Alfalpha - Alfalpha (1977) (featuring Nick Laird-Clowes)

This one is a real rarity. You might remember The Dream Academy for their timeless pastoral eighties pop song "Life in a Northern Town". While it's true that "Life..." was by far their biggest charting song, The Dream Academy actually had some other lesser success with "The Love Parade" and an instrumental cover of The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want", which played prominently during the the museum scene in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". The Dream Academy released three albums, each of which had numerous memorable songs rewarding multiple listens.

But Nick Laird-Clowes, the voice behind the band, had a life on vinyl before The Dream Academy. In the mid-seventies, a very youthful Nick got together with brothers Andy and Sam Harley, and formed the group Alfalpha. The band's music was decidedly out-of-step with the emerging punk scene, instead focusing on multi-part harmonies, and a rural folk/pop aesthetic. The result bears more than a passing resemblance to Crosby, Stills and Nash. The songs themselves are well-produced and sung, and I would think that fans of CSN and Nick's later work with The Dream Academy would find much to like about this album. Standout tracks in my mind are "Work", "Sky Turned Red", and "Spinning Around", the latter two featuring Nick on lead vocals. Track list:

1. Nothing To Keep Me Here


2. Hung Up On A Line


3. About You


4. Work


5. Sky Turned Red


6. Moonshine


7. (interlude)


8. If I Can Just Get Through Tonight


9. Spinning Around


10. Lucky Go By


11. Love Is An Island


12. Railroad


13. Driving Me Mad


14. Ukelele


15. Sofa Loafer


16. Blue

The last two tracks are actually from a single released around the same time. Check out a live performance of "If I Can Just Get Through the Night" from the Marc Bolan show:

Alfalpha - Alfalpha (1977)