Having played with The Servants in the late 1980s, Luke Haines carved a unique niche for himself in the 1990s with witty lyrics, wry humour and some stellar tunes with The Auteurs and other acts (Black Box Recorder, Baader Meinhof).
By 1999, feeling aghast at the state of the Brit Rock scene in the UK, Luke decided to “start a righteous solo trip”, having been commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film Christie Malry’s Own Double Entry (2001). Sticking with Virgin Records, Luke then unveiled his first solo album proper, The Oliver Twist Manifesto, before fronting a new-look Auteurs for Das Capital.
In due course, Luke switched labels to indie Fantastic Plastic for Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop (2006), followed in 2009 by 21st Century Man. Since then, he’s curated a string of imaginative, amusing and always worthwhile albums for Cherry Red Records.
Alive And Well… is the first-ever anthology of Luke’s solo work, cherry-picking musical highlights from each of his long players as well as a smattering of B-sides, radio sessions, rarities and – on Disc 4 – a raft of previously unissued material. With sleeve-notes by Luke himself, Alive And Well… is a very personal statement spanning the last two decades of the musical life of Luke Haines. Here’s a teaser for you…
Track List:
DISC ONE
1. DISCOMANIA
2. HOW TO HATE THE WORKING CLASSES
3. ENGLAND SCOTLAND AND WALES
4. THE OLIVER TWIST MANIFESTO
5. NEVER WORK
6. DEATH OF SARAH LUCAS
7. THE MITFORD SISTERS ^
8. SATAN WANTS ME ^
9. BUGGER BOGNOR ^
10. OFF MY ROCKER AT THE ART SCHOOL BOP (Album Version)
11. LEEDS UNITED
12. COUNTRY LIFE
13. BOVVER BOYS
14. QUEEN ELIZABETH I
15. ALL THE ENGLISH DEVILS
16. THE WALTON HOP
17. BAD REPUTATION (THE GLITTER BAND)
18. ENGLISH SOUTHERN MAN
19. 21ST CENTURY MAN
^ Luke Haines & The Auteurs
DISC TWO
1. SUBURBAN MOURNING
2. KLAUS KINSKI
3. PETER HAMMILL
4. RUSSIAN FUTURISTS BLACK OUT THE SUN
5. FAG BREAK
6. INSIDE THE RESTLESS MIND OF ROLLERBALL ROCCO
7. GORGEOUS GEORGE
8. SATURDAY AFTERNOON
9. BIG DADDY GOT A CASIO V L TONE
10. HAYSTACKS’ IN HEAVEN
11. I’M NOT THE MAN YOU THINK I AM KAREN, I’M THE ACTOR TONY ALLEN ~
12. THE MORRIS MAN COMETH ~
13. ENOCH POWELL – SPACE POET ~
14. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ANIMALS
15. MAGIC INTERLUDE 1
16. GENE VINCENT (ROCK N ROLL MUMS AND ROCK N ROLL DADS)
17. A BADGER CALLED NICK LOWE
18. ANGEL OF THE NORTH
19. FROM HERSHAM TO HEAVEN
20. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ANIMALS IN SPACE
~ by North Sea Scrolls
DISC THREE
1. LOU REED LOU REED
2. ALAN VEGA SAYS
3. NY IN THE ’70S
4. BILL’S BUNKER
5. DOLLS FOREVER
6. CERNE ABBAS MAN
7. CARAVAN MAN
8. ADVENTURES IN DEMENTIA
9. BRITISH NUCLEAR BUNKERS
10. TEST CARD FOREVER
11. PUSSY WILLOW (KIDS’ SONG)
12. COLD FIELD MORNING UNDER BLISS
13. NEW PAGAN SUN
14. ULRIKE MEINHOF’S BRAIN IS MISSING
15. BOMBER JACKET
16. MARC BOLAN BLUES
17. THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND
18. SMASH THE SYSTEM
19. ARE YOU MAD?
DISC FOUR
1. BLACK SUN (Early Band Demo) *
2. PROPERTY *
3. 1963 *
4. DANDIFICATION *
5. BOMBER HARRIS *
6. BUILDING FOR BRITAIN IN THE ’70S *
7. OFF MY ROCKER AT THE ART SCHOOL BOP (Richard X Single Mix)
8. I AM THE BEST ARTIST/ SKINNY WHITE GIRLS
9. SUBURBAN MOURNING *
10. KLAUS KINSKI *
11. 21ST CENTURY MAN *
Tracks 9-11 BBC Session
12. ME AND THE BIRDS
13. THIS IS OUTSIDER MUSIC *
14. NATURAL MYSTIC FURRY FREAKS
15. JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE
16. JEFF STARSHIP SUPERHERO
17. ELECTRONIC TONE POEM
18. HACK GREEN
19. CHRIS FROM THE STARS*
20. 68P IN MY POCKET*
21. RAVE *
* Previously Unissued
