Lovejoy: Sentimental Memories EP
3″ CD / Download / Streaming
Available 12th December
Lovejoy release the Sentimental Memories EP compiling festive tracks, most of which have never previously had a CD or digital release…
The French label Too Good To Be True come to another year of monthly CDEP releases and finish on this collection from Lovejoy, aka Dick Preece who after releasing three albums and a handful of singles in the first half of the 2000’s returned in 2024 with the superb album “… And It’s Love!” which we reviewed here.
The tracks on Sentimental Memories EP were recorded a quarter of a century ago, at The Dungeon Studio near Oxford, with the help of Ally Board, Paul Stewart, Rich Haines and the Keith Girdler and released over a couple of years in the form of the 2000’s A Christmas Wish EP and 2001’s Plays the Hits of Biff Bang Pow! via Matinée Recordings.
The master tapes of these releases only recently resurfaced as part of a remastering project for the early Lovejoy albums Songs in the Key of Lovejoy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Speaking to Dick of the release he says ‘Since the reissue of our debut album ‘Songs In The Key of Lovejoy’ received quite a lot of love, we’d thought about one or two of our other previous releases that were single format and if there would be any interest in them. Being from the UK, but releasing on a US label back in the late 1990s – early 2000s often meant that some of our records weren’t as easily available in the UK or Europe. So when Too Good To Be True were in touch with us earlier in the year about potential releases, the subject of these two 7” singles came up, along with the opportunity for a Christmas reissue for them. It’s the first time on CD for some of the songs and 25 years since they came out! It makes us feel old, but every year people post about the Christmas Wish single, so it’s nice to give it a new lease of life with a great record label’.
With the ‘older’ tracks getting a new lease of life I chanced asking about the future… ‘Hints for next year and beyond? Well, we are well into the recording and mixing of a follow up album to ‘…And It’s Love!’ I’ve been pushing myself on the songwriting front to try and keep everything fresh. There’s a story to the record which we’ll say more about when it comes out. Hopefully 2026 is the year! Plus we may well have a vinyl only reissue of our 2nd album ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?’ In the works It was only ever on CD, so that would be very cool to see. There’s the small matter of trying to complete a few new songs with Alan (McGee) as well following our collaboration on the ‘Let There Be Love’ 7” – we both just need some time and space in the diary…what we’ve got so far has a lot of potential though…’
Until then, wrap up warm, get the cocoa on and lose yourself in Sentimental Memories…
You can find more Lovejoy via their LinkTree
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him via his LinkTree
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