The Hymn For Hefner: two posthumous releases on the way

More than three years after disbanding, Hefner’s former frontman Darren Hayman has announced the release of two CDs charting the band’s history, the first of which is imminent.

Hefner gained a cult following in the late 1990s with their brand of gritty, honest and often just dirty love songs delivered with a cheeky wink and a decidedly twee nudge. The Best of Hefner, due out on Fortune & Glory on the 27th of March, features twenty tracks including both sides of their debut single ‘A Better Friend'/'Christian Girls’, as well as a version of ‘Pull Yourself Together’ previously only available on a Melody Maker free CD.

The tracklist runs thusly:

'A Better Friend' (original single version)
'Christian Girls' (original single version)
'Pull Yourself Together' (didgeridoo version)
'The Sweetness Lies Within'
'The Sad Witch'
'Hello Kitten'
'Lee Remick'
'The Hymn for the Cigarettes'
'The Hymn for the Alcohol'
'I Took Her Love for Granted'
'Don't Flake out on Me'
'I Love Only You'
'Good Fruit'
'The Greedy Ugly People'
'Painting and Kissing'
'The Greater London Radio'
'The Day That Thatcher Dies'
'Alan Bean'
'When the Angels Play Their Drum Machines'
'Home'

As if that’s not enough, a 2CD set of Hefner rarities is due for release later in the year. Catfight features 43 rare Hefner tracks seemingly in reverse chronological order:

CD1:
'The Pines'
'Gabriel In The Airport'
'Anne And Bill'
'Repression Song'
'I'm Not Surprised'
'New French Tits'
'Country Song For Simon'
'Fist Footed'
'Dirty World'
'Your Kitchen'
'Come On Sister'
'Dark Days'
'The Love Has Gone'
'Hymn For The 1950's Folk Revival'
'Monkey Man'
'Louise'
'Down Street'
'Hymn For The Telephones'
'Standing On Jesus'
'The Little Baby Hefner's Xmas Song For Holland'
'Somebody's Got To Love You'

CD2:
'If I Had The Desire'
'The Hymn For Lisa And Me'
'OMD'
'Orange Ball Of Hate'
'Don't Break My Heart'
'The Girl With The Loneliest Futon In Bethnal Green'
'The Art Of Forgiveness'
'Underfed'
'It Breaks My Heart'
'Smoke'
'Shit TV'
'Lemon Pixie Stick'
'Fully Clothed'
'How Can I Be Certain'
'You've Been Prayed For'
'Colette'
'No Fucking Just Kissing'
'Fox'
'Virgin Friends'
'Betty Cutts'
'Affordable Friend'
'Lank'

You can check out a couple of Catfight's tracks on Darren Hayman's Myspace, whilst the man himself, probably trying to steal Dave Grohl’s title of “busiest man in rock”, has just released his debut solo effort entitled Table For One, and you can read the review here.

Man, this news story is long.

... singer is such a Hefner fan, that we've been covering 'Lank' for about 18 months now, based on another cover done by a band called Melt. That was interesting, wasn't it?
No.

and indeed, yay.

I loved Hefner so much...

they did for Peel around the time of Dead Media? (not the gospel covers one that became the Revelations EP)

love Hefner. I'm not convinced of Darren's new album yet - maybe it will grown on me. Breaking God's Heart is one of my favourite ever albums though...

heres - what i think is the complete hefner bbc sessions - heres hopin for a bbc box set

1998 Lamacq session
Twisting Mary’s Arm (available on boxing hefner)
Tactile
May God Protect Your Home
The Librarian

13/10/1998 Maida Vale 3
The Science Fiction (available on boxing hefner)
I Stole A Bride (available on fidelity wars)
You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone (available on hymn for the cigarettes)
Lisa And Me

29/10/1998 Newcastle sound city
The Hymn for the Alcohol
Pull Yourself Together
May God Protect Your Home
The Hymn for the Postal Service
Christian Girls

03/03/1999 Maida Vale 3
Nobody Knows (available on revelations)
Dragnet For Jesus (available on revelations)
Better Things For You (available on revelations)
Turkle Dove (available on revelations)

12/04/1999 Lamacq session
Hymn for the Things We Didn’t Do (available on boxing hefner)
To Hide a Little Thought (available on boxing hefner)
The Weight of the Stars
Every Little Gesture

12/08/1999 Peel Acres
We Love The City
Hold Me Closer Tonight
Down Street
Seafaring
Goodfruit

25/10/1999, Liverpool sound city
We Love the City
Hello Kitten
The Hymn for the Alcohol
Blind Girl with Halo
Twisting Mary’s Arm

08/12/1999 Maida Vale
Lonely this Christmas (Mud song)

07/01/2000 Gronigen
Hello Kitten
Sad Witch
Greedy Ugly People
Librarian
Hymn For The Alcohol
Don't Flake Out On Me
Painting & Kissing
The Hymn for the Coffee
The Sweetness Lies Within
Twisting Mary's Arm

16/02/2000 Maida Vale 4 (this session formed the bsides for greedy ugly people)
Don't Give Up On Us Baby
Kate Cleavers House
Milkmaids
Everything S Falling Apart

23/08/2000 Maida Vale (this session will be released as the album 'maida vale')
Head To Your Toes
The Greater London Radio
Dont Flake Out On Me
The Good Fruit
The Greedy Ugly People
The Cure For Evil
Don't Go
She Cant Sleep No More
The Day That Thatcher Dies
The Sad Witch

16/10/2000 Lamacq Acoustic session
Don't Go
Pull Yourself Together
The Greedy Ugly People
The Nights are Long

29/11/2000 Maida Vale 4
King Of Summer
Peppermint Taste
Can't Help Losing You
The Nights Are Long

13/12/2000 Maida Vale
Hymn For The Alcohol

09/09/2001 Maida Vale 4
Gabriel In The Airport
New French Tits
The Pines
Anne And Bill

01/11/2001 Birmingham Medicine Bar
The Nights Are Long
Don't Go
Pull Yourself Together
The Hymn For The Alcohol
Alan Bean
China Crisis
The Greater London Radio
Painting And Kissing
I Stole A Bride
The Sad Witch
I Love Only You
Hello Kitten
The Hymn For The Cigarettes

16 Dec 04 Keeping It Peel
The Librarian
Hymn for the Alcohol

Maybe that's what I was thinking of. I now realise that for some reason I thought they'd done a 70s covers session about a year after the Revelations one, or maybe it was an idea they mentioned to Peel and he relayed on the show or something.

Four tracks from the 'Maida Vale' session (Greedy Ugly People, The Cure For Evil, She Can't Sleep No More, The Day That Thatcher Dies) are on an extra disc with limited edition copies of We Love The City too.