Favorite Lilys album?

everything up to and including 3-way is totally great but 'presence' is a dead-set classic and blew my mind apart when i first heard it

'better' would be #2

I'll probably go with Eccsame, but its tough. I've been listening to their side of the Split album as well as the Tone Bender EP a lot lately.

There will not be any votes for 'everything wrong is imaginary' will there?

This is hard. I wish I still had a copy of Zero Population Growth so I could make up my mind.

Which version of Better Can't Make Your Life Better? Didn't he go back and completely re-mix the album after Nanny In Manhattan charted, or did I imagine that?

Voted for 'Better', (Eccsame a very close second) the revised version has some addded instrumentation but there's not a whole lot between the too versions.

Services For The Soon To Be Departed is great also, a companion to Better in tone, it's all included on the cd-single of Nanny In Manhattan if you have trouble tracking it down.

*two* versions duh

Whael Dream, would one version of Better place completely different than the other version if you ranked them?

Zero Population Growth would be a stranger one to see get votes... isn't it just electronic instrumentals?

I was just thinking of voting for Zero Population Growth!

(Yes, it is. I like electronic instrumentals. As for the rest of the Lilys' output, I have always quite liked them but never loved them the way I felt I should. Perhaps this means I shouldn't vote at all, but I do really love ZPG. That said, I'll revisit their more typical albums before voting.)

Erm, the one I've got over the one I haven't got? ;) I'm not an expert at all, I was just wondering if there was a substantial difference which, apparently there isn't.

I think I'm tending more towards the 3 Way mind you but I need to check ZPG because I remember lovingnit at the time.

One missing album on this poll, and it's actually my pick (and not because I want to be an annoying know-it-all). Precollection got a remix job + several very good added songs for a Rainbow Quartz release, titled just "Lilys." Completely different cover art, different running order, etc. For whatever reason, it's *way* better than Precollection, which is pretty underrated to begin with.

UK Better is better (and again has some added b-sides) than US Better.

Oh I didn't know about that. What does the cover art look like?

Brief History is not an album but it is perfect.

A bit small..
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/TheLilysCD.jpg

It's gotta be The 3-Way.

Precollection, though for years I would have said The 3 Way.

I chose to include EPs too Steve and yes it is perfect, except for that last track!

word to that!

human television's first EP is maybe even more perfect and has an awful final track as well.

I feel like I read a review comparing those two EPs as well but I don't remember Human Television hitting me like Lilys does (I remember seeking some tracks out from that EP). I have their full length but I always heard such praise for the EP.

OT: the EP is wayyyyyyyyyyyy better than the record, it's crazy. I even created a thread on ILM about it.

I'm listening to some clips and it sounds very 00s indie pop. I think it may be too speedy and missing that kraut-rocky kind of drumming on songs like "Ginger" and the really steady melodic obsessed-with-how-the-chords-ring guitar parts. But I should probably listen to the whole songs.

I realize that first sentence isn't really saying anything, its true meaning probably only makes sense to me.

I love how well the bass part always carries the melody while the guitar is just there to gaze throughout most of the songs on the first album. I take so much inspiration from those bass parts when I write melodies.

i wish that kurt would put out more records

i don't remember human television sounding like anything more than pleasant new order-influenced jams but i guess i should resrch. i mean, remember when everyone freaked out over artificial lemon and lime flavors or whatever that band was called? or the ecstasy of st. theresa?

i never glommed on much to the first couple lilys lp's, but better can't make your life better is indisputably great. even lyrically, some songs on that just boggle my mind. and precollection. kurt has the total best songwriting sensibilities in him when it spills out in the right way, like he is way up there in my personal pantheon. i feel like a lot of mediocre indie bands wear their influences on their sleeves w/o doing anything interesting with it, but kurt can regurgitate brian wilson/mbv/whatever sensibilities and make it count. amazing stuff !

still dig feb. fourteenth/threw a day lots, too!

Sonically, the first album may seem to be a complete MBV rip, but honestly the compositions are way more interesting and memorable than any other band that gets the "MBV worshipers" tag, because all of those bands think that if you apply a ton of reverb to your boring, typical chord progressions, it'll capture their magic. Lilys really knew how build a beautiful composition like MBV. I appreciate these things the most when I bust my ass to aspire to that with my guitar.

^^

Let's all take a moment to honor the "Which Studies The Past" single. One of the few moments in music history where we can perfectly observe a band swerving.

(Heasley really needs to CD compile this, someday.)

Hmmm, it's actually listed as an EP. Wonder if it should be included in this poll...

Oops, I may have overlooked it as a single.

What is the track listing?

Oh, and here's the tracklisting of the Rainbow Quartz re-release of Precollection as "The Lilys":

The Lilys
1."Precollection" (Heasley)
2."You're Getting Closer" - new track
3."Perception Room"
4."Catherine (Let A Positive)"
5."Film's Camera" - new track
6."Taking You" - new track
7."Will My Lord Be Gardening"
8."Mystery School Assembly"
9."Squares"
10."Meditations On Speed"
11."Dunes"
12."356"
13."Melusina"

It's just two songs, but I do have this memory that they called it an EP. I'd have to dig through my singles to confirm. Tracks are Baby's A Dealer and Welfare Murder Plot. The latter is seriously a must-hear for this band.

Does anyone have "Send In The Subs"? I can't find it in any of my external hard drives...

welfare murder plot is top 5 lilys imo

Can someone please upload a .rar of it? I don't have it!

electricsound I also still want to purchase records from you.

i am yet to find the time to go through them properly, sorry :( it will happen, but might be a while..

i don't have the sub pop single digitised myself but if i can find a d/l anywhere i will post here..

Thats alright, was just letting you know I'm still interested in seeing what you are willing to part with.

Here's Welfare Murder Plot (assuming I didn't screw up some internet linkage thing)...

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3495149/welfare%20murder%20plot.mp3

And here's one of the tracks added to Precollection for the re-release:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3495149/02%20You%27re%20Getting%20Closer.mp3

(Hope this is ok...)

Oh thank you! I was just looking around for ways to check out how that version sounded.

Sounds really great. How am I supposed to find this complete album to purchase or even otherwise?

Whoa Welfare Murder Plot is great, thanks for that.

masterful arrangement. LJ would probably dig its mood changes.

Evan, I took a look and the Rainbow Quartz "Lilys" does seem awfully hard-to-find, so get in touch w/me if you need it...

Oh, yes please! Thank you!

^^

(stopped following these guys after the three way)

the records that follow it are pretty good, though i think everything wrong is imaginary is the weakest lilys LP by far

You know, if the cd ep Services for the Soon to Be Departed (the Tayt Overture) had been included, I may have voted for that.
Nice way to spend twenty minutes.

I did include that unless you are talking about yet another version of another album on the list?

Shit. Duh.

Anyway, I like that one.

Steve, the Split record and Selected both consist of older songs despite their release date. I would definitely check those out!

This Rainbow Quartz Precollection is awesome.

Don't want this to fade away before all the Lilys fans here vote.

maybe I gotta check these guys out huh, Eskimo was pretty good

I'm glad you liked it! Thats one of my personal favorites, but its not a well known one. I would recommend "Hermit Crab" and "Claire Hates Me" and "Ginger" and "Returns Every Morning."

Just another bump.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Oh sod it. Going with the totally obvious choice of The Three Way.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Results seem pretty good to me, even though my pick didn't win. Glad to see the bias towards their shoegaze stuff starting to fade a bit...

Dude's a genius, on the level of Scott Miller or Robyn Hitchcock, but probably destined to the level of fame of the former rather than the latter.

What bias towards their shoegaze stuff? Everyone I know loves the Garage-psych period. But that could just be because of the overlap with the Asteroid/BJM type fans that I already know.

I guess it depends on who you hang out with...

Oh someone picked Tone Bender!

I thought most of the albums would receive multiple or at least one vote, though I wasn't positive that Better would win based on the little said about it on this thread despite all of the love it received on others.

I think I forgot to vote, so thank you to whoever else voted for Zero Population Growth.

That was probably Wheal Dream.

Selected was probably a long shot to win any votes for favorite, but it is a really great EP and I recommend it highly to anyone curious.

Another poll I missed.
Fwiw. Would have voted Eccsame.

However "better...." was psych pop genius.

It wasn't me; I voted for the 3-Way because I couldn't find my copy of Zero Population Growth. Glad someone picked it, though.

Can someone hook me up with Send in the Subs?

^^^^^^Still desperate for that^^^^^^

Someday... but I have no idea where to find it.

One guy I met in Hoboken, who drummed on the S/T record (the alternate Precollection version) said he had it on a hard drive but didn't know where the cord was/I haven't heard from him in a long time... I don't know if he eventually had to move away due to funds or what.

Anyway.

Evan -- sorry I hadn't seen this earlier. I'm 99% positive I have Send in the Subs somewhere as mp3s, though I'm in the process of moving and all the good stuff in our house (records, cds, external hard drives) are stored in a pod somewhere. I'll try to get these in a DropBox or something, though it may be a month or so before I have my stuff back.

That would be really fantastic of you to share it! Thanks in advance if you can access those files, I'd be so grateful.

Found it and sent you a link via Webmail!

Just downloaded!! Thank you so much!!!

Ah, Excelsior Plainside was one I didn't realize was on this... that track actually made it to a compilation from 1995( ? I'd have to check).

So cool. Thanks again.

Evan and city worker, can you send me an email at:

alrbroccoliATgmailDOTcom

please????

Sent you a link, Albert.

Excellent, danke!

help a brother out, pretty please! been dying to hear these outtakes…

KMLEYatMEdotCOM

ditto

Still love this freakin band so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVvwOLevKAk&spfreload=1

Yes, so so so so very much.

I never knew about this craziness...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUAHRoMUbaA

Oh right!! I completely forgot about that.