alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, 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, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Belle Vale, and the neighbouring village of Roby, with which it f ...
, 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 people, English bass guitar, bass guitarist.
He is best known for his work with Rain (British band), Rain, The Lightning Seeds,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'' ...
(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
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in late 1989, and began recording with
Nick Lowe
Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and 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
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, 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 British radio disc jockey 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 1990 to 1992 and from 1995 until 2002. He also h ...
'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 current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
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 process ...
,
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed 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 first alternative ...
, and
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American 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) remaining the sole cons ...
, 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
The Real People are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1988. The band currently consists of Anthony "Tony" Griffiths (bass guitar, vocals), Chris Griffiths (guitar, vocals), Martin Lappin (guitar) and Tony McGuigan (drums).
Formed in ...
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
The Real People are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1988. The band currently consists of Anthony "Tony" Griffiths (bass guitar, vocals), Chris Griffiths (guitar, vocals), Martin Lappin (guitar) and Tony McGuigan (drums).
Formed in ...
*''Ten Belters and a Slow One'' (2016)
Singles
*"Lemonstone Desired" (1991), Columbia - UK #95
*"A Taste of Rain" (1991), Columbia
*"Lemonstone Desired" (1991), Columbia - reissue