La's, The Vinyl Records
When the La's released their debut album in 1990, it made immediate waves in the British pop scene, as well as American college radio. Drawing from the hook-laden, ringing guitars of mid-'60s British pop as well as the post-punk pop of the Smiths, the La's' self-titled first album had a timeless, classic feel. It seemed like effortless music, but that was not the case. From their inception, lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Lee Mavers was a perfectionist with a nearly obsessive eye for detail.