The Lilac Time -

The Lilac Time is an English neo-acoustic sophisti-pop band, formed in 1986 by singer Stephen Duffy. Their initial run on Fontana (1988–90) produced three albums: The Lilac Time, Paradise Circus, & Love for All. Their music balances folk traditions with chamber-pop detail, marked by lyrical themes of love, memory, and emotional observation.

Members: Stephen Duffy (vocals, guitar), Nick Duffy (accordion, banjo, strings), Michael Giri (percussion, drums), Bob Lamb (percussion, production), Sagat Guirey (guitar), Frazer Kent (bass), Mickey Harris (bass), Caroline Radcliffe (vocals, oboe, percussion), Cara Tivey (piano, keyboards), Michael Weston (piano, keyboards), Claire Worrall (backing vocals)

Background

The Lilac Time started in late 1986 as a project between brothers Stephen and Nick Duffy.

Singer–guitarist Stephen Duffy (b. May 30, 1960; Alum Rock, Birmingham) first emerged as a co-founder of Duran Duran. He sang in their original lineup with bassist John Taylor and keyboardist Nick Rhodes. After the 1979 arrival of drummer Roger Taylor, Duffy left the group, doubtful of their synth-based sound. In 1980, Duran Duran hired singer Simon Le Bon and guitarist Andy Taylor and secured a deal with EMI.

Duffy formed The Hawks, who issued one single (“Words of Hope,” 1981), then launched the synthpop band Tin Tin with members of Fashion and Dexys Midnight Runners. He found success as Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy with the 1985 UK Top 5 hit “Kiss Me.” His debut solo album The Ups and Downs (1985) reached No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart. After the commercial failure of his second album and a stylistic detour under the alias Dr. Calculus, Virgin/10 dropped Duffy in early 1987.

Multi-instrumentalist Nick Duffy (b. June 24, 1956; Birmingham), a visual artist and illustrator, studied at Birmingham Polytechnic and worked with Stephen in a design partnership, DUFFY and DUFFY. He contributed visuals for The Ups and Downs and frequently played on Stephen’s solo recordings.

In August 1986, the Duffy brothers formed The Lilac Time with keyboardist Michael Weston. They named the band after a lyric in Nick Drake’s “River Man” and began recording at Bob Lamb’s Highbury Studio in south Birmingham. Initially conceived as Stephen’s fourth solo project, the music marked a shift toward acoustic-leaning folk pop, which clashed with Virgin’s expectations and contributed to his dismissal from the label.

The Lilac Time

The Lilac Time released their debut album, The Lilac Time, on November 2, 1987, through Swordfish Records.

The album contains ten originals by the Duffy brothers. Stephen wrote “Black Velvet,” “Return to Yesterday,” “Love Becomes a Savage,” and “The Road to Happiness.” He co-wrote “You’ve Got to Love,” “Too Sooner Late Than Better,” and “Trumpets from Montparnasse” with Nick, who composed “Rockland,” “Together,” and “And the Ship Sails On.”

Stephen Duffy handles vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, and bass. Nick Duffy plays banjo, accordion, and violin. Michael Weston contributes keyboards throughout.

The Lilac Time pairs jangle-pop songcraft with folk instrumentation in a pastoral, acoustic-based sound distinct from Stephen Duffy’s earlier synthpop work. The album aligns with the UK’s late-’80s neo-acoustic movement (The Waterboys, The Woodentops, Momus), but trades their grandeur and irony for melodic intimacy, lyrical romanticism, and reflective mood pieces. Songs shift from sprightly banjo-pop to hushed balladry, unified by organic arrangements and a clear rejection of contemporary studio gloss.

A1. “Black Velvet” (3:26) — A soft acoustic opener with subtle harmonium and vivid natural imagery
A2. “Rockland” (4:09) — A mid-tempo strummer with veiled political lyrics and layered textures.
A3. “Return to Yesterday” (3:50) — Banjo-driven anthem reflecting on England’s past and future.
A4. “You’ve Got to Love” (4:45) — Lively folk-pop with recorder flourishes and a singalong chorus.
A5. “Love Becomes a Savage” (3:55) — Sparse, romantic ballad with vivid dawn-break metaphors.

B1. “Together” (2:56) — Upbeat and buoyant track with simple melodic charm.
B2. “The Road to Happiness” (4:03) — Slow, hypnotic number with lyrical introspection.
B3. “Too Sooner Late Than Better” (3:38) — Light orchestral pop with wistful vocal delivery.
B4. “And the Ship Sails On” (3:03) — Minor-key acoustic tune with maritime symbolism
B5. “Trumpets from Montparnasse” (3:48) — Instrumental piece with classic pop grandeur; no trumpets.

Sessions occurred between August 1986 and August 1987 at Highbury Studio in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Bob Lamb — drummer on late-’60s/early-’70s albums by Tea & Symphony, Locomotive, and The Dog That Bit People — produced and engineered the album alongside The Lilac Time.

The Lilac Time appeared in a limited Swordfish pressing of 2000 LPs and 1000 CDs. The original sleeve included six black-and-white photos by Bob Gannon, which were omitted from later issues.

Swordfish issued “Return to Yesterday” as the first single (b/w “Trumpets from Montparnasse”) in November 1987. Fontana signed the band and reissued the album on June 20, 1988, with four remixed tracks. Their remixed reissue of “Return to Yesterday” (b/w “Gone for a Burton”) reached No. 82 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1988. The 12″ contains “Reunion Ball,” an outtake from the 1986 sessions.

Fontana issued “You’ve Got to Love” (b/w “Railway Bazaar”) and “Black Velvet” (b/w “Black Dawn”) in October and November, reaching Nos. 79 and 99, respectively. The latter appeared on 12″ with an exclusive third track, “Tiger Tea.”

The U.S. Mercury CD added two bonus tracks: the UK non-album b-sides “Gone for a Burton” and “Railway Bazaar.”

11. “Gone For a Burton” (3:43) – A melancholic ballad built on gently plucked arpeggiating acoustic guitars and a mournful harmonica accompaniment .

12. “Railway Bazaar” (3:56) – A mid‑tempo folk‑pop piece with steady acoustic strums and warm vocal melodies, evoking pastoral travel imagery.

“Trumpets from Montparnasse” later appeared in UK television ads and became the band’s most widely heard recording.

Paradise Circus

The Lilac Time released their second album, Paradise Circus, in October 1989 on Fontana Records. The album contains twelve songs written by Stephen Duffy, plus the instrumental title track by Nick Duffy.

Stephen Duffy sings and plays acoustic and electric guitars. Nick Duffy contributes banjo, accordion, and violin. Michael Weston handles keyboards; Michael Giri and Mickey Harris play drums and bass, respectively, with backing vocals from both. Impossible Dreamers reedist Caroline Radcliffe adds oboe and backing vocals. Guests Kate St John (Dream Academy), Mark Nightingale, and Sid Gauld (Incognito) supply horns on “The Girl Who Waves at Trains,” while Roger Rettig plays pedal steel guitar.

Paradise Circus expands the band’s palette with richer production, country elements, and orchestral flourishes, while retaining the acoustic core and lyrical intimacy of their debut. The fuller arrangements—marked by pedal steel, brass, and layered acoustic textures—reflect an Americanized the sound (ala The Waterboys’ recent Fisherman’s Blues), though Duffy’s songwriting remains distinctly English.

A1. “American Eyes” (2:32) – A brisk opener with chiming guitars and lyrics on unrequited love, tinged with irony.
A2. “The Lost Girl in the Midnight Sun” (3:59) – Dylan-inspired ballad with layered banjo, horns, and anti-Thatcher overtones.
A3. “The Beauty in Your Body” (3:49) – A gentle yet uneasy folk-pop track with tender vocal phrasing.
A4. “If the Stars Shine Tonight” (3:40) – A bright, brass-laced tune with anti-religious lyrics under a swirl of pedal steel.
A5. “The Days of the Week” (3:30) – A melodic, mid-tempo number about time’s emotional cycles.
A6. “She Still Loves You” (3:23) – Somber and slow, with reflective lyrics and understated instrumentation.

B1. “Paradise Circus” (1:24) – Nick Duffy instrumental built on plaintive guitar, evoking a wistful, miniature grandeur.
B2. “The Girl Who Waves at Trains” (4:01) – Horn-accented folk-pop inspired by a passing glimpse on a train ride.
B3. “The Last to Know” (2:57) – A breakup song with graceful phrasing and melancholic acoustic strumming.
B4. “Father Mother Wife and Child” (6:27) – Long, poetic meditation with ambient effects and Rilke-inspired imagery.
B5. “The Rollercoaster Song” (3:04) – Brightly melodic tune with breezy tempo and subtle emotional undercurrents.
B6. “Work for the Weekend” (4:35) – A rhythmic, driving track that balances pop immediacy with lyrical weariness.
B7. “Twilight Beer Hall” (0:38) – A brief closing instrumental that nods to European café music.

Sessions began in early 1989 at a London-area studio under producer/engineer Tony Phillips, a recent soundman for All About Eve and Prefab Sprout. The album was originally intended as a double release titled Tree, split between vocal and instrumental sides, but Fontana insisted on a single-LP format. The label also pushed the band to record more radio-friendly material (“The Girl Who Waves at Trains,” “If the Stars Shine Tonight”) and remix songs to reduce pedal steel prominence.

Fontana issued three singles from Paradise Circus. “American Eyes” (b/w “The World in Her Arms”) appeared in July 1989, followed by “The Days of the Week” (b/w “The Queen of Heartless”) in September, and “The Girl Who Waves at Trains” (b/w an acoustic version of “If the Stars Shine Tonight”) in November. UK 12″ versions added exclusive B-sides such as “Crossing the Line.”

The 2006 reissue on Fontana/Universal added twelve bonus instrumentals originally recorded for the shelved Tree concept. The expanded disc (79:23) adds the two non-album 1989 b-sides and ten unearthed tracks, including five unique Nick Duffy contributions and three by Caroline Radcliffe (“Ponderosa Pine,” “On Milkwood Road,” “November”). Radcliffe arranged the trad number “Silver Dagger” and collaborated with Nick on “Night Mail/Dirty Armour.” Acoustic guest Nick Waterhouse submitted “Australian Worm.”

14. “The World in Her Arms” (4:48)
15. “The Queen of Heartless” (2:56)
16. “Ponderosa Pine” (2:47)
17. “Night Mail/Dirty Armour” (2:28)
18. “Shepherd’s Plaid” (2:02)
19. “Ounce of Nails” (2:10)
20. “Spin á Cavalu” (4:38)
21. “Australian Worm” (2:00)
22. “On Milkwood Road” (2:22)
23. “Night Soil” (2:04)
24. “Rubovia” (2:45)
25. “Silver Dagger” (1:08)
26. “November” (2:35)
27. “Paradise Circus” [Old Smithy version] (0:52)