The Boo Radleys - Skywalker (1998)

I originally intended to end this series of Boo Radley's rarities at 1995, as they only released one album and one more single after that, with the 'Kingsize' single being cancelled, and so I thought there wouldn't be much esle to add, but a comment by jman prompted me to investigate a bit further, and possibly round things off with an EP from 1998. That EP has now turned into a full-blown album, as despite the fact that a break-up was on the cards, with Sice saying in 1998 "It was such a relief when Martin phoned me and said he didn't want to make any more records. We’d been wanting it to stop for quite a long time, but I couldn't do it – I didn't want to leave. I wanted the band to end and only Martin could have done that", the band were still recording loads of extra songs in the studio, and so from just the singles released from 1996's 'C'mon Kids' and 1998's 'Kingsize' we have one final 20-track album of rare b-sides and freebies from the band.

Track listing

01 Bloke In A Dress (b-side of 'What's In The Box' 1996)
02 Atlantic (b-side of 'What's In The Box' 1996)
03 Absent Boy (b-side of 'What's In The Box' 1996)
04 Annie & Mamie (b-side of 'What's In The Box' 1996)
05 Flakes (b-side of 'What's In The Box' 1996)
06 Skywalker (free 7" single with 'C'Mon Kids' 1996)
07 French Canadian Bean Soup (free 7" single with 'C'Mon Kids' 1996)
08 Spion Kop (b-side of 'C'Mon Kids' 1996)
09 To Beautiful (b-side of 'C'Mon Kids' 1996)
10 Nothing To Do But Scare Myself (b-side of 'C'Mon Kids' 1996)
11 Vote You (b-side of 'Ride The Tiger' 1997)
12 Roadie (b-side of 'Ride The Tiger' 1997)
13 Safe At Home (b-side of 'Ride The Tiger' 1997)
14 A Part I Know So Well (b-side of 'Ride The Tiger' 1997)
15 Last Night I Dreamt Of God (b-side of Everything Is Sorrow' 1997)
16 Everything Falls Away (b-side of 'Free Huey' 1998)
17 In A Galaxy Far, Far Away (b-side of 'Free Huey' 1998)
18 Spanish Lizards (b-side of 'Free Huey' 1998)
19 Superindependent (b-side of cancelled 'Kingsize' 1998)
20 Tomorrow (b-side of cancelled 'Kingsize' 1998)

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson

The Boo Radleys - Lazarus (Remixes) (1994)

As a bonus post to end the short series of Boo Radleys rarities, here is a collection of recordings of their song 'Lazarus', from the 'Giant Steps' album. The band released the track as a single in 1993, and also issued a two-CD set of remixes by artists such as Ultramarine, St. Etienne and Augustus Pablo, as well as an extended 12" version. As so often with remixes, some of these are hardly recognisable as the original song, which means that nine versions of the same piece isn't as repetitious as you might first think. I've added the album version as well, so that we have all the different takes of the song, and it holds up pretty well as an album in its own right, so to round off the series, enjoy a bit of experimentation from a band who were always up for trying something a little different.

Track listing

01 Lazarus (7" Version)  
02 Lazarus (Ultramarine Remix)  
03 Lazarus (Acoustic Version)
04 Lazarus (St. Etienne Remix)
05 Lazarus (12" Version) 
06 Lazarus (Secret Knowledge Remix)
07 Lazarus (Flood Remix)
08 Lazarus (Augustus Pablo Remix)
09 Lazarus (Album Version)

The Boo Radleys - Almost Nearly There (1995)

In 1996 the Boo Radleys released their fifth album 'C'mon Kids', and while the group themselves have said that their aim was to try something new in order to keep themselves fresh and interested, critics accused them of deliberately attempting to scare away the fans they'd picked up with 'Wake Up!'. Early in 1997, the band finalized an American contract with Mercury, and 'C'mon Kids' was released in March, a half a year after its initial British release. Their final album 'Kingsize' came out in 1998, with 'Free Huey!' being released as the first single. Plans were under way to issue the title track as the next single, but while these were being finalised the band decided to call it a day, and broke up in 1999, resulting in the release of 'Kingsize' being cancelled. As we've already seen from posts from Elbow, Wah!, Dodgy and (spoiler alert) The Bluetones, indie bands of the 90's treated their fans really well, with exclusive songs on the flips of nearly all of their singles, although the Boos did reign this in a bit during their later years, and the songs on their EPs seldom found their way onto their albums either. They may have only been around for eight years, but they recorded so much music that it was relatively easy to find three dozen songs that never appeared on their albums to make up this trilogy of posts from a much-missed indie band.  

   
Track listing

01 Friendship Song (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
02 ...And Tomorrow The World (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
03 Janus (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
04 Blues For George Michael (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)
05 This Is Not About Me (b-side of 'It's Lulu' 1995)
06 Tambo (b-side of 'It's Lulu' 1995)
07 Donkey (b-side of 'It's Lulu' 1995)
08 From The Bench At Belvidere (single 1995)
09 Hi Falutin' (b-side of 'From The Bench At Belvidere' 1995)
10 Crushed (b-side of 'From The Bench At Belvidere')
11 Almost Nearly There (b-side of 'From The Bench At Belvidere')
12 The History Of Creation Parts 17 And 36 (b-side of 'Wake Up Boo!' 1995)

I've put 'The History Of Creation Parts 17 And 36' at the end as you'll probably only want to listen to it once. 

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson

The Boo Radleys - Very Together (1995)

1993 was a big year for the Boo Radleys, with 'Giant Steps' topping Select magazine's album of the year, and coming second to Bjork's 'Debut' in the NME, and the band also recorded a cover of The La's 'There She Goes' for the soundtrack to the 1993 film 'So I Married An Axe Murderer'. Despite this widespread critical acclaim and a cult fanbase, the Boo Radleys were still largely unknown to the general public by the time the Britpop phenomenon broke into the mainstream in 1995. This changed when the band released the upbeat single 'Wake Up Boo!' in the spring of that year, crashing into the UK Top 10 Singles Chart, and remaining on the chart for two months. Their fourth album 'Wake Up!' was issued in 1995, and was the band's commercial peak, and although they openly hated media-generated movements within music, they did gift 'Oh Brother' to the 'Help' charity album, aimed at raising funds for War Child. 

Track listing

01 As Bound As Tomorrow (b-side of 'I Hang Suspended' 1993)

02 I Will Always Ask You Where You've Been...... (b-side of 'I Hang Suspended' 1993)

03 There She Goes (from the soundtrack of the film 'So I Married An Axe Murderer' 1993)

04 Tortoiseshell (b-side of 'Barney (...And Me)' 1994)

05 Zoom (b-side of 'Barney (...And Me)' 1994)

06 Cracked (Lips, Homesick) (b-side of 'Barney (...And Me)' 1994)

07 I Wanna Be (Touchdown Jesus) (b-side of 'Lazarus' 1994)

08 Oh Brother (from 'Help' charity album 1995)

09 Don't Take Your Gun To Town (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

10 Wallpaper (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

11 Very Together (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

12 The Only Word I Can Find (b-side of 'Find The Answer Within' 1995)

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson 

The Boo Radleys - Feels Like Tomorrow (1993)

The Boo Radleys formed in Wallasey in 1988, comprising Rob Harrison on drums, singer/guitarist Simon "Sice" Rowbottom, guitarist/songwriter Martin Carr, and bassist Timothy Brown, and with their name is taken from the character Boo Radley in Harper Lee's 1960 novel 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. In 1990 the band released their first album 'Ichabod And I' on the small British indie label Action Records, and although not a commercial success, it did bring the band to the attention of Rough Trade Records, to whom they signed. This was also the first record of theirs that I heard, via the John Peel show, and its feedback-drenched sound blew me away, starting a love affair with the band which has lasted ever since, and Peel also had a hand in getting the band signed to Rough Trade. Around this time Hewitt was replaced on drums by Rob Cieka, and the band released their first record on Rough Trade, with the 'Kaleidoscope' EP emerging in 1991. This was followed by the 'Every Heaven' and 'Boo Up!' EPs, but almost immediately after the release of these EPs Rough Trade collapsed, and the Boo Radleys were snapped up by Alan McGee's Creation Records, releasing their debut album for the label with 'Everything's Alright Forver' in 1991. The album was also released in the US through Creation's association with Columbia Records, but didn't gain much attention in America, whereas in England it received favorable reviews and the group began to build a fan base. The penchant for releasing 12" EPs carried on with Creation, issuing the 'Adrenalin' and Boo! Forever' EPs in 1992, quickly followed by the classic 'Giant Steps' album the following year, garnering a 9/10 review in the NME. I've started with the non-album songs from their 'Adrenalin' EP, as if I'd put together their first three EPs I'd have ended up with the actual 'Learning To Walk' album from 1993, so check that out if you want to hear those songs, and you'll also get their great cover of Love's 'Alone Again Or'. Do also seek out the 'Ichabod And I' album, as it remains one of my favourites to this day.

Track listing

01 Vegas (from the 'Adrenalin' EP 1992)
02 Feels Like Tomorrow (from the 'Adrenalin' EP 1992)
03 Whiplashed (from the 'Adrenalin' EP 1992)
04 Boo! Forever (b-side of 'Does This Hurt?' 1992)
05 Buffalo Bill (b-side of 'Does This Hurt?' 1992)
06 Sunfly II: Walking With The Kings (b-side of 'Does This Hurt?' 1992)
07 At The Sound Of Speed (b-side of 'Lazarus' 1992)
08 Let Me Be Your Faith (b-side of 'Lazarus' 1992)
09 Petroleum (b-side of 'Lazarus' 1992)
10 Peachy Keen (b-side of 'Wish I Was Skinny' 1993)
11 Furthur (b-side of 'Wish I Was Skinny' 1993)
12 Crow Eye (b-side of 'Wish I Was Skinny' 1993)

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson