Lost La's 1984-1986 Breakloose

Album review

Breakloose is a collection of songs from a time when Lee Mavers shared songwriting responsibilities with Mike Badger. Fans looking for any hints of the majesty of The La's are going to be extremely disappointed with these 14 songs. It's generally a bad sign when an album's first/title track is as weak and poorly recorded as "Breakloose (Live)." A somewhat touching song that doesn't quite succeed in reaching its somber pop destination, "Open Your Heart" is the only track that displays any hint of the greatness that was to come for the band; it actually sounds more like the Clientele than the La's, except the song in no way evokes the timeless charms found on the Clientele's Suburban Light. The remainder of the tracks on Breakloose are a combination of obvious, unfocused throwaways. "Sweet 35," "Trees and Plants," and "Red Deer Stalk" see the band making goofy stabs at finding an original sound. "Trees and Plants" has an ineffective psychedelic rockabilly feel. "Night Walk" suggests the band was attempting a Joy Division sound, but there's no soul to the song and no Martin Hannett in sight. "Get Down Over" almost works, but it's far too monotonous to call for repeat plays. "What Do You Do?" is a bit pretty but not memorable. A fan of The La's isn't going to find much to like on Breakloose. "Open Your Heart," the sole sign of the band's later direction, doesn't merit looking into other early recordings by the La's. Breakloose suggests that the La's didn't reach their glory until Lee Mavers wrestled complete control of the band. That didn't happen until after all of these songs had been recorded.
© Tim DiGravina /TiVo