Felt - Bubblegum Perfume LP

In this house, any Felt is worth owning (though not always easy to come by). Bubblegum Perfume compiles many gems throughout the band's legendary run on Creation Records and 1972 Records have done the Lord's work in creating a new vinyl edition. As the title suggests, this collection is a potent distillation of the group's characteristic indiepop masterpieces, whether adorned with the Dylanesque vocals of Lawrence (a la "Space Blues") or those special gems of piano or guitar instrumentals that recall The Durutti Column (thinking here of "Magellan"). This collection brings together several of the band's most-loved songs ("Stained-Glass Windows in the Sky", "Ballad of the Band") with deeper cuts, all in service of painting a complex and multi-faceted portrait of a legendary (and legendarily-prolific) band. 

"Following a run with Cherry Red Records that featured a potential major label jump, guitarist Maurice Deebank quitting and rejoining multiple times, several pop stardom carrots just out of reach, mixing battles with Robin Guthrie, and a shocking entry into the record charts, Lawrence (just 'Lawrence', like 'Cher' or 'Madonna' thank you very much) knew he would be making a change with his band Felt. He would be seeing out his plan of ten albums and ten singles in ten years alongside a new partner in Creation Records. This compilation beautifully captures those years. Creation was beginning a rapid ascent at the time, with Alan McGee serving as its hyperactive mouthpiece and focal point. McGee was all in on the band. 'Lawrence achieved pop perfection, a breathless rush of sensitivity and intelligence. It was too understated to be commercial, too art to go pop, too pop to go art -- in other words it was a perfect combination of all the music I loved at the time.' McGee was thrilled to have what he considered a real star on the label, and Lawrence was equally thrilled to have such an enthusiastic cheerleader. He funneled that enthusiasm into some of the most focused songwriting of his career, as well as some of his wildest experiments, all of which are on display here." — 1972 Records