Squeeze Me

I don't think the Lemonheads have been featured in these pages before, and that's an omission I really can't explain. After all, I saw them more than once on stage back in the days, and can even recall strutting around in a way cool Hate Your Friends tee. To put things right, here's a choice cut from each of their first 5 albums, clearly showcasing Evan Dando's progression from punk pop to pure pop.

Lemonheads - Glad I Don't Know
Lemonheads - Two Weeks In Another Town
Lemonheads - Mallo Cup
Lemonheads - Left For Dead
Lemonheads - Confetti

Transformer

Now here´s a fine example of someone transforming a trashy punk ditty into a pure pop song. Although it´s not just someone we´re talking about here of course: it´s Evan Dando. With his umpteenth incarnation of the Lemonheads, he takes on the late wild man G.G. Allin´s psycho ballad Layin´ Up With Linda and gloriously comes out on top.

Obviously, the secret lies in the musical accompaniment, as Dando manages to sound nearly as morose as the totally wasted Allin. And given the lyrics of the song, that actually makes a lot of sense. "Living with Linda wasn't always easy to do, so one day I killed her, now I'm on the run..." With special thanks to Butthole Surfer Gibby Haynes, who planted this seed in Dando´s head through one of the mixtapes he regularly provides the Lemonhead with.

G.G. Allin & The Carolina Shitlickers - Layin´ Up With Linda MP3

Lemonheads - Layin´ Up With Linda MP3