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Livonia (His Name Is Alive album)
Encyclopedia
Livonia is the debut LP
by His Name Is Alive
. It was originally released on 4AD
in the UK in 1990 and in 1992 on 4AD/Rykodisc
in the USA.
's His Name Is Alive (or HNIA). Frontman Warren Defever
began recording on a 4-track recorder in his parents' basement while still in high school. As a result, this album is made up of material originally recorded from 1985 through 1989, rough versions of which appeared in 1988 on a self-released cassette called I Had Sex With God.
In a 2006 interviewhttp://www.brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4567&Itemid=1, Defever recounts that he sent the cassette to 4AD
label president Ivo Watts-Russell
in 1988, who initially felt that Defever and his band "needed a lot of work." Ivo also said he wasn't interested in signing any more American bands, due to the difficulty of time zone differences and finding USA distribution. He also suggested that Defever try Rough Trade
's USA branch. Defever responded that he had already been rejected by that label, and continued to submit cassettes to 4AD, with revised and improved versions of the songs appearing on each new tape.
Over time, Ivo and his This Mortal Coil
partner John Fryer
felt they could actually mix Defever's home recordings into something that 4AD could release, and the album finally appeared in the summer of 1990. Due to Ivo and Fryer's contribution, along with other superficial similarities, HNIA were often compared to This Mortal Coil during their early years.
The recordings originally consisted of Defever providing the bulk of the music, with Angie Carozzo providing vocals. Once Defever met Karin Oliver
in college, he recruited her to become the band's primary vocalist. The album still credits Carozzo as a member, although very few of her vocals remain in the finished product (tracks 10 and 11), and she left the band shortly after the album's release.
, The Breeders
' Pod and the Cocteau Twins
' Heaven or Las Vegas
.
The album was only available in the USA as an import until 1992, when Rykodisc reissued the album on CD, with an instrumental bonus track called "Livonia" appearing at the end of the album. This Rykodisc release has long been out of print, and the bonus track is not featured on current 4AD reissues.
In 2006, Defever released through his Silver Mountain Media record label a new version of Livonia, with instrumental strings versions of most of the songs from the original album. In the interview referenced above, Defever said the strings project was originally conceived as a joke while still signed to 4AD. He tried to convince the label that he had originally intended the album to be done with strings and he should be given the chance to re-record the album as "originally intended."
4AD actually allowed Defever to move forward with the project, but has refused to release the recordings. Defever re-recorded the project sometime after leaving the label, although details are scarce. It was actually first released as disc 5 of the Cloud Box 10-CD box set on Time Stereo in 2004, under the name Mystery Spot. While Defever gave detailed notes about each CD of this set, his notes on Mystery Spot only said "I don't wanna talk about it, but once you listen you can figure it out, if you're smart."
Defever also said his intentions for releasing the project was to show 4AD that there was still interest in Livonia in America, where the label is not keeping the album (along with the rest of HNIA's 4AD catalog) in print in the USA, despite nothing preventing them from doing so.
The strings CD release was a very limited edition; only 100 copies were made, which sold out very quickly. It is now currently available as a paid MP3 download from the Silver Mountain Media website.
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by His Name Is Alive
His Name Is Alive
His Name Is Alive is an experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records in 1990, starting a long run at the label...
. It was originally released on 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
in the UK in 1990 and in 1992 on 4AD/Rykodisc
Rykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
in the USA.
History
Livonia is the debut LP by Livonia, MichiganLivonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...
's His Name Is Alive (or HNIA). Frontman Warren Defever
Warren Defever
Warren Defever is a musician and producer from Livonia, Michigan. He is most known for his chameleonic project His Name Is Alive, though he is active in numerous other circles...
began recording on a 4-track recorder in his parents' basement while still in high school. As a result, this album is made up of material originally recorded from 1985 through 1989, rough versions of which appeared in 1988 on a self-released cassette called I Had Sex With God.
In a 2006 interviewhttp://www.brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4567&Itemid=1, Defever recounts that he sent the cassette to 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
label president Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the English indie record label 4AD. He has also produced several records, himself preferring to use the term "musical director" to explain his role in the creation....
in 1988, who initially felt that Defever and his band "needed a lot of work." Ivo also said he wasn't interested in signing any more American bands, due to the difficulty of time zone differences and finding USA distribution. He also suggested that Defever try Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
's USA branch. Defever responded that he had already been rejected by that label, and continued to submit cassettes to 4AD, with revised and improved versions of the songs appearing on each new tape.
Over time, Ivo and his This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil
This Mortal Coil was a gothic dream pop supergroup led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were technically the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom...
partner John Fryer
John Fryer
Captain John Fryer RN was the sailing master on the HMAV Bounty, a British vessel made famous by the Mutiny on the Bounty....
felt they could actually mix Defever's home recordings into something that 4AD could release, and the album finally appeared in the summer of 1990. Due to Ivo and Fryer's contribution, along with other superficial similarities, HNIA were often compared to This Mortal Coil during their early years.
The recordings originally consisted of Defever providing the bulk of the music, with Angie Carozzo providing vocals. Once Defever met Karin Oliver
Karin Oliver
Karin Oliver is a former singer for the Livonia, Michigan band His Name Is Alive. She was with the band from 1989 to 1998. After leaving the band following the USA release party for the Ft. Lake album, she pursued a career in marketing full time. She also provided vocals for Velour 100, a band...
in college, he recruited her to become the band's primary vocalist. The album still credits Carozzo as a member, although very few of her vocals remain in the finished product (tracks 10 and 11), and she left the band shortly after the album's release.
Original and current 4AD release
Livonias original 4AD release (CAD0008) hit the stores on June 25, 1990. It was one of 4AD's biggest sellers of the year, in a year that included such notable releases as the Pixies' BossanovaBossanova
Bossanova is the third album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in August 1990 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. All of Bossanovas original material was written by the band's frontman Black Francis; it...
, The Breeders
The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
' Pod and the Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
' Heaven or Las Vegas
Heaven or Las Vegas
Heaven or Las Vegas is a 1990 album by Scottish rock group Cocteau Twins, their last for the music label 4AD. In terms of chart positions, it is the most successful Cocteau Twins album, reaching number seven in the UK. The album is noteworthy for the musical evolution the band was showing at the time...
.
- As We Could Ever (3:25)
- e-Nicolle (1:07)
- If July (3:53)
- Some and I (3:38)
- fossil (1:35)
- E-Nicolle (3:57)
- Caroline's Supposed Demon (2:35)
- Fossil (3:27)
- reincarnation (1:58)
- You and I Have Seizures (3:06)
- How Ghosts Affect Relationships (3:54)
- Darkest Dreams (3:03)
Rykodisc 1992 USA reissue
- As We Could Ever (3:25)
- e-Nicolle (1:07)
- If July (3:53)
- Some and I (3:38)
- fossil (1:35)
- E-Nicolle (3:57)
- Caroline's Supposed Demon (2:35)
- Fossil (3:27)
- reincarnation (1:58)
- You and I Have Seizures (3:06)
- How Ghosts Affect Relationships (3:54)
- Darkest Dreams (3:03)
- Livonia (4:10)
The album was only available in the USA as an import until 1992, when Rykodisc reissued the album on CD, with an instrumental bonus track called "Livonia" appearing at the end of the album. This Rykodisc release has long been out of print, and the bonus track is not featured on current 4AD reissues.
Livonia Strings
4AD actually allowed Defever to move forward with the project, but has refused to release the recordings. Defever re-recorded the project sometime after leaving the label, although details are scarce. It was actually first released as disc 5 of the Cloud Box 10-CD box set on Time Stereo in 2004, under the name Mystery Spot. While Defever gave detailed notes about each CD of this set, his notes on Mystery Spot only said "I don't wanna talk about it, but once you listen you can figure it out, if you're smart."
Defever also said his intentions for releasing the project was to show 4AD that there was still interest in Livonia in America, where the label is not keeping the album (along with the rest of HNIA's 4AD catalog) in print in the USA, despite nothing preventing them from doing so.
The strings CD release was a very limited edition; only 100 copies were made, which sold out very quickly. It is now currently available as a paid MP3 download from the Silver Mountain Media website.