The Lucy Show -

The Lucy Show was a Canadian–English underground rock band that released the 1985–86 albums …Undone and Mania. The latter spawned the college radio hits “A Million Things” and “New Message.”

Members: Mark Bandola (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Rob Vandeven (vocals, bass), Peter Barraclough (guitar, keyboards), Bryan Hudspeth (drums)

Formation

The Lucy Show evolved from Midnight Movie, a London-based pop trio led by Canadian transplants Mark Bandola (guitar) and Rob Vandeven (bass). In 1983, they welcomed guitarist–keyboardist Peter Barraclough and drummer Bryan Hudspeth. They renamed their act after the 1962–68 CBS sitcom by comedian Lucille Ball (the followup to her 1950s television staple I Love Lucy).

Winnipeg-born Bandola spent six years in Calgary, where he met Olds, Alberta, native Vandeven in their final year of high school. Bandola studied fine art at Alberta College of Art before his 1978 move to England, where Vandeven arrived the following year. By 1981, they formed Midnite Movie with drummer Paul Rigby. In 1983, Rigby cleared out for Hudspeth while Barraclough completed the quartet lineup.

“Leonardo Da Vinci”

In December 1983, The Lucy Show debuted with the single “Leonardo da Vinci” backed with “Kill the Beast” on the post-punk indie Shout Records.

A. “Leonardo Da Vinci” (3:41)
B. “Kill the Beast” (3:42) written and sung by Barraclough.

“Leonardo da Vinci” appeared as the fifth release on Shout’s XS series (007) between singles by Shoc Corridor and Headhunters.

BBC DJ John Peel aired “Leonardo Da Vinci” on his December 19 broadcast, which won Lucy Show a deal with the A&M imprint Piggy Bank Records. Former A&M executive and Supertramp manager Dave Margereson signed the quartet to Mismanagement Inc.

1984 Shortplayers

In May 1984, the Lucy Show dropped their second single on Piggy Bank: “Electric Dreams” backed with “History Part I,” both Vandeven originals produced by Richard Mazda.

A. “Electric Dreams” (3:28)
B. “History Part I” (4:17)

Mazda, an earlier soundman for Alternative TV and Wall of Voodoo, produced the single amid projects by The Fall, The Fleshtones, and his IRS solo album Hands of Fate.

In September, the Lucy Show released the four-song Extended Play. Vandeven supplied “The Price of Love,” “Resistance,” and “See It Goes,” while Bandola contributed “Is It.”

“The Price of Love” drives through dark eighth-note figures toward an expansive chorus. “Is It” glides from a spare lead over piano and strings until full ensemble breaks in for a return of its opening bridge.

A1. “The Price of Love” (4:43)
A2. “Resistance” (4:02)

B1. “See It Goes” (4:16)
B2. “Is It” (3:55)

Piggy Bank also issued “See It Goes” as a standard single (b/w “Resistance”). Extended Play reached No. 1 on U.S. college-radio charts.

The quartet sent a cassette to R.E.M., whose members invited The Lucy Show onto a 14-date autumn UK tour.

…Undone

The Lucy Show released its debut album, …Undone, in 1985 on A&M.

Undone contains eleven group-composed songs divided lyrically between Bandola and Vandeven. Violinist Fiona Stephen guests on “Resistance,” “The White Space,” and “Better on the Hard Side.”

“Ephemeral (This Is No Heaven)” glides from spare figures into broad layered responses. “Resistance” sprints through breakneck eighth-note motion before a mid-song octave leap. “Come Back to the Living” coils around a stabbing guitar figure before a sharp solo cuts through a bittersweet chorus. “The White Space” drifts through minor chords and reverse-echoed lines.

“Undone” gallops toward a closing wash of warped effects. “Remain” trots beneath soft phrasing and a bright synth line. “Better on the Hard Side” swells over a repeating bass figure as strings crest through its broad chorus. “Remembrances” gathers from sparse opening lines into abrasive squalls and suspended tension. “Dream Days” erupts through feedback and a chant, then vanishes and returns across repeated fades.

A1. “Ephemeral (This Is No Heaven)” (3:42)
A2. “Resistance” (3:59)
A3. “Come Back to the Living” (3:38)
A4. “The White Space” (4:16)
A5. “Wipe Out” (3:12)
A6. “The Twister” (3:25)

B1. “Undone” (4:03)
B2. “Remain” (3:48)
B3. “Better on the Hard Side” (5:21)
B4. “Remembrances” (3:46)
B5. “Dream Days” (4:58)

Sessions took place in early 1985 at Videosonics in Camden, London, where Steve Power co-produced the album with Steve Lovell, a soundman on the 1984 Julian Cope albums World Shut Your Mouth and Fried.

Undone appeared in a sleeve overseen by Michael Ross, the design director on 1984/85 covers for The Alarm (Declaration) and Squeeze (Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti).

A&M preceded the album with “Ephemeral (This Is No Heaven)” in July 1985 (b/w “The White Space”). The 12-inch edition added a longer rerecording of “Leonardo da Vinci.” In October, A&M lifted “Undone” as the second single (b/w “Dream Days”). A separate 12-inch edition used an extended mix of the A-side.

…Undone reached No. 1 on U.S. college-radio charts and prompted an American tour. The group also received a Most Promising Group nomination at the Canadian CASBY Awards.

Big Time Records

Changes within A&M UK removed several executives who had supported the band. In late 1985, the label declined its option for a second album.

Bandola and Vandeven prepared new songs while the group remained without a recording contract. Vandeven sent a cassette to producer John Leckie, who agreed to undertake the sessions without label financing. The group signed with the American division of Australian independent Big Time Records for the North American release.

Mania

The Lucy Show released its second album, Mania, in September 1986 on Big Time Records.

Mania features guest vocalist Charlie Rayner, harpist Eddie Twang, and trumpeter Roddy Lorimer, a recent Waterboys auxiliary. Bandola and Vandeven split lyrical credits across ten group-composed songs.

“The Land and the Life” spins through reverberant chords and layered harmonies at a near-frantic run. “View From the Outside” expands from a recurring guitar figure into overlapping closing lines before a series of bell strikes. “Sojourn’s End” quickens beneath plaintive harmonica calls and rises toward a frantic finish. “Sad September” drifts through brushed accents, sweeping keys, and plaintive picking. “A Million Things” swirls around organ chords and a driving verse before a brief bridge solo.

“Sun and Moon” jolts on a brisk bass figure and tightly wound turns. “Melody” glides across simple chords and hazy phrasing before feedback roughens its final section. “Part of Me Now” lingers in close-miked intimacy through a subdued lo-fi finish. “New Message” bounds through punctuated fills while trumpet lines flare into a mid-song solo and coda.

A1. “Land and the Life” (2:17)
A2. “View from the Outside” (3:26)
A3. “Sojourn’s End” (3:50)
A4. “Sad September” (3:37)
A5. “A Million Things” (3:14)

B1. “Sun and Moon” (3:41)
B2. “Shame” (2:43)
B3. “Melody” (3:15)
B4. “Part of Me Now” (3:59)
B5. “New Message” (3:53)

Sessions occurred in 1986 at Ridge Farm Studios near Dorking, Surrey, with producer John Leckie, a recent Fall soundman on their 1984/85 albums The Wonderful and Frightening World Of… and This Nation’s Saving Grace.

Molly, Inc. directed and designed the cover around front and inner-sleeve portraits by Melanie Nissen; Michele Wozny supplied the inset photographs. Nissen co-founded the Los Angeles punk magazine Slash and served as one of its principal photographers.

Big Time issued “A Million Things” in late 1986 (b/w “Sojourn’s End”). The twelve-inch edition added “Jam in E,” a sessions outtake. The video aired on the MTV program 120 Minutes while the song circulated on new music stations, including Boston’s WFNX.

“New Message” became the second single (b/w “Sun and Moon”). The twelve-inch configuration added the non-album “Invitation” with separate long and short mixes of the A-side.

Mania reached No. 1 on U.S. college-radio charts. The Lucy Show toured the United States in late 1986 and early 1987, with part of the itinerary co-headlined by Love and Rockets.

In August 1987, Big Time released Mania in the UK. The British pressing replaced the original “New Message” with a rerecorded version with drummer David Ruffy. Guitarist Steve Spear joined Ruffy in the revised touring lineup.

Words On Music reissued Mania on CD in 2005 with seven bonus tracks and the “A Million Things” video. The audio additions included “Civil Servant” and two concert recordings. A basement demo of “New Message” and the original mix of “A Million Things” completed the expanded program.

Final Activity

Big Time Records entered bankruptcy before the group received payment for its album sales. Barraclough and Hudspeth left the lineup, while Bandola and Vandeven continued under The Lucy Show name.

In 1988, Redhead Records issued “Wherever Your Heart Will Go,” backed with “Only Moments Away.”

A. “Wherever Your Heart Will Go” (4:24)
B. “Only Moments Away” (2:38)

Bandola and Vandeven as the Lucy Show at the August 1988 Reading Festival, a three-day event with sets by Deacon Blue, Fields of Nephilin, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Godfathers, Iggy Pop, Modern English, and The Smithereens. Lucy Show disbanded that autumn.

Bandola later recorded with producer Mitch Easter at Drive-In Studio in North Carolina. Four songs from those sessions appeared under the Bandola name on the 1993 EP ’Til Tuesday. He subsequently played with Ausgang and contributed piano to the 2000 Hefner album We Love the City.

Words On Music released Remembrances in December 2011. The 17-track compilation collected both sides of the Shout single and five demos associated with …Undone. Further selections included a Leckie-produced outtake from the Mania sessions and two recordings from a 1992 reunion of Bandola, Vandeven, and Barraclough.

Discography: