Formed in the small town of Sunnymead, California, White Flag became a puzzling and occasional legend in punk history. The band was formed in 1982, including core members Pat Fear, Trace Element, Doug Graves, and El Fee. They released their self-produced debut LP S 'Is for Space', also in 1982. The album got rave reviews and sold over 25,000 copies. The band soon developed a large following, and began including members of other punk groups in the L.A. area, several of which made guest appearances on their 1984 LP 'Third Strike'. The album sold more than 30,000 copies. In 1987, White Flag released their most popular LP, 'Wild Kingdom', which also produced the band's most popular single, "Face Down."
Over the years, many musicians have passed through the ranks of White Flag. The band's recordings or live performances have at one time featured both Ken Stringfellow (who appears under the name Kim Crimson) and Jon Auer of The Posies, Kim Shattuck and Ronnie Barnett of The Muffs, Jeff McDonald and Steve McDonald of Redd Kross, Greg Hetson from Bad Religion, Dale Crover from the Melvins, and Eric Erlandson from Hole, to name only a few.
Mostly inactive during the '90s, White Flag released their 11th full-length 'Eternally Undone' on Houston Party Records in 1999, the first from the band since 1989. Occasional touring during the 2000s included several jaunts to Europe, but another ten years passed before the group came together again for a full-length LP, 2010's 'Benefit for Cats'. Pat Fear died from natural causes in 2013, but the band continued with Trace Element, Jello B. Afro, and Mike Mess. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Tiny Lights was a music group formed in New Brunswick, New Jersey by John Hamilton (guitar/vocals) and Donna Croughn (vocals/electric violin) in 1985. Original members include Dave Dreiwitz (bass/trumpet), Jane Scarpantoni (cello) and John Mastro (drums). Based in Hoboken, New Jersey, the group frequently performed at Maxwell's and the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, New Jersey. They recorded a total of seven albums, two of which were later released on Psychic TV's Temple Records.
From 1988 to 1994 Tiny Lights toured the United States extensively. A compilation album, 'The Young Person's Guide to Tiny Lights' was released on Bar/None Records in 1995. Other members include Stuart Hake (cello), Andy Demos (drums), Catherine Bent (cello), Andy Burton (piano, organ), and Ron Howden (drums - formerly the drummer for Nektar).
The group's members employed a rich array of instrumentation, including cello, electric violin, trumpet, soprano saxophone, tabla drums and bass clarinet. Improvisation was a constant feature of their live performances. Rolling Stone memorably described the band as "Sly and the Family Partridge."
Dave Dreiwitz went on to play bass for the band Ween. Jane Scarpantoni has enjoyed a career recording and touring for artists including Lou Reed, Richard Barone, Bob Mould, 10,000 Maniacs, R.E.M., The Indigo Girls, Bruce Springsteen, and the Lounge Lizards. Donna Croughn recorded with Bob Bert for Bewitched on Sub Pop. Catherine Bent subsequently toured with Cirque du Soleil, has performed and recorded with jazz and pop artists including Joe Jackson, Lee Konitz and Kanye West, and is a professor at Berklee College of Music. John Hamilton and Donna Croughn are raising their two children, Jasper and Henry, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where John works as a Professor of Comparative Literature and German at Harvard University.
On July 10, 2011, John Hamilton granted permission on behalf of Tiny Lights to host recordings on the Live Music Archive, and there is a small but growing collection of live recordings of the band that fans have been contributing. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Consolidated is an American radical activist music group, best known in the early 1990s as an alternative dance/industrial music band. Between 1989 and 1994, their instrumental style evolved from industrial, to hip-hop, to hard rock and funk with mixtures of live instruments and electronic instruments. They were distinguished by left-leaning political activism and politically radical lyrics, as well as their innovative sonic collages which blended industrial and hip-hop styles. Their music often focused on vegetarianism, women's rights, animal rights, fighting racism and homophobia, the unity of oppression, World War II and the Holocaust, the dangers of capitalism, and the evils of American nationalism. Although often criticized as having strident and confrontational lyrics, Consolidated tempered the intensity of their songs with many instances of self-deprecating humor. They admitted to their own struggles with addressing complex social issues within the constraining structures of pop music, an artistic form they referred to as "a neutralized medium," but explained that they did so because they felt that it might be their only chance to reach a mass audience with progressive messages of social justice. Their signature song, "Consolidated", contained the mission statement "Consolidated is not even a consumer product... yet. This is no rock and roll band. It is a unique creative vision of a small isolated group of individuals. A team that's skilled and dedicated. Searching for the knowledge that will enable them to improve the quality of their lives and the lives of those around them".
The band was formed in the early part of 1988 in San Francisco, California after each of the founding members had grown dissatisfied with other music projects they had been involved in. Consolidated's original line-up consisted of Adam Sherburne (guitar and vocals, previously lead singer of Until December), Mark Pistel (samples, sequencers and keyboards/synths), and Philip Steir (drums). In 1990 they released their debut album 'The Myth of Rock', and toured North America withMeat Beat Manifesto the following year. Consolidated's subsequent line-ups have consisted of Adam Sherburne, Todd Bryerton (drums), Michael Dunn (bass), and Kevin Carnes (drums) with some mixing and engineering by Mark Pistel. After 1994, the original line-up went their separate ways. Since that time, the project has been mainly under the direction of Adam Sherburne, with peripheral involvement by Mark Pistel (primarily mixing and engineering the albums). Following the split of the original line-up, Consolidated has continued to evolve musically through styles reminiscent of West Coast hip-hop, R&B, rock, and jazz similar to Miles Davis's early 1970s experimentation. Initially known for their strident, lyric-heavy albums, their most recent recordings have been almost entirely instrumental improvisations. Co-founders Mark Pistel (programming/vocals) and Philip Steir (programming/vocals) continued to do many remix projects after leaving the band. Mark Pistel made one album under the name Pistel, and has also played with the live/touring incarnation of Meat Beat Manifesto as well as a group called Electronic Dub Collective. He is currently co-producing and touring with Hercules and Love Affair. Philip Steir co-owns a recording studio called Toast. Drummer Todd Bryerton of the band's later line-up performs with Kneel Cohn in the NYC post-glam band The Dead Stars on Hollywood.
In each of their live performances, Consolidated included a period of time in which microphones were passed among audience members, who could then discuss, rebut, argue or elaborate upon the topics of Consolidated's songs in a process they dubbed "inter-active democracy." Consolidated devised these interactions as a way to subvert the typically passive experience of watching a band perform, empowering the audience members to respond and articulate their own opinions on issues addressed in the song lyrics or even the nature of the performance itself. Consolidated recorded many of these interactions and sampled excerpts of them to be included on their albums. In some cases, these samples were arranged and featured as short interludes between songs, while in other cases they were worked into the sonic collages of the songs themselves (e.g., "Crusading Rap Guys" on the 1991 LP 'Friendly Fa$cism'.)
Consolidated's live performances featured video montages that were either projected onto large screens, or featured on multiple television sets positioned along the perimeter of the stage. The video footage included their promotional music video clips for their singles, as well as video art composed of found footage which corresponded to the lyrical topics of specific songs (e.g., myths of male sexuality, sexist depictions of women in mass media, and the inhumane treatment of animals in laboratories and slaughterhouses). Local, regional and national activist groups were invited by Consolidated to set up tables and information kiosks at their shows while they were on tour. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
One of the most popular new wave bands of the early '80s, the British group ABC built upon the detached, synthesized R&B pop of David Bowie and Roxy Music, adding a self-conscious, campy sense of theatrics and style. Under the direction of vocalist Martin Fry, the group scored several catchy, synth-driven dance-pop hits in the early '80s, including "Poison Arrow," "Look of Love," and "Be Near Me."
During the late '70s, Fry ran his own fanzine, "Modern Drugs", while he attended Sheffield University. ABC formed in 1980, after Fry interviewed Vice Versa members Mark White (guitar) and Stephen Singleton (saxophone) for his fanzine. The two musicians asked Fry to join their band as a vocalist, and he soon became part of the group; the lineup also featured drummer David Robinson and bassist Mark Lickley.
Soon, Fry had taken control of the electronic band, steering them in a more pop-oriented direction and renaming the group ABC. By the fall of 1981, the band had signed a record contract with Phonogram Records, which agreed to distribute ABC's own label, Neutron. ABC released their first single, "Tears Are Not Enough," in November; it peaked at number 19 on the U.K. charts. Before they recorded their second single, Robinson left the band and was replaced by David Palmer in early 1982. Two singles, "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love," became British Top Ten hits in the spring, paving the way for their debut album, 'The Lexicon of Love', to enter the charts at number one. "All of My Heart" also became a Top Ten hit in the fall of 1982.
Toward the end of 1982, the group began concentrating on the United States. Their American success was helped greatly by the fledgling MTV network, which aired videos for "The Look of Love" and "Poison Arrow" frequently, making both singles Top 25 hits in the spring of 1983. Palmer left the band in the summer of 1983, as ABC were recording their second album. Featuring a harder, rock sound driven by guitars rather than keyboards, 'Beauty Stab' was released late in 1983. Supported by the number 18 single "That Was Then But This Is Now," the album didn't perform as well as the debut, peaking at number 12; the record was also a commercial disappointment in the U.S. Late in 1984, ABC -now consisting solely of Fry and White augmented by various session musicians- released "(How to Be A) Millionaire," which failed to put a halt to their commercial slide. Following its release, the duo moved to New York, where they added David Yarritu and Eden to the group; neither member could play or sing -they were added for the visual effect.
Released at the beginning of 1985, the light, catchy "Be Near Me" became a hit single in Britain, climbing to number 26. Due to the single's success, 'How to Be a...Zillionaire!' became a Top 30 hit in both the U.K. and U.S. "Be Near Me" was released as a U.S. single toward the end of 1985 and it became the group's first American Top Ten hit. Even though they had a fair amount of success in 1985, ABC's subsequent singles stalled on the charts. Fry was also ill for most of the latter half of the year; he recovered in 1987 and began writing and recording with White. In the summer of 1987, ABC released "When Smokey Sings," which was a major hit, reaching number five in the U.S. and number 11 in the U.K. 'Alphabet City' followed that fall, peaking at number seven in the U.K. and number 48 in the U.S. Two years later, they released 'Up', which only charted in the U.K. 'Absolutely', a greatest-hits collection, made it into the British Top Ten upon its release in 1990.
Following the release of 'Up', Fry took an extended break from the music industry, returning in 1997 with a revamped ABC and a new album, 'Skyscraping', which was only released in the U.K. Shortly before ABC's comeback, England experienced a short-lived new romantic revival called Romo, which increased Fry's exposure substantially, in turn helping 'Skyscraping' to earn good reviews and respectable sales. A live album followed in 1999, and several ABC reissues appeared during the 2000s, including a double-disc deluxe offering of 'Lexicon of Love'. The drummer from that album, David Palmer, returned to the ABC lineup in 2004, and the band released an album of original material in 2008 entitled 'Traffic'. They continued to play concerts and festivals, and in 2009 they played the entirety of 'Lexicon of Love' at Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Orchestra conducted by album collaborator Anne Dudley. They did the same thing in 2012 to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the album, performing again with Dudley, only at London Theatre Royal Drury Lane instead. That night while on-stage, Fry was struck by the idea that the album needed a sequel and soon after he began to assemble the songs and players to help make it a reality. Enlisting Dudley and producer Gary Stephenson, the album captured the sound and feel of 'Lexicon of Love', while Fry's ageless voice and wry lyrics made it feel like nary a moment had passed since 1982. The album was titled 'Lexicon of Love II' and released by Virgin/EMI in May of 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
As Laid Back, Copenhagen, Denmark-based duo Tim Stahl and John Guldberg are known most for a handful of stylistically disparate hits that spanned the 1980s. The duo had met the previous decade with The Starbox Band, discovered that they worked well together, and within a short period of time landed a contract as Laid Back on Teldec subsidiary Ultraphone. Their first single, "Maybe I'm Crazy," was released in 1980, preceding their self-titled debut album released the following year. Two years later, they signed with the Medley label and scored a hit in their homeland and abroad with the descriptively titled "Sunshine Reggae," released in support of their second album, 'Keep Smiling'. The single was unsuccessful in the U.S., but its B-side, a snapping electro-funk number titled "White Horse," was embraced by several of the country's club DJs. Licensed in the States by Sire, the track topped the Billboard club chart (and went on to be referenced many times, most significantly on Monifah's 1998 hit "Touch It").
After 'Play It Straight' (1985) and 'See You in the Lobby' (1987), Stahl and Guldberg had additional success with the Ariola label, where they added to their pile of hits with "Bakerman" (1989). The Ariola deal produced the albums 'Hole in the Sky' (1990) and 'Why Is Everybody in Such a Hurry!' (1993), as well as the career-spanning retrospective 'Laidest Greatest' (1995). Although Laid Back released only 'Unfinished Symphonies' (Sundance, 1999) and 'Happy Dreamer' (Edel, 2005) during the next several years, the duo also worked as film music composers, and were awarded a Robert -the Danish equivalent of an Oscar- for their work on "Flyvende Farmor".
In the early 2010s, they were as active as ever with self-released albums including 'Cosmic Vibes' (2011), 'Cosyland' (2012), and the multi-volume 'Uptimistic Music' (2013). Marking the band's 40th anniversary, Laid Back returned with the full-length 'Healing Feeling' in late 2019. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Alien Planetscapes got to be the brainchild of space rock veteran Doug Walker who unfortunately died of a heart attack in April 2006. The New York based musician has been a prolific keyboarder with a jazz background showing interest in using an experimental instrumentation consisting of synthesizer and other electronics. In 1977 he started with the avant-garde rock/jazz project Yeti which existed until 1990. He additionally was involved in two other bands named Third Sun and Cool And The Clones.
Alien Planetscapes was founded in 1981 then based on an experimental approach with elements of improvisational rock, free jazz and the Berlin School electronic music represented by Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel. The band never was provided with a steady line-up for a longer period and Doug Walker also played under several moniker like 'Alien Karcasscapes'. Not intending to be signed by a label the musical output is placed on a huge amount of self-produced cassette and CDR releases.
1982/83 was a very active period for the band. Louis Boone (synthesizer), Kevin Shelton (bass), Marc Adler (drums), Reginald Taylor (synth, guitar) and Doug Walker represented the first line-up. They were involved with the International Electronic Music Association and played live a lot. The following years saw collaborations with uncounted musicians -besides the classic instrumentation consisting of guitar, bass, synthesizer and drums there are also some violin and saxophone players contributing here and there. Futhermore Alien Planetscapeshas been a welcomed act on diverse space rock festivals in the USA.
It is said one of the rare regular CD productions, 'Life On Earth', is culminating the project's effort. It was released in 1997 on the own label Galactus Music. Scott Heller (Oresund Space Collective) and other friends have put together the band's official website with memorabilia, member and gig lists plus music of live concerts respectively independent releases as a tribute to Doug Walker's exceptional presence. [SOURCE: PROG ARCHIVES]
A U.K. band widely credited with bringing progressive rock back into vogue during the 1990s, Porcupine Treeembraced and explored those inspirations filtered through the lenses of sounds ranging from post-punk and metal to indie rock and electronic music. Led by guitarist/vocalist/composer and producer Steven Wilson, he initially used the name as a pseudonym for his solo projects (except for No-Man with Tim Bowness). Porcupine Tree's first few offerings reflected that M.O. They became a band when bassist Colin Edwin, drummer Chris Maitland, and keyboardist Richard Barbieri gelled during the sessions for 1995's 'The Sky Moves Sideways' and expanded into new sonic terrains with 1996's 'Signify'. Maitland was replaced by Gavin Harrison for the globally acclaimed 'In Absentia'. 2007's 'Fear of a Blank Planet' was conceptual in nature, while 2009's 'The Incident' was composed of a long suite and a handful of shorter compositions. They returned in 2022 with 'Closure/Continuation', their first studio outing in 13 years.
The group itself was just Wilson at the start. Born in London in 1967, he was too young to participate in the first full flush of psychedelic and experimental rock music, but swiftly made up for lost time, turning out to be a talented musical prodigy. Having learned guitar and keyboards at a young age, he contributed to work by underground prog outfits of the early 1980s such as Altamont and Karma, while continuing his own musical growth and exploration. 1987 saw the founding of both No-Man and Porcupine Tree, the latter actually starting as a joke between Wilson and a friend about a legendary lost '70s group. Elaborate discographies and other material were created à la Spinal Tap, while Wilson himself created a slew of music meant to be the band's lost recordings. In a humorous twist of fate, two tapes of this material ended up in the hands of other folks interested in hearing more from Wilson, who ended up collating the best tracks for Porcupine Tree's real debut album on Delirium Records, 'On the Sunday of Life', in 1992. Those songs having been something of a nostalgia exercise, Wilson aimed for a more contemporary approach on his follow-up release -the extended single "Voyage 34," with a clear debt to ambient techno jokesters The Orb.
'Up the Downstair', Porcupine Tree's next full album, found Wilson coming fully into his own, creating a majestic, sweeping album that took the prog inspirations of the past fully into a realm of mysterious quiet and beauty with a full-on rock charge. Two collaborators on other projects, bassist Colin Edwin and keyboardist Richard Barbieri, the latter one of the core members of early-'80s pop art geniuses Japan, guested on the album. Later that year, the two formally joined Porcupine Tree, along with drummer Chris Maitland, establishing a four-piece lineup.
The first release from the new version of the group, 'The Sky Moves Sideways', was actually something of a transitional affair, a number of the songs still being Wilson solo compositions and performances. A slew of fine songs stood out regardless, notably "Moonloop," but the bandmembers themselves considered the quartet's true debut to be 1996's 'Signify', another stunning step forward for the Porcupine Tree sound, with new highlights everywhere, including the epic blast of the title track itself. A nice nod to the past came that year with the vinyl-only 'Spiral Circus' album, which featured selections from the first three performances of the four-piece lineup in 1993, while 1997's 'Coma Divine' featured live recordings from the Rome stop on the 'Signify' tour. By this time, Porcupine Tree's reputation had spread throughout Europe and elsewhere, including an increasing cult following in America.
A friendly parting from Delirium led Porcupine Tree to Snapper/K-Scope, which released 1999's 'Stupid Dream', notable for its stronger song focus and slightly more accessible feel all around. The band's reputation and fan base continued to grow, with another album, 'Lightbulb Sun', taking its bow in 2000. Porcupine Tree continued to tour and plan ahead for both new recordings and reissues of older, rarer material, the first of which surfaced in May 2001, titled 'Recordings'. Various unreleased cuts from the 'Stupid Dream' and 'Lightbulb Sun' sessions as well as a few B-sides were included. They spent the rest of the year putting together 'Stars Die: The Delirium Years '91-97', a box set that looks at their catalog from 1991 to 1997. Many more unreleased and rare tracks found their way onto the set, and the album finally came out in late autumn 2001. Drummer Chris Maitland left the band in March of 2002, but luckily, Gavin Harrison was available to take his place. A year later, the band moved to Universal-backed Lava Records, and 'In Absentia' was released, followed by 'Deadwing' and the live 'Warszawa' in 2005. 'Up the Downstair' was reissued that same year, complete with a bonus disc of the band's 1994 EP 'Staircase Infinities'. Porcupine Tree did some sporadic touring in summer 2006 before fall dates were completed around the U.K., Europe, and the United States. Around the same time, 'Stupid Dream' was reissued with bonus material. In 2007, the band moved labels again, this time to Roadrunner, and released their ninth studio LP, a loose concept album with an underlying theme of escapism in the 21st century, aptly named 'Fear of a Blank Planet' (not to be confused with the similarly titled Public Enemy classic). The following year, the band released the mini-album 'Nil Recurring', which consisted of tracks written during the recording of 'Fear of a Blank Planet'. In 2009, the group released 'The Incident', which was composed of a single long song that featured many different movements, as well as a handful of shorter compositions that closed the album. The double-live album, 'Octane Twisted', followed in 2012.
It would be 13 years before Porcupine Tree released new studio material. The band took a backseat to Wilson's burgeoning solo career, as he released five solo albums in the space of that decade. In interviews, he seemed to have lost interest in Porcupine Tree, and even declared the band defunct, leading most fans to assume they would never re-form. But in 2021, a new album was announced with a series of cryptic teasers. Entitled 'Closure/Continuation' and finally issued in June 2022 by Music for Nations, it was their first not to feature Edwin, who chose not to return, leaving the band a trio; Wilson handled bass duties in addition to guitar and vocals. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Architectural Metaphor is an American space rock band formed in summer 1984 in the Boston area and still extant today. Originally a quintet consisting of founders Paul Eggleston and Bill Buitenhuys, they expanded to a sextet with Bob Foley, Barry Corbett, Chris Mogan and Dave Gorrill. Their first releases were private cassette releases- 'Innervistas', 'Music for Mensas', '3rd and Short' in 1984 - 1986. The first release on vinyl was an appearance on the XXX records compilation 'Drastic Perversions'. By 1987, Deb Young had joined on percussion and space whispers.
They began the recordings of 'Odysseum Galacti' in 1987-these recordings formed the bulk of 'Odysseum Galacti' CD of 1994. Greg Kozlowski replaced Bill Buitenhuys on guitar. Second album 'Creature of the Velvet Void' was released on Black Widow Records in Italy as a trio-Eggleston, Kozlowski and Young. Third album was the limited 'Strange Daze' 1998 CD with Amy Risley as second vocalist. Fourth album was 'Viva', recorded live in 2000 at the Quarkstock festival.
Deb Young was replaced by Murph fromDinosaur Jr on drums and the band continued as a trio on Other Music. Andrea Aguayo joined as vocalist for 'Everything You Know is Wrong' (2013). 'Galactus Interruptum' from 2016 is their most recent release and consists of the trio of Eggleston, Kozlowski and Murph.
They appear on tribute albums to King Crimson ('Schizophrenic Dimension) andGenesis' ('The Fox Lies Down'), both on Cleopatra, and 'Space Box-1970 and Beyond (Space, Krautrock and Acid Trips)' multi CD space rock history. They also appeared on 'Not of This Earth', a 3 CD Black Widow compilation of unreleased tracks with a sci-fi theme.
In the late '70's in ol' Milwaukee town, self-confessed sci-fi nerd, krautrock enthusiast and all-round nice guy, Richard Franecki, formed The Drag with a friend, Greg Kurczewski. Described as "a Stooges/MC5-type band," The Drag did the rounds like so many others, before Richard split the group and formed The Shemps with Jan Schober, this time veering into a more hardcore direction. Around 1982, as The Shemps dissolved, Rick started hanging out and jamming with another local, Brian Wensing, who was intrigued by Franecki's experimental guitar stylings, which he was temporarily putting to use in "a strange surf group," The Surfin' Fuhrers. Sensing a meeting of the minds, both being heavily into the "industrial" scene of the time (Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Nurse With Wound, Whitehouse, etc.), they roped in Greg Kurczewski to help form the tape/recording project cryptically known as F/i.
Before long shortwave radio buff Steve Zimmerman was involved and they were recording on a regular, nay, weekly basis.
F/i's tape output was prolific, to say the least. Franecki has noted in interviews that at the height of the "tape culture" craze of the mid-'80s, the band had roughly 15 of their own cassettes out, as well as contributions to literally dozens of compilations. From '82 to '85 their sound mainly concentrated on experimental electronics -from harsh white noise to Mort Subotnik-style keyboard blips to Stockhausen-influenced musique concrete pieces. A lot of the good stuff from this period is documented on the hideously rare 3-LP box set from 1989, 'Past Darkly/Future Brightly', but more on that later.
By 1985, things had changed. Reaching for a new direction, the band decided to incorporate elements of rock into their music and professed a new aim in their sound: "Hawkwind + Blue Cheer + harsh electronics." F/i the rock band was born.
Gaining a rep in the underground tape scene, Ron Lessard of the infamous Massachussetts label, RRR, a longtime fan of the group, asked them to do a split LP with similar Milwaukee noiseniks, Boy Dirt Car. The band said yes and the fantastic and imaginatively titled 'Boy Dirt Car/F/i Split LP' was unleashed. F/i's side was a godsend: throbbing waves of power electronics and stunning, lunk-headed, fuzzed-out power chords played over a bass-y, low-end rumbling rock beat. They did indeed meet their goal: the ultimate combination of Hawkwind, Blue Cheer and harsh electronics. '87's 'Why Not Now?... Alan!' LP, also on RRR, is another goodie. Though the sound's a bit thin (a remastered version with heavier bass antics would hit the spot just nice), it also contains some of their best songs, such as the closing "An Observation: The Eye at the Top of the Pyramid," a lumbering rock drone that hitches the ride like the best of Hawkwind ca. 'Doremi Fasol Latido', and "Electric Waltz" a galloping two-step number layered with sheets of fuzzed-out string action.
F/i were on a roll now, and released their best yet with '88's spectacular 'Space Mantra' LP. Again on RRR, it boasted their most ambitious music yet, with the usual mix of Hawkwind/Kraut-inspired rock moves, as well as pulsing electronic pieces (and no mere noodling; we're talking real songs here) and more ethereal numbers, acoustic guitars and the whole shebang. Working like a musical suite -even with the obligatory "reprise" tracks- 'Space Mantra' was hailed at the time by the usual well-meaning folk as a breakthrough work and one of the best truly "psychedelic" albums of its time, and all dozen or so people reading stood up and took notice. 1989's 'Paradise Out Here' LP was released on the Human Wrechords label, and its elusiveness, small pressing, poor distribution -whatever- has made it pretty much impossible for one to get one's mits on, so instead let's discuss their 'Past Darkly/Future Lightly' triple-LP box from '89 on RRR. It's a killer. Six sides charting the band's evolution from '83 to '89, and featuring all unreleased and rare material, the gamut of sounds here goes the full three-ring circus from white noise, blips and whoops and primitive Chrome-ish rock workouts to the blistering psych-rock that had by then become their trademark sound. Working a roughly 50/50 split between the experimental and rock sides of the group, it's a mighty nice item to look at, observe, sit on the shelf as a trophy, or even to listen to. Limited to a ridiculous 300 copies on its one-off release, it's also a pretty much extinct item at this point in time.
Following 1990's 'Blue Star' LP on RRR, a part live/part studio gem that basically continued on the well-worn/well-loved vein of 'Space Mantra', things got a bit sticky in the F/i camp. Richard Franecki quit the band after not wishing to tour and sensing that the group was losing its original experimental focus and simply becoming "another rock band," and so the band forged on without him. F/i also was experiencing problems with their new drummer wanting to become a rock star, and in '92 there was even a "scab" version of F/i that toured the States, which consisted of the rhythm section of the group and two pick ups.
All Spinal Tap anecdotes aside, there's some good recorded material from the period, namely the 'Out of Space and Out of Time' CD on RRR, a best-of of sorts from their '80's period and a live CD called 'Earthpipe', recorded (mostly) in Germany and released on the RecRec label outta Switzerland in '92. Best of all is the split LP with Richard Franecki's new (at the time) project, Vocokesh, on RRR, a fetching clear-vinyl/clear-plastic-cover item where both bands excel. F/i's side (now sans the drummer that was making their life a misery) is a super blend of outer-space spaghetti western riffs ("Theme for an Industrial Western"), pulsating guitar grooves ("Zombies in the Slave Trade") and the stunning "Pleasure Centre/The Beach," which moves like a mixture of early Chrome and early 'Neubauten in a mid-western bar. Tasty.
Moving it along, there's also their "To Poppy With Love" 7" on SSS from '95, an excellent two-track selection of heavy rifferama, and the unfortunately so-so 'Helioscopium' CD from '98 on the Ceres label, which, despite boasting some top material, also contains its share of duds and has way too much keyboard noodling to hold one's interest throughout.
F/i are still around and still recording and playing. A cult band in the true sense of the word, their name means nothing to most, and a lot to some. Their recorded legacy speaks for itself, and given their (currently fashionable) musical mentors (as said, Blue Cheer, Hawkwind, Can, Popol Vuh, Stockhausen, etc.), the best of their '80's/'90's material sounds frighteningly ahead of its time, even if they were working in a rather retro-styled basis in the given period (that is, copping moves from old '70's "head" discs). F/i stalwarts Grant Richter and Brian Wensing are like the living embodiment of the American garage rock mythos: part-time rock'n'rollers with their own band, play the odd gig every year, release the odd album for the faithful that give a shit. [SOURCE: PERFECT SOUND FOREVER]
Proclaiming themselves as "San Francisco's first and only rock & roll band," Crime was a forerunner in America's do-it-yourself punk history, releasing their first single in late 1976. Though they never referred to themselves as punk (a term they felt was a media concoction), Crime had all the elements of a classic punk band, with their snotty attitude and garage rock-meets-'Raw Power'-era Stooges sound. Guitarists Johnny Strike and Frankie Fix began rehearsing and learning their instruments together in 1975, with the idea of forming a glam rock group named The Space Invaders and appearing around town in extreme outfits. By the time Ron "The Ripper" Greco joined (Greco was a veteran of many '60s bands, notably The Chosen Few, who would evolve into the Flamin' Groovies), the glitter rock era had ended and the band opted to change their image -now donning black leathers- and change their name to Crime. Once drummer Ricky Tractor (now deceased) came aboard, Crime's first lineup was in place.
The band's initial recording session took place in mid-1976, which yielded the contents of the 'Hot Wire My Heart b/w Baby You're So Repulsive' 45. They made their live debut at a gay political fund-raiser on Halloween, 1976; the plug was pulled during the fifth song, as many were headed for the exits. After the release of the 'Hot Wire' 7" on their own Crime Music label, they began appearing regularly at Mabuhay Gardens, a Filipino nightclub that would become the epicenter of San Francisco's punk scene. But Crime were outcasts within a group of outsiders, making high profile enemies early on and often. By 1977 they had begun sporting standard police uniforms at live dates and on the streets of San Francisco, much to the dismay of the San Francisco police department. A second vinyl release, 'Frustration b/w Murder by Guitar' (with Brittley Black on drums), came out in mid-1977, again on Crime Music. Out-of-town gigs were sporadic, though the group did perform at San Quentin Penitentiary in full police garb. Studio recording continued, but they found little interest from labels, due in part to their antisocial behavior; Fix alienated Seymour Stein of Sire Records by informing him that he was wasting his time with the Ramones, and that they were "hippies who should get haircuts." A third and final single, 'Gangster Funk b/w Maserati', was delivered via the independent Berkeley Squared, and found the band using a synthesizer, which was also incorporated into their live show. Crime soldiered on for a brief period before quietly disbanding in 1982. "Hot Wire my Heart was covered by art-punks Sonic Youth on their 'Sister' LP in 1987. A posthumous collection, 'San Francisco's Doomed', containing unreleased studio sessions from 1978 and 1979 (with Hank Rank handling the drum duties), was let loose in 1992. The same year, Spirit Records re-released the first two 45s in limited editions. 'Hate Us or Love Us, We Don't Give a Fuck' is a legit issue (with four bonus tracks) of the Terminal Boredom bootleg. In 2002, guitarist Johnny Strike's band TVH released their debut record, 'Night Raid on Lisbon'. The record recaptured some of Crime's energy and included a cover of "Hot Wire My Heart" for good measure. Strike died in September 2018 at age 70 after a long bout with cancer. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The emergence of The Gories heralded a new Golden Age of Detroit rock beginning in the late '80s; a renaissance of noise and rustbelt rock that lasts through to today. Formed in 1986 by three Detroit natives -Mick Collins, Peg O'Neill, and Dan Kroha (none of whom previously knew how to play an instrument)- The Gories took their name from a band of the same name that appeared in the Gidget series of the late '50s/early '60s. Comprised of two guitarists and a drummer (i.e., no bass), The Gories concocted a primal, raw yet soulful blend of garage punk, culling a wealth of inspiration and cover material from Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker. The three-piece also paid homage to The Keggs and Nick & the Jaguars, two other bassless bands from Detroit.
The Gories began their recorded career in 1987 with two tracks on the Wanghead compilation 'It Came from the Garage II', the same compilation that featured Nine Pound Hammer (who would go on to become Nashville Pussy). Len Punch, the owner of Wanghead, recorded and released their first album, 'Houserockin', in 1989. According to legend, these first Gories recordings were executed in a tin shack. For their second album, Alex Chilton of Big Star joined them as producer, recording 'I Know You Fine, But How You Doin' for the French label New Rose. Throughout this entire period, the band continued to release various 7" singles, including a cover of Spinal Tap's "Give Me Some Money" for the Sub Pop Singles Club. In 1992, Crypt released 'Outta Here', their third album and what would be their last for some time to come.
Following an especially tumultuous European tour, The Gories broke up unceremoniously. Mick Collins continued to perform in Blacktop, King Sound Quartet, The Screws, and The Dirtbombs, and contributed to Andre Williams' 'Silky' and 'The Black Godfather' and Speedball Baby's 'Uptight'. Dan Kroha spent some time in Rocket 455, the gender-bending bassless trio the Demolition Doll Rods, and Danny and the Darleens, as well as playing solo and making multiple cameo appearances. Peg O'Neill recorded a few tracks with '68 Comeback and played for a time with New Orleans act The Darkest Hours.
In 2009, The Gories reunited to play a handful of shows with their former sister band, The Oblivians, who were also re-forming after a lengthy hiatus. Shows in Detroit, Memphis, and throughout Europe that summer led to more sporadic Gories shows in the years that followed, bringing the band out of a decidedly disbanded phase into a state of semi-activity. In late 2013 a live album entitled 'The Shaw Tapes' surfaced, comprised of gritty audio from a sparsely attended 1988 gig at a rented storefront outside of Detroit. The live album was released on Third Man Records, label of The White Stripes' Jack White, an outspoken fan of The Gories and someone whose music was deeply influenced by the band. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
In a business that reinvents itself at every turn, Alex Chilton thrived for four decades with a three-fold career -his early recordings as a blue-eyed soul vocalist with The Box Tops; the idiosyncratic, British-influenced power pop albums he did with Big Star in the mid-'70s (and after the group re-formed with a new lineup in 1993); and the spate of cool but chaotic solo albums he recorded beginning in the late '70s, ranging from the deliberately damaged attack of 1979's 'Like Flies on Sherbert' to the lean but soulful stylings of 1987's 'High Priest' and 1995's 'A Man Called Destruction'. To some, he was a classic hitmaker from the '60s. To others, he was a genius British-style pop musician and songwriter. To yet another audience, he was a doomed and despairing artist who spent several years battling the bottle and delivering anarchist records and performances while thumbing his nose at all pretenses of stardom, a quirky iconoclast whose influence spawned the likes of The Replacements and Teenage Fanclub.
Growing up in and around Memphis, Chilton started playing music in local high school combos, alternating between bass and rhythm guitar with a stray vocal thrown in, finally working himself up to professional status with a group called The DeVilles. After acquiring a manager with recording connections tied to Memphis hitmakers Chips Moman and Dan Penn, Chilton and the group -newly renamed The Box Tops- recorded "The Letter," a record that sounded white enough to go to number one on the pop charts and Black enough to track on R&B stations, too. Chilton was still in his teens, but was already armed with a strong conception of how pop and R&B vocals should be handled. With the hand of vocal coach Dan Penn firmly in place, the hits kept coming, with "Cry Like a Baby," "Soul Deep," and "Sweet Cream Ladies" all showing visible chart action. The Box Tops were stars by AM radio singles standards, but tours in general opened Chilton's eyes to the world and what it had to offer. And what that world seemed to offer Chilton was a lot more artistic freedom than he had as nominal leader of The Box Tops.
After a few errant solo sessions, Chilton found himself in Big Star with singer/guitarist Chris Bell. Their blend of ethereal harmonies, quirky lyrics, and Beatlesque song structures appeared to be radio-friendly, but distribution by their label, Ardent Records, spelled disaster. Bell left the band, and the label faltered. Chilton went into the studio with producer Jim Dickinson and attempted to put together the third Big Star album. These sessions, belatedly released in 1978 as '3rd' and also known as 'Sister Lovers', are legendary in some quarters. Much has been read into this recording, primarily the myth that Chilton became a pop artist who, in the face of critical success but commercial apathy, suddenly rebelled against the system and became a "doomed artist on a collision course to Hell." Chilton himself dismissed all such romantic notions: "I think that to say that it's a fairly druggy sort of album that is the work of a confused person trying to find himself or find his creative direction is a fair statement about the thing."
Around 1976, Chilton started producing a wild cross-section of solo outings for various foreign and American independent labels, all featuring his love for obscure material, barbed-wire guitar playing, howling feedback, and bands that sounded barely familiar with the material. As he plugged into the bohemian punk rock scene of New York City, Chilton's anarchic approach and attitude fit the scene like a glove. In addition to his gigging and performing schedule, Chilton also produced the debut session by The Cramps, helping to land their deal with I.R.S. Records. He also recorded and gigged with the Memphis roots-punk outfit Tav Falco's Panther Burns and produced some shambolic early sessions for Peter Holsapple that appeared on the 2018 archival release 'The Death of Rock'. He was becoming legendary enough to end up having a song by The Replacements named after him. Through the late '80s into the early '90s, he split his time between recording, gigging overseas plugging his latest release, and playing oldies shows in the U.S., reprising his old Box Tops hits.
In the early '90s, Chilton -relocated to New Orleans, his demons behind him- began releasing a series of excellent solo albums on the newly revived Ardent label and even participated in a couple of reunions (of both Big Star and The Box Tops). A studio album from Big Star appeared in 2005, although it included only Jody Stephens from the original lineup. The band also played high-profile gigs in England and America, while in 2009, Rhino issued a definitive box set, 'Keep an Eye on the Sky'. One year later, however, on the eve of 2010's SXSW Festival, Chilton died in New Orleans of heart failure. In the wake of his passing, his memory was honored with a series of Big Star tribute shows, as well as a steady stream of reissues and archival releases of his music. A biography of Chilton by Holly George-Warren, "A Man Called Destruction", was published in 2014. The book's title was drawn from Chilton's 1995 solo album, 'A Man Called Destruction', which received an expanded reissue in 2017. In February 2019, Bar/None Records released two thematic collections of Chilton's work. 'Songs from Robin Hood Lane' brought together his interpretations of old standards with a jazzy flair, and 'From Memphis to New Orleans' offered a concise overview of Chilton's solo "comeback" recordings of the '80s. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Not to be confused with San Diego-based alt-rockers Rocket from the Crypt, Rocket from the Tombs was a mid-'70s Cleveland un-punk outfit best known as the band that split into two better-known Cleveland punk bands, Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys. Rocket was formed by a reporter for the weekly Cleveland entertainment newspaper The Scene who went by the name of Crocus Behemoth. A portly man with a mound of wild hair, Behemoth had the perfect name, and a reputation as a wild, completely unpredictable stage performer, which in the early days of the group consisted of wrapping his considerable girth in aluminum foil, wearing Kiss-style makeup, and spray-painting his hair. After numerous musicians came and went, Behemoth met Peter Laughner, a guitarist/songwriter who played at many of the same clubs as RFTT, as a member of Cinderella Backstreet, a now-infamous Cleveland band of which PretenderChrissie Hynde was briefly a member. Laughner became a fan of Rocket and occasionally joined the band for a song or two. Before long, Laughner and Behemoth became partners, and with the addition of guitarist Gene O'Connor, bassist Craig Bell, and drummer Johnny "Madman" Madansky, Rocket from the Tombs became a fairly stable unit.
Playing high-energy rock influenced by The Stooges and Lou Reed (Laughner's hero), RFTT made a name for itself in the Cleveland club scene, as well as opening for touring thud-rock has-beens like Iron Butterfly. The songs were sharp and acerbic, a worm's-eye view of an entropic Cleveland, an urban area that was then a dying industrial city. Songs like "Life Stinks" and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (both later recorded by Pere Ubu) were indicative of the boredom, anomie, and restlessness felt by the city's pre-punk punks. A mercurial band given to constant internal conflict, Rocket from the Tombs was a group always at odds with itself. One example was the Crocus Behemoth issue; outside of Laughner, no one else in the band could stand his singing (or non-singing, as the case may be). Compounding this were Laughner and Behemoth's arty proclivities, which clashed with the hard rock/heavy metal direction preferred by the rest of the band. In 1975, a scrawny, Iggy-worshiping kid from Youngstown, Ohio named Stiv Bators came to Cleveland and was tried out as lead singer, but he didn't last. Laughner, meanwhile, had met and become friendly with influential rock scribe and fellow gonzo Lester Bangs after sending Bangs a Rocket demo tape that he reviewed favorably for Creem. Soon Laughner was writing for Creem and traveling to New York for a first-hand look at the punk scene at CBGB. Blown away by Patti Smith and especially Television, Laughner returned to Cleveland only to find that the issue of musical direction was tearing RFTT apart. Within weeks, the band was no more.
Laughner and Behemoth (who at this point was going by his birth name, David Thomas) began Pere Ubu, while Gene O'Connor (then called Cheetah Chrome) and Johnny Madansky (then Johnny Blitz) had wisely remembered to keep Bators' phone number; they called him up and formed the wonderfully scuzzy Dead Boys. Laughner's time as a member of Pere Ubu was short, and by 1976 he was fronting a series of new bands, among them Friction, The Finns, and Peter & the Wolves. Despite this flurry of creativity, which included a good chunk of writing for Creem, Laughner was fueling a substance abuse problem that had reached critical mass, and by 1977 he was dead of liver failure at the age of 25. Both Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys went on to have respectable careers (Ubu more so than the Boys), but the sad legacy of Rocket from the Tombs is that of Peter Laughner, an extremely talented man who didn't live long enough to see his talent rewarded. Over 25 years after their initial demise, surviving members Thomas, Chrome, and Bell -bolstered by Television's Richard Lloyd, Laughner's replacement, and Pere Ubu drummer Steve Mehlman, sitting in for Madansky -defied the odds by regrouping for an exhilarating June 2003 tour, documented on 'Rocket Redux'. In 2010, this same lineup reconvened in Cleveland for recording sessions. The results were released a year later as 'Barfly'.
By the time 'Barfly' was released, tensions within RFTT began to boil over, something Thomas unwittingly predicted when the group set out on its first reunion tour, when he quipped to journalists that fans should see the group as soon as possible because the lineup wasn't likely to last. Shortly after 'Barfly' came out, Richard Lloyd left the group, and Cheetah Chrome suddenly and unexpectedly bowed out immediately after the last date of a tour in December 2011. Gary Siperko, a Cleveland-based guitarist who worked with The Mofos and The Whiskey Daredevils, took over the Laughner/Lloyd slot in the group, and Buddy Akita, another Clevelander and a member of This Moment in Black History, replaced Chrome. The new edition of Rocket from the Tombs toured Europe in 2012, and in 2015 they set out on an international tour in support of a new album, 'Black Record'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Fats Comet was a British/American industrial hip hop group formed by Adrian Sherwood, Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald and Doug Wimbish. British music producer Adrian Sherwood first met American percussionist Keith LeBlanc in 1984 while working on a remix for the reggae group Akabu. They were joined by guitarist Skip McDonald and bassist Doug Wimbish in London. Fats Comet was originally conceived to be a studio-only project. A change in musical direction led the members to focus their attention on another project called Tackhead, which aimed at having a less commercial sound compared to Fats Comet. Although they never released a full-length album, the group's final single, 'Rockchester', was a modest success in the UK. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
One of Uwe Schmidt's many pseudonyms, Lassigue Bendthaus is the prolific and experimental artist's electro-industrial project. Parade Amoureuse released the first Lassigue Bendthaus release, 'Matter' (later released in America by Metropolis). Next, Schmidt moved his Lassigue Bendthaus project to the Contempo label, resulting in the release of 'Cloned' (1992), an album exploiting the concept of sampling. 'Cloned: Binary' accompanied the album, this collection being a disassembled version of 'Cloned' consisting of a ridiculous number of samples that Schmidt wanted his listeners to rework. The next Lassigue Bendthaus releases, 'Render' and 'Render Audible', came in 1994 on the KK label. By this time, Schmidt's Atom Heart project had become exceptionally successful, demanding much of his attention and effort. The final album, 'Pop Artificielle', is in the glitch/techno music style
of Schmidt's Atom™ project and is an album of pop and soul covers. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The ubiquity of Beck's 1994 lo-fi rap/folk slacker anthem "Loser" pointed toward one-hit-wonder status, but those predictions were punctured by the boundary-pushing work that quickly followed. The pop polymath experimented with genres and approaches to style so fluid that eventually the only thing one could expect from a new Beck record is that it would be different from the last. Far from the short-lived novelty act his early success might have suggested, Beck continued down his unique and ever-winding path for decades, taking on new forms with every release. He had a creative breakthrough with 1996's 'Odelay', a co-production with The Dust Brothers that touched upon his obsessions with crate-dug samples and synthesizing elements of funk, soul, hip-hop, blues, lounge music, and all other manner of found sounds. 'Odelay' served as a cultural keystone for the fading '90s while telegraphing all of Beck's future moves, from the soul prankster of 'Midnite Vultures' to the melancholy troubadour of 'Sea Change'. He moved between the extremes of satire and sincerity throughout the 21st century, sometimes fusing the two emotions, as on 2008's 'Modern Guilt'. Achievements like his 2015 album 'Morning Phase' taking home the Grammy for Album of the Year underscored Beck's presence in the music industry, and he continued pushing creative boundaries in collaborations with everyone from Jenny Lewis to Paul McCartney, and on solo albums like 2019's Pharrell Williams-assisted 'Hyperspace'.
Fittingly, Beck came from a distinctly artistic background, the son of string arranger/conductor David Campbell and Bibbe Hansen, the latter a regular at Andy Warhol's Factory whose father was a pivotal contributor to the Fluxus art movement. Adopting the Hansen surname after his father left, Beck grew up in Los Angeles, dropping out of school in the tenth grade to play as a street busker and attend poetry slams. Bashing out blues and folk, Beck wound up assembling a home tape called 'The Banjo Story' before departing for New York, where he operated on the margins of the anti-folk scene without ever breaking into it.
He returned to Los Angeles, where he continued to play clubs, eventually gaining the attention of Bong Load Records, an independent operated by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. All parties agreed to pair Beck's fledgling folk with hip-hop beats assembled by producer Karl Stephenson, whose kitchen provided the studio for their first efforts, including "Loser." These tapes remained unreleased as Beck recorded an album's worth of material with Calvin Johnson for the latter's K label, but the first release Beck had was the Flipside single 'MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack' and Sonic Enemy's cassette release of 'Golden Feelings'. However, what really broke the doors open was Bong Load's 12" single of "Loser," which garnered considerable play in L.A., coinciding with increased underground attention. Soon, Beck signed with Geffen, striking a deal that allowed him to release on independent labels. One of these immediately followed -Fingerpaint released the 10" record 'A Western Harvest Field by Moonlight' in January 1994- before the Geffen debut 'Mellow Gold' appeared in March of that year.
Naturally, "Loser" was the lead single from 'Mellow Gold' and it turned into an instant smash, boasting a hook that worked as an ironic underground rallying cry and a novelty crossover. Despite many positive reviews, Beck worked overtime to dispel the notion he was a novelty, quickly releasing two indie albums in succession: the noise-skronk 'Stereopathetic Soul Manure' and 'One Foot in the Grave'. 'Stereopathetic' made few waves, but the stripped-back, folky 'One Foot in the Grave' acted as a counterbalance to the gonzo 'Mellow Gold', illustrating the depths of his talents.
After a furious 1994, Beck laid relatively low in 1995, touring with the fifth Lollapalooza in between working on a new album with the production team The Dust Brothers, who had collaborated with the Beastie Boys on their landmark 1989 'Paul's Boutique'. The resulting album, 'Odelay', appeared in June 1996, preceded by the lanky, funky single "Where It's At," which would go on to win the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal. 'Odelay' piled up acclaim and hits -"Devil's Haircut," "Jack-Ass," and "The New Pollution" all charted around the world- and the record went double platinum, becoming a touchstone of '90s alternative rock. An outtake from the album, "Deadweight," appeared on the soundtrack to Danny Boyle's 1997 film "A Life Less Ordinary", and then Beck set to work on his next album with producer Nigel Godrich, who had just worked with Radiohead on 'OK Computer'. Their collaboration, originally slated for an indie release but moved to Geffen, thereby setting a precedent that no future Beck LP would be released on an indie (something worked out in the courts the following year), traded futuristic rock -either the joyous collage of 'Odelay' or the dystopia of 'OK Computer'- for a quiet, pulsating, psychedelic folk-rock album called 'Mutations'. Riding high on 'Odelay', the record charted well without turning out any major hits, although it did garner a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.
Beck made another abrupt change in musical direction in 1999 with 'Midnite Vultures', a garish party record that was part satire and part salute to soul and funk, particularly Prince. Reviews were divided between ecstatic and skeptical, but the album had some real hits with "Sexx Laws" and "Deborah," and in some ways it was the apex of Beck's hipster prankster phase, a persona he shed with his next album, 2002's 'Sea Change'. Recorded in the wake of a romantic breakup, 'Sea Change' was another Godrich production, but it was gentle and mournful, lacking some of the gritty underpinnings of 'Mutations' but retaining the psychedelia -and that psychedelic edge was brought out in the supporting tour when Beck hired The Flaming Lips as his supporting band. The tour was well-received, but there were some tensions, as reported by Lips leader Wayne Coyne later.
After an extended break -the longest he had taken between albums to date- Beck returned in 2005 with 'Guero', an album that reunited him with The Dust Brothers and consciously evoked 'Odelay'. 'Guero' launched a few hits, including "E-Pro" and "Hell Yes," and was followed within months by 'Guerolito', a remixed version of the entire album. Beck continued in this direction the following year with 'The Information' but its Nigel Godrich production kept the album streamlined and emphasized the darker undercurrents in the songs. Some of that darkness could be heard on his eighth LP, 'Modern Guilt', a 2008 release produced by Danger Mouse, marking the first time in 14 years that Beck worked with a producer who wasn't The Dust Brothers or Godrich. 'Modern Guilt' performed respectably -it debuted at eight on the U.S. Billboard charts and received strong reviews- but he spent the next several years relatively quiet.
In 2009, Beck began actively pursuing a career as a producer, collaborating with Charlotte Gainsbourg on her acclaimed 'IRM' album; two years later, he produced Thurston Moore's 'Demolished Thoughts' and 'Mirror Traffic' by Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. He also dipped his toe back into solo recording on the soundtrack to the 2010 Edgar Wright film "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World". Still, between 2009 and 2010, much of his studio energy was devoted to his Record Club, where he and a loose collective of friends covered classic albums in their entirety; the albums covered included 'The Velvet Underground & Nico', 'The Songs of Leonard Cohen', and INXS' 'Kick'.
Beck returned to original material in 2012 via 'Song Reader', a collection of sheet music featuring 20 new, unrecorded songs; although he didn't record versions of these songs, he did appear at 'Song Reader' concerts featuring other musicians (and a collection of those live performances was eventually released under his name). In 2014, Beck released 'Morning Phase', his first new album in nearly six years and first record for Capitol. Described by the singer/songwriter as a "companion piece" to 2002's 'Sea Change', it appeared in February 2014, preceded by the singles "Blue Moon" and "Waking Light." Critical reception was largely positive, and the set won three Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album and Album of the Year. Beck returned the following year with the lively single "Dreams," and the like-minded "Wow" arrived in 2016. During that year, he continued working with producer Greg Kurstin and also made guest appearances on work by Fun.'s Nate Ruess, The Chemical Brothers, M83, and Flume. Beck finally released 'Colors', his collaboration with Kurstin, in October 2017. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and topped the modern rock and alternative albums charts. 'Colors' won the 2019 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album, along with the trophy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
In 2019, Beck contributed the song "Tarantula" to the soundtrack album 'Music Inspired by the Film Roma', which accompanied director Alfonso Cuarón's acclaimed work. That November, Beck released 'Hyperspace', an album largely produced by Pharrell Williams. Initially, Williams invited Beck to contribute to a N.E.R.D album, but the collaboration proved fruitful, resulting in the core of the record that became 'Hyperspace'. In 2019, he also collaborated with Jenny Lewis and tourmates Cage the Elephant. The next few years brought more collaborations, as Beck worked with Gorillaz on their 2020 song "The Valley of the Pagans," singer/songwriter Natalie Bergman on a 2021 cover of Lion's deep cut "You've Got a Woman," and Paul McCartney on "Find My Way," a hit single from the 2021 album 'McCartney III: Imagined'. Beck released a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man" in 2022, and an original titled "Thinking About You" in 2023. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
