Along with Screaming Trees, Love Battery fell into the more psychedelic wing of Seattle grunge, adding a liberal dose of Beatlesque pop to the requisite hunks of mind-bending guitar fuzz. Formed in 1989, the band took its name from a Buzzcocks song, and originally included singer Ron Nine (born Ron Rudzitis, ex-Room Nine), guitarist Kevin Whitworth (ex-Crisis Party), bassist Jim Tillman (formerly of grunge forebears the U-Men), and Mudhoney drummer Dan Peters. Peters left in short order and was replaced by onetime Skin Yard drummer Jason Finn. In 1990, the band released its six-song debut EP, 'Between the Eyes', on Sub Pop. They tightened up their focus and approach for their first full-length, 'Dayglo', which was issued in 1992 to highly positive reviews. Bassist Tillman subsequently left the band and was at first replaced by Tommy Simpson, who stayed only a short time before moving on to Alcohol Funnycar. Simpson was in turn replaced by Bruce Fairweather, who'd previously played guitar in two seminal Seattle bands, Green River and Mother Love Bone.
Fairweather made his debut on 1993's 'Far Gone', whose release was delayed several times over legal issues; it appeared to a disappointing reception. Around that time, Finn began doubling as the drummer for The Presidents of the United States of America. Despite the relative failure of 'Far Gone', Love Battery managed to score a major-label deal with Polygram affiliate Atlas Records in 1994, and issued the 'Nehru Jacket' EP as an appetizer for their full-length bow. That arrived in the form of 1995's 'Straight Freak Ticket', after which Finn left the group to concentrate full-time on the Presidents, who had just signed with Columbia and were poised for breakout success.
'Straight Freak Ticket' failed to win Love Battery a larger audience, and they wound up leaving Atlas. New drummer Mike Musburger -best known for his work with The Posies- came and went, before founding member Dan Peters returned to give the group a new spark. It took some time to put together, but 'Confusion Au Go Go' was finally released in 1999 on the Seattle indie label C/Z. It was generally hailed as a strong -albeit belated- return to form by the band's dwindling but still-present following. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
New York-based Karen Finley is best known for her controversial performance art career, but she has exercised her talents in virtually every creative medium, publishing several books of prose and poetry, displaying collections of visual art, acting in several films, and recording albums of poetic musings with dance-based backing tracks. Born in 1956, Finley grew up in Evanston, Illinois, near Northwestern University, and the political upheavals in Chicago in the late '60s provided the backdrop for her formative experiences. Always interested in performance, Finley entered the medium seriously in 1979 to deal with the grief surrounding her father's suicide the previous year. After receiving her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1982, Finley landed her first NEA grant the following year, which allowed her to move to New York.
Her performance work, all self-authored, was mainly centered around the oppression of women and resultant feelings of rage and self-loathing, but also addressed sexual repression, domestic abuse, homosexuality, and other taboo subjects. It was confrontational, provocative, often scatological, and left no room for neutrality.
Finley recorded her first album in 1988, setting her Beat-influenced poetry to a variety of dance backings on 'The Truth Is Hard to Swallow'. Soon afterwards, she became a highly visible symbol of Congress' efforts to deny NEA grants to potentially offensive material, as Senator Jesse Helms blasted Finley in 1990 for a piece in which she smeared chocolate over her nude body. When the NEA refused her application for a grant because of the content of her work, she and three other similarly affected artists sued; a federal district court declared the so-called "standards of decency" provision unconstitutional in 1992, a decision upheld four years later by the Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the meantime, Finley began to broaden her career, playing Tom Hanks' doctor in the film "Philadelphia" and authoring several books, which include "Shock Treatment" (1991), the self-help satire "Enough Is Enough: Weekly Meditations for Living Dysfunctionally" (1993), the Martha Stewart satire "Living It Up: Humorous Adventures in Hyperdomesticity" (1996), and "Shut Up and Love Me" (1998). Finley has also continued to record, with Rykodisc issuing a performance of her work 'A Certain Level of Denial' in 1994, as well as the album 'Fear of Living' on the Pow Wow label later in the year. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Jorge Reyes was born on September 24, 1952, in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico with the name Jorge Reyes Valencia. He was not a Native Mexican, but played many Prehispanic instruments to which he was exposed from an early age in his village. Reyes attended the National School of Music, Mexico (Escuela Nacional de Musica de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, or UNAM) 1970–1975, studying the flute. During this time, he formed two seminal Mexican rock bands, Al Universo and Nuevo México, influenced by Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd but incorporating native musical instruments. In 1976, his growing interest in jazz led to spending a year in Hamburg, Germany, where he studied improvisation with Herb Geller. As part of this training, he traveled through Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka. In 1978, he attended a Hindu music course in the Himalayas, in which he studied traditional Indian flute and percussion techniques. On these overseas trips, he began collecting many native instruments.
After returning to Mexico, Reyes founded the band Chac Mool with drummer Armando Suárez and keyboardist Carlos Alvarado, which was one of the first Mexican progressive rock bands. The band recorded four well-received albums, on which Reyes played flute and guitar, before disbanding.
In 1985, Reyes began a prolific solo career. He collaborated with several other new-age and electronic musicians, including American synthesist Steve Roach, Mexican singer and multi-instrumentalist Arturo Meza (of the band Decibel), Spanish guitarist Suso Saiz, Mexican percussionist Juan Carlos López, German synthesist Elmar Schulte (of the band Solitaire), Deep Forest, and others.
His music was used frequently in Mexican radio and television programs. He performed many concerts at famous Mexican archeological sites such as Malinalco, Teotihuacan, Templo Mayor, Chichen Itza, and Tenango del Valle. His annual Día de los Muertos concerts at UNAM were popular events. He also gave many concerts at the Espacio Escultórico de Ciudad Universitaria, where he collaborated with dancer and choreographer Regina Quintero. Reyes died from a heart attack at his recording studio in Mexico City on Saturday February 7, 2009. He was 56 years old. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Ilegales is a Spanish music band formed in Asturias. However, despite being a rock band, Ilegales have diverse influences, and their acidic lyrics have made them a reference for groups of their own style, as well as being one of the best musical products of the Spain of the 80s.
The beginnings of the band date back to 1977, when brothers Jorge and Juan Carlos Martínez and David Alonso formed the Madson Trio, which two years later would change its name to Los Metálicos. Juan Carlos later left the band, being replaced by Íñigo Ayestarán on bass. At that time they are renamed as Ilegales.
In 1981 they win the Ciudad de Oviedo rock contest, which gives them the right to participate in the recording of a collective album. A few months later they released the single 'Revuelta Juvenil en Mongolia'. In 1982 the producer Paco Martín manages to get them to record their first album, titled 'Ilegales', in which Jorge Martínez already shows his peculiar way of composing, looking for strong and lapidary phrases, reflecting a nihilistic look on a marginal world, where fatality and violence are omnipresent, making the weak usually end up badly; With these lyrics of harsh social criticism, surrealist texts alternate, presided over by cynicism, black humor or provocation.
The debut album 'Ilegales' (Hi-Fi Electrónica, 1983), with a photo on the cover by the artist Ouka Lele, -that becomes a band icon-, is a success that overwhelms the independent record company set up by the producer Paco Martín to publish it. For this reason, the Asturian singer and songwriter Víctor Manuel takes over the rights to this recording for the label Sociedad Fonográfica Asturiana (SFA), which in turn licenses it to the multinational Epic Records, then dependent on the all-powerful CBS. With the move to a larger label, Ilegales guaranteed first-rate distribution and promotion, coming at a time when the band is approaching the height of their popularity.
With the support of the SFA, the EP 'Europa Ha Muerto' is issued, bringing together some songs from their debut album and one of the first songs released by the band in single format, the pessimistic-humoristic anthem in a punk-ska-rock tone of the title, recorded in Estudios Norte (Gijón), with production by Pedro Bastarrica and René de Coupaud, mixed in Torres Sonido Estudios by Álvaro Corsanego, a tandem that will become frequent in the band's recording career.
In 1984, with being a trio composed by Jorge Martinez (voice, guitar), Willy Vijande (bass) and David Alonso (drums), they record their celebrated second LP 'Agotados de Esperar el Fin', while CBS reissues for the third time their debut album. This new album catapulted the band to national success, although it wouldn't take long for them to savor international success, as by 1985 they were touring Ecuador. In spite of the commercial success, Jorge was not satisfied with the production of this second album, and recovered for the third the technical team that recorded the debut album, setting himself up as producer, for that third LP, 'Todos Están Muertos' (1985).
At the height of their success, Ilegales found the label Discóbolo Records with their manager Manolo Macías, and makes an agreement with the distribution company Nuevos Medios to publish a double live album, which is recorded at the Big Ben discotheque in Mollerusa (Lérida). Once again, the success surpasses that of the independent label, which leads to an agreement with the multinational EMI to distribute the double live album. Two years later, in 1988, the band signed a contract with the Hispavox label -dependent on EMI-, issuing their fourth studio album, entitled 'Chicos Pálidos Para La Máquina'.
For the recording of the album the band becomes a quintet: along with the incorporation of Alfonso Lantero on drums (replacing David Alonso), saxophonist Juan Flores and keyboardist Antolin de la Fuente join the group. Bassist Willy Vijande is replaced by Alejandro Felgueroso. The fifth album, entitled '(A La Luz o a La Sombra) Todo Está Permitido' is recorded by Rafa Kas and a new drummer: Jaime Beláustegui (ex-Los Locos, from Gijón).
The quintet arrives with new changes to the 1992 recording of the album 'Regreso al Sexo Quimicamente Puro', as Willy momentarily rejoins and collaborates in the recording of the album 'El Corazón es un Animal Extraño', released in 1995 under the auspices of Avispa Records. Years later, in 1998, the same label produces 'El Apóstol de la Lujuria'. For the commemoration of their 20th anniversary, all the musicians who passed through the band come together and in a memorable concert in the Plaza de la Catedral in Oviedo, recording an extensive live album which is published under the title 'El Día que Cumplimos 20 Años', that also includes a DVD of the concert. The success of the live album and the immediate tour led Jorge Martínez to found his own record company, La Casa del Misterio, and in 2003 published the album 'Si La Muerte Me Mira De Frente, Me Pongo De Lao'. This same label reissues in 2005 the group's first album, 'Ilegales', on a CD that includes 5 bonus tracks, originally released as singles.
In December 2009, La Casa del Misterio makes an agreement with all the former record labels of Ilegales for the company Pop Up Música to market the box set '126 Canciones Ilegales', including their 9 studio albums to date, as well as unreleased takes, singles and unreleased songs. A later reissue of the box also includes the live album 'Ni Un Minuto De Silencio', which had been published in 2011 in DVD and double vinyl formats, featuring the concert recorded at the Sala Penélope in Madrid during the band's farewell tour.
In 2011 they decide to end as Ilegales, and they refound themselves in a new band namedJorge Ilegal y los Magníficos, playing boleros, guarachas, joropos or cha-cha-chá. In November 2014, Ilegales announce their return, which will take place in March 2015, with the release of 'La Vida Es Fuego'. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
An extremely influential figure in the history of Japanese pop music, Haruomi Hosono has led a lengthy, wildly diverse career which has encompassed mellow folk-rock, exotica, synth pop, ambient techno, film soundtracks, and more. While perhaps best known throughout the Western world as one of the co-founders of electro pop pioneers Yellow Magic Orchestra, his career extends back to the late 1960s and early '70s, when he was a member of bands like the psychedelic rock group Apryl Fool and the folkier Happy End. Beginning his solo career with the 1973 pop/rock album 'Hosono House', his subsequent work ventured into tropical sounds and offbeat jazz-pop, with 1978's 'Paraiso' leading to the formation of YMO. Initially active until 1984, the group rivaled Kraftwerk in terms of influencing techno, electro, synth pop, and creative pop music in general. After the group's breakup, Hosono remained highly active throughout the decade, releasing material ranging from funky, futuristic pop ('S-F-X', 1984) to ambient ('Mercuric Dance', 1985) to soundtracks ('The Tale of Genji', 1987). Additionally, he also composed and produced music for numerous Japanese pop stars during the '80s, including Seiko Matsuda and Akina Nakamori, considerably influencing the style known as city pop (and later Shibuya-kei). Hosono's work during the '90s became more ambient and experimental, with releases including 1995's 'N.D.E' and collaborations with Bill Laswell and Tetsu Inoue. The 2000s brought reunions with Hosono's former YMO bandmates as well as soundtracks such as 'La Maison de Himiko' (2005). Hosono returned to his folk-pop roots during the 2010s, with solo albums such as 'HoSoNoVa' (2011) and 'Vu Jà Dé' (2017).
Born in Tokyo in 1947, Hosono studied sociology at Rikkyo University, forming several bands while still in school. His first band, the psychedelic art-rock group Apryl Fool, released their self-titled LP in 1969 and broke up the same year. Throughout the early and mid-'70s, he played the part of studio musician and bassist, and formed two fusion-pop projects, psych-folk group Happy End and the jazzier Tin Pan Alley. He also launched his solo career with the sophisticated soft pop of 1973's 'Hosono House', and moved in more of an exotica direction with 1975's 'Tropical Dandy'. Increasingly becoming more interested in the possibilities of synthesizers, he began incorporating electronics into his laid-back, exotic pop on albums like 1978's 'Paraiso', co-credited to The Yellow Magic Band, and the fictional Bollywood soundtrack 'Cochin Moon', released on the Japanese King Records. Within the year, The Yellow Magic Band had sprung into Yellow Magic Orchestra, with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. Coming just a few years after electro futurists Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, YMO pursued a similar trail, incorporating Japanese melodies and video game music influences into synth pop and new wave and becoming Japan's most successful band during the '80s -even though they had broken up by 1984.
Even while Yellow Magic Orchestra was still around, Hosono had been busy with other projects, most notably as a pop songwriter and producer. He ran Yen Records with Takahashi, releasing solo albums such as the experimental synth pop full-length 'Philharmony' (1982) and the self-explanatory 'Video Game Music' (1984). Around the middle of the decade, he also founded the pop-leaning Non-Standard label as well as Monad Records, which focused on his own experimental solo works (such as 'The Endless Talking', 'Coincidental Music', and 'Mercuric Dance', all from 1985). He launched the funk-influenced Friends of Earth with 1984's 'S-F-X'; the group's follow-up, 1986's 'Sex, Energy and Star', included a collaboration with James Brown and Maceo Parker. He also composed scores for films such as 'Paradise View' (1985) and 'The Tale of Genji' (1987).
Following 1989's Epic-issued 'Omni Sight Seeing', Hosono became disgusted with the music industry and took a break from releasing material. The pioneers of ambient house began to namecheck Yellow Magic Orchestra in the early '90s -even producing a YMO remix album called 'High Tech/No Crime' featuring The Orb plus many others- and Hosono returned with 1993's 'Medicine Compilation from the Quiet Lodge', which included collaborations with Laraaji and Akiko Yano. 'Mental Sports Mixes' followed soon afterwards. Two years later, Hosono released solo efforts 'N.D.E', 'Naga (Music for Monsoon)', and the limited 'Good Sport'. He also formed the new age pop group Love, Peace & Trance, releasing a self-titled 1995 album. In 1996, Hosono and Bill Laswell released the jungle-influenced 'Interpieces Organization'. He also collaborated with Tetsu Inoue and Uwe Schmidt (Atom Heart) as HAT, issuing 'Tokyo - Frankfurt - New York' in 1996 and 'DSP-Holiday' two years later. Both were among the first releases on Hosono's eclectic Daisyworld Discs label. Late in the decade, Hosono and Makoto Kubota released the blues-influenced 'Road to Louisiana' under the name Harry & Mac.
Hosono began reuniting with his former YMO bandmates during the early 2000s. He formed Sketch Show with Takahashi, releasing 'Audio Sponge', a blend of glitchy electronics and Beach Boys-influenced pop, in 2002. The album included guest appearances from Sakamoto and Towa Tei, and was followed by 'Tronika' and 'Loophole' in 2003. As Sakamoto's involvement increased, the trio began performing again, this time under the name Human Audio Sponge, releasing a live DVD in 2006. The trio released two singles (2007's 'Rescue' and 2008's 'The City of Light') as HASYMO, and subsequently changed their name back to Yellow Magic Orchestra.
Apart from his electronic work with his bandmates, Hosono remained active composing soundtracks and returning to acoustic pop with albums such as 2007's 'Flying Saucer 1947' and 2011's 'HoSoNoVa'. Covers album 'Heavenly Music' appeared in 2013, and 'Vu Jà Dé', a double-CD split between covers and originals, followed in 2017. Following the 2018 release of the soundtrack 'Shoplifters', five of Hosono's solo albums were reissued by Light in the Attic, marking the first time that most of them had been released outside of Japan. In 2019, Hosono released 'Hochono House', an album of newly recorded versions of songs from his 1973 solo debut. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Gary Clail began his career in Bristol where he worked improvising raps on tapes released by On-U artists. He was taken in by the label to work with Tackhead and the On U Sound System in the late '80s, resulting in a series of 12" releases from 1985-87 before his first full-length split release for Nettwerk, 'Tackhead Tape Time' by Gary Clail & Tackhead. In 1989, he had his true debut album in Gary Clail & On-U Sound System, released by the On U Sound label. The album helped forge him a place in the Bristol electronic underground, and paved the way for his later releases on RCA, which feature a number of singles and EPs as well as one full-length, 1991's 'Emotional Hooligan'. He also released another full-length for Yelen Records in 1996, 'Keep the Faith'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
La Otra Cara De Un Jardín is the pseudonym used by the multidisciplinary artist Francisco Felipe from Madrid. Under this mysterious name, he develops a strong collage of processed sounds that reminds us of the sound experiments of foreign projects such as the French Etant Donnes.
In 1981 he published his first self-produced industrial music cassette with the same title for Tic-Tac records. In 1982, he recorded the single 'Búsqueda de Consuelo en los Amaneceres Fríos' also for Tic-Tac records. Arturo Lanz from Esplendor Geométrico collaborated in it. One year later, he collaborates in the compilation 'Anthems 2' of the Italian label Trax, where he includes the track "The Last Minutes of Everyday". It was re-released in 2010.
Two years later, already in 1985, he is included in the compilation cassette 'Codex' by IEP. Shortly afterwards, he published 'Breve Jornada por un Jardín Cerrado' (EGK 004), where he collected extracts from his first cassette.
In 1986, the split 'Chronicle Of Consumptive Irritation / Brikollage' was released for the Sound of Pig label, together with the group Big Red Stain (Karin Flectcher, U.S.A.).
Also from that year, a production of the musician Juan Teruel's label, Discos Proceso Uvegraf, entitled 'Conspiración', appears. It is a compilation of industrial, electronic and experimental music. In 'Conspiración', a cast of great names from Madrid's experimental music scene appears: Esplendor Geométrico, Depósito Dental, Interacción, Luis Mesa, Juan Teruel himself signing his name and as Uvegraf, Ejumboeke and Segunda Época del Hombre. He is also included in the compilation 'The World, The Flesh and The Devil' by the French label Déviation Culturelles. [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Ekatarina Velika (Catherine the Great, also called EKV for short) was a rock group from Belgrade, Serbia. During its existence, EKV built up a devoted following that greatly intensified and expanded after the death of its frontman Milan Mladenović in 1994, which caused the band to dissolve. The group's core consisted of singer and guitarist Milan Mladenović, keyboardist Margita Stefanović and bassist Bojan Pečar.
Ekatarina Velika, initially named Katarina II, was formed in February 1982 following the breakup of the band Šarlo Akrobata. Katarina II's self-titled debut album finally came out in 1984. The album never gained much main-stream popularity. After the album the group fell apart due to artistic differences. Guitarist Gagi Mihajlović claimed rights to the Katarina II name, the remaining members settled on Ekatarina Velika.
In 1985, EKV released their debut album, 'Ekatarina Velika'. The album is characterized by an energetic sound and Milan's hermetic, introspective, and metaphorical lyrics. The 1986 follow up album 'S Vetrom Uz Lice' ('Against The Wind') proved to be the breakthrough album that turned them into bona fide stars. In addition to wider main-stream acceptance, 'S Vetrom Uz Lice' also got some lukewarm reviews from critics complaining it sounded too much like Simple Minds.
In 1987 the band recorded and released 'Ljubav' ('Love'). It displayed a more guitar-oriented, polished sound, partly because of new producer Theodore Yanni. It also showed the first signs of Milan's depressive lyrics, as exemplified by song "Tonemo" ("We're Sinking"). The band confirmed their newfound star status with two consecutive sold out shows at Belgrade's Hala Pionir sports arena. The 1989 album 'Samo Par Godina Za Nas Nas' ('Just A Few Years For Us') wasn’t received well by the critics at the time. It does feature the song "Par Godina Za Nas" which was voted the best (ex)Yugoslavian rock song by Serbian radio in 2006.
In the nineties the band released albums irregularly due to band changes and the political situation in Yugoslavia. 'Dum Dum' (1991) and 'Neko Nas Posmatra' ('Somebody's Watching Us', 1993) were released but the band slowly fell apart. Working on 'Ponovo Zajedno' ('Together Again') Milan Mladenović was hospitalized in august 1994 were he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He died on November 5, 1994 at the age of 36. Bassist Bojan Pečar died in London on October 13, 1998, aged 37, as a result of a heart attack. Early drummers; Ivan 'Vd' Vdović passed away in 1992 and Dušan Dejanović died from AIDS on November 16, 2000. Keyboardplayer and vocalist Margita Stefanović died on September 18, 2002. Although never confirmed heavy drug use was rumoured to be the cause. She was 43 and the last of the original line up left. [SOURCE: EUROPOPMUSIC]
Depósito Dental were a duo from Madrid formed in 1983 by Rosa Galindo (vocals) and Pedro Garhel (keyboards).
With a musical concept that moved between experimental dark sounds where the synthesizer electronics predominated, they were essentially characterized by a vision of what they intended to offer with their music as a global multimedia show in which they also had videos, literary texts, slides, stage recreation, etc.
It includes all the sound that emerges in all their plastic experience, expressing the emotions and personal experiences, ignoring their story. They use the voice as an instrument that becomes their own language. They create sounds that go far beyond words. They analyze conceptually the origin-influence that the evolution of music has had on them.
Their "Performances Música" stand out for the creation of a live atmosphere. In their performances they merge different media, the installation, or intervention in a given space, the use of video as an intrinsic relationship between recording and action, body presence, movement or dance. A whole atmosphere or climate that enhances sound sensations, complementing and offering the total work.
They recorded an only album in 1986 for Grabaciones Accidentales with the same title produced by Juan Alberto Arteche.
In parallel to the project, Pedro ran the small venue known as Espacio P very close to Madrid's Plaza de Santa Ana, which remained active well into the 1990s. On the top floor there were exhibitions, and the basement was used for shows, which was more unusual than any other.
Depósito Dental did several performances in Madrid during the 80's, of course in the Espacio P and the Sala Universal, even, already in 1996 they visited the Centro de Bellas Artes to show their show.
In 2005 Pedro Garhel died. [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Chromagain was one of the greatest italian synth-wave group from Turin, Italy, from 1982-1986.
The band is celebrated as one of the best minimal wave bands of the old italian wave. They made a lot of gigs with audiovisual supports, playing with important wave bands like Litfiba, Carmody and Denovo.
In 2011 the labels Mannequin Records and Anna Logue have published their anthologic production taking the tracks by the only official acts. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Box Of Fish were one of the first Aussie bands to incorporate grunge into their music in the early '80s and they were also responsible for giving some high profile talent their starts in the early days as support acts at their shows, including Died Pretty and The Scientists. [SOURCE: METHOD RECORDS AND MUSIC]
Eternal long-haired losers who also have some of the best tunes this semi-legendary band has only released six albums in its long existence but each of them is a bonafide classic. The Astronauts second album ‘It's All Done By Mirrors’ judged by those who heard it as among the best albums of all time was a stunning collection of explosive pop songs and traditional folk ballads recorded at a time when all their gigs were with anarchist punk bands. Their fifth album ’In Defence Of Compassion’ experimented with ambient house music years before other conventional bands even thought of doing so.
Inspired by the UK punk explosion Mark Astronaut formed the band with a few friends in 1977 and began playing local gigs in their hometown of Welwyn Garden City. By 1979 The Astronauts were regularly appearing at free festivals and gigs in London organised by a hippy collective known as Fuck Off Records and from these began a close friendship with then London based punk bands Zounds and The Mob. That year the first AstronautsEP was released on local label Bugle Records and musically it reflected the hippie drug culture combined with the energy of punk. The record established The Astronauts on the local gig scene among the non mainstram hippie/punk/biker crowd. Also in 1979 an EP was released under the assumed name of Restricted Hours on the Stevenage Rock Against Racism label.
By 1980 gigs throughout England with Zounds had won over an army of fans and the ‘Pranksters In Revolt’ EP sold all its copies within weeks. Musically the four songs were not as adventurous as the first EP although the lyrics were as incisive as ever. Like many great bands from the postpunk era The Astronauts were completely ignored by the UK music press which then as now was only interested in anything trendy, fashionable or middle class. Local fanzine Zero began to champion the band as did the local newspapers.
‘Peter Pan Hits The Suburbs’ album was released in 1981 to widespread acclaim. Incredibly it received great reviews in virtually all the UK music press. The typical Astronauts audience at the time was largely hardcore punks attracted by the energetic gigs and a handful of hippies so the album was something of a surprise. Full of heartfelt folk ballads and featuring legendary jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill the album was not what fans had expected but appealed to a different audience. The contradiction of heavy chaotic punk performances and structured melodic alternative pop/folk/ambient songs continues to this day.
Throughout 1982-1985 there were hundreds of gigs with the many anarcho punk bands of the era and ‘It's All Done By Mirrors’ was arguably the finest album to date. The ‘Soon’ album featured great songs but was let down by lifeless production while the ‘The Seedy Side Of...’ album combined a scathing indictment of the 1980s attitudes of greed with some truly wonderful songs. By 1986 Mark was fed up with constant gigs and decided to slow down. Astronauts songs were always socially aware and ‘In Defence Of Compassion’ album had the usual great tunes but was also very bleak. By contrast the ‘Constitution / Please Don’t Come Around Tonight’ 7″ was an upbeat pop punk gem.
In 1991-92 The Astronauts recorded their finest album for Acid Stings. For once it captured the heaviness of their live sound but due to instability within the band and lack of cash the album has yet to be released. Despite this The Astronauts can still be found playing gigs in forgotten parts of London and Welwyn Garden City. [SOURCE: KILL YOUR PET PUPPY]
On cold autumn evenings of Milan in 1981 met for the first time Nino La Loggia and Giacomo Spazio. Both were regulars of the Bar Concordia, one of the few meeting places for the post punk generation. Nino with Mark Philopat (now established writer) had given birth to the HCN, one of the pioneering punk bands of the peninsula. Giacomo instead was a performance artist, interested in graphics and was looking for a new form of painting that was innovative and provocative. When the two met sparked. The two had the same passion for music: Kraftwerk, Joy Division, DAF and the whole new scene of proto-electronic wave and together they decided to start the musical project called 2 + 2 = 5, a tribute to Orwellian dystopia. The two split the roles immediately, Nino continued to pursuit the sound to the limit of experimentation and Giacomo wrote texts. The band made their début at the "Cinema-Music Non-Stop" at the Cinema Porpora of Milan in May 1982. Shortly after entered the band Cha Cha Hagiwara, already a keyboard player in Jeunesse d'Ivoire, enriching the band's raw sound with sonority which we can now define analog. After several dates among Milan, Turin and Switzerland, the trio entered the studio to record their first LP titled 'Into The Future' which was to be published towards the end of the year 1983. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
At the end of the 1970s, Gilles Riberolles and Eric Weber, high school friends, shared a house in Saint Mande near the Bois de Vincennes on the outskirts of Paris. The cellar was soon transformed into a rehearsal studio. Didier Esteban, the brother of Michel Esteban, the boss of the concept store "Harry Cover" in Les Halles and co-founder of the New York label ZE Records, and Philippe Chany, who would later compose the hit "C'est la Ouate" for Caroline Loeb, joined them in the first formula of a group that was to become Casino Music. The group was then managed by Alain Wais, music critic for the newspaper Le Monde, who released a first single 'Burger City / Viol AF015' in 1978 on Vid Ordur, the label of Alain Maneval, a Parisian radio host.
Michel Esteban convinced the band to sign on ZE Records, resulting in a recording in New York at the mythical Blank Tapes Studios, with Chris Stein of Blondie in production, with whom Riberolles has become friends in the meantime. Casino was then composed of Gilles Riberolles on guitar and vocals, Eric Weber on bass, Jean Michel Lemeur on drums and Anatole Mundi on keyboards. The four Frenchmen were joined by the New Yorkers Allen Wentz on synths, Chris Stein did some guitar solos, Tom Malone -The Blues Brothers trombone-, and Ron Rogers on piano and percussion. The chorus will be provided by Aural Exciters members Christine Wilshire, Mary Seymour and Gina Tharps.
Cristina will come to do a cameo, while Gilles will return the favour on "La Poupée Qui Fait Non" produced by August Darnelll.
The album will be mixed at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas by Island records boss Chris Blackwell, whom Esteban managed to convince. Steven Stanley, sound engineer of Lizzy Mercier Descloux's 'Mambau Nassau' and future member of Tom Tom Club is behind the console.
For the cover Esteban brought in one of his acquaintances, Richard Brenstein, who is responsible for all the covers of Andy Warhol "Interview" magazine. The album was released in 1979 in French version 'Amour Sauvage' and English version 'Jungle Love'.
In spite of a very good critical reception of the album distributed throughout Europe and Japan and of the Parisian concerts of the group with Blondie or The B-52's at the Palace, sales were disappointing.
In 1981 Esteban will produce a last single with Casino Music 'Go Go Word / The Beat Goes On' (an excellent cover of Sonny and Cher's hit " The Beat Goes On ").
In 2010 ZE Records will re-release in Japan distributed by P.Vines Records the album 'Jungle Love' with all the French and English versions of the first album as well as all the versions of the last single and unreleased tracks recorded at Compass Point Studios.
[SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
The Gravedigger Five –often shown as Gravedigger V– was a garage rock revival band formed in 1984 in San Diego, California. The band was part of the Paisley Underground, a musical movement centered on Los Angeles, California, which referenced 1960s West Coast pop and garage rock. The band's lineup consisted of Leighton Koizumi on vocals and sound effects, Ted Friedman on lead guitar, John Hanrattie on rhythm guitar and backup vocals, Dave "The Animal" Anderson on drums and percussion, and originally Chris Gast, who was replaced on bass and backing vocals by Tom Ward. When the Gravedigger Five broke up, members of the band went on to form The Morlocks and Manual Scan.
The members of The Gravedigger Five began playing together around 1983, practicing under the name The Shamen in bassist Chris Gast's garage. The group began writing songs together while its members were still teenagers; lead singer Leighton Koizumi was only sixteen years old when the band began to perform. When the band eventually went on to play the Whiskey A Go Go, the band members had to wait outside between sets, as the members were too young to be in the club. The name The Shamen was abandoned after the group discovered that the name was already in use by another band, and so after a night of brainstorming, purportedly at a local Bob's Big Boy, the group renamed their band The Gravedigger Five, a take-off on the old "Monster Mash" backing group The Cryptkicker V.
After only a few performances the group caught the interest of Voxx Records owner Greg Shaw, who signed the band to his imprint in January, 1984. The band recorded their first LP the same year, sleeping together in a car in an alley adjacent to the studio while not recording. Their first LP, 'All Black and Hairy', was released towards the end of 1984, but even before its release original bassist Chris Gast was ejected from the band as a result of his substance abuse problems. Shortly after Gast's dismissal the rest of the band fell apart and the group disbanded. The band released its entire catalogue posthumously. Following the breakup of the band, Voxx released the band's first LP in 1984.
In 1987, three years after the breakup of the band, Voxx Records released a second Gravedigger Five LP. Under the title 'The Mirror Cracked', Voxx packaged a number of unreleased 'All Black and Hairy' session tracks, backed with eight crudely recorded live tracks recorded in 1984. The Gravedigger Five's second release contained a number of cover songs, including two Stoics songs, "Enough of What I Need" and "Be a Caveman." The LP also contained a version of "No Good Woman," with fellow Paisley Underground alum Paula Pierce of The Pandoras on backing vocals. Lead singer Koizumi took offense to the mediocre way the album was assembled.
After The Gravedigger Five disbanded, Koizumi and Friedman moved to the Bay Area where they founded The Morlocks, another Paisley Underground garage rock revival band which continued the Gravedigger Five sound. Dave Anderson and Tom Ward continued on together in the band Manual Scan, and afterwards Anderson went on to perform with The Trebles, The Answers, The Crawdaddies and Skid Roper. The band reunited for one final show playing CAVESTOMP '99 at the Westbeth Theater Center, 151 Bank Street, NYC on 5 November 1999. The lineup for this show featured original members Leighton Koizumi on lead vocals, Ted Friedman on lead guitar and backing vocals, Chris Gast on rhythm guitar with Kory Cook on drums and percussion and Phillip Plyler on bass guitar and backing vocals. Original member Chris Gast died in Austin TX in 2000. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Vitor Hublot is originally from the Soignies town of Hainaut in Belgium.
Guy Clerbois and Guy Delhalle knew each other since childhood. Delhalle already played in many groups for recreation and by chance suggested to Clerbois that they try to do something together.
They wear their hearts on the name of Victor Hublot blew their friend, but at a concert given as part of the opening of an exhibition, a typo slipped on the poster. The designer omitted the letter "c" and the boys find themselves unwittingly baptised Vitor Hublot. Amused by this error, they decided to keep the name.
The two boys have very different musical worlds. Delhalle cultivates a real taste for melodies, while Clerbois, a big fan of The Residents and Magma, is more interested in the range of sounds and sonic wanderings.
Their first single 'Aller Simple' is self-produced in 1983 on the Brussels label Psoria Discs and reflects the dual influences of the two boys. Their friend Chantal Talbot lended her voice to the song "Aller Simple".
Following this first release of 500 copies, Delhalle left the band, leaving Clerbois alone to decide the fate of the group.
The latter published almost simultaneously in 1985 two singles 'Piron n'veut nin dance / Vive L'Amour' and 'La P'tite Gayole', the music of which is even more cold and dissonant, contrasting with the texts. Guy Clerbois then leaves a final album '185 Millions De Francophones Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi...' composed of covers and title tracks of the two singles. Following this album, Clerbois released 'La Dernière Tentation Du Disque' (1993), a playful and visionary project consisting exclusively of the samples.
[SOURCE: LAST.FM]
With their crisp melodies, Pete Shelley's biting lyrics, and Shelley's and Steve Diggle's driving guitars, Buzzcocks were one of most influential bands to emerge in the initial wave of punk rock. Buzzcocks were inspired by The Sex Pistols' energy, but they didn't copy the Pistols' angry political stance. Instead, they brought that intense, brilliant energy to the three-minute pop song. Kicking off with the 'Spiral Scratch' single -made when Howard Devoto was their lead singer- their initial run of singles were powered by Shelley's alternately funny and anguished lyrics about adolescence and love backed by melodies and hooks that were concise and memorable. They released two albums in 1978 ('Another Music in a Different Kitchen' and 'Love Bites') that tightened up and refined their pop-punk sound, then the more experimental 'A Different Kind of Tension' in 1979 before the fast pace of their career and problems with their record label led the band to break up in 1981. When the band re-formed in 1989, it began a long string of tours and albums that exhibited the same spirit the band had shown from the start, including a self-titled record for Merge in 2003 and 'The Way' in 2014, which turned out to be Shelley's last album with the band before his 2018 death. The group's powerful punk-pop proved to be enormously influential and timeless, with echoes of their music being apparent in bands like Hüsker Dü, Nirvana, and The Exploding Hearts, along with almost every band who ever attempted to blend the hooks of pop with the energy of punk.
Before Buzzcocks, the teenaged Pete Shelley had played guitar in various heavy metal bands. In 1975, he enrolled in the Bolton Institute of Technology. While he was at school, Shelley joined an electronic music society, which is where he met Howard Devoto, who had enrolled at BIT in 1972. Both Shelley and Devoto shared an affection for The Velvet Underground, and Devoto was also fascinated by The Stooges. While they were still in school, Shelley and Devoto began rehearsing with a drummer, covering everything from The Stooges to Brian Eno. The trio never performed live and soon fell apart. Shelley and Devoto remained friends and several months after their initial musical venture dissolved, the pair read the first live review of The Sex Pistols in NME and decided to see the band in London. After witnessing the show twice in February 1976, the pair decided to form their own band, with the intent of replicating the Pistols' London impact in Manchester.
Both musicians decided to change their last names -Peter McNeish became Pete Shelley and Howard Traford became Howard Devoto- and took their group's name from a review of Rock Follies, which ended with the quotation "get a buzz, cock." Buzzcocks began rehearsing, picking up local drummer and bassist Garth Smith. Shortly after their formation, Shelley and Devoto booked a local club, the Lesser Free Trade Hall, with the intent of persuading The Sex Pistols to play in Manchester. They succeeded, but the Buzzcocks had to pull out of their own gig when both the bassist and drummer left the group before the concert. At the Pistols show, Shelley and Devoto met Steve Diggle, who joined Buzzcocks as their bassist, and the group found their drummer John Maher through an advertisement in Melody Maker. Within a few months, the band played its first concert, opening for the second Sex Pistols show at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in July of 1976. By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had played a handful of gigs and helped establish Manchester as the second biggest punk rock city in England, ranking just behind London.
In October of 1976, Buzzcocks recorded their first demo tape, which remained unreleased. At the end of 1976, the group joined The Sex Pistols on their Anarchy Tour. After the tour was completed, Shelley borrowed a couple hundred pounds from his father and the band used the money to record their debut EP, 'Spiral Scratch'. The record was the first D.I.Y., independently released record of the punk era. 'Spiral Scratch' appeared on the band's New Hormones record label in January 1977; there were initially only 1,000 copies pressed. Shortly after the release of the EP, Devoto quit the group and returned to college; later in the year, he formed Magazine. Following Devoto's departure, Pete Shelley assumed the role as lead vocalist, Steve Diggle moved to guitar, and Garth Smith became the band's bassist. By June of 1977, Buzzcocks were attracting the attention of major record labels. By September, they had signed with United Artists Records, which gave the band complete artistic control.
Buzzcocks certainly tested the limits of that artistic control with their debut single, "Orgasm Addict." Released in October of 1977, the single didn't become a hit because its subject matter was too explicit for BBC radio, but it generated good word of mouth. Following its release, Garth Smith was kicked out of the group and was replaced by Steve Garvey. Buzzcocks' second single, "What Do I Get?," became their first charting single, scraping the bottom of the Top 40. In March, the band released its first album, 'Another Music in a Different Kitchen'. In September of 1978, Buzzcocks released their second full-length record, 'Love Bites'.
The rapid pace of the band's recording and performing schedules quickly had an effect on the group. Not only were the concerts and recordings wearing the band down, the members were consuming alcohol and drugs in high numbers. Early in 1979 they recorded their third album, 'A Different Kind of Tension', which displayed some signs of wear and tear. Following the album's release in August, they embarked on their first American tour and later in 1979, the singles collection 'Singles Going Steady' was there.
All of the inner and outer tensions afflicting the band culminated in 1980, when they drastically cut back their performance schedule, but they persevered with recording, cutting the EP 'Parts 1, 2, 3', which was released as three separate singles over the course of the year. During 1980, United Artists was bought out by EMI, which cut back support of Buzzcocks. The group began working on its fourth album in early 1981, but was prevented from recording by EMI. The label wanted to release 'Singles Going Steady' in the U.K. before the band delivered its fourth album. Buzzcocks refused. Consequently, EMI didn't give the band an advance to cover the recording costs of the fourth album. Shelley decided to break up the band instead of fight the label, and they split in 1981.
Immediately afterward, Shelley pursued a solo career that initially produced the hit single "Homosapien" and saw the singer experimenting with electronic pop. Steve Diggle formed Flag of Convenience with John Maher, who quit the band shortly after its formation. Steve Garvey moved to New York, where he played with Motivation for a few years. In 1989, Buzzcocks re-formed and toured the United States. The following year, Maher left and former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce joined the band on tour. By 1990, the reunion had become permanent; after Joyce's brief tenure with the band, the lineup of the reunited Buzzcocks featured Shelley,Diggle, bassist Tony Barber, and drummer Phil Barker. The new version of the band released its first album, 'Trade Test Transmissions', in 1993. After its release, the band toured frequently. In spring of 1996, Buzzcocks released their fifth studio album, 'All Set'. 'Modern' followed three years later, and a self-titled record for Merge appeared in 2003. 'Flat-Pack Philosophy' arrived in 2006 on the Cooking Vinyl label. An anniversary set simply called '30' was released in 2008 on Cooking Vinyl. In 2014, yet another new lineup -Shelley, Diggle, bassist Chris Remington, and drummer Danny Farrant- emerged with a new studio album, 'The Way', which was supported by an extensive North American tour in addition to their usual roadwork in the U.K. and Europe. On December 6, 2018, Pete Shelley's family and management announced that the singer and guitarist had died in his home that morning of a suspected heart attack; he was 63 years old. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
