, the band put it down to bad distribution and headed into the studio to record their album, with the idea to get in, record and get out quickly. But wasn't what happened. Reality found the band struggling to accurately capture the sounds that were swirling around Lee Mavers head; vintage equipment was assembled under the tutelage of producers who were hired and then fired. Eventually, the band hooked up with Steve Lillywhite, whose sessions went slightly better than the band's earlier efforts, but in the end, the band walked out on the esteemed knob-twirler. That became a sticking point, resulting in the band and their label taking very different paths. The band maintain they walked out of the sessions for good and that Steve Lillywhite produced a clunker of an album that featured wrong vocal tracks, unapproved art and the wrong track listing. The label, on the other hand, said the band recorded the album and then refused to take part in any of the post-production for it. In the end, the La's eponymous debut sparkled brightly, crackling with raw energy and overflowing with melody, but Mavers never recovered from the betrayal. Not even a remixed version of "There She Goes" hitting the charts in 1990 could pull Mavers out of his funk. Whispers of a nervous breakdown quickly followed rumors of a drug addiction, and Mavers' hermit-like behavior added fuel to the fire. Most of the band waited patiently for singer to make his next move, but after a full year of inactivity, bassist John Power left to form Cast. A handful of shows here and there was all that was left and the La's sputtered to a halt—without ever really formally breaking up. For the most part, Mavers has foregone music completely, putting his energy into raising his children, while their big hit, "There She Goes" lives on in TV commercials for Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo birth control pills. - Linda Ryan http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.20068410&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss Brit Pop/Brit Rock Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700 The La's Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.20068410 alb.20068410 The La's art.1232 14.99 The La's alb.20068410 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/3/4/6/5/1215643_170x170.jpg 2008-10-07 00:00:00.0 2008-04-08 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.20068410&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.20068410&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.19847178&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss Brit Pop/Brit Rock Tue, 1 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 The La's Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.19847178 alb.19847178 The La's art.1232 9.99 The La's - BBC In Session alb.19847178 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/0/5/1/2/1212150_170x170.jpg 2008-04-01 00:00:00.0 null true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.19847178&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.19847178&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.29029313&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss Brit Pop/Brit Rock Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 The La's Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.29029313 alb.29029313 The La's art.1232 9.99 Puisque j'ai mis alb.29029313 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/6/0/9/9/1729906_170x170.jpg 2009-06-25 00:00:00.0 2008-02-02 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.29029313&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.29029313&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6959439&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss Brit Pop/Brit Rock Mon, 4 Oct 1999 00:00:00 -0700 The La's Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.6959439 alb.6959439 The La's art.1232 0.0 Lost La's 1984-1986 Breakloose alb.6959439 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/8/3/5/2/682538_170x170.jpg 1999-10-04 00:00:00.0 1999-10-04 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6959439&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.6959439&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.260659&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss Brit Pop/Brit Rock Tue, 19 Mar 1991 00:00:00 -0800 The La's Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.260659 alb.260659 The La's art.1232 9.99 The La's alb.260659 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/3/5/1/0/1080153_170x170.jpg 1991-03-19 00:00:00.0 1991-03-19 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.260659&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.260659&variant=data&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fdiscography.rss