Weekend - La Variete (1982) [ALAC]

Weekend - La Variete (1982) [ALAC]



Weekend was a band formed by Alison Statton following the split of Young Marble Giants in 1981. The band was actually a merger between two projects. Statton began writing with Spike of Z Block Records and Reptile Ranch in Cardiff, Wales in the summer of 1981 before moving to London where she teamed up with Simon Emmerson of Methodishca Tune. The band signed to Rough Trade Records in December 1981, but recorded only one studio album, La Variete.

La Variete was released in 1982 on the Rough Trade label and made it to no. 4 in the independent charts staying there for 15 weeks. It was revered by critics on release as a bold new departure from the prevailing post-punk ethos and served as a major influence on Saint Etienne, the Sundays, Belle And Sebastian and many others.

According to Cherry Red, La Variete is: "A beautifully realised and delicate collection of songs set against a jazz backdrop, it switches across myriad musical settings including samba, cabaret, Afrobeat and highly personal, confessional pop."

1 The End of the Affair 3:04
2 Weekend Stroll 3:23
3 Summerdays 2:52
4 Carnival Headache 2:51
5 Drum Beat for Baby 2:57
6 A Life in the Day of... Part 1 3:48
7 A Life in the Day of... Part 2 2:23
8 Sleepy Theory 2:51
9 Woman's Eyes 2:48
10 Weekend Off 3:20
11 Red Planes 4:45
12 Nostalgia 3:50
13 Red Planes (demo) 8:57
14 Nostalgia (demo) 5:22
15 Summerdays (demo) 3:37
16 A View From Her Room (12" version) 8:10
17 Leaves of Spring 2:40
18 Past Meets Present 3:37
19 Midnight Slows 2:02
20 Drum Beat for Baby (12" version) 4:16