The Lilac Time

The Lilac Time are a British alternative rock band that was originally formed in Herefordshire, England by Stephen Duffy, his brother Nick Duffy and their friend Michael Weston in 1986. The band's name was taken from a line in the Nick Drake song "River Man."

Since their formation, the Lilac Time have gone through various line-up changes with the Duffy brothers as mainstays. The band's activity have intertwined with Stephen Duffy's solo and songwriting career.

History

The Duffy brothers and Michael Weston had recorded music that would become the band's self-titled debut that was first released on Swordfish Records in 1987. Michael Giri and Fraser Kent joined when the band went on tour. The group signed to Fontana, who reissued their first album in remixed form in 1988. The group went on to release the albums Paradise Circus in 1989 and & Love For All in 1990, the latter of which was produced by Andy Partridge and John Leckie.

The Lilac Time were dropped by Fontana, then were then briefly signed to Creation Records, where they were subsequently manged by label head, Alan McGee. Their sole release on Creation was Astronauts in 1990. The Duffy brothers' cousin, noted-session musician Cara Tivey, had contributed organ and piano to the album.

The band later regrouped with Clair Worrall and Melvin Duffy (no relation to the brothers) and had recorded Looking For A Day In The Night with producer Stephen Street for spinART Records in 1999. They then put out Lilac 6 on Cooking Vinyl in 2001, and Keep Going in 2003 was released under "Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time" on Folk Modern.

The Lilac Time's last album, Runout Groove, was released in 2007 on Bogus Frontage. The band played the 2007 Green Man Festival and the Queen Elizabeth Hall as a six-piece. Their gig at the Green Man Festival serves as the backdrop to the film "Memory & Desire — 30 Years in the Wilderness With Stephen Duffy & The Lilac Time". The documentary was filmed over six years by Douglas Arrowsmith, who includes includes new and vintage Lilac footage. The film will be accompanied by a Universal Records album of the same name which compiles songs from Duffy's thirty years of music making. Their Queen Elizabeth Hall concert will be released as live recording.

The band is now based in Cornwall.

Discography

• Memory & Desire - 30 Years In The Wilderness (2009 - titled Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time)
• Runout Groove (2007 - titled Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time)
• & Love For All (2006) - UK Mercury Reissue with extra tracks & Radio Sessions
• Paradise Circus (2006) - UK Mercury Reissue with extra tracks & instrumentals
• The Lilac Time (2006) - UK Mercury Reissue of 1988 UK CD with extra tracks & Radio Sessions
• Astronauts + (2005) UK Edition of 1998 Japanese 19 track version
• Keep Going (2003 - titled "Stephen Duffy and the Lilac Time")
• lilac6 (2001) - Japanese 2-CD set with 4 live tracks
• lilac6 (2001)
• Compendium - The Fontana Trinity (2001) - 2 CD set of songs from first three albums
• Paradise Circus (1999) - Japanese reissue of 1989 CD
• The Lilac Time (1999) - Japanese reissue of 1988 UK CD
• Looking For A Day In The Night (1999) - Japanese release with 1 extra track
• Looking For A Day In The Night (1999)
• Astronauts (1998) - Japanese release, with seven extra tracks
• Astronauts (1991) - German Creation release
• Astronauts (1991)
• & Love For All (1990) - Japanese release with obi strip
• & Love For All (1990) (also released in Germany and US)
• Paradise Circus (1989) (also released in Germany and US)
• The Lilac Time (1988 - Mercury Records US release with different track listing & extras)
• The Lilac Time (1988 - Fontana Records reissue)
• The Lilac Time (1987 - Swordfish Records limited release)

Compilation tracks, etc

• The Adventure Club Sessions (1992 US CD including two live Lilac Time tracks)
• I'm Your Fan: The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991 tribute CD w/The Lilac Time's cover of "Bird on a Wire")
• Wish List (2002 MS Society CD including Lilac Time's "Suburban Symphony")
• One Day One Of These Fans Will Change Your Life (a 2006 Lilac Time tribute CD)
• Advertising Space (2005 Robbie Williams single including cover of the Lilac Time's "Family Coach")

Singles

External links

• Lilac Time Official Site
• Nick Duffy Official Site
• Comprehensive discography, gallery, publications, biography, chronology