Customer Reviews

Gala

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although 1994's SPLIT was by far Lush's best effort, showing a full-circle maturity in musicianship and songwriting, GALA is certainly the best introduction to Lush, as it was the beginning of a seven year career tragically cut short by the death of drummer Chris Acland.

A compilation for the US market of three EPs released in the UK, GALA is a presentation of a new band finding its way musically. It's a fantastic album, although some of the songs are understandably weak due to the uncertainly of its young performers. The production is atmospheric and shimmery, and the complex feedback-drenched songs came to create that particularly fitting adjective "Lush-ious." Brightest highlights are "Thoughtforms," in it's second version (track 7), and "De-Luxe."

This band burned bright for an unfortunately brief period. Gala is a great collection of songs from one of the best bands of the so-called shoegazer movement . As far as the songs go, there isn't a dud in the bunch but Sweetness and Light and De-Luxe are absolutely gorgeous songs, both among the best of all time. This is a great time capsule for a band that ended under the most heartbreaking of circumstances.

Blake Ruiz

Lush were an early 90's "shoegazing" band that I feel were very underrated and didn't get the recognition they deserved. This is their first US release and it's a compilation of EP's that were previously released in the UK. Best songs: Sweetness And Light, De-Luxe, and Breeze. If you like bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride, then this is definately worth checking out.

The title of "Gala"'s first track, "Sweetness and Light", is sneakily deceptive, as Lush never were so shallow as to sink into power-pop territory, and thank God their aims were never blatantly commercial because we might never have gotten music so complicatedly uncalculating. The best of the 15 tracks (both versions of "Scarlet" and "Thoughtforms", the hushed "Sunbathing", the brilliant "Hey Hey Helen") are underscored by a sadness that is never worked out (it's like a musical residue), yet the conception of the songs is far from morose. Lush terrifically energizes their soundscapes with a dreamy poppiness that is winning and still complex, and the songs here tend to change with the listener's mood, like a mood-ring you come across and never want to let go of. B+

This is one of my favorite albums. For the last 16 years, I've found it very hard to file this away owing to its sheer sonic goodness and sharp production coupled with a dreamyesque sheen. Great stuff! Obvious comparisons to The Cocteau Twins have and will be made as it seems apparent to me that Lush was largely influenced by them. But Lush retool the formula CT laid out and adds a few flourishes and edges to their particular composition.

Like The Cocteau Twins, Lush possess a strongly original sound. One that weaves a hypnotic tapestry around swirling atmospherics and shimmering guitars. One exposure to "Sweetness and Light" and I was awestruck. "Thoughtforms", "De-Luxe", "Hey Hey Helen", "Scarlet", and more all conjure a most alluring spell that binds the listener to a rapturous forray in listening. I'm also quite fond of Spooky, the follow up to Gala as well. Well worth a sample.

this album confused me greatly when i first heard it. the dreamy guitars and wistful melodies floating around the bouncy drums and throbbing bass...and those beautiful, haunting vocals, which seemed so buried in the mix that there were times when i had to strain my ears to listen closely. i loved how mysterious it all sounded. i was already becoming a Cocteau Twins fan, and this album reminded me of them...but in a much more rocking sort of way. Lush has the power to contrast their lovely blissful numbers with sngs like "Leaves Me Cold" and "Downer" which seemed to spark a bit of a more violent and jagged mood. and that kind of contrast left me cold for awhile...eventually, i grew into this album and i looked forward to hearing the future albums from this band. i was sad when they broke up, because by the time they released Lovelife, i was really hooked! recently, after years of having having this recording on cassette, i was pleased to be browsing a bargain bin and come accross a copy of Gala on cd. it's been great to rediscover the wonderous world of this album and take a trip back to the glory daze of shoegazing.

Robin Guthrie's production is a HUGE reason for the awesome waves of sound contained within. For a perfect example of this, listen to both versions of "Thoughtforms". While both are excellent mixes, it is Guthrie's mix that sends it through the heavens. Just a superb, astonishing blend of razor-like guitar structures and vocal multi-tracking. My favorite cuts are "De-Luxe" and "Hey Hey Helen" (featuring awesome bass lines), but really this is a sterling example of "shoe-gazer" genre, which I for one miss. Where did you go, Rob?

Take the melodic power and the ethereal vocals of the Cocteau Twins, mix it with the guitar crash and punk appeal of bands like the Pixies or Throwing Muses, and you'll get the sound of early Lush. "Gala" is a compilation of three EP which were originally released between 1989 and 1990. The sound is a bit thin and you feel that Lush had to improve their skills yet. But they did the best thing a young band can do: They engaged some well-known British producers who knew how to turn their mediocre performance into little pop gems. Ultimately there's not a single bad song on this album. Killer tracks are "Baby talk", "Bitter", "Etheriel" and the cover version of Abba's "Hey hey Helen". I think this album is must-have for every fan of the old-style 4AD sound. By the way, this is an US-only compilation!

Hearing Lush is like stepping out of a creeky old barn into the bright sunlight on a hot summer day on fram in England. Their music is a waking dream that floods the senses with light and pure magic.The wet vocals and flanged guitars are what an LSD trip may be like without actually doing the drug. The band disbanded in 1998 but this album will live forever as Reprises best collection of previously released Lush eps while they were on 4ad.
There can never be another band like this.
Penny Ella Vodka
Reviewer Extraordinaire

Well now..not to sound too hyperbolic but...This is without a doubt my fave cd...no doubt that it's very much influenced by the Cocteau Twins and perhaps My Bloody Valentine (of which "loveless" would probably be my second fave cd) but Gala just has such a warmth and soaring feel to it that some of the other "shoegazer" bands could not duplicate. From "delux" to "thoughtforms" Miki and Emma's vocals and wall of sound created such a lovely, beautiful moment in music....