Hailing from the suburbs of Glasgow, this five-piece are best known for their three starry-eyed albums on the renowned Sarah Records - this being an expanded version of their first (an eight-track 10” at the time).

By the tail end of the 1980s, the independent music scene in the UK was turning its back on the polish and over-indulgence of the mid-80s with its gated drums and wallpaper production. Influences were more likely to be Television and the Television Personalities than MTV. The Orchids and The Sea Urchins were the first two bands to release 7” singles on the Sarah label.

The Scottish five-piece released ‘I’ve Got a Habit’ and ‘Underneath the Window, Underneath the Sink’ as EPs before really finding their feet with ‘Lyceum’. The album opens with ‘It’s Only Obvious’ and its gloriously youthful chorus of “who needs tomorrow when all I need, all I needed was you”. James Hackett somehow appears both forthright and rejected, something that one of their musical heroes The Go-Betweens also had down to a fine art.

This record by The Orchids was a spirited source of comfort for an 18-year-old at the time and still shudders with the best type of melancholy, one that’s spirited not indulgent. If you’re not familiar with the band’s charm, this is where you should begin.

2LP - Remastered from the original Toad Hall Studios tapes. Includes 10 bonus tracks from The Orchids' first 3 singles on Sarah Records. Standard weight double black vinyl with printed inner sleeves.