God Bless The Blake Babies (2001)
Blake Babies
Track list
- Disappear
- Nothing Ever Happens
- Baby Gets High
- Waiting for Heaven
- Until I Almost Died
- Picture Perfect
- When I See His Face
- What Did I Do?
- Brain Damage
- Civil War
- Invisible World
- On
- Walk A Thin Line (Japanese Version only)
- I Wanna Be Sedated (Japanese Version only)
An unexpected but altogether welcome reunion of the Blake Babies at the turn of the millennium for an album and US tour. As to be expected after a decade, the sound is more polished (more “experience” than “innocence”). Opening track Disappear marks a glorious return of the Hatfield / Strohm songwriting partnership. Impeccable indie guitar pop and, naturally for the Babies, a dark side to the lyrics. Waiting For Heaven sees Juliana return to the dreamlike worlds explored on the Beautiful Creature album. And no reunion would be complete without Evan Dando who performs on half the album and even contributes his own song in Brain Damage.
Personnel
Juliana Hatfield - vocals, guitars, bass, piano and keyboards
John Strohm - vocals, guitars, bass and keyboards
Freda Love Smith - vocals and drums
Evan Dando - bass, vocals and guitars
Jake Smith - guitars, piano and background vocals
Paul Mahern - programming
Video
Reviews
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The Blake Babies — God Bless The Blake Babies
Q, September 2001
The Blake Babies — God Bless The Blake Babies — BLUE ROSE BLU CD0259
Evan Dando helps the ex's ex-band back on the bike they fell off in 1991.
"Boston Scene" legends—whose life as a band was curtailed by Juliana Hatfield's brief solo career as indie pin-up and John Strohm's hitch-hiking on the heady ride that was The Lemonheads—re-form perhaps to please less-famous drummer Freda Love, whose Nothing Ever Happens ('You can't miss what you've never ever had') suggests she may be no stranger to bitterness. They share the writing, with Hatfield's former squeeze Evan Dando co-singing and co-writing the apt and regretful Brain Damage. Guitars are winsomely strummed throughout, but there's no revisit from the muse that delivered the exquisite Temptation Eyes back in 1990. "Can you picture perfect?" muses Strohm on the best song here, Picture Perfect. "Can you make the moment stay?" Well, obviously you can't. ★★☆☆☆
Danny Eccleston
Artwork
2026 Vinyl Reissue
American Laundromat Records, January 2026:
We are very excited to release "God Bless the Blake Babies" on vinyl for the first time ever to celebrate it's 25th Anniversary. This label-exclusive reissue is limited to 500 units worldwide and available on black, midnight blue, or splatter vinyl in a gatefold jacket.
Reissue artwork prepared by Aaron Tanner. Vinyl mastering and lacquers cut by Scott Hull at Masterdisk. Records pressed at Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland, OH.
https://www.alr-music.com/collections/out-now/products/god-bless-the-blake-babies
