The Lemonheads - Creator (Deluxe) (1988/2013)

Digitally re-mastered and expanded edition of this 1988 album by the Punk/Alt-Rock band led by Evan Dando. Still featuring the full original line-up of Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz, the album also includes John P. Strohm (of the Blake Babies, Antenna, and Velo-Deluxe) on drums. From the oddly surreal album cover image (a snapshot of friend and high school classmate Ivan Kreilkamp, originator of the name Lemonheads, clutching a box of Cheerios) to the themes of death, dreams, obsession, and mayhem that haunt the material, Creator is weird, ambitious, and markedly moodier than it's predecessor without having lost the band's irreverent sense of humor. This Fire Records re-issue features bonus tracks including never-before-released live tracks from a 1988 radio session (featuring a never-before-heard configuration of the band, including guitarist Ben Deily on bass and vocals); also includes an original song never released on any album, and a performance by Juliana Hatfield.