Fruits de Mer Records turned 15 years old this year and it feels like a good time/excuse to launch a series of retrospectives, featuring artists who have supported the label consistently over the years, for some inexplicable reason.

And as we launched Fruits de Mer as a vinyl label back in 2008, just at the point when vinyl was declared dead and buried, what better time to launch a series of CDs as the compact disc is widely reported to be in terminal decline? That said, we are doing our best give the CDs a bit of vinyl feel, thanks to Sam Giles Design.

This second release in the series focusses on The Luck of Eden Hall, who have graced the grooves of FdM for about a dozen years, led by Curvey Gregory. The CD selects tracks from their various FdM releases and ends with a couple of tracks that are exclusive to this compilation.

Curvey explains the history of the band… “The Luck of Eden Hall formed in 1988 as a three piece band. At the time we were into psychedelic revival bands like The Church, Rain Parade, and Dream Syndicate. We released our first album, Corner Of The Sky (1989), on our own; the 200 cassettes sold out. We then signed to Limited Potential Records and released a single to rave reviews, but the loss of our original drummer threw the band into chaos, and the full length album recorded for Limited was never released, and the tapes were burned. At least I hope they were burned. We got our first international press when our second full length album, Belladonna Marmalade (1994), appeared in Ptolemaic Terrascope, and the band made a few small tours of the midwestern United States. We played with The Lemonheads, Material Issue, and Michael Peters of The Alarm, then took a break.
We decided to start up again with the release of Subterrene (2002), and When The Clock Starts To Wake Up We Go To Sleep (2006). Around that time we were asked to create a track for the Fruits de Mer Records release 'A Phase We’re Going Through' (2010), starting up the wonderfully fruitful relationship represented on this compilation. One small opportunity can open so many doors, and I will be forever thankful to Fruits de Mer.”

LOEH broke up a while ago - Mark Lofgren has released a few albums solo as well as with his band The Thin Cherries; Curvey has scored films, released four LPs with his band Custard Flux, and has appeared as a guest on albums by bands including Sendelica, Astral Magic, Anton Barbeau, and The Honey Pot. The original band are no more, but this CD looks back at some great music – originals and covers – from a fine band.

Here's the full track listing:

Love Is Only Sleeping
Lucifer Sam
She Comes In Colours
Never My Love
The Ottoman Girl
Something In The Air
SF Sorrow Is Born
The Crystal Ship
Black Sheep
Bangalore
This Is Strange
A Drop In The Ocean
Eberybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
Psychotic Reaction
Starship Trooper
Reflected
Stop Stop Stop
China Girl

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