Underworld

Underworld are a British techno institution whose sound is a progressive synthesis of old and new, an approach that has served them well for several decades. The trio's two-man front line, vocalist Karl Hyde and keyboard player Rick Smith, have been recording together since the early-'80s new wave explosion. After the pair released a pair of obscure rock albums, they hit it big the following decade with new recruit Darren Emerson. Traditional song forms were jettisoned in favor of Hyde's heavily treated vocals, barely-there whispering, and surreal wordplay, stretched out over the urban breakbeat trance ripped out by Emerson and company while Hyde's cascade of guitar-shard effects provided a bluesy foil to the stark music. The first album by the trio, 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' (1993), appeared to a flurry of critical acclaim and reached number 12 in their native U.K. 'Second Toughest in the Infants' (1996), the group's following LP, updated their sound slightly, scraped the Top Ten, and remained on the chart for over eight months, thanks in part to a boost they received from appearing on the soundtrack of the seminal "Trainspotting". Although that has remained the group's commercial peak, Underworld continue to record challenging and well-received albums, as well as soundtrack material, amid numerous solo pursuits. Their ninth album, 'Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future' (2016), earned Underworld their first Grammy nomination, after which they collaborated with Iggy Pop for 'Teatime Dub Encounters' (2018). Following the ambitious DRIFT Series 1 project, the group released the full-length Strawberry Hotel in 2024.

 
The roots of Underworld go back to the dawn of the '80s, when Hyde and Smith formed a new wave band called Freur. The group released 'Doot-Doot' in 1983 and 'Get Us Out of Here' two years later, but subsequently disintegrated. Hyde worked on guitar sessions for Debbie Harry and Prince, then reunited with Smith in 1988 to form an industrial-funk band called Underworld. The pair earned an American contract with Sire and released 'Underneath the Radar' (1988) and 'Change the Weather' (1989). Each album produced a single that reached the back half of the Billboard Hot 100, but Underworld disappeared shortly thereafter.

 

 

As they had several years earlier, Hyde and Smith shed their skins yet again, recruiting hotshot DJ Darren Emerson and renaming themselves Lemon Interrupt. In 1992, the trio debuted with two singles, "Dirty"/"Minneapolis" and "Bigmouth"/"Eclipse," both released on Junior Boys Own Records. After they reverted to Underworld, 1993's "Rez" and "MMM...Skyscraper I Love You" caused a minor sensation in the dance community. Instead of adding small elements of techno to a basically pop or rock formula (as many bands had attempted with varying success), Underworld treated techno as the dominant force. Their debut album, 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman', was praised by many critics upon release later in 1993 and crossed over to the British pop chart, peaking at number 12. Hyde, Smith, and Emerson impressed many at their concert dates as well. The trio apparently relished playing live, touring Great Britain twice plus Japan, Europe, and the annual summer festival circuit, where their Glastonbury appearance became the stuff of legend. 

'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' was released in the U.S. in 1995 after being licensed to TVT Records. During the rest of the year, Underworld were relatively quiet, releasing only the single "Born Slippy." Finally, 'Second Toughest in the Infants' appeared in early 1996 to much critical praise. The trio gained no small amount of commercial success later in the year when "Born Slippy" (specifically its B-side version, "Born Slippy .NUXX") was featured on the soundtrack to "Trainspotting", the controversial Scottish film that earned praise from critics all over the globe. In the U.K., 'Second Toughest' peaked at number nine during a 34-week stay on the album chart. Underworld also remained busy with Tomato -their own graphic design company responsible for commercials from such high-profile clients as Nike, Sony, Adidas, and Pepsi- and remixing work for Depeche Mode, Björk, St. Etienne, Sven Väth, Simply Red, and Leftfield. Emerson continued to DJ on a regular basis, releasing mix albums for Mixmag! and Deconstruction. Underworld's 1999 LP, 'Beaucoup Fish', entered the U.K. chart at number three. The band continued to tour the world, as documented in 2000 with the live album 'Everything, Everything', after which Emerson left to continue his DJ career. 'A Hundred Days Off', Underworld's first LP as a duo since 1989, was released in mid-2002. One year later, the stopgap compilation '1992-2002' appeared. 

 

By 2005, the duo had officially been joined by one of Britain's most respected DJs, Darren Price (although he contributed to 'A Hundred Days Off'), and his work also appeared on a series of online-only EPs Underworld released during 2005 and 2006. They also recorded new material for the soundtrack of the Anthony Minghella film "Breaking and Entering". Their first "proper" full-length since 2002, 'Oblivion with Bells', appeared in 2007. It was followed in 2010 by 'Barking', an album that featured numerous guest producers including Paul van Dyk, Appleblim, and High Contrast. Underworld simultaneously released two more compilations, the triple-CD '1992–2012' as well as the single-disc 'A Collection' (which featured previously unreleased collaborations with Brian Eno, Tiësto, and Mark Knight & D. Ramirez), in late 2011. 

In 2012, Underworld served as music directors for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, held in London. They wrote two songs ("And I Will Kiss" and "Caliban's Dream") for the opening ceremony, and 11 of their tracks were included on the ceremony's official soundtrack album, 'Isles of Wonder'. Underworld were granted the prize for Innovation in Sound at the 2012 Q Awards. In 2013, Karl Hyde released his debut solo album, 'Edgeland'. The following year, he issued a collaborative album with Brian Eno, 'Someday World'; the full-length was quickly followed by 'High Life', an excellent album that recalled Eno's pioneering work with Talking Heads and David Byrne during the '70s and '80s.

 

 

Underworld announced plans to reissue their studio albums in remastered and expanded editions. A 20th anniversary edition of 'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' appeared in 2014, available as a double CD as well as a super deluxe five-CD version, loaded with remixes and unreleased recordings. This was followed by a similar reissue of 'Second Toughest' in November of 2015 (a bit short of its actual 20th anniversary), again as a two-disc edition, as well as an expansive four-CD configuration, including an entire disc devoted to charting the evolution of "Born Slippy .NUXX," from studio demos and live incarnations to an iconic, era-defining anthem. In 2016, they returned with new music and a new label as Caroline International issued 'Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future'. The album became their third Top Ten U.K. hit and was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album. After a pair of non-album singles, Underworld worked with Iggy Pop on 'Teatime Dub Encounters', a five-track EP issued in 2018.

 
Later that year, the duo kicked off an ambitious project titled 'Drift'. Issuing material on a weekly basis, they split the series into "Episodes," releasing 'Dust', 'Atom', 'Heart', 'Space', and 'Game' into late 2019. A compilation box set considered the band's tenth studio album, 'DRIFT Series 1', arrived in November. Originally planned to be the end of the project, it simply marked the end of the first phase as Underworld decided to continue with it, though no releases have yet appeared as part of the second series. To celebrate the accomplishment, they promoted the effort with live shows in Colombia, Mexico, Belgium, the Netherlands, and England. The band then released a few reworked and live versions of classic tracks, including "Two Months Off" and "Juanita." They began issuing new material in 2023, starting with "and the colour red" and "denver luna." Two collaborations with KETTAMA followed, and the full-length 'Strawberry Hotel' arrived in 2024. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

The Thanes

 

Formed in 1980 initially as The Green Telescope, then The Thanes of Cawdor, this Edinburgh outfit has seen numerous personnel changes over the years, although they have always been led by singer/guitarist Lenny Helsing. Another constant in the band's lifespan has been the unmistakable influence of jangling '60s garage rock. 

The Thanes' first album, 'The Thanes of Cawdor', was released in 1987 and saw them win support slots with The Soup Dragons, Primal Scream, and the re-formed originals (and influences) The Remains, Sonics, and ? & the Mysterians. The 'Complete Undignified Nobleman Sessions' surfaced in 1997 on the Italian Misty Lane label and featured typically '60s-inspired self-penned cuts, plus covers of Caretakers of Deception and The Guess Who numbers. Third studio album 'Downbeat & Folked Up', released on Screaming Apple (2003), was recorded at Liam Watson's Toerag Studio in London and featured a cover of The Beau Brummels' "Don't Talk to Strangers." The Thanes' output up to 2001 is neatly captured on the Rev-Ola compilation 'Evolver' (2004), and on a live album, 'A Night in Great King Street' (suitably "recorded live in a dingy cellar," as the cover states), issued on Larsen in 2007. Between 2010 and 2012, The Thanes joined the resurrected lineup of revered '60s beat/psych combo (and fellow Scots) The Poets, and after a number of years returned to the studio themselves in 2013 with Angus McPake (guitar/organ/vocals), Mark Hunter (bass/vocals), and Mike Goodwin (drums) joining Helsing. The release on State Records, "She's Coming Back to Me," featured a cover of The Poets' "Love Is Fading Away" on the flip. This was followed in 2014 by the Dirty Water-issued single "Dishin' the Dirt." [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Testors

While The Stooges, Blondie, and Talking Heads are revered for their punk rock antics and unchangeably praised for being a part of a major rock revolution in the late '70s, there's one band that's been consistently overlooked. The Testors created just as much noise as The Dead Boys and rioted far more than The Germs. The were even kicked out of Canada for causing a ruckus. Sonny Vincent (vocals/guitar), Gene Sinigalliano (guitar), and Gregory R (drums) formed the Testors in New York City in 1975, quickly becoming mainstays at Max's Kansas City and CBGB's. They'd only release one single, the limited-edition 7" "Together"/"Time Is Mine" in 1976, while dismissing offers from records labels. For them, it was about rock & roll; pedal-to-the-metal rock & roll. Before breaking up in 1981, the Testors amassed a limitless amount of material, but it would be nearly two decades until the public would hear of the Testors again. In 2003, Swami Records unearthed some of the band's greatest work so it could be heard for the very first time. The double-disc release 'Complete Recordings: 1976-79' captured the raw spirit of the Testors, finally giving them their proper place among the punk rock history books. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Swervedriver

While their peers were writing songs about daydreams, flowers, and ocean waves, shoegaze pioneers Swervedriver married their extraterrestrial guitar tones and dazzled, swirling production to songs about cars, restlessness, and escapism. The band's initial run in the '90s produced some crucial documents in shoegaze's development, in particular their 1991 full-length debut 'Raise' and its 1993 follow-up 'Mezcal Head'. They disbanded in 1998 but regrouped a decade later, first playing a series of reunion performances before continuing to expand the parameters of their muscular take on shoegaze with new material like their 2019 album 'Future Ruins'. 

Swervedriver were formed in Oxford, England in 1989 by vocalists/guitarists Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, bassist Adi Vines, and drummer Graham Bonner. Fusing the swirling textures of the shoegaze aesthetic with the more traditional boundaries of pop, the group debuted with a series of brilliant EPs -'Son of Mustang Ford', 'Rave Down', and 'Sandblasted'- before issuing their full-length debut, 'Raise', in 1991. After a U.S. tour in support of Soundgarden, Bonner left the band, followed quickly by the departure of Vines; 1992's 'Never Lose That Feeling' EP, their strongest effort to date, initially appeared to mark the group's swan song. But in 1993, Swervedriver returned; with the core of Franklin and Hartridge rounded out by new drummer Jez Hindmarsh, they released their sophomore LP, 'Mezcal Head'. An import-only release, 'Ejector Seat Reservation', followed in 1995, and featured new bassist Steve George. In the fall of 1998, Swervedriver resurfaced with their fourth effort, '99th Dream', and the 'Wrong Treats' EP followed in 1999. Bonner and Vines, meanwhile, continued as Skyscraper, and Adam Franklin recorded as Toshack Highway. Swervedriver were on hiatus for much of the 2000s, until an October 2007 announcement that the group would re-form and commence touring the following year. The next several years found Swervedriver -Franklin, Hartridge, and George, with Hindmarsh, Bonner, or, starting in 2012, newcomer Mikey Jones (Bolts of Melody, Heaven) on drums- sporadically touring and appearing at festivals internationally, as well as making an appearance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". The new single "Deep Wound" was released in the fall of 2013, and the group also announced plans for the arrival of a new full-length album in 2014. The album, titled 'I Wasn't Born to Lose You', eventually got pushed back to a release date of early March 2015 and was preceded by second single "Setting Sun." The album would be Swervedriver's fifth full-length studio long player and the band's first since 1998's '99th Dream'. Following the album's release, the band took a three-year recording break but did continue to gig. After concluding a U.S. tour in 2017 they recorded what would become their sixth studio album. 'Future Ruins' was released in 2019 and saw the group moving away from the familiar and nostalgic reworkings of their '90s sound in favor of more experimental writing and arrangement choices. 

In 2020, Swervedriver publicly shared an alternate recording of their debut EP for the first time. They had been unsatisfied with their first attempts at recording the four songs that eventually made up their 1990 Creation Records introduction 'Son of Mustang Ford', so they quickly re-recorded what became the EP, but held on to the first, rejected sessions. To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of 'Son of Mustang Ford', the band pressed a limited vinyl run of the unreleased sessions under the new title 'Petroleum Spirit Daze'. The pressing sold out immediately, and three years later they re-pressed more vinyl and made the recording more widely available. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC] 

Stiff Little Fingers

During the first wave of U.K. punk rock, plenty of bands sang about a world full of violence and chaos, but Stiff Little Fingers didn't have to imagine a dystopian world -living in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the height of "The Troubles," police brutality and terrorist violence were simply a part of daily life, and the band's music was a powerful response to what they saw, raw-boned rock & roll that balanced rage at a world gone mad against hope for a better day. Stiff Little Fingers were formed in 1977 by singer and guitarist Jake Burns, guitarist Henry Cluney, bassist Ali McMordie, and drummer Brian Faloon. Burns, Cluney, and Faloon had previously been in a cover band called Highway Star, but when Cluney became a convert to punk rock, Burns and Faloon followed suit, and after recruiting McMordie, they took the name Stiff Little Fingers from a song by The Vibrators. 

 
Shortly after the band started playing out, Burns struck up a correspondence with reporter Gordon Ogilvie, who urged Burns to use his own experiences of Belfast life in his songs; Ogilvie began collaborating with Burns as a songwriter, and Ogilvie and music writer Colin McClelland agreed to manage the band. McClelland booked time for the band at a studio in a local radio station usually used to record commercial jingles; the band cut raw versions of "Suspect Device" and "Wasted Life," two anthemic tunes that became SLF's first single, released on their own Rigid Digits label in early 1978. The influential BBC disc jockey John Peel started spinning "Suspect Device" on his show, and soon the indie label Rough Trade struck a distribution deal with Rigid Digits; in 1979, Rough Trade released Stiff Little Fingers' brilliant first album, 'Inflammable Material', and it became one of the first independent punk albums to chart in the U.K., rising to 14 on the British sales surveys.

 

 

With their new success in England, Stiff Little Fingers relocated to London, which led to drummer Brian Faloon leaving the group (as did co-manager McClelland). Jim Reilly signed on as drummer in time for the sessions for SLF's second album, 1980's 'Nobody's Heroes', their first LP in a new distribution deal with Chrysalis Records. The album fared well, as did the 1980 live set 'Hanx!' and 1981's polished but effective 'Go for It'. However, Reilly quit the band after the release of 'Go for It', and Dolphin Taylor, formerly of the Tom Robinson Band, took over behind the drums. Released in 1982, 'Now Then...' was a more pop-oriented effort that didn't please fans and made no great impression on the charts; as ticket sales began to lag, acrimony rose within the group, and in early 1983, Jake Burns announced Stiff Little Fingers had broken up. 

 
Little was heard from the members of Stiff Little Fingers (though Burns released a few singles with his group Jake Burns & the Big Wheel) until 1987, when Burns and Ali McMordie got together for a few pints and decided it was time to give SLF another try. With Henry Cluney and Dolphin Taylor returning to the lineup, Stiff Little Fingers launched a successful tour of the U.K. and Europe, and the group opted to make the reunion an ongoing concern. In 1991, the band began work on a new album, but McMordie bowed out of SLF, saying he was unable to commit to their increasingly busy schedule, and the group recruited a new member, former Jam bassist Bruce Foxton. Issued in 1991, 'Flags & Emblems' became the first new Stiff Little Fingers album since their reunion, but by the time they released 'Get a Life' in 1994, Henry Cluney was out of the group, with Burns handling all guitar work in the studio and Dave Sharp (formerly of The Alarm) or Ian McCallum joining SLF for live dates, depending on availability. In 1998, McCallum was officially named Stiff Little Fingers' full-time guitarist, while drummer Steve Grantley had taken over for Dolphin Taylor, who left to spend more time with his family. 

 
Stiff Little Fingers toured frequently and continued to record, releasing 'Tinderbox' in 1997, 'Hope Street' in 1999, and 'Guitar and Drum' in 2003, and after Foxton left to join the group From the Jam in 2006, Ali McMordie returned to the lineup. However, by his own admission, Burns was unhappy with his own songwriting, feeling he was writing because he had to and not because he wanted to, and in 2008, after turning 50 years old, he decided to scrap an SLF album in progress as he felt his material was subpar. However, several years later, when news broke of the pedophilia scandal in Ireland's Catholic Church and how it affected men of his generation, Burns was inspired to once again write songs that dealt with injustice and how it ravaged the lives of ordinary people. In 2013, Stiff Little Fingers eagerly began work on a new album, financed by their fans through a crowdfunding campaign, and in 2014, 'No Going Back' was released. In 2017, Stiff Little Fingers offered evidence of their continued strength as a live act with 'Best Served Loud', recorded during a 2016 St. Patrick's Day show at the Barrowlands in Glasgow, Scotland. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Siniestro Total

 

Siniestro Total (meaning literally "total write-off" as in the insurance term for a vehicle that is beyond repair following a motor accident) is a Galician punk rock group from Vigo, Spain. It was founded in 1981 during the cultural movement called "Movida Viguesa" by Julián Hernández, Alberto Torrado and Miguel Costas. After many changes in personnel, current members are Julián Hernández, Javier Soto, Óscar G. Avendaño, Ángel González and Jorge Beltrán. 

 

 

Their first album, '¿Cuándo Se Come Aquí?' (When do we eat here?), features very short songs, with a marked punk style. In the second one, 'Siniestro Total II: El Regreso' (Siniestro Total II: The Return), songs are essentially punk, but more instruments come to play. In the third one, 'Menos Mal Que Nos Queda Portugal' (At least we still have Portugal), the punk evolves to a more classical rock, although lyrics are still punk. In the fourth one, 'Bailaré Sobre Tu Tumba' (I'll dance over your grave) the rock style continues. The fifth and sixth ones, 'De Hoy No Pasa' (Today is the last time) and 'Me Gusta Cómo Andas' (I like the way you walk), the rock is still softer, becoming power-pop, whereas the lyrics continue being punk in essence.

 

 

The seventh, 'En Beneficio De Todos' (For the general good), they get back to rock, and lyrics evolve and become more complex. The eighth and ninth ones, 'Made In Japan' and 'Policlínico Miserable' (Miserable clinic), feature a harder rock (even heavy metal, and lyrics are darker and more critical. In their tenth album, 'Sesión Vermú' (Vermouth session), the rock is softer. They make an unexpected turn in their eleventh album, 'La Historia Del Blues' (The history of blues), and they play blues, with lyrics based on someone else's work (Jack Griffin). With the twelfth one, 'Popular, Democrático y Científico' (Popular, democratic and scientific), they return to rock, with a style close to grunge. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]

 

Mad Professor

A disciple of Lee "Scratch" Perry, Mad Professor stands as one of the leading producers in dub reggae's second generation. His 'Dub Me Crazy' albums helped dub make the transition into the digital age, when electronic productions started to take over mainstream reggae in the '80s. His space age tracks not only made use of new digital technology, but often expanded dub's sonic blueprint, adding more elements and layers of sound than his forebears typically did. In the mid-'90s, he returned to the basics, debuting a more retro-sounding style on the 'Black Liberation Dub' series. Additionally, he runs his own studio and label, Ariwa, which has been a home to a stable of vocalists (with an emphasis on lovers' rock and conscious roots reggae) and some top-shelf British reggae productions. As his reputation grew, he became a remixer of choice for adventurous rock and techno acts, most notably revamping Massive Attack's entire second album under the new title 'No Protection'. Mad Professor remained productive as the decades wound on, working in the realm of reggae and beyond, with production credits as wide-reaching as work for Sade, The Orb, Perry Farrell, and many others. Mad Professor's solo output continued as well, with solo sets like 2009's 'Audio Illusions of Dub', and collaborations like 2019's 'Mad Professor meets Gaudi' or the 2023 soundclash style release 'Mad Professor Meets Channel One Sound System Round Two'. 

Mad Professor was born Neal Fraser (or Neil Fraser) circa 1955 in Guyana, a small country in the northern part of South America. He earned his nickname as a preteen, thanks to his intense interest in electronics; he even built his own radio. At age 13, his family moved to London, and around age 20, he started collecting recording equipment: reel-to-reel tape decks, echo and reverb effects, and the like. In 1979, he built his own mixing board and opened a four-track studio in his living room in the south London area of Thornton Heath. Calling it Ariwa, after a Nigerian word for sound or communication, he began recording bands and vocalists for his own label of the same name, mostly in the lovers rock vein: Deborahe Glasgow, Aquizim, Sergeant Pepper, Tony Benjamin, Davina Stone, and Ranking Ann, among others. Amid complaints from his neighbors, he moved the studio to a proper facility in Peckham, South London. In 1982 he recorded his first album, 'Dub Me Crazy, Pt. 1', and quickly followed it with a second volume, the successful 'Beyond the Realms of Dub'. 1983 brought two more volumes, 'The African Connection' (often acclaimed as one of his best) and the fairly popular 'Escape to the Asylum of Dub'.

 

 

The Ariwa studio was moved to a better neighborhood in West Norwood during the mid-'80s, and upgraded for 24-track capability, making it the largest Black-owned studio in the U.K. From there, Mad Professor really started to make an impact on the British reggae scene. He produced major hit singles for Ariwa mainstay Pato Banton and Sandra Cross, and also helmed the breakthrough album for conscious reggae toaster Macka B, 1986's 'Sign of the Times'. At the same time, the ragga era was dawning, and all-digital productions began to take over reggae. As the ragga sound grew more and more dominant, Mad Professor's brand of dub got spacier and weirder; while ragga detractors complained that Mad Professor's work sounded sterile compared to the dub of old, many praised his otherworldly effects and inventive arrangements. The 'Dub Me Crazy' albums reached the height of their experimentalism during the latter part of the '80s, although by the early '90s they were showing signs of creative burnout. The 12th and final volume in the series, 'Dub Maniacs on the Rampage', was released in 1993. 

Meanwhile, Ariwa continued to prosper as a label, with further hits by the likes of Macka B, Pato Banton, Sandra Cross, female singer Kofi, Intense, Jah Shaka, John McLean, The Robotics, Sister Audrey, Peter Culture, Johnny Clark, and others. Additionally, he began to collaborate with some of reggae's better-known figures; most crucially, he teamed up with main influence Lee "Scratch" Perry for the first time on the 1989 set 'Mystic Warrior'. In 1991, he produced the first of several albums for the groundbreaking veteran DJ U-Roy, the acclaimed 'True Born African'; he also went on to work with the likes of Yabby You and Bob Andy. He switched his focus to touring in 1992 and released the 100th album on Ariwa not long after. 

With his high-profile collaborators, Mad Professor started to make a name for himself outside of the reggae community, and soon found himself in demand as a remixer for rock, R&B, and electronica acts. Over the course of the '90s and into the new millennium, he would remix tracks by Sade, The Orb, The KLF, The Beastie Boys, Jamiroquai, Rancid, Depeche Mode, and Perry Farrell, among others. His best-known project, however -and the one that truly established his credentials- was 1995's 'No Protection', a completely reimagined version of trip-hop collective Massive Attack's second album, 'Protection'. Perhaps creatively refreshed, Mad Professor's own albums started to regain their consistency in the mid-'90s. Mixing electronics with rootsier, more organic sounds indebted to the earliest days of dub, he left behind the 'Dub Me Crazy' moniker to launch a new series, the subtly Afrocentric 'Black Liberation Dub'. The first volume was released in 1994, and others followed steadily into the new millennium, albeit at a less prolific pace than the 'Dub Me Crazy' installments. More collaborations with Perry and U-Roy followed as well. In 2005, Mad Professor celebrated Ariwa's 25th anniversary with a tour of the U.K. alongside Perry and the double-CD retrospective 'Method to the Madness'. In 2009 he released two albums, 'Times Hard' under the moniker Mad Professor vs. Joint Chiefs and the back-to-basics 'Audio Illusion of Dub'. Mad Professor maintained a prolific release schedule through the 2010s, including several albums created in collaboration with his son, who recorded under the alias of Joe Ariwa. In 2017, MP released 'In the Midst of the Storm', and 'Electro Clubdubbing!!' followed in 2018. Even more collaborative albums ensued, as Mad Professor teamed with Italian dub producer for 2019's 'Mad Professor meets Gaudi', Brazilian vocalist Marcelinho da Lua for 2020's 'Tranquilo Dubs the Alternate Takes', and Xan Tyler for 2021's 'Clarion Call'. He continued his solo output with releases like 2022's 'Covidub Illusion - Dub You Crazy 20-22'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Chic

There is no doubt that Chic was disco's greatest band. Working in a heavily producer-dominated field, they were most definitely a band. By the time Chic appeared in the late '70s, disco was already heading toward mainstream saturation and an inevitable downfall. Chic bucked the trend by stripping disco's sound down to its basic elements. Specializing in stylish grooves with a uniquely organic sense of interplay, Chic's sound was anchored by the scratchy "chucking"-style rhythm guitar of Nile Rodgers, the indelible, widely imitated, and sometimes outright stolen basslines of Bernard Edwards, and the powerhouse drumming of Tony Thompson. As producers, Rodgers and Edwards used keyboard and string embellishments economically, which kept the emphasis on rhythm. Chic's distinctive approach not only resulted in some of the era's finest singles, including the number one hits "Le Freak" and "Good Times" -only two of several classics off the platinum albums 'C'est Chic' (1978) and 'Risqué' (1979)- but also helped create a template for funk, dance-pop, and hip-hop in the post-disco era. Not coincidentally, Rodgers and Edwards wound up as two of the most successful pop producers, and the sound they developed and perfected remained relevant for decades, acknowledged most notably with the duo's induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Through the 2010s, Rodgers continued to lead Chic as a major live draw and took the act back to the studio for 'It's About Time' (2018). 

Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards met in 1970, when both were jazz-trained musicians fresh out of high school. Edwards had attended New York's High School for the Performing Arts and was working in a Bronx post office at the time, while Rodgers' early career also included stints in the folk group New World Rising and the Apollo Theater house orchestra. Around 1972, Rodgers and Edwards formed a jazz-rock fusion group called The Big Apple Band. This outfit moonlighted as a backup band, touring behind smooth soul vocal group New York City in the wake of their 1973 hit "I'm Doin' Fine Now." After New York City broke up, The Big Apple Band hit the road with Carol Douglas for a few months, and Rodgers and Edwards decided to make a go of it on their own toward the end of 1976. At first they switched their aspirations from fusion to new wave, briefly performing as Allah & the Knife Wielding Punks, but quickly settled into dance music. They enlisted onetime LaBelle drummer Tony Thompson and vocalists Norma Jean Wright and Alfa Anderson, and changed their name to Chic in summer 1977 so as to avoid confusion with Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band (who'd just hit big with "A Fifth of Beethoven").

 

 

Augmented in the studio by keyboardists Raymond Jones and Rob Sabino, Chic recorded the demo single "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and shopped it around to several major record companies, all of which declined it. The small Buddah label finally released it as a 12" in late 1977, and as its club popularity exploded, Atlantic stepped in, signed the group, and re-released the single on a wider basis. "Dance, Dance, Dance" hit the Top Ten, peaking at number six, and made Chic one of the hottest new groups in disco. The band scrambled to put their self-titled first album together, and it spawned a minor follow-up hit, "Everybody Dance," in early 1978. At this point, Wright left to try her hand at a solo career (with assistance from Rodgers and Edwards), and was replaced by Luci Martin. It was a good time to come onboard; "Le Freak," the first single from sophomore album 'C'est Chic', was an out-of-the-box smash, spending five weeks on top of the charts toward the end of 1978 and selling over four-million copies (which made it the biggest-selling single in Atlantic's history). Follow-up "I Want Your Love" reached number seven, cementing the group's new star status, and 'C'est Chic' became one of the rare disco albums to go platinum. 

1979's 'Risqué' was another solidly constructed LP that also went platinum, partly on the strength of Chic's second number one pop hit, "Good Times." "Good Times" may not have equaled the blockbuster sales figures of "Le Freak," but it was the band's most imitated track: Queen's number one hit "Another One Bites the Dust" was a clear rewrite, and The Sugarhill Gang lifted the instrumental backing track wholesale for the first commercial rap single, "Rapper's Delight," marking the first of many times that Chic grooves would be recycled into hip-hop records. Also in 1979, Rodgers and Edwards took on their first major outside production assignment, producing and writing the Sister Sledge smashes "We Are Family" and the oft-sampled "He's the Greatest Dancer." This success, in turn, landed them the chance to work with Diana Ross on 1980's 'Diana' album, and they wrote and produced "Upside Down," her first number one hit in years, as well as "I'm Coming Out." 

 

The disco fad was fading rapidly by that point, however, and 1980's 'Real People' failed to go gold despite another solid performance by the band. Changing tastes put an end to Chic's heyday, as Rodgers and Edwards' outside production work soon grew far more lucrative, even despite aborted projects with Aretha Franklin and Johnny Mathis. Several more Chic LPs followed in the early '80s, with diminishing creative and commercial returns, and Rodgers and Edwards disbanded the group after completing 'Believer' in 1983. Later that year, both recorded solo LPs. Hungry for respect in the rock mainstream (especially after accusations that they had ripped off Queen instead of the other way around), both Rodgers and Edwards sought out high-profile production and session work over the rest of the decade. Rodgers produced blockbuster albums like David Bowie's 'Let's Dance', Madonna's 'Like a Virgin', and Mick Jagger's 'She's the Boss'. Edwards wasn't as prolific as a producer, but did join the one-off supergroup The Power Station along with Tony Thompson as well as Robert Palmer and members of avowed Chic fans Duran Duran; he later produced Palmer's commercial breakthrough, 'Riptide'. Edwards also worked with Rod Stewart ('Out of Order'), Jody Watley, and Tina Turner, while Rodgers' other credits include The Thompson Twins, The Vaughan Brothers, INXS, and The B-52's' comeback 'Cosmic Thing'.

 
Rodgers and Edwards re-formed Chic in 1992 with new vocalists Sylver Logan Sharp and Jenn Thomas, and an assortment of session drummers in Thompson's place; they toured and released a new album, 'Chic-ism'. In 1996, the reconstituted Chic embarked on a tour of Japan; sadly, on April 18, Edwards passed away in his Tokyo hotel room due to a severe bout of pneumonia. Rodgers continued to tour occasionally with a version of Chic. In 1999, his Sumthing Else label issued a recording of Edwards' final performance with the band, 'Live at the Budokan'. More importantly, Rodgers compiled 'The Chic Organization Box Set, Vol. 1: Savoir Faire', a four-disc anthology released in 2010. Rodgers' career was boosted once more, through a string of collaborations with Duran Duran and Daft Punk, among others. He published a memoir, beat cancer, and kept the Chic name alive, primarily as a touring group. In 2018, two years after Rodgers and Edwards were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rodgers completed and released a long-in-the-works Chic album, 'It's About Time'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Cheap Trick

Combining a love for British guitar pop songcraft with crunching power chords and a flair for the absurd, Cheap Trick provided the necessary links between '60s pop, heavy metal, and punk. Their sound provided a blueprint for both power pop and arena rock; it also had a long-lived effect on both alternative and heavy metal bands of the '80s and '90s (and beyond), who often relied on the same combination of loud riffs and catchy melodies. The band's early albums were filled with highly melodic, well-written songs that drew equally from the crafted pop of The Beatles, the sonic assault of The Who, and the tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and humor of The Move. After developing a cult following after three outstanding albums -1977's 'Cheap Trick' and 'In Color' and 1978's 'Heaven Tonight'- and relentless touring, Cheap Trick scored an unexpected hit with 1978's 'At Budokan', a live album that became their international breakthrough. Glossy production and at times confused creative direction were roadblocks for the band throughout much of the '80s, though they did find commercial success with 1988's 'Lap of Luxury' and its hit single "The Flame." However, after leaving the major labels behind with 1997's Cheap Trick, the band enjoyed a creative second wind, reaffirming the strength of their formula on-stage and in the studio as evidenced on 2006's 'Rockford' and 2016's 'Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello'. Soon after being elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they kicked off a productive streak that saw them release three albums within 18 months, and while they were mostly dedicated to touring after that, they did return to the studio to produce 2021's 'In Another World', yet another example of how their timeless sound failed to dim no matter how many years they employed it. 

 
Cheap Trick's roots lie in Fuse, a late-'60s band formed by Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson in Rockford, Illinois. The group released an album on Epic in 1969; after it failed to gain any attention, the band relocated to Philadelphia and changed their name to Sick Man of Europe. The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972 and returned to Illinois in 1973. Not long after their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson changed their band's name once more -this time to Cheap Trick- and added drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Randy "Xeno" Hogan to the lineup. Hogan was fired the following year, making room for ex-folksinger Robin Zander to join the group. Between 1975 and the band's first album in 1977, Cheap Trick toured constantly, playing over 200 concerts a year while occasionally opening for the likes of The Kinks, Kiss, Santana, AC/DC, and Queen. During this time, the band built up a solid catalog of original songs that would eventually comprise their first three albums; they also perfected their kinetic live show. 

 

 

Cheap Trick signed with Epic in 1976 and released their self-titled debut early the following year. The record sold well in America, yet it failed to chart. However, the group became a massive success in Japan, and the album went gold upon release. Later that year, the band released their second album, 'In Color'. It backed away from the harder-rocking side of Cheap Trick, featuring slicker production and quieter arrangements that spotlighted the band's melodic skills instead. Due to their constant touring, the record made it into the U.S. charts, peaking at number 73. It became another gold-seller in Japan, however, where the musicians had become virtual superstars. Their Japanese concerts began selling out within two hours, and they packed the sizable Budokan Arena. 

 
Cheap Trick's concerts at Budokan were recorded for possible release, although the live album didn't appear until the band's third album, 1978's 'Heaven Tonight'. That third album captured both the loud, raucous energy of Cheap Trick's debut and the hook-laden songcraft of 'In Color', leading to their first Top 100 single, "Surrender," which peaked at number 62. However, the live performances on 'At Budokan' (1979) captured the band's energetic, infectious live show, resulting in their commercial breakthrough in America. The album stayed on the charts for over a year, peaking at number four and eventually selling over three million copies. Meanwhile, a live version of "I Want You to Want Me" became their first Top Ten hit. Later that year, the group released their fourth studio album, 'Dream Police', which followed the same stylistic approach as 'Heaven Tonight'. It also followed 'At Budokan' into the Top Ten, selling over a million copies and launching the Top 40 hit singles "Voices" and "Dream Police." In the summer of 1980, the group released an EP of tracks recorded between 1976-1979 called 'Found All the Parts'.

 

 

Following the recording of the George Martin-produced 'All Shook Up', Petersson left the group in the summer of 1980 to form a group with his wife, Dagmar. He was replaced by Jon Brant. Released toward the end of 1980, 'All Shook Up' performed respectably, peaking at number 24 and going gold, yet the single "Stop This Game" failed to crack the Top 40. 'One on One', the group's seventh album and the first recorded with Brant, appeared in 1982. Although it peaked at number 39, the record was more successful than 'All Shook Up', eventually going platinum. Nevertheless, the group was entering a downhill commercial slide, despite the fact that its music was becoming increasingly polished. 'Next Position Please', released in 1983, failed to launch a hit single and spent only 11 weeks on the charts. 'Standing on the Edge' (1985) and 'The Doctor' (1986) suffered similar fates, as the group were slowly losing their creative spark. 

 
Petersson rejoined the band in 1988 and the group began work on a new record with the help of several professional songwriters. The resulting effort, 'Lap of Luxury', was a platinum Top 20 hit, featuring the number one power ballad "The Flame" and a Top Ten version of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel." 'Busted', released in 1990, wasn't as successful as 'Lap of Luxury', peaking at number 48 and effectively putting an end to the group's commercial comeback. 

 

 

Cheap Trick soldiered into the new decade by signing with Warner Bros. in 1994 and releasing 'Woke Up with a Monster', which peaked at number 123 and spent two weeks on the album chart. That same year, Epic released a sequel to 'At Budokan', aptly titled 'Budokan II'. Compiled from the same shows as 'At Budokan', the record served as an effective reminder of why the group had become so popular in the late '70s. In 1995, Cheap Trick asked to leave Warner's roster after the label's chief executives, Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin, departed. The band then decided to go back to the basics, and several alt rock superstars who had been influenced by Cheap Trick gave the band opportunities to restore their reputation. The Smashing Pumpkins had them open their tour in 1995, and the group played several dates on the 1996 Lollapalooza Tour. That same year, the box set 'Sex, America, Cheap Trick' appeared to positive reviews, and the band signed with the fledgling indie label Red Ant before setting to work on a new album. Early in 1997, the group released a Steve Albini-produced single on Sub Pop, which was followed by the eponymous 'Cheap Trick', their acclaimed debut for Red Ant, in the spring. Unfortunately, Red Ant filed for bankruptcy seven weeks after the album's release, sadly putting a sudden halt on the group's building momentum.  

 
On April 30, 1998, the group launched a four-night residency in Chicago, devoting each show to reprising one of their first four albums in its entirety. Those shows later yielded a 1999 live LP, 'Music for Hangovers', which the musicians issued on their own Cheap Trick Unlimited label. A band-authorized hits collection followed in 2000. By the dawn of the new millennium, Cheap Trick were still without a label, but had retained their loyal following by continually touring the world. Appropriately, another live set saw the light of day in 2001. 'Entitled Silver', the double-disc album (and companion DVD) documented the band's star-studded, career-spanning 25th anniversary show on August 28, 1999. The band also recorded another studio album, released in 2003 as 'Special One'. It was followed in 2006 by 'Rockford', named in tribute to the band's hometown, and then 'The Latest' in 2009. Cheap Trick also maintained a heavy touring ethic, canvassing America that summer alongside Def Leppard and releasing their tribute to The Beatles with 'Sgt. Pepper Live'. In late 2015, Cheap Trick signed with powerhouse country label Big Machine Records, and their first album for their new sponsors, 'Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello', was released in April 2016 -the same month the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It was the first Cheap Trick release since the departure of drummer Bun E. Carlos. Daxx Nielsen, Rick's son, became the group's new percussionist in 2010. Wasting no time, they returned with their second album for Big Machine, the rollicking 'We're All Alright!', in June 2017. They had barely caught their breath when they were back with their first holiday album, 'Christmas Christmas', in October 2017. After spending much of their time playing every stage that would have them, the group returned with a studio album in 2021. 'In Another World' conjured up memories of early albums, with both Nielsen and Zander performing with the zeal of men far younger. A much earlier version of the band was trotted out in all their strutting glory on the 2022 archival release 'Live at the Whisky 1977'. Recorded while the band was in the midst of working on 'In Color', the four complete live shows capture a raucous, guitar-heavy side of the group that their studio albums don't. When it was released near the end of 2022, the band had just finished a U.S. tour. [ALLMUSIC] 

 

The Filipinos

The Filipinos were a garage and psychedelic rock band from Birmingham, UK. Members were Antony Darby (bass), Billy Child (voice), Mark Barrows (guitar) and David Twist (drums). David Twist, born 22 May 1960 in Moseley, Birmingham, was also vocalist for Shock Treatment in 1977; drummer for T.V. Eye in 1977-1978 (with Dave Kusworth); drummer for The Prefects from late 1978 to january 1979; from 1979 to 1981 drummer for Obviously Five Believers, a.k.a. The Subterranean Hawks, a.k.a. The Hawks; in 1982, drummer for The Bible Belt; from December 1982 to 1985, drummer for The Scarecrows; from 1999 to 2004 drummer for Dave Kusworth And The Tenderhooks and from 2005 to 2009 drummer for The Dave Kusworth Group. They released four albums: 'Doo·Wadda·Doo·Wop!' (1989, Swordfish Records), 'Summertime' (1990, Wild Records), 'Peel Back The Skin' (1991, Wild Records) and 'Get Yer Wah-Wah's Out!' (1991, Contempo Records).

 

Cancer Moon

Cancer Moon was a rock music group founded in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) in 1988 by Josetxo Anitua (vocals), Jesús Suinaga (drums) and Jon Zamarripa (guitar). The first two came from other groups such as La Tercera En Discordia and Jugos De Otros (Jesús later played with Los Bichos from Pamplona), while Jon came from Gazte Hilak, Test, Los Primitivos and Los Extraños/Los Raros. As a group they did not officially disband, but in 1996 they ceased their public activity. Josetxo Anitua died on April 22, 2008 at the age of 43. 

The group produced a sound between noise rock and alternative rock, which in the 90's was beginning to emerge in Spain with groups like Surfin' Bichos, 713avo Amor or The Pantano Boas. They are considered one of the founding groups of noise in Spain. Cancer Moon had among their influences groups like The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth or Television. 

They released three albums, each one on a different label due to their problems in finding a label where they could fit in: 'Hunted By The Snake' (1990), 'Flock, Colibri, Oil' (1992) and 'Moor Room' (1994). The latter was chosen as the best national album of the year by the music magazine Rockdelux. 'Hunted By The Snake', was released with the experimental label Polar Records, and under the production of the co-manager of Ruta 66 magazine, Jaime Gonzalo. The CD edition included a cover version of Iggy Pop's “I Need Somebody”.

When they finally left Polar, they signed in 1994 with the then booming Munster Records, which sent them to Bordeaux to record their next album, 'Flock, Colibri, Oil' in only four days with producer Kid Pharaon. By that time Suinaga had already left the band, so Anitua and Zamarripa relied on studio musicians to complete the album. The CD version included two extra songs, “Human Jukebox”, by The Scientists, and “Girl”, by Suicide. Once again they change label, this time to Radiation Records to release 'Moor Room'. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]

 

Peter Murphy

Despite having a successful solo career as a cult artist, vocalist Peter Murphy remains best known as the lead singer for Bauhaus, the pioneering post-punk goth rock band of the early '80s.

 
After disbanding Bauhaus in 1983, Murphy formed Dali's Car with former Japan member Mick Karn. Dali's Car only released one album, 'The Waking Hour', in 1984. Following its release, the duo broke up and Murphy hesitatingly began a solo career with a cover of Magazine's "The Light Pours Out of Me," which was featured on a 1985 Beggars Banquet compilation called 'The State of Things'. In 1986, he released his first full-fledged solo album, 'Should the World Fail to Fall Apart', which featured a number of guest artists, including former Bauhaus member Daniel Ash. Two years later, Murphy released his second solo album, 'Love Hysteria'. Like its predecessor, 'Love Hysteria' received lukewarm reviews but sold well to his dedicated fan base. 

 
With 1990's 'Deep', Murphy had a surprise hit -the first single from the record, the Bowie-esque "Cuts You Up," became the American modern rock hit of the year, spending seven weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and crossing over to AOR radio and the pop charts, where it peaked at number 55. Following its success, 'Deep' reached number 44 on the album charts. Murphy wasn't able to sustain that success with his next album, 1992's 'Holy Smoke', which only reached 108 on the charts, despite the number two modern rock hit "The Sweetest Drop." 

 

 

In 1995, Murphy released 'Cascade', which was greeted with weak reviews. The album failed to chart in either America or Britain. While touring with a reunited Bauhaus in 1998, he recorded the solo EP 'Recall'. The new millennium, however, saw a newly charged Murphy. Without a deal, he took to the road in support of the greatest-hits retrospective 'Wild Birds 1985-1995: The Best of the Beggars Banquet Years' for two tours of the U.S. during spring and fall 2000. The latter tour, which was more acoustically based, showcased some new material and rare favorites. Still a cult mainstay with American fans, Murphy issued the live double-disc 'Alive Just for Love' in summer 2001. This delightful set was released by 'Metropolis' and featured Bauhaus tracks and solo hits. A year later, he hooked up with renowned world artist Mercan Dede for 'Dust', followed by 'Unshattered' in 2004. His first collection of new solo material in seven years, the appropriately titled 'Ninth', dropped in June of 2011.

 
Murphy toured the U.S. and Europe in 2013 to celebrate 35 years of Bauhaus. That same year, he gained headlines after a traffic accident saw him convicted on charges of a misdemeanor hit-and-run. (Other charges of driving under the influence and use of methamphetamine were dismissed.) He didn't let the incident derail his career, however. His next studio album, 'Lion', recorded with Youth (Killing Joke bassist Martin Glover) in the producer's chair, was released in June 2014. In 2017 Murphy released 'Bare-Boned and Sacred', a concert LP recorded in New York during his "Stripped" tour in 2016. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

Levitation

Following a well-publicized fall-out with frontman Guy Chadwick, guitarist Terry Bickers left The House of Love to form Levitation with bassist Laurence O'Keefe, keyboardist Robert White, guitarist Christian Hayes and drummer Dave Francollini. A series of brilliant live gigs quickly cemented the fledgling group's status among the British press, while interviews with the eccentric Bickers, in which he expounded freely on topics including prog-rock revivals, flying saucers, reincarnation, bacchanalian revelry and Egyptology, further established the band as media darlings. 

 
Anticipation was high for Levitation's recorded debut, and 1991's 'Coppelia' EP did not disappoint: a shimmering, majestic effort highlighted by the narcotic epic "Smile," it also featured excursions into delicate psychedelia ("Rosemary Jones") and distorted pop ("Paid in Kind"). The follow-up, 'The After Ever' EP, was equally strong, and the two records were later combined with live material and a pair of new tracks, "Squirrel" and "It's Time," as the full-length 'Coterie'. 

 
In 1992, Levitation issued the superb 'Need for Not' album, soon signing to major label Chrysalis. In the wake of the release of 1993's 'Even When Your Eyes Are Open' EP, the group mounted a British tour; while playing London's Tufnell Park Dome, Bickers abruptly announced "Oh, dear. We've completely lost it, haven't we?" and left the stage, never to return to the band and refusing to publicly discuss his exit. (He subsequently worked under the alias Cradle.) In his absence, the remaining members of Levitation hired new vocalist Steven Ludwin and issued an EP, 'King of Mice'; the 1994 full-length 'Meanwhile Gardens', a patchy collection of re-recordings of old songs as well as new material, was issued only in Australia, and was the unit's final effort. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]

 

David Byrne

Although best-known for his groundbreaking tenure fronting the new wave group Talking Heads, David Byrne is also acclaimed for his adventurous solo career, encroaching upon such diverse arenas as world music, filmmaking, and performance art in the process. The creatively restless Byrne has taken his work in numerous directions since striking out on his own -Latin rhythms (1989's 'Rei Momo'), orchestral works (1991's 'The Forest'), Scottish music (2003's 'Lead Us Not Into Temptation'), adventurous pop (1992's 'Uh-Oh'), electronic dance-pop (2010's 'Here Lies Love', with Fatboy Slim), and collaborations with other artists of note (2012's 'Love This Giant', with St. Vincent, and 2008's 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today', with Brian Eno). But Byrne's passion for rhythms and sonic colors, his gift for angular but catchy melodies, and his keen and cooly witty but thoughtful observations of diverse characters are the through-lines that bring his catalog together. 

Born in Dumbarton, Scotland on May 14, 1952, David Byrne was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. The son of an electronics engineer, he played guitar in a series of teenage bands before attending the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, where, feeling alienated from the largely upper-class student population, he dropped out after one year. However, he remained in the Providence area, performing solo on a ukulele before forming The Artistics (also known as The Autistics) with fellow students Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. 

After changing the name of the band to Talking Heads and enlisting onetime Modern Lover Jerry Harrison, the group signed to Sire Records. A series of LPs, including the debut 'Talking Heads '77', 1978's 'More Songs About Buildings and Food', and 1980's 'Remain in Light' followed, establishing the quartet as one of contemporary music's most visionary talents. During a band sabbatical in 1981, Byrne teamed up with Brian Eno, the producer of much of the Heads' work, for the collaborative effort 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts', a complex, evocative album that fused electronic music with Third World percussion and hypnotic vocal effects. That same year, Byrne also began exploring theater with the composition of 'The Catherine Wheel', a dance piece choreographed by Twyla Tharp.

 
Byrne's next solo work appeared in 1985 with The Knee Plays, a New Orleans brass band-influenced project composed for a portion of Robert Wilson's theatrical epic "CIVIL warS". In 1986, Byrne wrote, starred in, and directed the feature film "True Stories", a series of comic vignettes based on press clippings culled from tabloid publications like the Weekly World News. He also wrote and produced the majority of music for the film's score in addition to performing his usual duties for that year's Talking Heads LP, also named 'True Stories'. In 1988, he wrote the score to the Jonathan Demme comedy "Married to the Mob" and, in tandem with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su, won an Academy Award for his musical work on Bernardo Bertolucci's historical epic "The Last Emperor". 

 

Also in 1988, Byrne's fascination with world music -a longtime influence on his herky-jerky performance style as well as Talking Heads' complex polyrhythms- inspired him to form his own record label, Luaka Bop, to give widespread American release to global music. That same year, the Heads released 'Naked', their final proper LP, leaving Byrne to give his full attention to solo endeavors. He resurfaced in 1989 with 'Rei Momo', a song collection inspired by Latin rhythms, and also directed the documentary "Ile Aiye" (The House of Life), which focused on the rituals of Yoruban dance music. In 1991, he again collaborated with Robert Wilson on 'The Forest', writing music for a full orchestra. 

1992's 'Uh-Oh' marked Byrne's return to more conventional rock performance, a direction he continued with a self-titled album issued in 1994. 'Feelings', recorded with members of Morcheeba and Devo, followed in 1997. Four years later, 'Look Into the Eyeball' was issued on Virgin Records/Luaka Bop and captured Byrne's signature wry humor and musical diversity. In 2003, Byrne's music for the film "Young Adam" (featuring members of Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai) was released as 'Lead Us Not Into Temptation' by Thrill Jockey. 'Grown Backwards', his first disc for the Nonesuch label, appeared a year later. In 2007, the ever-busy Byrne released a CD/DVD version of 'The Knee Plays' that featured the 12 original tracks along with eight demos and outtakes. 'Big Love: Hymnal', containing material composed for the HBO series "Big Love", appeared in 2008; 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today', a collaboration with Brian Eno that took in folk and gospel influences, followed later that year. 

Byrne's next project proved to be another collaborative album, this one created with the assistance of British DJ Fatboy Slim. Released in early 2010, 'Here Lies Love' was a concept album about former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her controversial love life. Over 20 guest vocalists appeared on the eclectic record, including Cyndi Lauper, Martha Wainwright, Sharon Jones, and Santigold. Byrne's next big project was another collaboration, this time with St. Vincent/Annie Clark, The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, and producer John Congleton. 'Love This Giant' arrived in September 2012.

 
Byrne spent 2015 staging "Contemporary Color", a pair of concerts in Brooklyn and Toronto which paired musicians with color guard groups; the shows were preserved in a 2016 film of the same name. Early in 2018, Byrne returned with the chart-topping 'American Utopia', his first solo album since 2004's 'Grown Backwards'. The record was the first installment of a larger multimedia project titled "Reasons to Be Cheerful," which focused on optimism during an age of political uncertainty. Byrne's tour in support of 'American Utopia' was a unique presentation with extensive choreography of the vocalists and musicians, and after a successful and well-received series of performances in the United States and Europe, the show moved to New York City for a run on Broadway. An album was drawn from the New York engagement, fittingly titled 'American Utopia on Broadway'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]