Representative Albums: "Themes From Venus", "Double Play (Love Tractor/Around the Bend)", "This Ain't No Outer Space Ship
Representative Songs: "Seventeen Days", "Party Train", "Buy Me a Million Dollars
Biography
Along with luminaries like R.E.M., the B-52's, and Pylon, Love Tractor helped establish the college town of Athens, GA, as a mecca of alternative music in the early '80s. Comprised of guitarist Michael Richmond, multi-instrumentalist Armistead Wellford, drummer Kit Schwartz, and guitarist Mark Cline, the band's earliest material was instrumental, if for no other reason than that they could not afford a PA system. However, the approach set them clearly apart from other acts on the crowded Athens scene, and helped win them a deal with DB Records. 1982's Love Tractor documented their formative approach, which touched heavily on fusion and even cocktail music. By their 1983 follow-up, Around the Bend, Richmond was taking the occasional stab at singing; after the 1984 EP 'Til the Cows Come Home, Love Tractor resurfaced in 1987 with This Ain't No Outer Space Ship, a full vocal exercise that also found the group tackling a cover of the Gap Band's "Party Train." The quartet enlisted Mitch Easter to produce 1989's Themes from Venus, which, while comprised largely of vocal tracks, did contain the instrumental "Nova Express," effectively bringing the Love Tractor story full circle. Accordingly, in 1991 the group decided to take a break from the music business; they re-formed periodically, and began writing and performing new material for a projected album. During their hiatus, Wellford played in Gutterball with Steve Wynn, Bob Rupe, Sparklehorse, and the House of Freaks. Cline traveled, studying Italian opera and ancient languages, while Richmond studied art history. After several failed attempts at completing their "comeback" album, Love Tractor returned in 2001 with The Sky at Night, which featured original members Richmond, Wellford, and Cline; former R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry helped out with percussion chores. In 2005, a new and revamped lineup of Love Tractor -- with Richmond joined by new members Billy Holmes, Ben Holst, Tom Lewis, and Darren Staley -- recorded a new album, Black Hole, which found Richmond and company exploring a new musical direction influenced by progressive rock. Green Winter followed in 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
After a return to the public eye in the late '90's Love Tractor released 2001's The Sky At Night. The group disbanded in 2002.
In 2005, Love Tractor guitarist Mike Richmond recorded three solo albums under the Love Tractor moniker, permission to use the name was never granted by the original members and critics and fans failed to consider the incarnation to be Love Tractor.
The band was formed in the spring of 1980 by guitarists Mark Cline and Mike Richmond. The band played their first few gigs with no bassist and a drum machine, but bassist/multi-instrumentalist/artist Armistead Wellford, drummers Kit Schwartz (formerly of Side Effects) and Bill Berry (future REM drummer), and studio keyboard player Alfredo Villar (of Fans) were soon added.[2] Love Tractor originally performed only instrumental material, but vocals from Richmond were added starting with their second album.
The band first signed to DB Records, their first release being a self-titled album, produced by Bruce Baxter and Alfredo Villar. 1983 saw second album Around the Bend; while on a tour promoting that album's release, Jon Pareles of The New York Times saw them at the Danceteria; in his September 1983 review, he said:[1]
"Most of Love Tractor's material moved at the steady pace of 1960's folk-rock, using winsome guitar leads above a cushion of rhythm guitar and a reassuring bass. Like instrumentals by the Ventures or the Raybeats, Love Tractor's tunes use two or three recurring segments and little improvisation. But they don't repeat - they develop. Where song lyrics might have told a story, Love Tractor let the texture of the music thicken. The drumming would get busier, or the bass line pushier, or the lead guitar line more intricate; the clear, catchy melodies grew more urgent with each reprise. When a vocal would float in for a few moments, it was just one more unassuming, thoroughly melodic piece of a song."
After two albums in 1984, the band signed to Big Time (America), releasing This Ain't No Outer Space Ship in 1987.[2] After a final album in 1989 (Themes from Venus), the band split up.[2] Wellford later joined Gutterball.[2] Later, the original lineup (with several different drummers replacing Schwartz) recorded for RCA and Razor and Tie Records. The band stopped touring in 1992, but Cline, Richmond, and Wellford continued to meet every couple of years in Athens to write songs.[3] The band re-formed in 1996 as a performing entity eventually recording 2001's 'The Sky at Night' for Razor and Tie.[4]
