The Lilac Time
Encyclopedia
The Lilac Time is a British alternative rock
band that was originally formed in Herefordshire
, England
by Stephen Duffy
, his brother Nick Duffy
and their friend Michael Weston in 1986. The band's name was taken from a line in the Nick Drake
song "River Man."
Since their formation, the Lilac Time has gone through various line-up changes with the Duffy brothers as mainstays. The band's activity has intertwined with Stephen Duffy's solo and songwriting career.
, who reissued their first album in remixed form in 1988. The group went on to release the albums Paradise Circus in 1989, and & Love For All in 1990, the latter of which was produced by Andy Partridge
and John Leckie
.
The Lilac Time was dropped by Fontana, then was briefly signed to Creation Records
, where they were subsequently managed by label head, Alan McGee
. Their sole release on Creation was Astronauts, in 1990. The Duffy brothers' cousin, noted-session musician Cara Tivey
, had contributed organ and piano to the album.
The band later regrouped with Claire Worrall and Melvin Duffy (no relation to the brothers) and had recorded Looking For A Day In The Night with producer Stephen Street
for spinART Records
in 1999. They then put out Lilac 6 on Cooking Vinyl
in 2001; Keep Going was released in 2003 under "Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time" on Folk Modern.
The Lilac Time's last album, Runout Groove, was released in 2007 on Bogus Frontage. The band played the 2007 Green Man Festival
and the Queen Elizabeth Hall
as a six-piece. Their gig at the Green Man Festival serves as the backdrop to the film "Memory & Desire — 30 Years in the Wilderness With Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time." The documentary was filmed over six years by Douglas Arrowsmith, who included new and vintage Lilac footage. The film is accompanied by a Universal Records
album of the same name, which compiles songs from Duffy's thirty years of music making. Their Queen Elizabeth Hall concert is to be released as a live recording.
The band is now based in Cornwall
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band that was originally formed in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by Stephen Duffy
Stephen Duffy
Stephen Anthony James Duffy is an English singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a founding member and vocalist/bassist of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo performer under several different names, and is the singer and songwriter for The Lilac Time with his older brother...
, his brother Nick Duffy
Nick Duffy
Nick Duffy is a musician, artist, illustrator, and filmmaker.Nick is the elder brother of singer/songwriter Stephen Duffy. They are both co-founders of the folk-pop group The Lilac Time. Nick is a multi-instrumentalist, and has been a frequent contributor to Stephen's solo recordings...
and their friend Michael Weston in 1986. The band's name was taken from a line in the Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
song "River Man."
Since their formation, the Lilac Time has gone through various line-up changes with the Duffy brothers as mainstays. The band's activity has intertwined with Stephen Duffy's solo and songwriting career.
History
The Duffy brothers and Michael Weston had recorded music that would become the band's self-titled debut that was first released on Swordfish Records in 1987. Michael Giri and Fraser Kent joined when the band went on tour. The group signed to FontanaFontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
, who reissued their first album in remixed form in 1988. The group went on to release the albums Paradise Circus in 1989, and & Love For All in 1990, the latter of which was produced by Andy Partridge
Andy Partridge
Andrew John "Andy" Partridge is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been known as Sir John Johns and Melchior and rose to fame as a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the pop/new wave band, XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.Partridge also...
and John Leckie
John Leckie
John Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
.
The Lilac Time was dropped by Fontana, then was briefly signed to Creation Records
Creation Records
Creation Records was a British independent record label headed by Alan McGee. Along with Dick Green and Joe Foster, McGee founded Creation in 1983. The label lasted until its demise in 1999. The name came from the 1960s band The Creation , whom McGee greatly admired. McGee, Green and Foster were...
, where they were subsequently managed by label head, Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
. Their sole release on Creation was Astronauts, in 1990. The Duffy brothers' cousin, noted-session musician Cara Tivey
Cara Tivey
Cara Tivey is an English pianist/keyboardist and vocalist who had mainly worked as a side musician. She is best known for her collaborations with Billy Bragg...
, had contributed organ and piano to the album.
The band later regrouped with Claire Worrall and Melvin Duffy (no relation to the brothers) and had recorded Looking For A Day In The Night with producer Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
for spinART Records
SpinART Records
spinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn....
in 1999. They then put out Lilac 6 on Cooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl
Cooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
in 2001; Keep Going was released in 2003 under "Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time" on Folk Modern.
The Lilac Time's last album, Runout Groove, was released in 2007 on Bogus Frontage. The band played the 2007 Green Man Festival
Green Man Festival
The Green Man Festival is an independent music festival held annually in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It has evolved from a one-day, 300 capacity event in 2003, to a three-day festival with live music including psych, folk, indie, dance and Americana across five stages, as well as DJs playing...
and the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
as a six-piece. Their gig at the Green Man Festival serves as the backdrop to the film "Memory & Desire — 30 Years in the Wilderness With Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time." The documentary was filmed over six years by Douglas Arrowsmith, who included new and vintage Lilac footage. The film is accompanied by a Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
album of the same name, which compiles songs from Duffy's thirty years of music making. Their Queen Elizabeth Hall concert is to be released as a live recording.
The band is now based in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Discography
- Memory & Desire - 30 Years In The Wilderness (2009 - titled Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time)
- Runout Groove (2007 - titled Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time)
- & Love for All (2006) - UK Mercury Reissue with extra tracks & Radio Sessions
- Paradise Circus (2006) - UK Mercury Reissue with extra tracks & instrumentals
- The Lilac Time (2006) - UK Mercury Reissue of 1988 UK CD with extra tracks & Radio Sessions
- Astronauts + (2005) UK Edition of 1998 Japanese 19 track version
- Keep Going (2003 - titled "Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time")
- lilac6 (2001) - Japanese 2-CD set with 4 live tracks
- lilac6 (2001)
- Compendium - The Fontana Trinity (2001) - 2 CD set of songs from first three albums
- Paradise Circus (1999) - Japanese reissue of 1989 CD
- The Lilac Time (1999) - Japanese reissue of 1988 UK CD
- Looking for a Day in the Night (1999) - Japanese release with 1 extra track
- Looking for a Day in the Night (1999)
- Astronauts (1998) - Japanese release, with seven extra tracks
- Astronauts (1991) - German Creation release
- Astronauts (1991)
- & Love for All (1990) - Japanese release with obi strip
- & Love for All (1990) (also released in Germany and US)
- Paradise Circus (1989) (also released in Germany and US)
- The Lilac Time (1988 - Mercury Records US release with different track listing & extras)
- The Lilac Time (1988 - Fontana Records reissue)
- The Lilac Time (1987 - Swordfish Records limited release)
Compilation tracks, etc
- The Adventure Club Sessions (1992 US CD including two live Lilac Time tracks)
- I'm Your FanI'm Your FanI'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen is a tribute album to Leonard Cohen, released in 1991, produced by the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles. The album features Cohen's songs interpreted by some of the most respected rock acts of the time...
: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991 tribute CD w/The Lilac Time's cover of "Bird on a Wire") - Wish List (2002 MS Society CD including Lilac Time's "Suburban Symphony")
- One Day One Of These Fans Will Change Your Life (a 2006 Lilac Time tribute CD)
- Advertising Space (2005 Robbie WilliamsRobbie WilliamsRobert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
single including cover of the Lilac Time's "Family Coach")
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1987 | "Return to Yesterday / Trumpets from Montparnasse" | - | - | - | - | The Lilac Time |
| 1988 | "Return to Yesterday" | - | - | - | 82 | |
| "You've Got to Love" | - | - | - | 79 | ||
| "Black Velvet" | - | - | - | 99 | ||
| 1989 | "American Eyes" | - | 28 | - | 94 | Paradise Circus |
| "Days of the Week" | - | - | - | - | ||
| "The Girl Who Waves at Trains" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1990 | "All for Love & Love for All" | - | 22 | - | 77 | & Love for All |
| "It'll End in Tears" | - | - | - | - | ||
| "The Laundry" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1991 | "Madresfield" | - | - | - | - | Astronauts |
| "Dreaming" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1999 | "The Dream That We All Share" | - | - | - | - | Looking for a Day in the Night |
| 2001 | "This Morning" | - | - | - | - | Lilac 6 |
| 2007 | "Driving Somewhere" | - | - | - | - | Runout Groove |
| 2008 | "Happy Birthday Peace EP" | - | - | - | - |