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CD
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TR 582CD
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$16.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/14/2025
The Loft notched up an impressive list of firsts for Creation Records' artists back in the mid-'80s. First Creation band on TV, first to hit the top of the indie singles chart, first to be invited on to a major UK tour and first Creation band to record a coveted BBC radio session -- for Janice Long's Radio One show in 1984. Then they split up. Since that infamous onstage tragedy; splitting up mid-song, at the Hammersmith Palais in front of 3,000 people when on the verge of Big Time indie greatness, the band has reunited. Just as their status as one of the UK's most influential guitar bands of the '80s continues to grow and to influence a host of younger artists, and thirty-nine years after that acrimonious split, it seemed the time was right to record their debut album. After a sell-out show at London's MOTH club and their heralded appearance at the Glas-Goes Pop festival, the group was invited by BBC 6 Music's Riley & Coe to record its fourth BBC session, at Maida Vale's famous Studio 4. Within six months the session was rush released by Precious Recordings of London on glorious ten inch vinyl. Enter Hamburg based, Tapete Records, who, hearing rumors about new Loft material, snapped up the album and signed the band without hearing a single note. The ten song collection, Everything Changes, Everything Stays The Same was recorded in Hackney in August and produced by Dexys' Sean Read with the original Loft line up of Pete Astor (guitar /vocals) Andy Strickland (guitar), Bill Prince (bass) and Dave Morgan (drums).
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LP
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TR 582LP
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$26.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/14/2025
LP version. The Loft notched up an impressive list of firsts for Creation Records' artists back in the mid-'80s. First Creation band on TV, first to hit the top of the indie singles chart, first to be invited on to a major UK tour and first Creation band to record a coveted BBC radio session -- for Janice Long's Radio One show in 1984. Then they split up. Since that infamous onstage tragedy; splitting up mid-song, at the Hammersmith Palais in front of 3,000 people when on the verge of Big Time indie greatness, the band has reunited. Just as their status as one of the UK's most influential guitar bands of the '80s continues to grow and to influence a host of younger artists, and thirty-nine years after that acrimonious split, it seemed the time was right to record their debut album. After a sell-out show at London's MOTH club and their heralded appearance at the Glas-Goes Pop festival, the group was invited by BBC 6 Music's Riley & Coe to record its fourth BBC session, at Maida Vale's famous Studio 4. Within six months the session was rush released by Precious Recordings of London on glorious ten inch vinyl. Enter Hamburg based, Tapete Records, who, hearing rumors about new Loft material, snapped up the album and signed the band without hearing a single note. The ten song collection, Everything Changes, Everything Stays The Same was recorded in Hackney in August and produced by Dexys' Sean Read with the original Loft line up of Pete Astor (guitar /vocals) Andy Strickland (guitar), Bill Prince (bass) and Dave Morgan (drums).
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3LP
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OPT4 049LP
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A triple-LP release of the double-CD released by Cherry Red in 2021. Among the first crop of Creation Records bands in the mid-1980s, The Loft seemed the most likely to break through. Following the success of The Smiths, guitar-based independent pop was in vogue, Alan McGee's Creation label was turning heads -- its bands blending '60s psychedelia, the melodic end of punk, and a new sound which would soon be immortalized on NME's C86 cassette. And in this London quartet, Creation had their answer to bands like Television, The Only Ones, or early Modern Lovers, offering taut, off-kilter songs with an irresistibly deadpan cool. Sadly, after just two singles, 1984's downbeat debut "Why Does The Rain" and the punchier sequel, "Up The Hill And Down The Slope" -- an indie hit which the band performed live on TV show The Oxford Road Show, The Loft dissolved, with various members founding new bands The Weather Prophets, The Caretaker Race, and The Wishing Stones. They left behind seven studio tracks, a BBC Radio 1 session for Janice Long and one track from a Creation LP documenting the scene's roots in small club, The Living Room. However, The Loft's legend endured, eventually prompting a reunion in the early 2000s with all four original members -- singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete Astor, guitarist Andy Strickland, bassist Bill Prince, and drummer Dave Morgan. Alongside various well-received live shows, that led to a new single, "Model Village" (2006) and more recently a session for Gideon Coe on BBC 6 Music (2015). The Loft's reputation as founding fathers of a new breed of mid-80s indie pop continues to grow to this day, with the band often cited as an influence. Compiled and coordinated by the band, Ghost Trains & Country Lanes expands on previous retrospectives of The Loft, adding those reunion recordings (including three previously unissued tracks), the Gideon Coe session and several live recordings from that historic performance at The Living Room back in 1984. Includes many exclusive songs which were never recorded in the studio. With new sleeve-notes by Danny Kelly, this is the definite tribute to The Loft. Color vinyl - each disc is a different color; tri-fold gatefold sleeve; includes 16-page 12x12 color booklet, poster, and photograph; edition of 350.
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2CD
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CDBRED 839CD
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"Among the first crop of Creation Records bands in the mid-1980s, The Loft seemed the most likely to break through. Following the success of The Smiths, guitar-based independent pop was in vogue, Alan McGee's Creation label was turning heads -- its bands blending 60s psychedelia, the melodic end of punk and a new sound which would soon be immortalized on NME's C86 cassette. And in this London quartet, Creation had their answer to bands like Television, The Only Ones or early Modern Lovers, offering taut, off-kilter songs with an irresistibly deadpan cool. Sadly, after just two singles, 1984's downbeat debut Why Does The Rain and the punchier sequel, Up The Hill And Down The Slope -- an indie hit which the band performed live on TV show The Oxford Road Show, The Loft dissolved, with various members founding new bands The Weather Prophets, The Caretaker Race and The Wishing Stones. They left behind seven studio tracks, a BBC Radio 1 session for Janice Long and one track from a Creation LP documenting the scene's roots in small club The Living Room. However, The Loft's legend endured, eventually prompting a reunion in the early 2000s with all four original members -- singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete Astor, guitarist Andy Strickland, bassist Bill Price and drummer Dave Morgan. Alongside various well-received live shows, that led to a new single, 'Model Village' (2006) and more recently a session for Gideon Coe on BBC 6 Music (2015). The Loft's reputation as founding fathers of a new breed of mid-80s indie pop continues to grow to this day, with the band often cited as an influence. Compiled and coordinated by the band, Ghost Trains & Country Lanes expands on previous retrospectives of The Loft, adding those reunion recordings (including three previously unissued tracks), the Gideon Coe session and several live recordings from that historic performance at The Living Room back in 1984. (including many exclusive songs which were never recorded in the studio)."
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7"
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ON 207EP
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Originally released in 1985 on Creation Records and arguably one of the best from that era. This version is backed with "Your Door Shines Like Gold" which appeared on the 12" but not the 7". Color vinyl; includes postcard and poster; edition of 800.
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