Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 12

Running Time: 35 minutes and 14 seconds

Genre: Pre-Britpop

Personnel: Lee Mavers (vocals and guitars), John Power (bass guitar and backing vocals), Peter “Cammy” Camel (lead guitars), Neil Mavers (drums and tambourine), with others

Producer: Steve Lillywhite, Bob Andrews

Recording Locations: Woodcray (Wokingham, UK), Eden (London, UK)

Record Label: Polydor Records

Art Direction: Ryan Art

Best Tracks: Liberty Ship, There She Goes, Looking Glass

Quick Verdict: Undeniably a stone cold classic album

If any album kick-started the 1990s Britpop Music movement, it was this one. Looking back to the music of the 1960s and adding a fresh twist to it, this sounds exactly like the precursor to groups such as Oasis and Blur. Therefore, this album cannot be underestimated in terms of music scope and influence. This is the only major album release by The La’s, but it is often recognised as a classic album to this very day. Noel Gallagher of Oasis even claimed that Oasis were about finishing what The La’s began in a musical sense. Let’s go back to 1990 and hear this album, and hopefully it will be a good and interesting listening experience.

1. Son Of A Gun is now a catchphrase in the English language. It begins with some gorgeous acoustic guitars and launches into a sweet and unique Acoustic Rock sort of tune with glorious and melodic vocals to match it all. This is a serious breath of fresh air into the very early 1990s, and the decade was underway, even before Grunge emerged. A good tale of human error with guns and other lyrics, alongside some gorgeous harmonies to match it all. This isn’t even two minutes long, but serious is awesome. Great song.

2. I Can’t Sleep begins with crunchy electric guitars and launches right into a sweet and glorious tune at hand. This is extremely catchy and Poppy throughout. This is a good song about insomnia, and the music is very 1960s in its melodic progression, chords and style as well. The Fender-style guitars sound magnificent on this song, and the music from within is extraordinarily good. If you love any music from the 1960s but wanted to hear a more recent interpretation of it, look no further. The guitar solos are short and sweet, before this returns quickly to the insomnia at hand. Very pretty and fantastic to listen to. Great Pop/Rock Music.

3. Timeless Melody has some dramatic strummed acoustic and electric guitars, and is a true ode to the nature of music itself. The singing by Lee Mavers is unique and iconic in its very own way, very much northern English in its accent and melodic sense. Another short, sweet and seriously great song is present here, and the feel and emphasis musically is seriously top. No wonder Oasis and Blur were so popular, borrowing from the influence of this sort of music a few years later. The guitar solo is somewhat Grungy and dirty, but that is perfectly matched by the song itself. The fact that The La’s created a song devoted to the nature of great music itself on this album is a winner. A nice three-minute-long Pop/Rock tune that is designed for repeat listens. Fantastic.

4. Liberty Ship begins with some funky bass guitar and nice acoustic/electric guitar playing. This opens into a seriously cool and melodic song that sounds iconic, unique and quite frankly, an underrated song. The rhythm acoustic guitar soloing throughout is very magical and pretty to listen to. A seriously great listen throughout that makes for a catchy and simply awesome song. These songs are perfect for you to do a campfire acoustic session with your closest friends on a camping trip. Absolutely fantastic to hear. There is a subtle keyboard in the fade-out as well.

5. There She Goes is the main hit from this album. It begins with some sweet and chiming electric guitars, alongside some other clean and pristine Rock Music instrumentation. This sounds absolutely fantastically enjoyable throughout. A lovely tune that is very much a reference to The Velvet Underground, but original and catchy in its own way. This is the dawn of the 1990s on an album release, right here. The melodic guitar sections are also absolutely fantastic and beautiful to listen to. If anything, this music is a great example of the human spirit at hand and the power of simply pretty music. Catchy and simple, just how the best Pop/Rock Music should be. Superb song.

6. Doledrum begins with some Eastern-sounding acoustic guitars and other unusual instrumentation, launching into a song about avoiding going to doledrum at hand. Nonetheless, this has some awesome singing and backing vocals. A nicely performed and flavoursome music tune that has some impressive singing and music impact on the listener. Again, seriously good to hear. The acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and bongos are simply a nice music match for each other. A nice and euphoric tune with some awesome melodic singing, in particular. This simple music makes one want to play guitar and sing all day long. An excellent listen throughout. Sweet.

7. Feelin’ begins with some interesting guitar playing in a very 1960s and Surf Rock sort of way. The singing by Lee Mavers is good. This is a perfect tune for the summer in a sunny place, or for a long drive to the beach. The music and sounds are extremely great here, and it is all a pretty and melodic combination of an approach musically that was to come back in vogue in the 1990s. Seriously top. A great listen throughout.

8. Way Out begins with some choppy drumming, clean guitars and launches into another simple and beautiful song at hand. This is about breaking it off with a lover, but the music and playing make it seem bright and beautiful simultaneously. The La’s only made one album, but this is a legendary statement overall musically. A seriously upbeat and powerful listen with handclaps as well. The guitar solo is very picturesque and iconic, and this music definitely is inspiring for many listeners out there. “Give it all you’ve got, now…” is repeated throughout. There are some bongos and some interesting guitars added to the end of this song as well.

9. I.O.U. begins with a nice and neat fade-in of very catchy music with acoustic guitars and clean Fender electric guitars. This is a song about recognising the flaws between people, and this follows a neat and iconic 20th-century British Music tradition at hand that is seriously magical to listen to. A clean and clear guitar solo is present on this song, and it progresses very nicely along the way. This is a great song, once again. If this album were released back in the 1960s, it would have gotten much more exposure than it has today. Great music, all the same.

10. Freedom Song begins with some clean and clear acoustic guitar playing, bass guitar and some simple singing about one’s desire for increased freedom as such. A seriously cool and great song that is about the mediocrity of life at hand. This is rather quirky and a little strange, but it is still a great listen, along with the rest of the album. In the second half is a simple guitar solo and some interesting sounds in the background of it all. The music and playing are very much spot on, all the same. An interesting sort of Waltz Music tune, which is a welcome addition to this album.

11. Failure is very upbeat and different, with some nice guitars and singing that is reminiscent of the Stray Cats. Short, sweet and unique to hear, this is another upbeat and interesting song that certainly deserves to be heard. The La’s may have been very short-lived, but this song and album shine on very brightly. An uptempo and effortless song that is really brilliant. This is perfect for those of you who love minimalist music that matters. Absolutely awesome to listen to, and very, very wonderful. A hugely catchy piece of artistic music about being a messed-up failure, this is a great listen for Classic Rock fans. Excellent. It ends with guitar feedback.

12. Looking Glass begins with some very pseudo-The Incredible String Band acoustic guitars and some other supporting instrumentation at hand. It quickly launches into a unique and pretty ballad-style tune that is nearly eight minutes in length. This is a very interesting and nicely structured song that certainly sounds pretty and beautifully great to listen to. The La’s eventually get into action with some drums and some unusual sounds to match it. This pretty music has some gorgeously unique and Psychedelic lyrics to it. A really interesting and artistic song that has a pretty and unique power to it. The acoustic guitar and vocals play along nicely with some occasional other instrumentation added at times. This is very intelligent, artistic and simply beautiful music that many will enjoy today. All in all, a very wonderful and iconic listen. This is proto-Liam Gallagher, where one can hear the emotion in the singing, rather than having some screamed vocals as such. The second half of this song has a continuation of the simplicity and melodies at hand, which sound timeless and superb. This isn’t boring either, unlike the worst of Progressive Rock music. Soon enough, some interesting la-la-las emerge amongst the simple Rock Music instrumentation at hand. This is definitely a pleasant listen as such. A truly inviting and unique song, very much designed to trip to. Sober or intoxicated, this is a very marvellous listen as such. Simply impressive music to enjoy, and that is the purpose of this album. Towards the end, this gradually speeds up to reach a furious finish. This is brilliantly done and leaves a great impression on the listener, speeding up to an unbelievably fast conclusion. Top notch. The album ends with some crashing sounds.

This is a great album, hands down. Not only was it influenced by the music of the 1960s, but it also looked ahead to what the 1990s had to offer. This is a monumentally stone-cold classic that any fan of guitar-based music should hear. Its simplicity and combination of acoustic guitar, electric guitars, simple singing and thoughtfully penned lyrics make total sense. Should you listen to this album? Definitely, there are no dull moments here. Having said that, fans of EDM will wish to look elsewhere, as this will not appeal to such listeners.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.