It's A Shame About Ray

3.2 - “Hey man, it’s Sunday morning around 10:30. Thanks again for letting me borrow your stapler to put together the last of those zines. Listen, I’m about to throw on some cargo shorts and head over to the quad with the boombox. Been digging this new Lemonheads album. I’m bringing a hacky sack and my devil sticks, too. You know, just chilling like a villain. If you get this, maybe grab that Spin Doctors CD if that’s coolio? Alright, brotha, come by the quad if you can, otherwise leave a message on my answering machine. Catch you on the flip side. Peace!”

It's a great example of early 90s alt-rock. It really is. Only problem is I can point to a dozen bands that sound exactly the same from the same era. But, for what it is, it's good and deserves a place on the list.

If playing the same song over and over again qualifies you for the 1001 list, then baby, I’m in!

I have a real nostalgic fondness for this record. In 1991, I moved out of home and into the inner city of Sydney, hanging around Glebe and Newtown and seeing gigs at the Annandale Hotel, working in a grungy record store. As it so happens, Evan Dando was also hanging around Glebe and Newtown and the Annandale Hotel (I would see him there pretty regularly around that time) and hanging out with local musos and people who worked in record stores. and he wrote this album about that. The sound, the songs, the people in it, the videos, all reflect that time. the tunes are great, all the songs are really short and leave you wanting more. Celebrity never did Evan any favours, and he never hit this peak again. I love this record, because it is a cracking listen and because it reminds me of a special time in my youth. (I also had a crush on Alison, from the song Alison's starting to happen. She worked at another record store and played drums in a band. She was really cool, and really starting to happen).

Definition of "meh". When your most famous song is a cover of a song from a movie maybe you're not that good

Day 38 of Albums You Must Hear!! When I was a kid, I loved Lemonheads. Not the band, the candy. I would buy them almost every day, I loved the sour centers! This assessment isn’t about candy, however, it’s about a band from the 90’s that were also called Lemonheads. I wasn’t familiar with this band before now, or their album released in 1992, titled It’s a Shame About Ray. From the very first song, Rockin Stroll, I instantly knew I would like this band. Evan Dondo, band creator and singer, has a great voice that does a fantastic job of staying in its own lane, without trying to wow the listener.. The melodies throughout this album are great! Lemonheads remind me of other bands of the 90’s that had more commercial success, and while I don’t know the story behind this band, it seems Lemonheads had a shit ton of unfulfilled potential. Title song, It’s a Shame About Ray, is very catchy and a well executed diddy. Kitchen is a song that could’ve been the show tune of a great 90’s sitcom, and I mean that as a compliment. (I also love the bongos on this song). The biggest song for Lemonheads was their cover Simon & Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson. I actually remember hearing this version back in the day and loved it then and still love it now! (It was featured in Wayne’s World 2 and later on, in The Wolf of Wall Street). To be honest, I actually prefer the Lemonheads version to S&G’s, the rock drums and electric guitar riffs give it so much life, almost surfer music-ish. Shaky Ground is a very personal song that I suspect is about drug use, maybe something else? I’m really glad I got to experience this album, it is a definite 100% must hear! If you’re a fan of The Lemonheads, please tell me which album to listen to next from them, I plan on hearing more from them! Please share your thoughts, memories, and opinions!!

They're Pavement if Pavement didn't want to live the high-stakes art life and retired to the suburbs, strumming polite tunes in the unborn baby's room-cum-study, dolefully reflecting on what could have been. Basically, the Jason Bateman character in Juno.

You really hit my sweet spot today. This was my absolute favorite album in '92-'93, one I still pull out to hear from time to time. It's a perfect little musical gem of that moment in time, one that has held up beautifully over the past 30 years. This album is full of edgy power pop, with a great mix of melodic, bittersweet toe tappers and muscular, energetic rockers. It has those ragged, grungy edges that made it fit in so well in its time. There is a nice interplay of jangly and jagged guitars burning at the edges that keep any of these songs from getting too pretty. The mood of the album goes a level deeper than most power pop, with a strangely cheerful malaise, conveyed through some wonderful, catchy hooks and thoughtful lyrics. It never gets overly dark or dour though. Some of Evan Dando’s lyrics may hint at dissatisfaction and restlessness, but the more pensive and personal songs like “Rudderless” or “Confetti” live easily alongside songs that are just pure fun like “Rockin Stroll” and “Alison’s Starting to Happen.” Dando delivers the lyrics perfectly, with a warm, sometimes slightly wistful and bittersweet vocal. He doesn’t convey the detachedness or irony of some of his contemporaries, so the lyrics come across as very heartfelt. Juliana Hatfield’s brief vocal appearances are like a little lemon zest on your pasta, bright and unexpected. I find myself really enjoying "Hannah & Gabi" today, which wasn't a song I gave much thought to in ‘92. It’s actually one of the best songs on the album, and probably the best musically executed song on here. The slide guitar on that song is really gorgeous. I did not know until today that it was the amazing Jeff "Skunk" Baxter playing on that song. Every song on here is terrific, with no filler. The flow of the album is crisp and concise, clocking in at around 33 minutes if you include “Mrs. Robinson.” The Simon & Garfunkel cover that was added to later versions of the album is doesn’t add a thing, but still sounds pretty great. The cover of “Frank Mills” from Hair is actually very sweet and engaging. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Confetti, Hannah & Gabi, Rudderless, It's a Shame About Ray, The Turnpike Down, My Drug Buddy, Rockin Stroll, Kitchen, Alison's Starting to Happen, Bit Part, Ceiling Fan in My Spoon, Frank Mills, Mrs. Robinson

Having only been familiar with them from their famous cover of Mrs. Robinson, this band is essentially a one hit wonder to me. I always figured they were grunge-adjacent folky pop rock like Blind Melon, and this album pretty much confirms all my expectations. This is a bit more upbeat than Blind Melon but not nearly as interesting. It's perfectly listenable, if bland entry in 90s alternative rock.

so critically 90s it almost hurts. overall, nothing special IMHO but enjoyable enough

Ok but dull, samey jangly pop rock. Not worth a second listen.

Soulless jangly indie pop. I feel this sort of stuff, hugely popular at the time, was a backlash against grunge. Grunge was covered in emotion, and it seems someone decided that was too much so they'd strip all emotions out of music entirely. This is the music we ended up with. It feels flimsy, like it's made of slightly damp paper.

Sound like something I would have love when I was 15

I miss this lighter, more gently weird side of that swath of genre you used to be able to get away with just calling “alternative” back in the 90s. Mostly just good old rock and roll, and I’m not sure this distinguishes itself that highly above many similar acts of the age, most of which didn’t manage to crest much above regional recognition. But I liked it perfectly well.

“Your just a shit Soul Asylum” or something

More to them than just Mrs Robinson. I liked the easy tunes with lyrics that were deeper and darker

When a cover is the best song on your album you might need to rethink things

This album made me feel like I was strolling down an aisle in Homebase, searching for the most commonplace of plumbing items, only to get distracted by colourful plastic kitchen appliances. It reminded me of the toys you find inside a Kellogg's cereal bag that make you feel simultaneously grateful and offended by their audacity to send you yet another piece of plastic for your lifelong it-could-come-in-handy hoarding pile.

Underwhelming 90's alt rock. A bit jangle pop-y. Not my style, frankly. There are some catchy bits for the most part it just doesn't leave much of an impression on me.

A bit too goofy in places. Non offensive indie pop.

Classic indie. Love it. BT: Rudderless, My Drug Buddy, Alison's Starting To Happen

One of the first handful of albums I ever bought with my own moolah and I've still got a huge soft spot for it. It's pretty much perfect in its own early '90s slacker pop kinda way. Although I really wish they had left it alone and not tacked Mrs. Robinson on the end in an attempt to shift a few extra units.

Love it. Such a warm feeling album.

Loved this one! felt like a time machine to the kind of music I used to listen to, but somehow never these guys!

Surprisingly solid, for how little I've heard from the band. Right up my alley.

A good album throughout with four very good songs and the rest alright, a couple songs got a little repetitive, but overall a solid album with the backing track being a clear highlight of good guitar and synthesisers.

I'm really liking this. Good power pop, nice melodies. I've not heard this before, except for their take on Mrs. Robinson.

Sorry to hear about Ray. Thoughts and prayers.

We’ve got REM at home. REM at home:

I just love this album. The Juliana Hatfield backing vocals, the hooks, all of it, start to finish. This is by far, the only great Lemonheads album.

"It's a Shame About Ray" is the fifth album by American alternative rock band the Lemonheads. Grunge, alternative rock and jangle rock are the Wiki-listed genres. I'd replace grunge with power pop. The album was produced by the Robb Brothers and the bandmembers at the time were Evan Dando (lead vocals, guitars), Juliana Hatfield (bass, backing vocals), David Ryan (drums) and Nic Dalton (bass on "Mrs. Robinson"). Commercially, it reached #33 in the UK and #36 in the US and was critically very well-received. The album starts out fast with the catchy "Rockin Stroll." Told from the perspective of a baby. Power pop and Dando with a guitar solo. Dando layers his guitars in "Confetti." A bouncy bass and a straight-forward rock song but it sounds great. Another great guitar solo; I didn't know Dando was this good. A song about Dando's Father divorcing his Mother. Dando was inspired to write and song title "It's a Shame About Ray" from a quote he saw in a Sydney newspaper about a kid named Ray who kept getting kicked out of school, although, it seems more self confessional to me. Nice melodic guitar and bass. Great guitar riff and, of course, the vocal chorus. No, I wasn't singing along. The band goes soulful with an organ in "My Drug Buddy." It's slower and with an acoustic guitar. Great harmonization between Hatfield and Dando. It's about a friendship with someone you do drugs with. A song that was included in a later release and recorded for the 25th anniversary of "The Graduate" is their punkified-cover of "Mrs. Robinson." The band let's loose with charging guitars and drums. A rolling bass high in the mix. A great cover. This album just flies by. Fast, short, catchy rock-pop songs. Some of the deeper cuts such as "Rudderless," "Allison's Starting to Happen," and "Ceiling Fan in My Spoon" have a harder, more urgent guitar edge which I really liked. Dando's voice is clear and distinct and, lyrically, he doesn't shy away from his personal drug issues. This album is much more than the self-titled and cover songs. I struggle with calling the album overlooked at the time and since but it is definitely worth going back for a listen.

Rudderless

I did not use a private session for Spotify. I listen to this album every so often, I like it a lot. It's got some great classics on it and I like their rocking version of Mrs. Robinson.

Another band that I've heard about a fair bit but not sure I've ever heard.... Thought it was really good. Listened 3 times now. Kinda soft indie. Reckon I might've liked it more as a teenager. Definitely be back. My favourites were: Rudderless It's a shame about Ray The turnpike down Alison's starting to happen Bit part Cover of Mrs Robinson was good too, but that doesn't count! I'm going to say 5

Mrs Robinson.

This album brings a really nice 1990's feel (I mean, it was released in the 1990's). It's a nice alternative rock album. It's quite nostalgic for a time before I was born.

Love this album. A top 250 album for me.

Have seen this album done in its entirety and it’s a great collection of songs that work well together. Forgot how strong it starts and the quiet way it ends. Takes you in a journey at a time in life.

Love the Lemonheads. Saw them perform this album in full. Show was terrible because Evan Dando was completely wasted. Would not recommend them live.

Loved it

Excellent!

Short and sweet pop gems.

soundtrack to the 90s and introduced me to julianna hatfield. 5/5

Easy-to-rate album. Lemonheads at their peak. At the time, I would prefer Come on Feel the Lemonheads over It's a Shame About Ray, Lovey and Lick, but after a while moved to the consensus view that It's a Shame About Ray is their best work. It definitely contains their best song (My Drug Buddy).

I really enjoyed this album! This might be my first time ever saying this, but I honestly thought that most of the songs were too short. I wanted more! 4.5 stars, and idk how to round it.

I'm not sure if I'm familiar with this cover of Mrs. Robinson or just some other punk style cover of it. I enjoyed this album even though I don't really have any commentary on it. I hope to remember to go check out their other work, it's just really solidly in my "put on and go do stuff" wheelhouse.

Brings me right back to when I 1st heard it.

Great

Easy to mock as lightweight but although the music is of a time it doesn’t sound too dated. Upbeat and more listenable than much of the 1001.

A bit of a nostalgia rating but I fucking love this album.

Quality album

Where has this album been my whole life?? It came out when I was born so it’s been here this whole time. Glad I’ve finally listened to it. I’m a lemon head. Also how can the same song be iconic twice? Mrs Robinson you’ve done it again.

This was one of the most influential albums of my teen years. It was constantly on in my room and my walkman.

This is one of my favorite albums from my younger days. Love the melodies & strong clear vocals. Great song writing and excellent guitarwork. Awesome bass & drums. Nothing is overdone. I have my CD. It has 13 songs on it. It's perfect enough as it is. Stop with all of the 30 song deluxe expanded editions. Good grief. Frank Mills has always been a secret favorite of mine and it would've been a great one to end the album on... but for an encore, they ROCK that Garfunkle & Simon song!

Low key one of the most influential albums of the 90’s and contains one of the best covers ever. Lovely

I have a real soft spot for this bit of jangly, 90s alt-pop.

I quite enjoyed this album full of (generally) upbeat jangly pop/rock. Nothing too heavy or serious, the vocalist sounds like a mellow Kurt Cobain and the production is crisp (great drum sound). It floated my boat, so top marks from me.

What a very good album this is! A ferocious start with the descending riff of 'Rock and Stroll', followed by the melodic 'Confetti', this is a record of punky pop tunes that really haven't ages in 32 years. The album's closer, a cover of 'Mrs Robinson', wasn't on the initial pressings but was added following it's success as a breakout single. My personal favourite on the album is the gorgeous 'My Drug Buddy', a brilliant piece of writing by Evan Dando, whilst the heartfelt 'Frank Mills' is a strange but affecting vignette. An excellent selection of demos can be found on the double CD anniversary reissue from a few years ago. We'll worth hearing if you're not familiar with them!

jako cute

It's been a long time since I listened to this album, but it's aged very well.

cool

Excellent. Just a solid rock album.

Remember Limewire? Remember downloading all of your favourite songs which were all incorrectly attributed to different bands (if you were lucky enough for it to be music at all)? I first heard this version of Mrs. Robinson from dodgy Limewire downloads, marked as being by The Ramones. I can kind of see why from the voice. Kind of. Anyway, let’s listen! Songs I already knew: Mrs Robinson Favourites: It’s A Shame About Ray, Alison’s Starting To Happen, Mrs Robinson This album way right up my alley. Somewhat lazy vocals over a mix of clean and distorted guitars, and plenty of catchy Melodie’s and harmonies. In other words, 90’s alt rock. After the first few seconds of the opening track I was hooked, and this remained the same right through until the end. The rocky tracks rock, and the softer ones are very pleasant. I can’t fault this. I love it.

I love an excuse to listen to The Lemonheads. Their unique brand of folksy, indie alt rock with a hint of country here and there has always been an amazing concept, and they've been one of my favourite bands from the moment I started listening to them. There's not a single bad song on this album, and there's no hesitation in me giving it 5 stars right off the bat. Their cover of Mrs. Robinson is amazing, and I prefer it to the original. The title track is absolutely perfect, and "Bit Part" is a jam too.

I have never listened to the whole album and I'm sorry I hadn't until now. It's wonderful.

A FANTASTIC mix of 90s alt and emo. The vibes are perfect. Brilliant songwriting and pitch perfect riffs throughout. This really hit on all cylinders. I loved it. I can see influences all over the place.

Had this album on continuous rotation when it came out.

Nice finding!

Always loved this album. Evan Dando has a great ear for melody, and the simple structures of the songs bely a depth that comes across after a few listens. Superb stuff

Album 118 of 1001 Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray Rating : 5 / 5 Favorite Track : It's a Shame About Ray / Allison's Starting to Happen / Bit Part (Too many to choose) Brought a big smile to my face when I saw this was my recommended 'album of the day'. This is a personal favorite. My ranking has more to do with the fact that I just really like this album. Good songs that I'm happy to call old friends. It isn't always about the perfect song, the perfect production, the perfect sound...sometimes it is just about what one likes. You won't find this in any discussion about the greatest album ever nor would I expect it to be. We all know what we like and should embrace that. Evan Dando had promised that the album would be "half an hour of guitar-pop perfection, walking the tightrope effortlessly between laid-back melodies and rousing indie cool. It brimmed with the confidence of a songwriter peaking". He delivered. One reviewer wrote "There are other great Lemonheads records, but It’s a Shame About Ray is a singular sort of feat. One almost wants to gouge it from their discography and pretend it’s a one-off from a band who were never heard of again—it has that feeling of a moment in time, something doomed to wilt because its colours were too bright to begin with." I recommend this to those who aren't familiar with either it or the band. Those who do know it, should stop by and pay it a visit. I'm happy to list it as one of my all-time favorites.

Me ha encantado.

So good. Beautifully harmonies and classic 90s rock sound.

Lätt banalt och nonchigt, men inte ett svagt spår. Under en halvtimme och Juliana Hatfield körar. Föredömligt.

"No Juliana next to my Evan" This is arguably the most 90's alt rock record of all the 90's alt rock records ever recorded. Other possible contenders being Weezer - Blue album, Counting Crows - August and Everything After, and Letters to Cleo - Aurora Gory Alice. It's just a stunning perfect masterpiece of exactly what it is - disaffected outcast youth expressing its apathetic and oftentimes wry or self-deprecating views on life, love, and all that bullshit you have to endure when finding oneself.

I've always seen this as pretty much a perfect album and one I still revisit regularly. Hey, I was in sixth form when it came out and everyone loved it. It was an album that I bonded with people I'd normally hate over.

Delighted when this one appeared for me this morning, and instantly knew what my rating would be. Played this a lot when it came out, and its near half hour burst of quickfire songs has always given me a lift. Two bonuses. 1) Juliana Hatfield on bass and backing vocals (which provide a nice contrast to Evan Dando's voice). 2) Not there when I bought it originally on vinyl - a fun throwaway cover of Mrs Robinson.

I used to wear this record out

This is a 90's slacker classic. The Lemonheads were so good at churning out sub-3 minute rock songs that were catchy as hell. This album doesn't even have "Into Your Arms" on it either!

I enjoy this. I can’t tell if it is dated. Some of it is but a lot of it still feels fresh. It is still an album I can’t divorce from the 90s. I’ll come back to this because it’s catchy. That holds up.

The only lemonheads songs I knew were their covers of “Mrs Robinson” and “Skulls”. Simon and Garfunkel to The Misfits, that’s eclectic. I was curious what this album would be like. I really like this album a lot, there’s great melody and hooks for days. I love Juliana Hadfields harmonies. It’s interesting this album dropped in the height of grunge, it doesn’t really sound grunge at all. Maybe that’s why it didn’t get more attention. To me this is more in the vein of “college rock” like R.E.M., Replacements or Husker Du. In fact, Evan Dando’s vocals and songwriting reminds me of Paul Westerberg a bit.

I really did like this album! Some of the songs kind of sound like they'd be in The Barbie Diaries, not that it's a bad thing because it reminds me of my childhood but it is interesting. There's also something that vaguely reminds me of Sonic Youth in a way.

Really fun stuff

Man what a fantastic album. If you’ve only heard their cover of Mrs. Robinson you should really listen to the rest of the album

Great album.

90s alt rock goodness. Loved this album when it came out the first time I heard it. Still in my "Favourites" rotation.

cabeza lemon

I love this album and band. It's a shame about Evan Dando, the dude had some great musical ability and good looks, it's arguablybthat those two things should've propelled the band to bigger heights. Drugs are bad, kids. Don't fool yourselves. If I am honest this is probably a 4, or 4.5 but I have such strong feelings here that I've gotta bump it up. Several of these songs are staples across several playlists so I think it earns that bump just for that.

Fun, quick, and full of catchy tracks. Also might be the most radio friendly Grunge in my opinion. Great shit.

The Lemonheads breakthrough record, It's A Shame About Ray released in 1992, gained the band a widespread following and critical acclaim and it remains their greatest achievement. The only original founding member, Evan Dando crafted a poppy alternative rock sound on this record preceding a more punk sound on their earlier albums. When this record was released, I instantly fell in love with the songs and wore the crap out of that cassette. It remains a constant in my music listening, as it not only captures something about that time period, but it's such a catchy, upbeat record it always puts a smile on my face. Personally, I rank this high as a favourite from the 90's and it's a shame they haven't released anything as good since. Evan continues to tour this record (played in it's entirety) that celebrated it's 30th anniversary this year.

A personal favourite, with great backing by Juliana Hatfield which adds so much to these songs

Flashback for me. Found myself recalling some great tunes and lyrics. Singing along very happily!

Good album, it gave off that early 90s grunge rock vibe. I need to listen to more 90s alternative rock albums.

It's good!

surpreendente, curti o som

Mrs Robinson Cover. Liked it but i wasn't blown away. Melancholy punk rock

Such a classic album! Every song is pop rock perfection.

This will always be one of my favourite records.

Such a good album. I've played it three times today, including the demos.

This was probably the best album in their progression towards more mellow tunes. At the time it was probably an album by a traditionally grunge band that your parents wouldn’t mind you putting on. Loved it at the time and still remember all the words.

First off the title track is one my favorite songs of all time, it finds its way on so many of my playlists. Confetti and My Drug Buddy are great tunes as well. While it was overplayed as shit back in the 90's, Mrs Robinson is still a good cover. Last thing Juliana Hatfield's backing vocals are awesome this album. It's probably a 4 star album but I'll give it 5 stars based on the title track and the fact it reminds of being 20 again.