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Monday, November 5, 2007

His Latest Flame - In The Neighbourhood (1989)

Documenting rare finds in thrift stores and bargain bins all across America...


His Latest Flame - In The Neighbourhood (1989)
  1. Londonderry Road
  2. Heart of the Country
  3. Finest Hour
  4. Big World
  5. Cold, Cold, Cold
  6. Love's In The Neighbourhood
  7. America Blue
  8. Crack Me Down
  9. Sporting Life
  10. Take It In Your Stride
  11. Old Flame
DOWNLOAD
[UPDATED LINK AUGUST 2014]

From the inimitable Q Magazine:

"This is His Latest Flame's debut album in a chequered career spanning the best part of a decade. As agit-popsters Sophisticated Boom Boom they recorded a John Peel session, but never graduated to vinyl. A name change and a contract with Go! Discs failed to rouse the record buying public, despite some fine pop tunes, leaving them in the unenviable position of being patronized as an "all-girl group" by some and pilloried by others for growing out of their monkey-booted adolescence.In The Neighbourhood presents a new set of songs which betray the band's growing maturity. Relying on a solid pop/rock formula, Moira Rankin's mannered vocals benefit greatly from some imaginative four-part harmonies, particularly on "America Blue" and "Take It In Your Stride". Fame and fortune may elude them yet again, but these factors do not disguise the quality of His Latest Flame's songs." (Lestyn George, July 1990)

Very little more information out there. Let me know if you have any!

39 comments:

McKinon said...

sorry , but its password protected , what is the pass?

mineforlife said...

pw = mineforlife

Dominic said...

Oh, I'd forgotten about them... I think they were from Northern Ireland. "America Blue" I owned the seven inch of, and it was a cracking single!

Anonymous said...

Scottish, not NI. Good memories of gigs at QM and Strathclyde Uniona

Anonymous said...

I shared a flat with a guy called Scott Watson, (brother of Bruce Watson; Big Country) in Dunfermline. He did some session drumming for them. There gig in Glasgow was phenomenal. They were on Wogan, Oct 1989. Joanna Lumely was presenting the show. The sung America blue. Gave Lee Travis Played them a few times on Radio 1 on a Saturday morning.

Unknown said...

I used to do their lighting and my brother managed them. They were from Glasgow. I've been trying to find footage of the Terry Wogan/Joanna Lumley show. Good memories of that night because we met Muhammed Ali, George Foreman and Joe Frazier!!

Anonymous said...

Those where the days I have such great memories of His Latest Flame.We did GREAT GIGS. I would love to find the girls again, David and Jaine. I often wish we could play again, where are you Jackie,Tricia, Irene, Laura, David and Jaine can you imagine it would be brilliant. love Moira X

Anonymous said...

I remember those days from the Hell Fire Club to our first gig with The Simple minds.Those days will never leave me. It would be great if we got for reunion and did In The Neibourhood again. Where are you jackie, Tricia, Irene, Laura, David and Jaine.
love Moira X

Anonymous said...

Saw the girls at Bell College and they were awesome. America Blue is STILL one of my all time fave recordes EVER...

Anonymous said...

This is a great album -- I was lucky enough to pick it up while in London shortly after its release. "America Blue" is a FANTASTIC song. I got DJ Bryan Burnett to play HLF's earlier single "Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt" on his BBC Radio Scotland all-request show "Get It On" recently. It was the first time I'd ever heard it as it doesn't appear on the "Neighbourhood" album and it was terrific ... wish I could track that song down and own it!

Anonymous said...

Saw them at East Kilbride&Glasgow Green(City of Culture year)remember BBC were filming but dont know if any stuff appeared.Think Moira Rankin waslater in a rave band?

toby said...

I saw them a few times while at Uni in Edinburgh and have quite a lot of their stuff on vinyl. Could you repost the zip?

ian said...

Brill album, only regret was that I didn't get Moria to sign the copy she gave me in Appin Road. I've digitised mine to CD and still play it, would love to know if she's still singing.... amazing voice

mark roden said...

Saw them play at EK in some hotel and in the Square at Hogmany and it was pouring, amazing memories. Moira was playing in a pub in Irvine years later - 10 actually eek - and I asked her if she could play American Blue, which she did, fantastic, class act. Me and my mates were still star struck, our fave band in the 80's.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have a copy of it, the link is gone and i've been trying to get this for ages

David said...

Would love to be able to listen to this album again, I had it on cassette (original). Anyone got the CD the could upload and share, amongst friends!!!

Donald said...

Sigh, fantastic band, saw them a couple of times in Glasgow (once at Strathclyde Uni?). Heard Moira a year or so later do a fantastic session on Radio Clyde (Clyde FM?). Included "Fearless Heart" - fabulous track, anyone got a copy (faint hope...Moira?)?

LowOiL said...

Thank you for the reupload... As always appreciate your blog 50/50. Been a year or so since I found it, still browse it on a rainy day and find a new treasure to explore here and there.

Anyhoo

Thanks

LowOiL said...

always appreciate your blog 50/50. Been a year or so since I found it, still browse it on a rainy day and find a new treasure to explore here and there.

Anyhoo

Thanks

Delfilla said...

Found my battered cassette of the album in the loft. Brings back memories. Saw His Latest Flame around 1990 at Glasgow Green. Think the it was The Big Day to celebrate City Of Culture. Remember they played Wild Mountain Thyme. Goosebumps just thinking about it. Would love a copy of the album on disc....... any help.

Anonymous said...

Jackie was my english teacher. Can't actually beleive I've found this.

elana1972 said...

Saw this group at Glasgow Green concert many years ago (Wet Wet Wet were the big thing for me there). Bought the album and would now love it on CD (unfortunately the album jumps more than I do now).

Davey said...

I am delighted to read so many compliments about this band that should have achieved much more success. I have copies of 'In the Neighbourhood' on vinyl and cd. If anyone would like a copy, please contact me.

Anonymous said...

Huge fan at the time. Still remember hearing Moira on Billy Sloan (?) singing "Fearless Heart" in a session after the band broke up. Goose pimples... Don't suppose anyone has a copy...?

nthannan@hotmail.com said...

I loved this band and listening to the CD again brings back so many happy memories of my teenage years. Remember buying the CD singles too - recall 'Love's In The Neighbourhood' single version being different. Great band, really wanted them to do well - shame I never got to see them play live, so sad they disbanded. Any reunion gigs, and I'll be there x

nick armbrister said...

Hi all, I love HLF very much. I got their rare 12inch/7inch singles in the like 1987. Lost all but the 7inch Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt. Will chase up the others online. HLF's 1989 album is amazing and now I play it most days. I do wonder was there an album before as they had so many early singles out. Anyhow, I was going to see them live at the Boardwalk, Manchester in 1989 but the gig was cancelled. I was gutted, still am. Never got to see HLF live. You would have been my most important gig by then till All About Eve took over my life lol. I want to see you gig again and even have a new album out. Why not? And reissue your early stuff on a collection. I like you lol. My new old band to listen to. Even if Moira tours solo, that's enough for me, almost lol. Wish you had 10 more quality albums out. What you did in music is priceless though, many will say so. See you live one day I hope... Peace, Nick (nickspoetrybooks4@yahoo.co.uk)ps I had HLF In the neighbourhood tattoo done lol. Im serious. Adds to my others.

Mike said...

Moira's voice was absolutely brilliant. Loved the girls so much and still have "Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt" and "Stop The Tide" singles from their "Go ! Disc" days. Infact, I remember buying a second copy of "Tide" for BBC Radio Shropshire as HLF were coming to do a gig in Shrewsbury for us. They played the record a few times, and I'd even arranged an interview at the station. Unfortunately, the girls were running late and were unable to make the interview. Great gig when the girls (and Stevie) arrived. BEST GROUP EVER, not to have made the big time :-)

Mike W said...

Bought this album on vinyl in 1989, I remember Radio1 playing tracks from it as album of the week on somebodies show (around 6pm-ish). Found it on cd a few years ago :-) Think they were due to gig with someone in Manchester, but it didn't happen.

Mike Williams said...

Especially for Jaine Henderson, I know you mentioned it ages ago, but found that Wogan clip :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo3lLnKmX_E .. A few other clips on YouTube too at last :-)

Jaine said...

Thanks for that. Good to see the old footage from the Bennets Aids benefit gig too. That was a great night!

Anonymous said...

I've been trying to download his latest flame album from iTunes for ages. When I do a search theres no matches other than elvis! I remember listening to their album in the 90's and lovin it. Where are u girls???? Get yourselves to the barrowland

allan moncrieff said...

I have this album in vinyl in mint condition. It was given to me by my friend Bobby Henry who produced it and played most of the guitar and keyboards on it. Bobby died a couple of years ago and it's nice to see people still interested in this pretty under rated record.

Anonymous said...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/His-Latest-Flame-Scotland/259599780738200

Anonymous said...

I saw HLF at East End Park in Dunfermline. It was a charity gig hosted by Radio Forth,with whom I worked forat the time. If my memory serves me correctly Nazareth and Fish also played that day. Great gig.

Carax said...

Any chance this album could be reuploaded?

Best wishes.

Anonymous said...

If you listen to the album a few times a year you're a much happier person

Anonymous said...

Is this hosted anywhere else? Clicking on "download" at the link https://app.box.com/s/b9gmm8fm60wqyweu0l3b does nothing. It seems this may indicate that the free bandwidth quota has been exceeded.

Anonymous said...

I grabbed the album from this thread years ago so happy to share my copy with you:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-xx0haYa0QIU2RsVWtNWFNVWHM/view?usp=sharing

Unknown said...

thanks for the download ,i have been searching for this for years ,i couldnt get the song londenderry road out of my head and just could not find it online and forgot the name of the band .great album used to listen to this in my first car in 1990,thanks again