Forgotten Classics

The Lemonheads

It's A Shame About Ray

Oliver St John

  

1992 was a year of great rock albums; Pearl Jam released their debut album Ten, R.E.M. delivered the classic Automatic For The People, Def Leppard brought out the long-awaited opus Adrenalize... and Evan Dando and his cohorts finally made their own breakthrough on the scene with this, their second release for Atlantic Records.
The Lemonheads had been a fixture on the Boston music scene for a good seven years, their independent releases making an increasingly loud splash locally. Atlantic Records heard the splash, and the band's major-label debut Lovey followed.
Lovey showed off the Lemonheads' propensity for melodic rock as well as the ability to show a harder edge when needed, earning them their wings as a part of the burgeoning music scene of early 1990s America. Few would have foreseen quite how much louder the splash would be in November '92, when It's A Shame About Ray was unveiled.
The leadoff track, "Rockin' Stroll", gave listeners a taste of what they could expect. It was exactly what it sounded like: a good old-fashioned rockout, packed with ringing acoustic guitar and Dando's rich vocals, often offset by Juliana Hatfield's harmonies.
The promise was made, and kept. From the title track, a three minute classic perfect for rock radio, to the last track, a Simon and Garfunkel cover, It's A Shame... delivered the goods. This was an album you could put on in your car, cranking it in the open air, not quite noticing you were a few miles over the speed limit.
While the songs "It's A Shame About Ray" and "Mrs. Robinson" got the most chart attention, a standout track among the single releases. The song tells a story of a young girl discovering punk rock and with it an entirely new life, transcending childhood in one glorious moment of self-discovery. In this song, Hatfield's vocals really shine, delivering the emotional experience of the title character to the listener.
Aside from the single releases, the album contains tracks such as the bittersweet crush song "Bit Part", and the life-crisis soundtrack tune "Rudderless" - never truly complaining, but a monument to taking reality off the hook and just having a good time for a while. It's an album for which you can put the real world on hold.
While the album has points where it slows down for contemplation - the controversy-courting "My Drug Buddy" being a prime example - the momentum does not stop. There is a consistent quality flowing through this record's veins which most modern releases lack. Its only downfall is that it is over too soon, barely topping the half hour mark for the entire album.
While the Lemonheads themselves never made it to the end of the nineties, their greatest legacy lies in this album. If you never heard it, or don't remember it, do yourself a favor sometime and check it out. Online retailers are carrying it for under ten dollars, and used copies are not hard to find.