http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1232&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.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 Rocken720Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:29:43 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.1232&variant=artist-playlists&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.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=ply.29552070&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 4 Sep 2009 17:14:58 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 29552070 ply.29552070 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.29552070&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28770102&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:06:29 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 28770102 ply.28770102 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28770102&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28064511&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Fri, 8 May 2009 01:47:49 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 28064511 ply.28064511 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28064511&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28064512&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Sun, 31 May 2009 08:26:25 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 28064512 ply.28064512 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.28064512&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22860675&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:54:34 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 22860675 ply.22860675 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22860675&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22860867&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:54:34 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 22860867 ply.22860867 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22860867&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22622192&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 5 Sep 2009 11:18:30 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 22622192 ply.22622192 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.22622192&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.20585321&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:06:50 -0800 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 20585321 ply.20585321 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.20585321&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15980752&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Mon, 2 Nov 2009 10:52:29 -0800 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 15980752 ply.15980752 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15980752&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15889019&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Tue, 5 May 2009 10:49:51 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 15889019 ply.15889019 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.15889019&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14473373&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:29:34 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 14473373 ply.14473373 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.14473373&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13889716&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Soul/R&B Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:13:58 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 13889716 ply.13889716 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.13889716&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12868205&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:07:03 -0800 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 12868205 ply.12868205 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12868205&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12767297&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:26:28 -0800 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 12767297 ply.12767297 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12767297&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12723288&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:13:17 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 12723288 ply.12723288 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.12723288&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9539304&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:52:44 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 9539304 ply.9539304 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9539304&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9530648&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:03:07 -0700 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 9530648 ply.9530648 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9530648&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9262385&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Rock/Pop Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:11:25 -0800 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 9262385 ply.9262385 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.9262385&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8634093&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:48:23 -0800 Playlists Featuring The La's on Rhapsody Online 8634093 ply.8634093 http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8634093&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=ply.8593147&variant=play&rws=%2Fthe-las%2Fplaylists.rss Alt/Punk Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:26:37 -0800 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