the room
ltm catalogue

Cult Liverpool indiepop band The Room formed in 1979 around songwriter Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer, reaping early critical acclaim for singles such as In Sickness and In Health and Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought to Crawl, along with album Indoor Fireworks and several Peel sessions. In 1983-84 the band took a shot a chart success on a major label, with excellent second album In Evil Hour produced by John Porter (The Smiths) and mercurial Television personality Tom Verlaine. In 1988 the core of the band morphed into Benny Profane, and later still became Dead Cowboys. For full Room biography click here. To purchase CDs by The Room click here.


NO DREAM (BEST OF) (LTMCD 2369) £10
No Dream is a Best Of compilation spanning the band's entire career, collecting singles, choice album cuts and unreleased demo tracks from their final studio session. From the monochrome post-punk of debut single Motion to the rich textures of In Evil Hour, even a cursory listen reveals The Room as a hugely underrated band. 18 tracks, 74 minutes of music, with liner notes from singer and chief songwriter Dave Jackson. Full tracklist: Motion, In Sickness and in Health, Bated Breath, Things Have Learnt to Walk that Ought to Crawl, No Dream, Heat Haze, 100 Years, Never (demo), The Ride, A Short of Fire, Whirlpool, Jackpot Jack, Crying Red, Calloused Hands, Here Comes the Floor (Demo), Untitled (demo), The Storm (demo), Jeremiah (demo).

Reviews: "Dave Jackson had a winning way with a surrepticious pop anthem and is an intelligent lyricist. The best song, Jackpot Jack, is a spleen-venting distillation of the soul-selling The Room were never in a position to emulate. Four stars" (Q Magazine, 7/2004); "An unmissable compilation. In Evil Hour is a classic lost album, but I could love them forever on the basis on No Dream alone" (Whisperin' & Hollerin', 5/2004); "Around In Evil Hour the band came into their own. Whirlpool pre-dates Terry Bickers' work with the House of Love with its swirling guitar patterns. Jackpot Jack is a satirical and brilliant slice of indie pop, whilst Never, 100 Years and Crying Red inhabit a happy medium between Lloyd Cole's doleful rock and the enduring melancholic pop of The Wake. Sadly the band split at the peak of its powers, but this compilation gives a pleasing tribute" (Leonard's Lair, 4/2004); "A wonderful group - dark, exciting and super edgy post-punk" (The Big Takeover, 9/2004)



IN EVIL HOUR/CLEAR! (LTMCD 2416) £10
First time on CD for second album In Evil Hour, originally released in November 1984. Produced by John Porter (Smiths) and mercurial Television personality Tom Verlaine, IEH includes well-regarded singles Jackpot Jack and New Dreams For Old, as well as stand-out tracks such as Crying Red and Calloused Hands. This extended CD also includes two previously unreleased outtakes in Run Like a Bastard and In My Evil Hour, the latter another Verlaine production. The CD also includes all six tracks from the band's transitional 1983 mini album Clear!. The 77 minute remastered CD offers 18 tracks in total. Liner notes by Dave Jackson. Full tracklist: A Shirt of Fire, Whirlpool, Naive, Crying Red, The Friendly Enemy, New Dreams for Old, Calloused Hands, Half Forgotten Thing, Jackpot Jack, In My Evil Hour, Run Like a Bastard, New Dreams for Old (7"), Ringing, Numb, The Ride, Never, Sleep Tight, On the Beach.

Reviews: "The main skills of Dave Jackson and his fellow musicians lay in their ability to move effortlessly from melancholic verses to euphoric choruses. It's hard to fathom why they weren't held in the same esteem as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions or The Smiths. Another lost classic" (Leonard's Lair, 11/2004); "It's glorious to hear these songs in digital form. Magnificent - excellence abounds" (Whisperin' and Hollerin', 11/2004); "Significant growth from their debut album, a sprightly pop rush of flushed guitars and delectable keyboards" (The Big Takeover, 03/2005)



INDOOR FIREWORKS (LTMCD 2405) £10
Indoor Fireworks was originally released on vinyl in April 1982. Produced by the band along with manager Dave Kitson, it includes popular singles Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought To Crawl and In Sickness and In Health. This extended CD also includes three rare b side tracks from singles, and six live tracks recorded in Vancouver on the band's first American tour in July 1981, when they were joined by guest keyboard player Eric Drew Feldman, of Captain Beefheart's celebrated Magic Band. 20 tracks, 75 minutes of music. Full tracklist: No Dream, Escalator, Rewind, Chatshows, This Party Stinks, Heat Haze, Conversation, Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought to Crawl, Candle, Bated Breath, In Sickness and In Health, Dream of Flying, The Whole World Sings, Waiting Room, Conversation (live), Escalator (live), Heat Haze (live), This Party Stinks (live), Fever (live), In Sickness and in Health (live).

Reviews: "Dark 1982 epic that convincingly toes the line located somewhere between Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen" (Magnet, 03/2005); "Still sounds like a hip and stark adjunct to the cool alternative sounds that came outta Liverpool post-punk. Vulnerable, zingy and intelligent" (Whisperin' & Hollerin' 04/2005); "A record in keeping with the glum, post-punk noises of the early 1980s" (Leonard's Lair, 04/2005); "Fans awaiting a new Echo and the Bunnymen album - or better yet, hoping a hitherto undiscovered old one is unearthed - your prayers have been answered. Belated reissue by a much-lauded band" (Record Collector, 6/2005)


BENNY PROFANE TRAPDOOR SWING + DUMB LUCK CHARM (BOUCD 6613) £10
Formed by Dave Jackson and Becky Stringer from the ashes of lauded Liverpool indie-popsters The Room, Benny Profane went on to explore darker musical territory over the two albums released in 1989 and 1990, both of which are included on this expanded CD. Carefully remastered by drummer/guitarist Joe McKechnie (who also played in The Passage), the set also features two tracks from the first Benny Profane demo in 1985, featuring guest Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen on guitar. Enhanced artwork with band images and text by Dave Jackson, 22 tracks, 75 minutes of music. Full tracklist: Man on the Sauce, Skateboard to Oblivion, Pink Snow, Quickdraw McGraw Meets Deadeye Dick, A Handful of Nothing, Rob a Bank, Tear the Web, Wall to Wall, Stitch That, Here Comes the Floor, Time Bomb, Hey Waste of Space, Maureen, Beam Me Up, Devil Laughing, Walk Away Macbeth, Ghoul Friend, Perfect Girl, SHC, Everything, Vain Profane, Credulous as Hell.

Reviews: "They may have taken four years to release their first album Trapdoor Swing, but it was well worth the wait. Both albums stand the test of time and are just as strong as anything that James, the Mighty Lemon Drops or any of the more highly-touted contemporaries were releasing. A very pleasant listen indeed" (Exclaim!, 5/2006)



DEAD COWBOYS TWIN EVIL STARS (BOUCD 6610) £10
Dead Cowboys offer a distinctly British slant on twisted Americana and bottom-of-the-glass heartache. Singer/songwriter Dave Jackson rips through a stash of raw-edged, country-peppered prairie gems as menacing as they are dynamic. The band describe Twin Evil Stars as a 'cowgoth' hybrid of post-punk folk, fused to classic torch ballad pop. A sort of Unamericana for people who dig Hank Williams and Joy Division, but think Ryan Adams sounds like bad pub rock. The album was recorded in the band's hometown of Liverpool in 2004, and follows their well-received debut Comings and Goings, released in 2000 on the Viper label. On this latest collection core members Dave Jackson, Becky Stringer (bass) and Greg Milton (guitar) are joined by keyboard player Peter Baker. Twin Evil Stars offers 18 new tracks and runs for 74 minutes. Full tracklist: Twin Evil Stars, Black Easter, Violet City, The Silent Type, Understand, Changing Trains, Biting The Ground, Relentless, A Good Car, New Neighbour, Jewels, No Mystery/ Breathe Pure White Light, Cowboy Mouth, Kill The Dream, Ladder To The Sun, Good Boys Stay Poor Boys (Bad Boys Go To Jail), Patterns, Drowning Weed, Changing Trains (Lefty Mix).

Reviews: "Pits the band into the same craggy country territory as The Mekons, particularly on Biting the Ground and the runaway train that is Good Boys Stay Poor Boys" (Uncut, 05/2005); "Still kicks up some smoke, tackling the kind of mythic, dark-tinged country and western styles suggested by artists such as The Walkabouts, Stan Ridgway and Simon Bonney. Thematically the album covers everything from film noir settings to intense, focused psychodramas, and Jackson's voice has lost none of its warm, passionate power" (All Music Guide, 04/2005); "A dignified return from a band who are still enjoying making music" (Leonard's Lair, 02/2005); "Far less emphasis on the countrified clash and clatter of their debut, and when it kicks in it does so beautifully" (Whisperin' and Hollerin', 03/2005)

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