Following the release of "Living With Victoria Grey," Martin Newell and the Cleaners from Venus once again began taking their musical careers seriously, releasing a few singles and two vinyl LPs.
However, by late 1988 Newell and bass player Peter Nelson ended up forming a side project by the name of The Brotherhood of Lizards. After busking and loosely recording some demos, the band were signed to the independent label Deltic Records. Newell and Nelson gained quite a bit of media attention for their guitar driven rock by refusing to tour by anything but bicycle. Unfortunately, Nelson left the band before it could fully come to fruition.
What we find in Number Thirteen is a transitional period for Newell. Intended as a demo, the cassette received positive feedback, but ultimately led no where. At 37 years old, Martin Newell reflected upon the almost two decades of hard work and musical activity which had led him to this point. One morning he got up and began to coolly put his instruments away. He turned his small upstairs music studio into a room for books and writing. He decided to turn to the life of gardening that he'd always thought upon.
Tracklist
2. No Go (For Louis Macneice)
3. Mariette
4. A Man For Our Time
5. Here She Crashes
6. A Street Called Prospect
7. Minesweeping Memory Lane
8. Germayne (Like A Cathedral)
9. Boy From The Home Counties
10. The Tear Collector
11. Christmas In Suburbia