Nobody really saw The Lemonheads coming in ’92. The Boston quartet had been toiling away on the college circuit for the past few years, and had released a handful of patchy indie-rock albums to a small, if dedicated, audience. 1990’s Lovey, their fourth – and first for Atlantic – was a definite step up, but sales were desultory.
“It felt cool signing to a major label, but we actually didn’t sell any records,” reflects Lemonheads lynchpin Evan Dando. “We were trying to do that heavy, screaming guitar thing when we started. And then I thought: ‘What if we go the other way? I’m gonna go really quiet, let’s go against the grain.’ That was sort of the idea. And I realised that was my strength.”
The upshot was It’s A Shame About Ray. Released in June 1992, it marked the spectacular advent of Dando’s full songwriting talent, transforming The Lemonheads from Gen X alsorans to leaders of pithily melodic guitar-pop. It was smart, concise and memorable. In a year dominated by grunge and gangsta rap, the album cut through the noise like a rare diamond.
brought commercial success too. The album was an international hit, fired
