Curtain Call: The Mighty Lemon Drops

In case you're new to this blog, Curtain Call is an occasional series where I present one of my favorite live albums for, well, a curtain call. Today's selection isn't a live album per se, but the Mighty Lemon Drops 1987 eight-song EP 'Out of Hand' concludes with three head-boppin' performances recorded at London's Astoria Theatre on Nov. 22, 1986. Back in the day, I played the hell out of this EP. I had not listened to it in many years, but I have kind of rediscovered it as bonus tracks to a reissued version of the band's first album, the fantastic 'Happy Head.' All three of the following songs can be found in their studio form on that LP.

I was fortunate enough to see the Mighty Lemon Drops on Feb. 3, 1990, at Cabaret Metro in Chicago. Wow, that was half a life ago! Since they were touring in support of their new album, 'Laughter,' some would say I showed up a wee bit late for the party. Based on that night, I would disagree. The opener was the Ocean Blue, a new band from Pennsylvania that showed a lot of promise with a stellar self-titled debut album they were on the road supporting. Somehow, they sounded an awful lot like all the British groups I was attracted to. In hindsight, although the best days were already behind both of these bands, I count the Ocean Blue/Mighty Lemon Drops show among the best concerts I have ever attended.

The Mighty Lemon Drops - My Biggest Thrill (Live) (mp3)
The Mighty Lemon Drops - Hypnotised (Live) (mp3)
The Mighty Lemon Drops - The Other Side of You (Live) (mp3)