This Portsmouth, England-based pop punk band formed in 1983, with a line-up comprising Ade (vocals, guitar), Ian Campbell (lead guitar), Pete White (bass) and Brian Lee (drums). However, nine months and two demos later, Ade was joined by Daryn Price (drums), Keith Metcalfe (bass) and Davie Egan (guitar) in the band’s second incarnation. After the single ‘Wherever You May Run’, they found favour with BBC disc jockey John Peel who secured a session for them on his show. The 12-inch EP 'Released Emotions' followed on Quiet Records (they would, confusingly, join a record company with the same title, so called because its boss was a fan of the band). Metcalfe was replaced by a temporary bass player before Steve (ex-Original Mirrors) took over on bass. The highlight of 1987 was a support slot at the Polderock Festival in Belgium alongside The Mission, Primitives and Sonic Youth. Now on the Released Emotions label, they recorded a joint album with The Sect, titled 'Soft Lights And Loud Guitars'. This attracted a series of good reviews and they also appeared on the Link Records sampler "Underground Rockers", alongside other bands of a similar persuasion such as Mega City Four and The Price. Egan left shortly afterwards, to be replaced by their present guitarist Ray. After a double a-sided single they completed work on their first full album, 'More Songs About Love And War', featuring material in a rockier vein. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Pere Ubu emerged from the urban wastelands of mid-'70s Cleveland to impact the American underground for generations to follow; led by hulking frontman David Thomas, whose absurdist warble and rapturously demented lyrics remained the band's creative focus throughout their long, convoluted career, Ubu's protean art punk sound harnessed self-destructing melodies, scattershot rhythms, and industrial-strength dissonance to capture the angst and chaos of their times with both apocalyptic fervor and surprising humanity. Named in honor of Alfred Jarry's surrealist play Ubu Roi, Pere Ubu was formed in the autumn of 1975 from the ashes of local cult favorite Rocket from the Tombs, reuniting Thomas (aka Crocus Behemoth) with guitarist Peter Laughner; adding guitarist Tom Herman, bassist Tim Wright, keyboardist Allen Ravenstine, and drummer Scott Krauss, the group soon issued their debut single, "30 Seconds Over Tokyo," on Thomas' Hearthan label. The follow-up, "Final Solution," appeared on the renamed Hearpen in early 1976, and resulted in a series of live dates at the famed New York City club Max's Kansas City.
Laughner's longstanding battles with drugs and alcohol forced his exit from Pere Ubu in June of 1976; within a year, he was dead. The group continued on as a quintet, with bassist Tony Maimone signing on in the wake of Wright's move to New York, where he joined the pioneering no wave band DNA. In the wake of their third single, "Street Waves," Thomas was approached by Mercury label A&R exec Cliff Burnstein, who convinced the label to form a new imprint, Blank Records, for the express purposes of signing Pere Ubu; their debut LP, 'The Modern Dance', was issued in early 1978, and although the record made little commercial impact at home or abroad, its manic intensity and dark impenetrability proved profoundly influential on countless post-punk acts on both sides of the Atlantic. The follow-up, 'Dub Housing', was even better, pushing the band to further extremes of otherworldliness, but already the cracks were beginning to show, and upon completing 1979's 'New Picnic Time' (working title: "Goodbye"), Ubu disbanded. Although the group re-formed months later, Herman opted not to return and was replaced by Red Krayola mastermind Mayo Thompson.
'The Art of Walking' followed in 1980, with subsequent tours in support of the record heralding the increasingly pop-centric sound that would distinguish later Ubu projects; a live record, '390° of Simulated Stereo', appeared a year later. Krauss was replaced by drummer Anton Fier for 1982's 'Song of the Bailing Man', but as before personal and creative differences began taking their toll and Ubu again disbanded; while Maimone and Krauss reunited in the group Home and Garden, Thomas continued the solo career he'd begun with the 1981 effort 'The Sound of the Sand (And Other Songs of the Pedestrians)', a collaboration with guitar virtuoso Richard Thompson. He recorded 1987's 'Blame the Messenger' with The Wooden Birds, a backing band including fellow Ubu alums Ravenstine and Maimone; after Krauss sat in for a Cleveland live date, the decision was made to begin working as Pere Ubu again. Guitarist Jim Jones and drummer Chris Cutler were also recruited for 1988's comeback effort 'The Tenement Year', a vividly idiosyncratic pop album far more accessible than anything in the band's back catalog.
1989's Stephen Hague-produced 'Cloudland' further refined the approach, with the video for the single "Waiting for Mary" even earning limited MTV airplay; after both Ravenstine and Cutler exited Pere Ubu (the former becoming a commercial airline pilot), one-time Captain Beefheart sideman Eric Drew Feldman was installed for 1991's 'Worlds in Collision'. Feldman soon departed as well to join Frank Black, and the remaining quartet recorded 1993's 'Story of My Life' for the short-lived Imago label; Maimone was the next to go, with bassist Michele Temple and keyboardist Garo Yellin stepping in for 1995's planned swan song, 'Ray Gun Suitcase'. As Ubu again slipped into limbo, the band's massive influence was celebrated in 1996 with the release of the five-disc box set 'Datapanik in the Year Zero'; the renewed interest spurred Thomas back into action, and he reunited with Tom Herman for the first time in two decades to record 1998's sprawling 'Pennsylvania' (also featuring holdovers Jones and Temple in addition to keyboardist Robert Wheeler and drummer Steve Mehlman). Four years later, Pere Ubu captured some of their darkest and most theatrical work to date with 'St. Arkansas'. 'Why I Hate Women' followed in 2006. A remix album also arrived that year. In 2009, the band returned with 'Long Live Pere Ubu!', which featured songs from a musical adaptation of the band's namesake play Ubu Roi and included contributions from Communards' Sarah Jane Morris and Gagarin. Pere Ubu's next album, 2013's 'Lady from Shanghai', was nearly as ambitious; described as "an album of dance music fixed," it commemorated the 35th anniversary of 'The Modern Dance' with abrasive, industrial-tinged rhythms and an accompanying book, "Chinese Whispers: The Making of Pere Ubu's Lady from Shanghai". Also in 2013, the band performed their underscore for the cult classic horror film "Carnival of Souls"; several pieces from the score became the basis for 2014's 'Carnival of Souls', which arrived in different CD and vinyl versions. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Before the majority of industrial acts added guitars and became the heavy metal of the 1990s, Nitzer Ebb produced hard-hitting electronic music with the Teutonic bent and abrasive edge of early industrial music, plus the vocal chanting and beat-heavy flavor of the late-'80s alternative and Balearic dance scene. Formed in Chelmsford, Essex, in 1982 by vocalist Douglas McCarthy, drummer Bon Harris, and keyboard player David Gooday, the group began experimenting with synthesizers and drum pads, fusing the bandmembers' affinity for dark goth and punk rock with the emerging technology. After several popular shows around London during 1984, PWL producer Phil Harding began working with Nitzer Ebb and recorded their first single, "Isn't It Funny How Your Body Works," which appeared on the band's Power of Voice Communications label in 1985. Three more singles followed during 1985-1986 before Nitzer Ebb signed to Mute in late 1986; the first Mute recordings were the singles "Murderous" and "Let Your Body Learn" in early 1987, just before the release of their debut album, 'That Total Age'. After the single "Join in the Chant" was remixed by producer Flood (Nick Cave, Erasure), it became one of the crucial tracks in the growing alternative/Balearic dance scene, played out alongside Chicago house, Detroit techno, and Northern soul.
After the release of 'That Total Age', Nitzer Ebb toured Europe with Depeche Mode, and the latter band's pop sensibilities appeared to inspire them. By the time of their second album, 'Belief', Gooday had disappeared (to be replaced by Julian Beeston) and Flood had taken over the producer's role from Harding, nudging Nitzer Ebb closer to the dancefloor and shearing away the militaristic bent of much of their earlier recordings. Singles like "Hearts and Minds," "Shame," and "Lightning Man" were loaded with the cold aggression of earlier recordings, working well on dancefloors as well as college radio stations; the 1990 single "Fun to Be Had" even reached number two on the dance charts. The following year's 'Ebbhead' further consolidated their position with alternative audiences, with at least two well-known singles, "I Give to You" and "Godhead." As a whole, though, the album showed Nitzer Ebb a bit confused as to where industrial music was going. Nitzer Ebb virtually disappeared from active music-making for the next four years, finally reappearing in 1995 with their fifth album, 'Big Hit'. The compilation 'Body of Work 1984-1997' appeared in 2006 and was immediately followed by set of new remixes titled 'Body Rework'. After a reunion tour to support the releases proved successful, the group began working on new material. In January of 2010 they released 'Industrial Complex', their first studio album in 15 years and their first for the Alpha Matrix label. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Maximum Joy was an offshoot of The Pop Group. They were a post-punk band that existed after The Pop Group's breakup in the early '80s. Signed to the Y label, Maximum Joy issued a trio of 12" and 7" singles prior to making 'Station MXJY', their lone album. Apparently the band split shortly thereafter. Former Pop Group members/guitarists Dan Catsis (who had previously spent time in the Glaxo Babies) and John Waddington formed the group, and they were joined by Janine Rainforth (vocals, clarinet, violin), Kev Evans (bass, piano, vocals), and Tony Wrafter (sax, flute, trumpet). [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Formed in London in 1980, The Legendary Pink Dots moved to Amsterdam in the middle of the decade. Members throughout the band's career have been Edward Ka-Spel (vocals, keyboards) and Phil Knight (keyboards), also known as the Silver Man, with a shifting supporting cast over the years. The Dots' music is by turns melodic pop and exotic psychedelia, with classical influences, sampling, and relentlessly dark, violent, apocalyptic lyrics. After several releases for Mirrodot and Inphaze during the early '80s, the group signed to Play It Again Sam distribution for 1985's 'The Lovers', and released much of their best material (1990's 'Crushed Velvet Apocalypse', 1991's 'The Maria Dimension') on the label. Even as The Legendary Pink Dots neared their two-decade anniversary, the group continued to tour Europe and America quite consistently, appreciated by several generations of dark industrial/goth audiences (and documented by the 2000 live album 'Farewell, Milky Way'). After releasing 'Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves' in spring of 2006, the band embarked on their 25th anniversary tour. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Since Clark Kent is the secret identity of Superman, it was no surprise when Klark Kent turned out to be an alter ego as well. Kent was actually Stewart Copeland, the drummer for The Police. In 1980, Copeland donned the Klark Kent disguise, even creating a false biography. The fictional story line portrayed Kent as a computer programmer who had sued IBM for stealing a mysterious invention; in reality, Copeland merely wanted to record songs he wrote for The Police that Sting didn't like. Copeland sang and played percussion, guitar, bass, kazoo, and piano on 'Klark Kent: Music Madness From the Kinetic Kid', a solo LP credited to Kent. Klark Kent's goofy, eccentric tunes were in contrast to The Police's considerably more weighty oeuvre, at least lyrically. The single "Away From Home" received airplay on new wave radio stations, but it probably would've been unnoticed -and largely forgotten- if it hadn't originated from a member of The Police. Once Kent's true identity was revealed, Copeland retired the character and returned to The Police. In 1995, the Kent material was compiled onto a CD as 'Kollected Works'. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Jesus Jones' murky mix of samples, pop, dance tracks, and techno resulted in one huge international hit single, "Right Here, Right Now" (taken from their second album, 'Doubt'), that pretty much sums up all of the band's virtues -a strong melody and hook, with a flair for making the dance club overtones mesh with the rock guitar. To hear Jesus Jones' flaws, turn to their first album, which suffered from muddy beats, shapeless melodies, and intrusive samples, all of which also plagued sections of 'Doubt'. But when 'Doubt' worked, as it did on "Right Here, Right Now," "International Bright Young Thing," and "Real, Real, Real," it showed that sample-driven dance club music could comfortably fit into pop music.
Based on the platinum success of 'Doubt', Jesus Jones' leader -guitarist/vocalist Mike Edwards, who had launched the band in 1988- decided it was his mission to make techno palatable for the pop masses and recorded their follow-up album, 1993's 'Perverse', almost entirely on computer. The result was neither good pop music nor good techno, and Jesus Jones' subsequent fall from the top of the U.S. and U.K. charts was as fast as their rise to the top. After a long layoff, they returned in the summer of 1997 with 'Already'. Initially, the album was only released in the U.K.; it was later released in the U.S. during the spring of 1998. Three years passed before the group returned to form. With new members Alan Doughty (bass) and Tony Arthy (drums), Jesus Jones inked a deal with Koch and issued 'London' in fall 2001. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Halo of Flies was a rock band from Minneapolis. Named after an Alice Cooper song from 'Killer', Halo of Flies was formed in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer, John Anglim and Tim Mac. Over the next 5 years they released a series of 7 inch singles and mini LPs starting with a limited edition, hand numbered single called “Rubber Room”. These singles were released on Hazelmyer’s label Amphetamine Reptile Records and were later compiled on a CD ('Insect Music for Insect Minds') in 1991. The band partially reformed in 2007 under the name H•O•F, and continued to release new material.
Sales of Halo of Flies records was assisted by a manufacturing/distribution deal with the popular Minnesota label Twin Tone records. Influenced by early punk bands MC5 and The Stooges, the band had a loud raw sound that was heavily guitar influenced garage rock. Halo of Flies stopped recording in the early 1990s but Hazelmyer kept Amphetamine Reptile Records in business for 20 years by releasing music by Boss Hog, Helmet, The Melvins, Cows, God Bullies, Helios Creed and Unsane. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
By the mid-'80s, the British goth scene had begun to achieve a certain degree of critical acclaim and commercial success. Led by the likes of The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission, the sparkling -if often downbeat- guitar pop of bands such as Ghost Dance became briefly touted as the way forward for U.K. indie music. However, by the early '90s the bubble had burst, and Ghost Dance was left without an audience.
Ghost Dance came into being when guitarist Gary Marx left The Sisters of Mercy in 1985, having composed much of the material on their debut album, 'First and Last and Always'. He quickly recruited singer Anne-Marie Hurst from fellow goths Skeletal Family and guitarist Etch. The initial sessions consisted of odd cover versions -"Radar Love," anyone?- and Sisters-inspired material, even to the point of using a drum machine, dubbed "Pandora." A few more members came and went, including ex-Red Lorry Yellow Lorry guitarist Steve Smith, before the lineup was finalized, consisting of Hurst, Marx, Etch, guitarist Richard Steel, and drummer John Grant.
After a handful of singles and EPs mostly released on the U.K. indie label Karbon, Ghost Dance was signed to Chrysalis in 1988. Their debut album, 'Stop the World', followed a year later. Unfortunately, the attempts at grafting a new pop sensibility onto the band's material were critically derided. Like many goth outfits, as the '90s approached, Ghost Dance found themselves unable to successfully change with the times, and they folded soon afterward. Etch briefly joined the touring lineup of The Mission, while Steel later resurfaced in Spacehog. Tracks periodically appear on goth compilations, and rumors of reunions continue to circulate. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Along with Black Flag and The Circle Jerks, Fear helped define the sound and style of L.A. hardcore. Although they actually formed during the first wave of punk back in 1977, Fear didn't release an album until five years later, by which time they'd honed a blistering, thrashy attack that, for all its fury, was surprisingly tight and sometimes even intricate. Which is to say that, musically, the band wasn't as crude as frontman Lee Ving's outrageous, humorously offensive lyrics, which were geared to piss off anyone within earshot, particularly women and homosexuals; his vulgarity was equaled only by his sincere love of beer. Fear's original incarnation fell apart after just two albums, but Ving began touring with new lineups again in the '90s.
Fear were formed in Los Angeles by vocalist Lee Ving (whose past is shrouded in mystery, though he's rumored to be a Vietnam veteran), with the rest of the original lineup including lead guitarist Philo Cramer, bassist Derf Scratch, and drummer Johnny Backbeat. Rhythm guitarist Burt Good became a member for a short time in 1978, but became unnecessary when Ving decided to take up the instrument. The same year, Backbeat was replaced by Spit Stix. Fear issued their debut single, 'I Love Livin' in the City', at the beginning of 1978 on Criminal Records. They were in no rush to record an album, however, and spent the next few years without a record deal; instead, they mostly played punk clubs around the Los Angeles area, cultivating a volatile, confrontational stage presence. Fear's explosive appearance in director Penelope Spheeris' punk chronicle "The Decline of Western Civilization" cemented their legend, and they found a devoted fan in comedian John Belushi, who talked Saturday Night Live into having the band on as a musical guest for the Halloween episode in 1981. Not a band to behave in a public forum, Fear invited a pack of skinhead slam-dancers on-stage for their performance, resulting in costly studio damage and a bit of on-mike profanity.
Now notorious on a national level, Fear finally landed a record contract with Slash in 1982, and released their debut album, 'The Record', which most critics still agree was their best and funniest outing. Scratch left the band later on in the year, and was replaced first by Eric "Kitabu" Feldman (who appeared on the late-1982 single 'Fuck Christmas'), then the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea; in 1984, Flea was in turn replaced by The Dickies' Lorenzo Buhne. Fear took some time off for side projects in 1983; Stix went to Europe and joined Nina Hagen's band, Cramer formed a band called M'Butu Ngawa, and Ving pursued a successful acting career, playing assorted tough guys in films like "Flashdance" (the strip club owner) and "Streets of Fire", among others. In 1985, Fear released their second album, 'More Beer', but soon drifted apart into other projects; they disbanded in 1987.
In 1991, most of Fear's prime lineup -Ving, Cramer, and Stix, plus new bassist Will "Sluggo" McGregor- reunited and began playing concerts again. 'Live...For the Record' was released later that year. Cramer and Stix both quit in 1993, ending the reunion; Ving began touring with another group, Lee Ving's Army, which included guitarist Sean Cruse, former Frank Zappa bassist Scott Thunes, and drummer Andrew Jaimez. This group eventually became the new Fear lineup, and entered the studio in 1995 to record the band's first album of new material in a decade, 'Have Another Beer With Fear', which was released by Sector 2. Over the next few years, Thunes was replaced by Mondo Lopez, and Cruse by Richard Presley; in 2000, the revamped Fear returned on the Hall of Records label with 'American Beer', another all-new album.
After a poor public response and fed up with legal disputes, Ving spent the ensuing years resting on his laurels, while touring the old hits under the Fear name with a rotating lineup. Eventually, in 2012, he delivered the ultimate middle-finger salute to the music industry bigwigs with 'The Fear Record', a completely unnecessary but otherwise inspired re-recording of the band’s iconic 'The Record', released on indie label The End. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
