Name: It’s A Shame About Ray (30th Anniversary Edition)
Brand: Lemonheads

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

FIRELP624

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Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

[r22360261]

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Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Housed in Gatefold Sleeve with Printed Inners.

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-03-04

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

809236162410

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Total Cap

2 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

FIRELP624X

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Extended format: Yes

LP ++ - Bookback Edition

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "LP ++ - Bookback Edition"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

809236162472

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "809236162472"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

2 / Extended format: Yes / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

FIRECD624X

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "FIRECD624X"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Download code: No

Bookback Edition.

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809236162441

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2 / CD / Extended format: Yes / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

FIRECD624

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Housed in Gatefold Wallet.

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "Housed in Gatefold Wallet."}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

809236162427

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2 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Lemonheads

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Fire Records

Fire Records is an independent record label headquartered in London, England, UK. Founded in the mid 80s, Fire Records has been a prominent force in the music industry for decades. They have released early records from Pulp, Teenage Fanclub, Spacemen 3, Blue Aeroplanes, and many other influential artists. In the early 90s, the label was home to notable acts such as Neutral Milk Hotel, The Lemonheads, Built to Spill, and Urge Overkill.With a rich history of discovering talent and nurturing their careers, Fire Records remains dedicated to supporting groundbreaking musicians across various genres. Their diverse roster showcases both established names and emerging talents who push boundaries and challenge conventions.

Our curated collection of essential albums on vinyl, CD, and tape at Rough Trade.

Rough Trade Essential

Lemonheads’ seminal album It’s A Shame About Ray, lovingly reissued for it’s 30th Anniversary. The long overdue reissue includes a slew of extra material, including an unreleased ‘My Drug Buddy’ KCRW session track from 1992 featuring Juliana Hatfield, B-sides from singles ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’ and ‘Confetti’, a track from the ‘Mrs. Robinson / Being Round’ EP, alongside demos that will be released for the first time on vinyl. This reissue celebrates their prestigious fifth album, these deluxe bookback editions feature new liner notes and unseen photos.

Described by music journalist and author Everett True as “A 30-minute insight into what it’s like to live hard and fast and loose and happy with like-minded buddies, fuelled by a shared love for similar bands and drugs and booze and freedom.”. ‘It's A Shame About Ray’ had a considerable impact back in those heady, carefree days of '92, the record perfectly captures Dando’s ability to effortlessly encapsulate teenage longing and lust over the course of a two-minute pop song.

Singles such as 'My Drug Buddy' and the breezy perfect pop of the title track might stand out (plus the add-on of 'Mrs. Robinson' which later copies included), but the album's real strength lies in the tracks in-between; the truly fantastic 'Confetti' (written about Evan's parents' divorce), and the eye-wateringly casual acoustic cover of 'Frank Mills' (from the "hippie" musical Hair), a version that seems to resonate with every ounce of pathos and emotion felt for the lost 1960s generation. To hear Evan Dando sing lines like 'I love him/but it embarrasses me/To walk down the street with him/He lives in Brooklyn somewhere/And he wears his white crash helmet' is to truly appreciate how wonderful and tantalising pop music can be. Then, there's the rush of insurgency and brattishness on the wonderfully truncated 'Bit Part'; the topsy-turvy 'Ceiling Fan In My Spoon'... this was male teenage skinny-tie pop music on a level of brilliance with The Kinks, early Undertones, Wipers.

3 My Drug Buddy (KCRW Session, 1992)

4 Knowing Me, Knowing You (Acoustic)

6 Alison's Starting To Happen (Acoustic)