Before Scotland's Soup Dragons hit the mainstream with their reggae-infused cover of The Rolling Stones' "I'm Free," the Glasgow four-piece were poised to carry the torch first lit by the Buzzcocks and The Adverts. Formed in the mid-'80s around singer/guitarist -and eventual programmer- Sean Dickson, the band included guitarist Jim McCulloch, bassist Sushil Dade, and drummer Ross Sinclair. Their punk-pop debut, 'Hang-Ten!', consisted of two years worth of singles and EPs -the shorter 'Hang-Ten!' EP arrived via Raw TV Products in 1986- and was released in 1987 on Sire Records. Their direction changed completely on 1988's uneven but ambitious 'This Is Our Art', a schizophrenic collection of hard rock, funk, and harmony-laden pop that showcased the group's love of melody and willingness to experiment within the modern rock genre.
By 1990, the previously underground sounds of U.K. rave culture began to infiltrate and inform the alternative rock scene, resulting in the birth of the Madchester sound, a drugged-out fusion of acid house and rock that The Soup Dragons were more than willing to get on board with. 'Lovegod', their Big Life/Polygram debut, embraced the scene completely, marrying dub-heavy beats with synths and acoustic guitars, breathy vocals, and even a guest spot from Black Uhuru's Junior Reid. 'Hotwired', their follow-up record that included the worldwide chart-topping hit "Divine Thing," was released in 1992. Gone were the hypnotic swells and late-night cigarette lyrics that fueled their previous release, replaced here by tight, immaculately produced songs that were way more alternative dance and sunny Britpop than moody rave anthems.
By 1994, Dickson was the sole remaining member, relying on a bizarre array of session musicians from Bootsy Collins to The Scottish Chamber Orchestra to help complete the funk, soul, rock, and hip-hop hybrid 'Hydrophonic'. The record received mixed reviews, prompting Dickson to form a new group called High Fidelity, which released an EP in 1996 and a series of singles that led to the release of their first full-length LP, 'Demonstration', in 2002. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Born of a French father and Spanish mother in pre-independence Algeria, Hector Zazou first recorded in the mid-'70s under the name ZNR, as one half of a duo with Joseph Racaille. This early work is light but engaging French chamber jazz, lyrical and quirky, with Zazou playing keyboards and violin. The music has long since lost any radical edge, and the sparse instrumentation gives most of the pieces more the sound of musical sketches than fully realized compositions, but in ZNR, Zazou begins to demonstrate his interest in unusual instrumental timbres and colors, as well as his eclectic musical imagination. Throughout the rest of the 1970s and into the early '80s, Zazou's musical efforts (whatever they might have been), are not represented by any readily available recordings, but some experiments in musical erotica were apparently conducted under the name 'La Perversita'.
In the early '80s, Zazou's music took another direction, when he began a series of very successful collaborations with Zairean singer Bony Bikaye. This was not just standard world pop, but a distinctive combination of ritualistic, tribal vocals and futuristic, percussive synth accompaniment. Zazou and Bikaye attracted the attention of European and New York City trendsetters, and their music became a fixture on the club scene for a time. But Zazou's real talent was first displayed on his next release, the bizarre 'Reivax Au Bongo', a so-called musical "photo-novel," with an accompanying booklet, set in the mythical kingdom of Bongo. As composer and arranger, Zazou utilizes the vocal talents of both Bikaye and another prominent African artist, Kanda Bongo Man, as well as an operatic mezzo-soprano, but in contexts far removed from Africa, traditional opera, or anything else. This is Zazou's principal gift, which he develops further on the marvelous 'Geographies' and 'Geologies', two strange and wonderful orchestra suites. In his musical world, anything is fair game -operatic arias, children's songs, Afro-pop, jazzy horn charts, and delicate chamber music. And rather than sounding like a careless pastiche (which is what you'd expect), it sounds, well- like Hector Zazou. Sophisticated, charming, witty, and just a teeny bit decadent- to paraphrase one contemporary reviewer, this is avant-garde, cutting-edge music that your grandmother would love (providing she was a hip grandmother).
Having proven himself as a composer and arranger (at least to his satisfaction -his label was not widely distributed in North America), Zazou decided to try his hand at production as well, first in 1992 with 'Sahara Blue', the steamy and evocative tribute to French symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud (with Zazou also writing and arranging the music, and contributing keyboards and "electronics"), and then, two years later, radically altering his geography with the austere but equally successful 'Songs From the Cold Seas', a tribute to the Arctic regions. (Again, Zazou produces, arranges, composes and contributes keyboards and electronics.) Both of these collections, and the second in particular, demonstrate the international respect which Zazou commands among the musical vanguard, as the list of contributors ranges from John Cale and David Sylvian to Suzanne Vega, Björk and Jane Siberry. The critical and relative commercial success of these two "concept" CDs (the last one on a major label) will no doubt insure future projects of the same sort from Zazou, but in 1996 and 1997, he returned to less ambitious collaborations with individual artists, including minimalist/ambient keyboardist Harold Budd and Celtic singer/composer Barbara Gogan. 'Lights in the Dark' followed in 1998. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Webcore
were a 1980s Psychedelic Rock/Prog Rock group formed in Cornwall in 1984 and lasted until 1987. They released several self-released cassettes: 'Cinematography' (A Real Kavoom, 1984) 'The Great Unfolding' (A Real Kavoom, 1986) and 'Consider The River' (M.E.L.T. Music, 1987); 2 LP's: 'Webcore' (1987) and 'Webcore Webcore' (1988); and 2 12"s through Jungle Records: 'The Captain's Table' and 'Running for the Precedent', both in 1987.
Members were Mick West (Vox), Phil Pickering (Bass), Paul Chousmer (Keys), Clive Goodwin (Guitar, later became Ozric Tentacles sound engineer), Colin Woolway (Drums), Nick Van Gelder (Drums, had played with the Ozric Tentacles earlier and went on to Jamiroquai), Dan Carpenter (Sax occasionally), Jackie Hannah and Karen Kay (backing vox).
Webcore were co-founders of the event "Alice in Wonderland" with the Ozric Tentacles in the late eighties. Paul Chousmer and Dan Carpenter later did chillout rooms for London based events and venues such as Club Dog, the Deptford Crypt, and later Whirly-Gig and Return to the Source, under the name Another Green World during the early to mid-nineties. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
Vox Dei
was a French new wave band from Paris active from 1979 to 1981.
Members were Jacques Bucci (guitar),
Guy Brochard (bass),
Luigi Brochard (drums),
François Deshaye (vocals)
and Jano (keyboards). They released only the LP 'De Profundis'
in the Do Production label in 1983.
There's not a weak track on there. Innovative synths, a Gallic Ian Curtis on vocal duties, strong and measured tribal drumming, angular guitars... what's not to like?
U2 have spent the vast majority of their career as the biggest rock & roll band in the world, a title that captures not only their popularity but their importance. Alone among all the groups to emerge from the post-punk era, U2 channeled their yen for moody, experimental aural textures into clearly defined rock anthems and ballads -the kind of songs that fill arenas yet still seem personal. Much of that sense of intimacy can be attributed to Bono, a lead singer who gravitates toward grand gestures yet remains grounded by his belief in humanity and the revolutionary power of rock & roll. This sense of righteousness has never abandoned U2, not even after the group sold millions of albums all over the globe, but it burned brightest on their earliest records such as 1983's galvanizing 'War', when the cavernous guitar of The Edge still seemed flinty and the rhythm section of Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton conveyed the grit of the group's punk beginnings. This phase of U2 crested around the time they stole the show at Live Aid in 1985, an event that laid the groundwork for 'The Joshua Tree', the 1987 album that sent the Irish band into the stratosphere. Powered by the twin Billboard chart-toppers "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," 'The Joshua Tree' contained the group's most direct music to date but still boasted an adventurous production, setting a precedent U2 would follow for the rest of their career; whenever they got too close to the middle of the road, they darted in another direction. Their first -and most radical- reinvention arrived in 1991, with the dense, electronic-drenched 'Achtung Baby', a left turn that set the pace for a decade of risk-taking that culminated with 1997's 'Pop', a rare commercial misfire from the band. U2 righted themselves with 2000's 'All That You Can't Leave Behind', a streamlined back-to-basics album that brought them to a cruising altitude they maintained into the 2020s, as they released new records and toured on a regular schedule.
The band's sound was undeniably indebted to post-punk, so it's mildly ironic that U2 formed in 1976, before punk had even reached their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen, Jr. (born October 31, 1961; drums), posted a notice on a high school bulletin board asking for fellow musicians to form a band. Bono (born Paul Hewson, May 10, 1960; vocals), The Edge (born David Evans, August 8, 1961; guitar, keyboards, vocals), Adam Clayton (born March 13, 1960; bass), and Dick Evans responded to the ad, and the teenagers came together as a Beatles and Stones cover band called The Feedback. They then changed their name to The Hype in 1977. Shortly afterward, Dick Evans left the band to form The Virgin Prunes, and the group changed names once again, this time adopting the moniker of U2.
U2's first big break arrived in 1978, during the members' final year of high school, when they won a talent contest sponsored by Guinness. By the end of the year, The Stranglers' manager, Paul McGuinness, had seen U2 play and offered to manage them. Even with a powerful manager in their corner, the band had trouble making much headway, and failed an audition with CBS Records at the end of the year. In the fall of 1979, U2 released their debut EP, 'U2 Three'. The EP was available only in Ireland, where it topped the national charts. Shortly afterward, they began to play in England, but they failed to gain much attention away from home.
U2 scored one more chart-topping single, "Another Day," in early 1980 before Island Records offered the group a contract. Later that year, the band's full-length debut, 'Boy', was released. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album's sweeping, atmospheric but edgy sound was unlike most recordings by U2's post-punk contemporaries, and the band earned further attention for its public embrace of Christianity; only Clayton was not a practicing Christian. Through constant touring, including opening gigs for Talking Heads, U2 were able to take 'Boy' into the American Top 70 in early 1981. 'October', also produced by Lillywhite, followed in the fall, and it became their British breakthrough, reaching number 11 on the charts. By early 1983, 'Boy's "I Will Follow" and 'October's "Gloria" had become staples on MTV, which, along with their touring, gave U2 a formidable cult following in the U.S.
Released in the spring of 1983, the Lillywhite-produced 'War' became U2's breakthrough release, entering the U.K. charts at number one and elevating them into arenas in the United States, where the album peaked at number 12. 'War' had a stronger political message than its predecessors, as evidenced by the international hits "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day." During the supporting tour, the band filmed its concert at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater, releasing the show as an EP and video titled 'Under a Blood Red Sky'. The EP entered in the U.K. charts at number two, becoming the most successful live recording in British history. U2 had become one of the most popular bands in the world, and their righteous political stance soon became replicated by many other bands, providing the impetus for the Band Aid and Live Aid projects in 1984 and 1985, respectively.
For the follow-up to 'War', U2 entered the studios with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who helped give the resulting album an experimental, atmospheric tone. Released in the fall of 1984, 'The Unforgettable Fire' replicated the chart status of 'War', entering the U.K. charts at number one and reaching number 12 in the U.S. The album also generated the group's first Top 40 hit in America with "(Pride) In the Name of Love," a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. U2 supported the album with a successful international tour, highlighted by a show-stealing performance at Live Aid. Following the tour, the band released the live EP 'Wide Awake in America' in 1985.
While U2 had become one of the most successful rock bands of the '80s, they didn't truly become superstars until the spring 1987 release of 'The Joshua Tree'. Greeted with enthusiastic reviews, many of which proclaimed the album a masterpiece, 'The Joshua Tree' became U2's first American number one hit and their third straight album to enter the U.K. charts at number one; in England, it set a record by going platinum within 28 hours. Generating the U.S. number one hits "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," 'The Joshua Tree' and the group's supporting tour became the biggest success story of 1987, earning U2 the cover of respected publications like Time magazine. U2 decided to film a documentary about their American tour, recording new material along the way. The project became "Rattle & Hum", a film that was supported by a double-album soundtrack that was divided between live tracks and new material. While the album 'Rattle & Hum' was a hit, the record and film received the weakest reviews of U2's career, with many critics taking issue with the group's fascination with American roots music like blues, soul, country, and folk. Following the release of 'Rattle & Hum', the band took an extended hiatus.
U2 reconvened in Berlin in 1990 to record a new album with Eno and Lanois. While the sessions for the album were difficult, the resulting record, 'Achtung Baby', represented a successful reinvention of the band's trademark sound. Where they had been inspired by post-punk in the early career and American music during their mid-career, U2 delved into electronic and dance music with 'Achtung Baby'. Inspired equally by late-'70s Bowie and the Madchester scene in the U.K., 'Achtung Baby' was sonically more eclectic and adventurous than U2's earlier work, and it didn't alienate their core audience. The album debuted at number one throughout the world and spawned Top Ten hits with "Mysterious Ways" and "One."
Early in 1992, the group launched an elaborate tour to support 'Achtung Baby'. Dubbed Zoo TV, the tour was an innovative blend of multimedia electronics, featuring a stage filled with televisions, suspended cars, and cellular phones. Bono devised an alter ego called the Fly, which was a knowing send-up of rock stardom. Even under the ironic guise of the Fly and Zoo TV, it was evident that U2 were looser and more fun than ever before, even though they had not abandoned their trademark righteous political anger. Following the completion of the American Zoo TV tour in late 1992 and preceding the launch of the tour's European leg, U2 entered the studio to complete an EP of new material that soon became the full-length 'Zooropa'. Released in the summer of 1993 to coincide with the tour of the same name, 'Zooropa' demonstrated a heavier techno and dance influence than 'Achtung Baby' and received strong reviews. Nevertheless, the album stalled at sales of two million and failed to generate a big hit single. During the subsequent 'Zooropa' tour, the Fly metamorphosed into the demonic MacPhisto, which dominated the remainder of the tour. Upon the completion of the 'Zooropa' tour in late 1993, the band took another extended break.
During 1995, U2 re-emerged with "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me," a glam rock theme to "Batman Forever" that was produced by Nellee Hooper (Björk, Soul II Soul). Later that year, they recorded the collaborative album 'Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1' with Brian Eno, releasing the record under the name The Passengers late in 1995. It was greeted with a muted reception, both critically and commercially. Many hardcore U2 fans (including drummer Larry Mullen Jr.) were unhappy with the Passengers project, and U2 promised their next album, to be released in the fall of 1996, would be a rock & roll record.
The album took longer to complete than usual, ultimately being pushed back to the spring of 1997. During its delay, a few tracks, including the forthcoming first single "Discotheque," were leaked, and it became clear that the new album was going to be heavily influenced by techno, dance, and electronic music. When it was finally released, 'Pop' did indeed bear a heavier dance influence, but it was greeted with strong initial sales and a few positive reviews. Demand for the album lessened in the following months, however, and 'Pop' ultimately became the band's least popular album in over a decade. In late 1998, the group returned with 'Best of 1980-1990', the first in a series of hits collections issued in conjunction with a reported 50 million dollar agreement with Polygram. Included in the comprehensive track list was a remixed version of "Sweetest Thing," originally released as B-side in 1987, which charted well in multiple countries.
Three years after the mediocre response to 'Pop', U2 teamed up with Eno and Lanois once again to release 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' in fall 2000. The album was heralded as a return to form, melding the band's classic sound with contemporary trends. It topped charts around the world, reached number three in America, earned Grammy Awards for the singles "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," and became the band's biggest-selling record in years. (The Elevation tour that followed also brought U2 a hefty paycheck.) Steve Lillywhite, producer of the early-'80s landmarks 'Boy', 'October', and 'War', returned to the helm for U2's next record, 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'. Released in November 2004, it hit the top of the Billboard charts and quickly gained platinum status. The album also garnered eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Song of the Year (for "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," which Bono had written for his father). U2 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005 and launched an international tour soon after, selling out arena venues in the U.S. and outdoor stadium shows abroad. The Vertigo Tour became the highest-grossing tour of 2005; by the time the entire tour concluded in late 2006, its gross of $389 million had made it the second most successful tour ever.
U2 returned to the drawing board in 2006 by partnering with veteran rock producer Rick Rubin. Two songs from those sessions appeared on the compilation 'U218 Singles', but the remaining material was ultimately scrapped. The band then turned to longtime friends Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite, all of whom helped shape the sound of U2's 12th studio effort. Entitled 'No Line on the Horizon', the album was originally slated to appear in October 2008, although the release date was ultimately pushed back to March 2009. 'No Line on the Horizon' was met with enthusiastic reviews but failed to yield a big radio single; even so, the band embarked on another lucrative tour that summer. A second leg, originally planned for 2010, was postponed when Bono suffered a slipped disc and underwent emergency back surgery. Touring resumed the following year, and the so-called 360 Tour was ultimately named the highest-grossing concert tour in history. Meanwhile, Bono and The Edge also worked on music for the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark", which opened in June 2011.
Not long after completing the 360 Tour, U2 turned their attention to recording their 13th album, a process that turned out to be rather complicated. Initially, the group worked with such dance-oriented producers as will.i.am and David Guetta, but as the sessions progressed, the concept of the record changed, as did the producers, with the band trying out Ryan Tedder and Flood before eventually settling in for the long haul with Danger Mouse. The first fruits of these sessions appeared in late 2013, when "Ordinary Love" was released as part of the soundtrack to the film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"; the song was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe. The next song up was "Invisible," which appeared to be the opening salvo for a new album as it soundtracked a commercial for Super Bowl XLVIII and the group played it on the inaugural February 17, 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Commercial response to the single was lukewarm and the band retreated into the studio for several more months, unexpectedly emerging with a completed album called 'Songs of Innocence' on September 9, 2014. Available in its first month-and-a-half as a free download, 'Songs of Innocence' saw a physical release in October. Upon that release, it debuted at nine on the Billboard 200, selling 25,000 copies in its first week. U2 toured the album through 2015 and began work on their next album, 'Songs of Experience', in 2016. They set the album aside in 2017 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'The Joshua Tree' by touring that album and releasing a deluxe reissue of the 1987 LP. By late August 2017, the first music from 'Songs of Experience' surfaced via a video of "The Blackout," which was followed in early September by "You're the Best Thing About Me," the first official single from the album. 'Songs of Experience' appeared in December 2017 and the group supported it with an international tour that ran through 2018. The following year, U2 brought their 'Joshua Tree' anniversary tour to Asia. In 2020, the band celebrated the 20th anniversary of 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' with a super deluxe box set containing five CDs worth of music. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Inspired by The Beatles and merging energetic pop with graceful but evocative melodies, the San Francisco-based four-piece Translator featured two singer/songwriter/guitarists (Steve Barton and Bob Darlington) and a sound that spanned Merseybeat and stripped-down rock to psychedelia. Larry Dekker on bass and Dave Scheff on drums completed the lineup, a constant during the band's initial seven-year run, as well as for their sporadic, post-breakup reunion appearances. Formed in Los Angeles in 1979, Translator relocated to San Francisco, where they were signed to Howie Klein's independent label, 415 Records, on the strength of the demo tape they sent to college radio station KUSF; the loose and rambling yet laconic "Everywhere That I'm Not" became the band's signature tune. "Everywhere That I'm Not" was featured on Translator's debut album, 'Heartbeats and Triggers' (415/Columbia, 1982), which was produced by David Kahne and became an underground and college radio hit, though its 1983 follow-up, the Kahne-produced 'No Time Like Now', didn't fare as well. Breaking away from a tight new wave formula and finding a simpatico producer in Ed Stasium, the band created a lush third album simply titled 'Translator' (1985).
As the decade wore on, they increasingly explored psychedelia, and live shows became three-hour affairs filled with traditional San Francisco rock-style jamming. 'Evening of the Harvest' (1986) was the sound of a mature band and their most realized statement to date, as it fused rock with the band's increasingly nuanced side. Unfortunately, it also signaled their end, as the band quietly broke up by the end of the year. That year Columbia issued 'Everywhere That I'm Not: A Retrospective'; two more CD retrospectives, 'Translation' (Oglio, 1995) and 'Everywhere That We Were: The Best of Translator' (Columbia/Legacy, 1996), followed, and the band played reunion shows in 1993 and in 1995. In 1996, ten years after their official breakup, Translator were paid one of their highest compliments when their recording of The Beatles rarity "Cry for a Shadow," which appeared on the B-side of Translator's 1983 single 'Break Down Barriers', was mistaken by Beatles fans for a new recording created by the surviving members of The Fab Four for the documentary series "The Beatles Anthology".
Translator continued to reunite on occasion, and Barton also worked as a solo recording artist. In 2006 Translator appeared at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, where their tight, stripped-down rock of the '80s sounded right in line with the 21st century's back-to-basics rock. In 2012, the original lineup of Translator returned to the recording studio for the first time in 26 years to cut a new album, 'Big Green Lawn', with the group playing a handful of well-received shows in support. In 2015, Omnivore Records released 'Sometimes People Forget', a collection of unreleased Translator demos recorded between 1979 and 1985. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Snifters
were a punk band from
Amsterdam (Netherlands), also known as
Cirrus Minor (from 1966 to 1970) and Mantra Energy Band (from 1970 to 1976).
Members
were Sandor Kleinsma (vocals, keyboards), Ruud Jacobs (vocals, keyboards), Nico Arzbach (lead guitar, and also in bands such De Dijk and Stampei), Ton van Wier (guitar), Dick van Wier (bass) and Ab de Jong (drums). They only released the 'I Like Boys' 7" on the London-based label Lightning Records in 1978.
It's hard not to break into a grin listening to "I Like Boys" with its manic energy, sex-crazed frontman, and drum machine propulsion.
Ride arrived in 1990 with a neo-psychedelic wall of sound that relied on massive, trembling distortion in the vein of My Bloody Valentine but with a melodic sense that was simpler and more direct. Dubbed by the British music press as shoegazers for their shy disposition and concentration on guitar effects pedals, they nonetheless stood apart from their peers, primarily because of their keen sense of songcraft and dynamics. The Oxford quartet epitomized the designation throughout 1990, a prolific year during which they released three promising EPs and the widely praised full-length 'Nowhere', a number 11 U.K. hit. Ride quickly shed and distanced themselves from shoegaze with 'Going Blank Again' (1992) and 'Carnival of Light' (1994), Top Ten U.K. LPs that integrated elements of power pop and folk-rock while emphasizing the ringing harmonies of Andy Bell and Mark Gardener. They bowed out amid acrimony with 'Tarantula' (1996) and worked separately on a multitude of projects across two decades. After some uncertain overtures, Ride fully reunited in the mid-2010s with touring and festival dates that led to 'Weather Diaries' (2017) and 'This Is Not a Safe Place' (2019), sharply defined recordings that returned the band to the upper reaches of the U.K. chart.
Based in Oxford, England, Ride consists of guitarists/vocalists Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, bassist Steve Queralt, and drummer Loz Colbert. Formed in 1988, while the musicians were in their late teens, they soon earned a dedicated following through blisteringly loud and highly energized live shows. Signed by Creation Records in 1989, they released their self-titled debut EP, led by "Chelsea Girl," the following January. Not only did British music critics praise the 'Ride EP', but it climbed into U.K. singles chart as well. The momentum intensified in April with 'Play' (featuring "Like a Daydream") and in September with 'Fall' (including "Taste"), both of which climbed into the low 30s. This all set up the October arrival of 'Nowhere', the group's first full-length. It peaked just outside the U.K. Top Ten, driven in part by its finale, the wistful ballad "Vapour Trail." No other band of Ride's generation developed as much within one calendar year.
After a fourth EP, 'Today Forever', Ride properly followed up with 'Going Blank Again' in March 1992. First single and leadoff track "Leave Them All Behind" went into the Top Ten, as did the parent release on the corresponding album chart, but the band took an extended break following a frustrating promotional tour in the U.S., where their recordings -like those of Creation labelmates My Bloody Valentine and Primal Scream- had been licensed to the Warner-distributed Sire. Ride didn't re-emerge until June 1994 with 'Carnival of Light', which represented a major shift toward folk-rock conventions. More forebodingly, it separated Bell's songs from those of Gardener. Tensions between the songwriters regarding stylistic direction escalated throughout the recording sessions for the next album. Upon the completion of 'Tarantula' in August 1995, Gardener left the band and Bell followed immediately afterward. Ride announced their disbandment in January 1996, and 'Tarantula', lacking a band to promote it, was released two months later.
The members drifted off to numerous projects the next couple decades. Bell formed Hurricane #1, later joined Oasis as the band's bassist, and with Oasis' Liam Gallagher moved on with Beady Eye. Gardener and Colbert were in the short-lived Animalhouse. More prominently, Colbert played with The Jesus and Mary Chain and Supergrass, while Gardener performed as a solo artist and released an album in 2005, then spent the next decade collaborating with a variety of artists. Bell, Gardener, Queralt, and Colbert did meet during this era, if only to be filmed while performing improvised material for a Channel 4 documentary on Sonic Youth.
In 2014, Ride fully reunited and booked a month-long world tour for the following year, including an appearance at the Primavera Sound Festival. The band also returned to the studio. 'Weather Diaries', their first album in 21 years, was released in 2017 via indie label Wichita Recordings. Produced by Erol Alkan and mixed by early associate Alan Moulder, the LP featured the singles "Charm Assault" and "Home Is a Feeling," and reached number 11 on the U.K. chart. In early 2018, Ride released the EP 'Tomorrow's Shore', a collection of four more tracks recorded during their 'Weather Diaries' sessions. Continuing to work with Alkan, Moulder, and Wichita, they recorded a second post-reunion album, 'This Is Not a Safe Place', released in August 2019. It became their third Top Ten U.K. LP. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Out of the barren wastelands of the late-80s / early-90s, came Pleasant Valley Children, unique both sonically and lyrically, a warped collision between early Black Flag, early Rudimentary Peni, and vintage Born Against. Included are some great critical reflections on the world around us, which are just as relevant now, as they were then. Mid-tempo twisted and tortured british hardcore punk with nihilist and sarcastic lyrics. Those in the know are familiar with this band brilliance and greatness. Too bad Pleasant Valley Children fell in complete oblivion and were so underrated. In case you were not yet acknowledged with their music, fortunately a 40 song discography CD compiling all their recorded output was released by Flat Earth records. [SOURCE: BRAVE NEW WORLD]
Orchestra of Skin and Bone were an Australian post-punk band active from 1984 to 1986. The band's core members were Ollie Olsen, Marie Hoy and John Murphy. They released a self-titled album in 1986, with the line-up of Olsen on lead vocals and guitar, Murphy on drums, Arnie Hanna on guitar, Marie Hoy on keyboards, David Hoy on cello, Tom Hoy on saxophone, Lochie Kirkwood on vocals and saxophone, Dugald McKenzie on vocals and harmonica, James Rogers on trumpet and Peter Scully on guitar. They also released cassettes on underground noise labels. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, the ensemble "proved incomprehensible to local audiences and rarely played live." Two tracks from the album, "Sometimes", and "Ot-Ven-Rot" later appeared on the album by Olsen's project with Michael Hutchence, Max Q. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Richard Hell was a pivotal figure on the nascent New York punk rock scene as it first came to flower in the mid-1970s. As an early member of two seminal groups, Television and The Heartbreakers, Hell helped establish CBGB as the home base of what came to be called punk, and with his air of defiant cool and edgy fashion sense (he pioneered creatively ripped clothing and T-shirts with challenging slogans), he crafted a template for the punk image that was taken up around the world. Hell's music was jagged and immediate while showing a sophistication many later bands lacked, and the literacy of his lyrics -full of keen observation along with youthful nihilism- set him apart as one of the most eloquent figures in punk's first graduating class. Hell's time as a professional musician was relatively short, and his legacy with his band The Voidoids amounted to a mere two albums, though those LPs -1977's 'Blank Generation' and 1982's 'Destiny Street'- were as distinctive and incisive as any others of their time and place.
Richard Hell was born Richard Lester Meyers in Lexington, Kentucky on October 2, 1949. His father, an experimental psychologist, died when Richard was seven years old and he was raised by his mother, who was an educator. In his teens, Richard attended the Sanford School, a private academy in Hockessin, Delaware, where he struck up a friendship with fellow student Tom Miller. The two ran away from school and hit the road; when they set a field on fire somewhere in Alabama, they were arrested and later expelled. Richard headed to New York City and tried to make a name for himself as a poet, publishing verse in several magazines and producing his own homemade mimeographed chapbooks. In 1972, Tom Miller joined Richard in New York; they wrote a book of poems together under the name Theresa Stern, and Miller, who was an accomplished guitarist, proposed that they form a band. Miller persuaded Richard to get a bass guitar and learn to play; Tom then adopted the stage name Tom Verlaine, and Richard became Richard Hell. With the addition of drummer Billy Ficca, Verlaine and Hell's band became The Neon Boys. The Neon Boys attracted little attention, but in 1974, with the addition of guitarist Richard Lloyd, they evolved into Television and landed a Sunday night residency at a new club on New York's Bowery, CBGB.
Television developed a buzz after news began to spread about the new music emerging from the Bowery that some were calling punk rock, and Brian Eno produced a demo for the group. However, Hell and Verlaine butted heads over control of the band and how many songs each could contribute to the group. In May 1975, Hell quit Television, and within a week he was invited to join The Heartbreakers, a new band formed by ex-New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. The Heartbreakers quickly became a popular club attraction in New York, but Hell again chafed at not being able to play as many of his own songs as he wanted. In early 1976, Hell left The Heartbreakers to found his own band. Named in part after a novella he'd written called "The Voidoid," Richard Hell & the Voidoids featured lead guitarist Robert Quine, a jazz fan who was Hell's co-worker at the bookshop Cinemabilia; rhythm guitarist Ivan Julian, who had previously been a member of the R&B group The Foundations, and drummer Marc Bell, formerly with proto-metal band Dust, alongside Hell on lead vocals and bass. Richard Hell & the Voidoids were soon one of the most talked-about acts on the nascent punk rock scene, and Hell's moody charisma led one magazine to call him punk's answer to Mick Jagger. Sire Records signed the group to a deal, and in 1977, they released their debut, 'Blank Generation'. The album won rave reviews from critics, but the music was too challenging for mainstream audiences, and The Voidoids had little success touring in the United States, in part because few venues were willing to book visiting punk acts.
A tour of England opening for The Clash proved to be problematic, as Hell and his bandmates faced spitting and uncomprehending audiences while Hell's addiction to heroin sent him through frequent bouts of withdrawal. The original lineup of The Voidoids splintered as Bell left the band in 1978 to join the Ramones (taking the name Marky Ramone in the process), Julian formed his own group, The Outsets, and Sire dropped their contract. As Hell regrouped, he played a punk rock musician named Billy in 1980's "Blank Generation", a film by German director Ulli Lommell; Hell also received credit as a co-screenwriter on the project. In 1982, he once again played a character not unlike himself, down on his luck rocker Eric, in Susan Seidelman's independent feature "Smithereens". (He would later play a bit part in Seidelman's next film, "Desperately Seeking Susan".) By this time, Hell had put together a new lineup of The Voidoids, with Hell and Quine joined by guitarist Naux and drummer Fred Maher. The Voidoids' second album, 'Destiny Street', was released by Red Star Records as "Smithereens" was becoming a critical success, but despite strong reviews, 'Destiny Street' wasn't a commercial success. The group once again collapsed. In 1985, Hell took one last stab at resurrecting The Voidoids, touring with a lineup that featured Hell on vocals, Jody Harris on guitar, Ted Horowitz on bass, and Anton Fier on drums. One track by this edition of the band would appear on the 1990 retrospective live release 'Funhunt', but they faded out before the band could enter the studio.
After 1985, Hell would record only sporadically and very rarely performed live, pursuing a career as a novelist and essayist. Hell was lured out of musical retirement to join the underground supergroup Dim Stars, in which he contributed lead vocals and bass alongside Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Don Fleming of Gumball. Dim Stars would issue an album in 1992, and the same musicians backed Hell on a three-song EP under his own name, 'Three New Songs', which came out that same year. In 1995, Hell brought out an EP, 'Go Now', in which he read excerpts from his first novel (also called "Go Now"), with Robert Quine providing accompaniment on guitar. In 1999, Hell and the original Voidoids lineup (Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, and Marc Bell) came together to record a fresh song, "Oh," for the compilation 'Beyond Cyberpunk' (produced by Wayne Kramer), but the death of Quine in 2004 effectively put an end to any further Voidoids reunions. Hell brought out a career-spanning collection via Matador Records in 2002, 'Time' (it also included a complete, unreleased live concert from 1977), while another, 'Spurts', was compiled by Rhino in 2005.
Hell occasionally expressed displeasure with the final version of 'Destiny Street' in interviews and his writings, but he was unable to access the original studio tapes in order to remix the album. After locating a work tape that that featured the rhythm tracks for the album without vocals or lead guitar, Hell created a variant edition of the LP, 'Destiny Street Repaired', which featured new vocals from Hell and guitar work from Bill Frisell, Ivan Julian, and Marc Ribot; it was issued by Insound in 2009. Ten years later, three of the four original multitrack master reels for 'Destiny Street' were found at last, and Hell teamed with musician and engineer Nick Zinner to give the album a fresh remix. January 2021 saw the release of 'Destiny Street Complete', a package from Omnivore Records that included remastered versions of the original 'Destiny Street' mix and 'Destiny Street Repaired', a new Hell-approved mix of the material, and 12 demos and single sides as a bonus. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Rheingold was a German New Wave group that consisted of Bodo Staiger (vocals, guitar), Lothar Manteuffel (lyrics) and Brigitte Kunze (keyboard).
Inspired through the Düsseldorf's music scene and fellow Germans Kraftwerk, Staiger formed Rheingold who was named after the opera of Richard Wagner.
Lothar Manteuffel wrote the songs and Brigitte Kunze did some vocals on their first self-titled LP that was released on Weltrekord.
Their most successful single, 'Dreiklangsdimensionen', was released in 1980 as well as the singles 'Fluss' and 'Fan Fan Fanatisch'. "Fan Fan Fanatisch" appeared on their second album 'R', which was released in 1982. This song was also on the soundtrack from the film "The Fan" with Bodo Staiger in the main role.
Rheingold also released English versions of the songs in England and USA, not with the success they hoped though. Neither did their last album so the band split and they never released music under this name.
Lothar Manteuffel teamed up with former Kraftwerk musician Karl Bartos to form Elektric Music and Bodo Staiger was working with ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür with production. Bodo passed away in December 2019. [SOURCE: DISCOGS]
With their hot-rodded fusion of dazzling high-speed guitar runs, thundering rhythms, high-profile swagger, and lyrical smirk, the Reverend Horton Heat are perhaps the most popular psychobilly artists of all time, their recognition rivaled only by the esteem generated by the genre's founders, The Cramps. The Reverend (as both the band and its guitar-playing frontman are known) built a strong cult following during the '90s through constant touring, manic showmanship, and a barbed sense of humor. The latter was nothing new in the world of psychobilly, of course, and Heat's music certainly maintained the trashy aesthetic of his spiritual forebears. The Reverend's true innovation was updating the psychobilly sound for the alternative rock era. In their hands, it had roaring distorted guitars, rocked as hard as any punk band, and didn't look exclusively to the pop culture of the past for its style or subject matter. Most of the Reverend's lyrics were gonzo celebrations of sex, drugs, booze, and cars, and true to his name, his early concerts often featured mock sermons in the style of a rural revivalist preacher. On their 1990 debut 'Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em', the group established the template of their no-frills, high-intensity approach to rockabilly, and though celebrity producers helped beef up the sound of their next two albums -Gibby Haynes of The Butthole Surfers on 1993's 'The Full Custom Gospel Sounds' and Ministry's Al Jourgensen on 1994's 'Liquor in the Front'- the Reverend's essential style changed little with time. They would explore a more introspective side on 2004's 'Revival', embrace their country influences on 2009's 'Laughin' & Cryin' with the Reverend Horton Heat', and add a pianist to the mix on 2018's 'Whole New Life', but on-stage and in the studio, Jim Heath and his bandmates could always be depended upon to deliver some of the twangy fire that their fans loved.
Reverend Horton Heat -the man, not the band- was born James C. Heath in Corpus Christi, Texas. Growing up, he played in local rock cover bands around the area but was more influenced by Sun Records' rockabilly, electric Chicago blues, and country mavericks like Junior Brown, Willie Nelson, and Merle Travis. According to legend, he spent several years in a juvenile correction facility, and at 17 was supporting himself as a street musician and pool shark (according to the Reverend, however, the story was fabricated by Sub Pop to add color to his greaser image). Heath eventually moved to Dallas, where he found work at a club in Deep Ellum. There, he gave his first performance in 1985 as Reverend Horton Heat, christened as such by the club's owner. Heat played the city's blues club circuit for a while, performing mostly for polite crowds and swing dancing enthusiasts. Craving the excitement of a rock & roll show, and seeking a more financially rewarding avenue to help with his child support payments, Heat revamped his sound and moved into rock and punk venues. In 1989, he added bassist Jimbo Wallace to his band, and drummer Patrick "Taz" Bentley soon completed the lineup.
Reverend Horton Heat were a big hit around the area, and soon began touring extensively all around the country. They ultimately landed a deal with the prominent Seattle-based indie label Sub Pop, and in 1990 issued their debut album, 'Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em', which featured fan favorites like "Eat Steak," "Marijuana," "Bad Reputation," and "Love Whip." The band kept building its audience through steady touring, and received considerable media attention for 1993's sophomore effort 'The Full Custom Gospel Sounds of the Reverend Horton Heat'. Produced by the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes, it spawned a minor MTV hit in "Wiggle Stick," and also included Heat staples "400 Bucks" and "Bales of Cocaine."
Having amassed a significant underground following, Horton Heat signed a major-label deal with Interscope in 1994, and debuted that year with a joint release between Interscope and Sub Pop, 'Liquor in the Front' (subtitled "Poker in the Rear" for anyone who missed the first double-entendre). This time around, Heat had an even more unlikely producer in Ministry's Al Jourgensen; he also had major-label bucks, which contributed to a ratcheting up of the hell-raising lifestyle he often sang about, and eventually the temporary worsening of a drinking problem. In the meantime, drummer Bentley left the band later in 1994 to join Tenderloin; he was replaced by Scott "Chernobyl" Churilla.
Horton Heat returned in 1996 with 'It's Martini Time', which featured several nods to the swing and lounge revival scenes emerging around that time; as a result, the title track became a minor hit, and the album became their first to chart in the Top 200. That year, Heat made his small-screen acting debut thanks to his on-stage preacher shtick, which earned him a guest spot on the acclaimed drama "Homicide: Life on the Street". The following year, he appeared on The Drew Carey Show. The band's final major-label album, 'Space Heater', arrived in 1998; after its release, the gigantic label mergers of that year resulted in the band being dropped from Interscope. In the wake of their exit, Sub Pop released a 24-song best-of compilation, 'Holy Roller', in 1999, covering their entire output up to that point.
Undaunted, they continued to tour, and in 2000 recorded the more straightforward rockabilly album 'Spend a Night in the Box' for the Time Bomb label. This time, Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary manned the production booth. The Reverend next surfaced on Artemis Records with 2002's 'Lucky 7', his hardest-edged album in quite some time. Its single, "Like a Rocket," was selected as the theme song for that year's Daytona 500 race. Buoyed by the publicity, Heat signed a new deal with Yep Roc in 2003. His first album for the label, 'Revival', appeared the following year, as did a live DVD. In 2005, he gave the world its first psychobilly holiday album, 'We Three Kings'. Three years later, the frontman unveiled his side project Reverend Organdrum, which explored a wider range of retro sounds with Hi-Fi Stereo. In 2006, Scott Churilla left the band, and Paul Simmons became the group's drummer. 'Laughin' & Cryin' with Reverend Horton Heat', a country-leaning set, appeared from Yep Roc in 2009, followed by 2012's '25 to Life', a live documentary/greatest-hits CD/DVD box set released to coincide with the group's 25th anniversary. After the release of '25 to Life', Scott Churilla returned to the lineup, and stayed with the band until 2017, when he was succeeded by drummer Arjuna "RJ" Contreras. In 2018, the Reverend Horton Heat became a quartet with the addition of full-time piano player Matt Jordan; Contreras and Jordan would make their recording debut with the band on their 2018 album 'Brand New Life'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
One of the pioneering all-female punk bands of Portland, Oregon's punk scene of the '70s and early '80s, Neo Boys formed from the ashes of Formica & the Bitches, when singer KT Kincaid, her bassist sister Kim, guitarist Jennifer Lobianco, and drummer Pat Baum began playing together in 1978. The group played lots of underground shows as well as high-profile ones opening for Television and the Wipers, and in 1980 they recorded their debut EP, 'Give Me the Message', with the latter band's Greg Sage. Lobianco left Portland for Hollywood later that year, and Neo Boys found a new guitarist in Meg Hentges, a more sophisticated player who helped the band broaden its style. This lineup recorded 1982's 'Crumbling Myths' EP, which showed off the group's more accomplished musicianship and increasingly eloquent and political lyrics. When Hentges left Portland in 1983, Neo Boys called it quits. While most of the group ultimately retired from making music, Hentges continued as a solo artist, and as part of a duo with her wife, Jude O'Nym. In 2013, K Records released the comprehensive retrospective 'Sooner or Later'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Mick Milk, one-man DIY synth-master and guitarist, performed a multi-media club act in New York during the early 1980s before disappearing to parts unknown. His mix of synth pop, dance music and found sound was the product of a technology-inspired cohort of artists and musicians who for the first time were able to compose with affordable electronic synthesizers and multi-track recorders. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
