alternative rock
Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, England, who had a minor hit in 1991 with "Lemonstone Desired".
History
The band was formed at the Merseyside Trade Union Community and Unemployed Resource Centre in
Huyton
Huyton ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Part of the Liverpool Urban Area, Liverpool Built-up Area, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Merseyside, Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Netherley, Liverpool, ...
, Liverpool, in 1988 with a line-up of Ned Murphy (vocals, guitar), Colin Clarke (vocals, guitar),
Martyn Campbell
Martyn Craig Campbell (born 1970 in Liverpool) is an English bass guitarist.
He is best known for his work with Rain, the Lightning Seeds,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 400, 935-6 Richard Ashcroft, ...
(bass guitar, vocals), and Tony McGuigan (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) "Rain", in ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 935-6Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p. 346 They were signed by
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock, power pop and New wave music, new wave, Unhappy with the results, they did not release any material until their 1991 debut single "Lemonstone Desired", which reached number 95 on the UK Singles Chart, and was the source of some controversy due to the photograph of a naked woman on the sleeve.Rain , Chart Stats, retrieved 2010-11-21 The band recorded a session for
Mark Goodier
Mark Goodier (born 9 June 1961) is a Zimbabwean-born British radio disc jockey and broadcaster best known for his time on BBC Radio 1 between 1987 and 2002. He had two spells presenting the station's Top 40 singles chart, from September 1990 ...
's
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
show in March that year.Garner, Ken (1993) ''In Session Tonight'', BBC Books, , p. 285 This was followed by debut album ''A Taste of Rain'', drawing comparisons with
Cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...
,
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...
, and
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
, and a single featuring the title track from the album. The album was followed by a reissued "Lemonstone Desired", which proved to be the band's final release while together, although they shared a posthumous split album with the Real People in 1996, featuring tracks mainly taken from their album.
Discography
Albums
*''A Taste of Rain'' (1991), Columbia
*''Liverpool: Calm Before the Storm'' (1996), Columbia - split with the Real People
*''Ten Belters and a Slow One'' (2016)
Singles
*"Lemonstone Desired" (1991), Columbia - UK #95
*"A Taste of Rain" (1991), Columbia - UK #95
*"Lemonstone Desired" (1991), Columbia - reissue