I’ve always loved this perfect acoustic pop tune by The Lilac Time from 1989—“All For Love and Love For All”—and finally got a copy of it on vinyl. The band’s leader was Stephen Duffy (yes, Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy of “Kiss Me With Your Mouth”/original singer of Duran Duran before Simon LeBon fame) and he went on to co-write a slew of tunes with Barenaked Ladies before they got famous. I’ve always been able to hear his influence on BNL with the sparkling harmonies and penchant for cleverness, all of which can be heard on this record. What I didn’t know until I got this and read the credits, however, is that this was produced by Andy Partridge of XTC—which makes everything fall into place. With that nugget of info, it’s suddenly so easy to hear how it was influenced by Oranges and Lemons-era XTC… which is to say it’s awesome. 

