Having played with The Servants in the late 1980s, Luke Haines carved a unique niche for himself in the 1990s with witty lyrics, wry humour and some stellar tunes with The Auteurs and other acts (Black Box Recorder, Baader Meinhof). By 1999, feeling aghast at the state of the Brit Rock scene in the UK, Luke decided to “start a righteous solo trip”, having been commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film Christie Malry’s Own Double Entry (2001). Sticking with Virgin Records, Luke then unveiled his first solo album proper, The Oliver Twist Manifesto, before fronting a new-look Auteurs for Das Capital. In due course, Luke switched labels to indie Fantastic Plastic for Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop (2006), followed in 2009 by 21st Century Man. Since then, he’s curated a string of imaginative, amusing and always worthwhile albums for Cherry Red Records. Alive And Well… is the first-ever anthology of Luke’s solo work, cherry-picking musical highlights from each of his long players as well as a smattering of B- sides, radio sessions, rarities and – on Disc 4 – a raft of previously unissued material. With sleeve-notes by Luke himself, Alive And Well… is a very personal statement spanning the last two decades of the musical life of Luke Haines. (cherry red records)
Formed in Glasgow in 1986, the acclaimed indie band The Orchids recorded a string of now highly sought after singles, and three acclaimed full length releases, Lyceum (1989), Unholy Soul (1991) and Striving For The Lazy Perfection (1994) for the cult independent label Sarah Records. Following a split in 1995 at what some perceive to be the height of their career, the band reformed in 2004, subsequently putting out two further highly regarded albums – Good to be a Stranger (2007) and The Lost Star (2010). To celebrate their 30 year anniversary, Cherry Red have worked together with the band to create this 2CD package containing the best of The Orchids’ previous material, plus a full CD dedicated to the band’s rare and unreleased tracks. The set includes demos, alternative acoustic versions, radio performances, flexi disc singles, a cover version, and an old EP favourite – Underneath The Window, Underneath The Sink – specially re-recorded just for this release, all selected and fully overseen by the band members themselves. The collection represents the recording career of The Orchids since their first physical release in August 1987. Present are 38 songs recorded in 11 different locations on 2CDs and featuring 4 different line-ups of the band. Although The Orchids, in all of their different line ups, have always been seen as a five piece ensemble, this collection features 19 musicians in all. Whole package fully remastered, with previously unreleased material sourced direct from The Orchids’ collection of past recordings. Includes booklet containing background and recording information related to every one of the included tracks, plus liner notes/revealing insights from ex-BBC radio DJ John Cavanagh and The Orchids’ producer and ex-One Dove band member Ian Carmichael.(cherry red records)