There She Goes

Many years ago, a friend who did session work as a bassist, said this when asked how the previous evening's work had gone, and he said it with all the world weariness of Eeyore. "There's nothing worse in the world than a bad band argument". The years since have proven him to be a prophet.

There exists the opinion that a creative environment of differing ideas, or even one of outright hostility, can forge in fire a sturdier product than one that would have come from a more focused, single-minded birth. It's certainly true that some very famous Rock bands have been made up of people who, under different circumstances, would not be found in the same room together. Yet, given a more or less similar musical goal, they still managed to work as a unit, despite the volatility. But this can only hold for so long before the inevitable implosion.

The La's at an early gig in Liverpool.

Another type of conflicted band is one that has loads of potential, but just can't get it together due to their relentless perfectionism combined with an unfocused vision. This is always a recipe for disaster. Even when they do manage success with considerable help, the project is doomed to crash and burn shortly after takeoff. Such is the case of Liverpool's The La's.

Having been in enough bands myself over the years, I have concluded that perfection is a fine goal, but unfulfilling as an expectation. By all accounts, going back to their inception in 1986, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Lee Mavers was a perfectionist with a nearly obsessive penchant for detail. Consequently, The La's were never able to fulfill their potential.

On the strength of their demo tapes, Go! Discs signed the band in 1987, releasing the single "Way Out", which received good reviews, yet wasn't a chart success. Similarly, the following year's "There She Goes" received good press, but it too, stalled on the charts. Mavers then dismissed and replaced the entire band before commencing work on what was to be The La's only album, which didn't see release until 1990, due to the difficult process of chasing an elusive sound, while going through at least 6 different engineers and producers. A cautionary tale to say the least. Fortunately, and despite Mavers claiming it was rush-released, the album, now produced by Steve Lillywhite, received glowing reviews and strong sales. A re-released single of "There She Goes", having been spit polished by Lillywhite, entered the U.K. Top 20 and hit #49 in America.

At the time of its release, there was some talk in the music press about the lyric having to do with the rush of a heroin shot, which was roundly dismissed by the band, along with charges that parts of the song had been pinched from "There She Goes Again" by The Velvet Underground. Though denied, it remains worth mentioning, though the Velvet's song is completely different. But really, what band hasn't pinched something from The Velvet Underground? The La's may have ended up a one-hit-wonder, but "There She Goes" is a jangly charmer for the ages.

I find it interesting that "There She Goes" sounds like no other song on the album; to the point of feeling like an entirely different band cut either the album or that song. To me, this proves that perfectionism over minutiae can cause the big picture to be overlooked. Sometimes, you've just got to know when to quit and call it done. It's also worth noting that, to my ears, The La's previous single, "Way Out", sounds for all the world like an early Oasis demo.

Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash of Sixpence meet Lee Mavers of The La's (center)

Since forming in 1993, the Nashville-based band Sixpence None The Richer (started by guitarist Matt Slocum and singer Leigh Nash), has released four albums and scored a few hits, including the absolutely gorgeous single "Kiss Me", plus "Breathe Your Name", and covers of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" and today's featured song, "There She Goes", which did not appear on their 1997 self-titled third album until a re-release in 1999, after "Kiss Me" was already a hit. The band also appeared on a bunch of movie soundtrack albums, scored a platinum record, and even earned a few Grammy nominations. But, as things, happen, they amicably parted ways in 2004, shortly after releasing their last full-length record, "Divine Discontent". After taking the next several years off, Nash and Slocum reformed Sixpence and released a new album, "Lost In Transition" in August of 2012.

Regarding the curious band name, Leigh Nash said this about it during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. "It comes from a book by C.S. Lewis called 'Mere Christianity'. A little boy asks his father if he can get a sixpence, a very small amount of English currency, to go and get a gift for his father. The father gladly accepts the gift and he's really happy with it, but he also realizes that he's not any richer for the transaction. C.S. Lewis was comparing that to his belief that God has given him, and us, the gifts that we possess, and to serve Him the way we should, humbly, realizing how we got the gifts in the first place."

The video for "There She Goes" is a bit chaotic, but worth watching for one thing. (Well, besides the fact that Leigh Nash is just lovely.) There's a late 60's Fender electric 12 string guitar that is featured prominently here, and it's also in the video for "Kiss Me". The instrument is a cornerstone of the sound of Sixpence. I used to have one of those guitars back in the 80's, and it looked exactly like this one. Whether it's the very same one or not, I have no way of telling for sure. But I'd like to think the instrument went on to better things after I let it go; something which I nonetheless regret to this day. It's on my short list of guitars I've sold that I'd really like to have back, although I know that's not likely to happen. I paid $400 for it back then. They now sell for about $3000.

Here's the video. I prefer the tighter production and dynamics on Sixpence's version. It really brings out the shine. This is as perfect as Pop music gets. If songs like this were hits more often, the world would be a happier place.

Music from Sixpence None The Richer is available for you online at A-Mart, and most likely, the used bin at your local independent CD dispensary. Heads up to collectors: their 'Best Of' album features a hard-to-find cover of Brian Wilson's "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", and a brilliant re-recording of "Kiss Me" sung by Leigh in Japanese! It's one of the best foreign language remakes ever.

Regarding The La's, the beautiful mess that is their debut album, is now available in a Deluxe Edition with far superior mastering to the previous single CD from the 90's. With all the demos and working versions included, it's as complete as you could ever want. For the obsessives, there's also a collection of their sessions done for the BBC, which rarely surpass demo quality, and sound every bit like the works in perpetual progress that they were. "There She Goes" can also be found on the 80's volume of Rhino's excellent Poptopia series. It's out of print, so new copies are spendy, but used ones can be had for a very fair price. There's only 3 volumes, 70's thru 90's, so grab 'em up if you can.