When guitarist/pianist Luke Haines left The Servants in 1991, he teamed up with his then-girlfriend Alice Readman, who played bass guitar, and former classmate Glenn Collins on drums, and formed The Auteurs. The trio benefited from a positive NME review of their third show, and their demo tape made its way to Suede, who were then on the cusp of being the hottest band around. They liked it enough to hire the Auteurs as support for a 1992 tour, which led to more and more industry interest. Rather than signing with one of the labels who were pursuing them, the trio decided to record their debut album first, and funded by money fronted by their manager, they hit the studio with producer Phil Vinall and emerged with 'New Wave'. The record's lyrically pointed, sharply melodic songs and sound captured the shabby underbelly of the Brit-pop scene, and after signing with Virgin off-shoot Hut, they released their first single 'Show Girl' in 1992, followed swiftly by the album in early 1993, which was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. Although they provided a sharply sardonic, uncompromising counterpoint to the sunny optimism of the Brit-pop scene, they band were often lumped in with that movement, and Haines never liked this association, frequently making derogatory remarks about his peers.
After 'New Wave', the band remained on the fringes of the music scene, and drummer Collins was replaced by Barny C. Rockford, after being headhunted from Out Of My Hair by producer Phil Vinall, and cellist James Banbury was promoted to full band member. Their next album, 'Now I'm A Cowboy', was released in 1994, and built on the themes of the previous record, and contained Haines' best known song, 'Lenny Valentino', which was also released as a single. Demonstrating, again, their difference from their musical peers, the band's next release was 'The Auteurs vs. μ-Ziq', which comprised Auteurs songs remixed by producer μ-Ziq (aka Michael Paradinas). In interviews at the time Haines claimed he found contemporary techno and house music more interesting than most Britpop bands. In 1996 The Auteurs released 'After Murder Park', produced by Steve Albini, and including 'Land Lovers', 'Unsolved Child Murder', and 'Buddha'. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios following a year during which Haines had spent most of his time in a wheelchair after jumping off a wall and breaking both ankles, and more of these darker songs were included on the 'Back With The Killer' EP, which preceded the album.
At the same time, Haines made the 'Baader Meinhof' album as a solo artist under the name Baader Meinhof, and the Auteurs even supported Baader Meinhof at a London show in Camden's Dingwalls. The last Auteurs album was 'How I Learned To Love The Bootboys', which was released in 1999, and included the single 'The Rubettes', a gleaming confection that honoured the '70s group of the same name. The rest of the record was typically inventive and spiky, only with more fleshed-out arrangements and synthesizers. Around this time Alice Readman left the band, being replaced by various other musicians for live/touring purposes, and shortly afterwards the band broke up. Haines worked as one third of the art-pop band Black Box Recorder, and in 2001 he released the soundtrack album to the film 'Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry', rapidly followed by his first solo album proper, 'The Oliver Twist Manifesto'. 2003 saw him release 'Das Capital', a collection of re-recorded Auteurs era songs, with a couple of new tracks, apparently intended as closure for that band. Currently Haines pens a monthly column for Record Collector magazine. However, during their decade-long career they often released stand-alone singles, and added non-album tracks to their b-sides, and as Haines is now rightly regarded as one of the UK's best song-writers of the 90's, then all of these rare tracks are well worth hearing.
Track listing
Disc I - 1992-1994
01 Glad To Be Gone (b-side of 'Showgirl' 1992)
02 Staying Power (b-side of 'Showgirl' 1992)
03 She Might Take A Train (single 1992)
04 Subculture (They Can't Find Him) (b-side of 'She Might Take A Train')
05 Car Crazy (b-side of 'Lenny Valentino' 1993)
06 Vacant Lot (b-side of 'Lenny Valentino' 1993)
07 Disney World (b-side of 'Lenny Valentino' 1993)
08 How Could I Be Wrong (single 1993)
09 High Diving Horses (b-side of 'How Could I Be Wrong')
10 Wedding Day (b-side of 'How Could I Be Wrong')
11 Chinese Bakery (single 1994)
12 Government Bookstore (b-side of 'Chinese Bakery')
Disc II - 1994-1999
01 New French Girlfriend (single 1994)
02 Underground Movies (single 1994)
03 Brainchild (b-side of 'Underground Movies')
04 Back With The Killer Again (from the 'Back With The Killer' EP 1995)
05 Former Fan (from the 'Back With The Killer' EP 1995)
06 Kenneth Anger's Bad Dream (from the 'Back With The Killer' EP 1995)
07 Kids Issue (single 1996)
08 A New Life A New Family (b-side of 'Kids Issue')
09 Light Aircraft On Fire (single 1996)
10 Car Crash (b-side of 'Light Aircraft On Fire')
11 X-Boogie Man (b-side of 'Light Aircraft On Fire')
12 Breaking Up (b-side of 'The Rubettes' 1999)
13 Get Wrecked At Home (b-side of 'The Rubettes' 1999)
