Farmacia de Guardia was a Spanish rock band in the 80's from the city of Murcia.
They recorded their first demo in the first months of 1982 at Audiofilm Studios in Madrid. This demo was re-released years later by Subterfuge Records on the CD-EP 'TNT Punk Pop', which opens with “Cazadora de Cuero” (the story of a rocker who turns to punk influenced by the death of Sid Vicious, composed by the three J's of Murcian rock: J. Albarracín, J. Cassinello and J. Reyes).
In 1982 they won the first edition of the “Murcia Joven” contest, sharing the prize with Acequia. As a consequence, they recorded four songs in Valencia that were released on their first album, including “Cazadora de Cuero” and “Bronca Callejera”; this record was distributed by Dos Rombos. In 1987 'Veneno Rojo' was released, with a new and definitive version of “Cazadora de Cuero” and other new songs such as “Paseando al Perro” and “Club de John”. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
La Banda Sin Futuro
was a Spanish pop band from the late 70s, the first band founded by Poch, in 1979, previous to Ejecutivos Agresivos and Derribos Arias. The line-up was: Poch (guitar, vocals), Alejo Alberdi (guitar, backing vocals) and Manuel Moreno -Paúl- (drums, backing vocals). The bass players were Antonio Tarín and Pepo.
Sindicato Malone was a Spanish pop group from the time of the "movida madrileña". They initially emerged as a project of Alberto Haro from Glutamato Ye-Yé, along with those part of the “hornadas irritantes” gang. They stood out because of the carefree and irony they displayed in the lyrics of their songs.
The group was basically formed by Luis Jovellar (singer), Fernando Caballero and Alberto Haro Ibars. With the EP 'Sólo Por Robar...' (1982) they managed to enter “Los 40 Principales” (the Spanish Top 40). Later they released a single, another EP and the LP 'Antes Morir Que Perder La Vida', split between a mystical side and a playful side, before disappearing. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Glutamato Ye-Ye were formed in 1979 by Ramón Recio and Iñaki Fernández (born May 29, 1961, in Bilbao), joined by Manuel “Patacho” Recio and Alberto Haro. Quite a few people passed through the group, being the stable members Ramón Recio (lyrics), Iñaki Fernández (vocals), Patacho (guitar), Eugenio Haro (guitar), Jacinto Golderos (bass) and Carlos Durante (drums).
After playing in many clubs in Madrid they signed with the Spansuls label in 1981 and recorded their first LP. Due to the fact that Iñaki had to do his military service, it was only a mini-LP ('Zoraida'). In addition Spansuls sold one of his songs to the DRO label ("Corazón Loco"); what would have been pnk-001 became dro-005. In 1982 Ramón founded the Goldstein label, which gave the group stability to play in the trendiest venues and record songs like “Comamos Cereales”.
When Pancoca, Goldstein's distributor, went bankrupt, the label disappeared as well, but Glutamato Ye-Ye landed at Ariola, a major label. In 1984 they recorded what is a classic of the band, “Todos Los Negritos Tienen Hambre y Frío”. It became very popular and sold many copies, but it cost them their dismissal from the label. A year later they recorded 'Guapamente', which got them nominated for Eurovision singing “Alicia”.
In 1986 the band disbanded; in 1987 they reunited to give a farewell concert. From then on their members moved on to other groups or performed solo. Sometimes they reunited to record compilations or to pay tribute to deceased colleagues such as Ramón Recio, Alberto and Eugenio Haro. [SOURCE: LAST.FM]
No artist of the rock & roll era compares to singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. He was the rare combination of a visionary pop conceptualist and master musician who could capture the sounds he imagined. This quality fueled his remarkable success throughout the 1980s, a decade in which he authored a string of nine gold, platinum, or multi-platinum albums that included '1999' (1982), 'Purple Rain' (1984), and 'Sign 'o' the Times' (1987). Ideas came to Prince so quickly that they couldn't be contained on his own records. He masterminded albums by The Time and Sheila E. and gave away hit songs to The Bangles and Sheena Easton, shaping the sound of popular music in the process. There wasn't an area of pop music in the '80s that didn't bear his influence: it could be heard in freaky funk and R&B slow jams, in electro-techno and neo-psychedelic rock, and at the top of the pop charts. Prince's reign continued into the early '90s, a time which found him swap long-time partners The Revolution for the jazz-funk New Power Generation, his band on eighth Top Ten album 'Diamonds and Pearls' (1991). By the middle of the decade, he'd entered a cold war with his record company. Once he was emancipated from his contract, he seized the opportunity to release as much music as he could record, and again took aim at mainstream, returning to the Top Ten with 'Musicology' (2004) and to number one with '3121' (2006). The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee produced new music at a furious pace in his last decade, up through the simultaneous Top Ten entries 'PlectrumElectrum' and 'Art Official Age' (2014). That's what made his death in 2016 such a shock. His music was ceaselessly, endlessly alive and full of possibility.
Music ran in Prince's blood. The son of a jazz pianist and singer, Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 7, 1958. Prince taught himself how to play music at an early age and his first original songs arrived not much later. Music remained a mainstay after his parents' divorce, a period where he bounced between both households. For a while, Prince stayed with his neighbors the Andersons, whose son Andre would later adopt the stage name Andre Cymone. The pair became friends and then collaborators, forming a covers band called Grand Central with Morris Day while the three attended high school together.
Prince and Cymone's first big break arrived when Pepe Willie, the husband of Prince's cousin, brought the duo into the funk band 94 East. Prince played guitar on a few tracks on a 94 East demo and co-wrote "Just Another Sucker" with Willie, a song composed in 1977. By that point, the teenage Prince had already signed to Warner Bros. on the strength of a demo he recorded with producer Chris Moon. He headed to the Record Plant in Sausalito, California to record his debut 'For You', which appeared in 1978. Prince played every instrument and sang every note on 'For You', an audacious move for a debut. The album made some inroads on R&B radio, with its first single "Soft and Wet" reaching 12. It was quickly eclipsed by "I Wanna Be Your Lover," the first single from 1979's 'Prince'. "I Wanna Be Your Lover" reached number one R&B and nearly cracked Billboard's Top Ten, peaking at 11. "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" gave him another significant R&B hit in early 1980, reaching number 13 on the Billboard charts, but Prince guaranteed that he wouldn't be pigeonholed as a soul act by embracing rock, pop, and new wave on 1980's 'Dirty Mind'.
'Dirty Mind' was Prince's first masterpiece, a one-man tour de force of sex and music; it was hard funk with catchy Beatlesque melodies, sweet soul ballads, and rocking guitar pop all at once. It didn't perform as well as 'Prince' on the R&B charts, but "Uptown" peaked at number five on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts. Prince doubled down on risque rock & funk on 1981's 'Controversy'. Pop hits eluded him this time around, but "Controversy" and "Let's Work" made the Billboard R&B chart, which wasn't the only time Prince visited these particular charts in 1981. He masterminded the eponymous debut album by The Time, a Minneapolis funk band featuring his old friend Morris Day. All this buzz led The Rolling Stones to hire Prince as an opener for part of their 1981 tour, running into audiences that were unwilling to embrace his genre-bending music. He'd soon find wider acceptance for his music with '1999'.
A tightly constructed double album, '1999' served as futuristic funk-pop that showcased the extent of his range. Released in October 1982, '1999' generated three massive hits: its title track topped out at 12 but it was a staple on the fledgling MTV, while "Little Red Corvette" and "Delirious" were Top Ten hits, peaking at six and eight respectively. '1999' is also where Prince unveiled his backing band The Revolution, showcasing the group in the album's music videos and featuring them on the record's supporting tour; several members also played on '1999'. Afterwards, guitarist Dez Dickerson departed and The Revolution's classic lineup of guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist Lisa Coleman, keyboardist Matt Fink, bassist Brown Mark, and drummer Bobby Z solidified. This incarnation of The Revolution was showcased on "Purple Rain", the film Prince released in July 1984.
A mythologized version of his own back story largely shot in his home city of Minneapolis, "Purple Rain" made Prince a superstar. Preceded by the stark, startling funk of "When Doves Cry," Prince's first number one single, "Purple Rain" became a blockbuster, its theatrical success feeding the popularity of its soundtrack and vice-versa. For a brief period, Prince had the number one single, album, and film in the United States, a remarkable achievement. The album's subsequent singles almost all went Top Ten: "Let's Go Crazy" also went to number one, while "Purple Rain" peaked at two and "I Would Die 4 U" reached number eight ("Take Me with U," released at the end of the album's cycle, went no further than 25.) With fame came controversy: Tipper Gore formed the Parents Music Resource Center after discovering her 11-year-old daughter listening to "Darling Nikki," a sexually charged song from "Purple Rain".
His stardom secured, Prince took an abrupt left turn in 1985 with 'Around the World in a Day', an excursion into psychedelic pop not too far removed from the Paisley Underground movement in Los Angeles; indeed, he'd give The Bangles, one of the bands at the core of the trend, "Manic Monday," which went to number two in 1986. Thanks to "Raspberry Beret," 'Around the World in a Day' was also a hit, albeit one that paled in comparison to 'Purple Rain'; it sold two million copies and generated only one other Top 40 hit in "Pop Life." Prince quickly followed it with 'Parade', which was the soundtrack to his second film, "Under the Cherry Moon". Directed by Prince, the film flopped, but the eclectic 'Parade' was another hit album, producing the number one smash "Kiss."
Prince disbanded The Revolution after the supporting tour for 'Parade', an excerpt of which was featured on 'Sign 'o' the Times', the sprawling double-album he released in March 1987. Assembled from the remnants of several incomplete projects, 'Sign 'o' the Times' was hailed as one of Prince's best albums, showcasing the full scope of his talents. It also produced three Top Ten hits in "Sign 'o' the Times," "U Got the Look," and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." Prince planned to release a collection of hard funk called 'The Black Album' in November 1987 but he pulled the record at the last minute believing the album was too dark and immoral; it would be released in a limited run in 1994.
Prince quickly recorded 'Lovesexy', an album intended as a bright riposte to the darkness of the scrapped 'The Black Album'. 'Lovesexy' became his first album not to reach the Top Ten since 'Controversy' and only generated one Top 40 single in "Alphabet St." Prince rebounded swiftly with 'Batman', an album inspired by Tim Burton's 1989 silver screen adaptation of the caped crusader. A blend of sound collage and medley, "Batdance" became Prince's first number one single since "Kiss," with "Partyman" reaching 18 later that year. Prince returned to the big screen in 1990 with "Graffiti Bridge", another film he directed himself. Its accompanying album was Prince's third double-album in seven years, cobbled together from strays from the past decade and new songs, such as its lone Top Ten single "Thieves in the Temple."
With 1991's 'Diamonds and Pearls', Prince debuted the New Power Generation, a versatile band of professionals specializing in R&B and funk. The streamlined soul of 'Diamonds and Pearls' gave Prince his biggest non-Batman hit since 'Around the World in a Day', with the slinky "Cream" becoming his last number one hit and the ballad "Diamonds and Pearls" reaching number three. The following year, Prince released his 14th album, titling it after a cryptic logo that allegedly combined the symbols for male and female. This graphic would soon be dubbed the "Love Symbol" and the album of the same name found Prince grappling with hip-hop on "My Name Is Prince" but it was the shimmering pop of "7" that gave him another Top Ten hit; fittingly, it peaked at seven on Billboard. In 1993, Prince released his first greatest-hits collection, 'The Hits'; it was accompanied by an edition that also rounded up many of his B-sides from the 1980s.
Prince changed his name to the Love Symbol in 1993 as a protest against his label Warner Bros., who would not release new recordings from the musician as often as he desired. As the Love Symbol was unpronounceable, Prince was called "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince" (or "The Artist") during this feud with Warner, which lasted until 2000, at which time his publishing contract with Warner/Chappell expired. After releasing "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" on his NPG Records in 1994 -it became his last Top Ten hit, reaching number three- Prince attempted to speed through his recording contract with Warner during the mid-'90s, beginning with 1994's 'Come'. Bearing "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," 'The Gold Experience' arrived in 1995, with the postscript 'Chaos and Disorder' closing out the contract in the summer of 1996. Prince celebrated the end of his tenure at Warner by releasing the triple-CD set 'Emancipation' on his own NPG in November of 1996.
Greeted by warm reviews and initially strong sales -the triple-disc set would be certified double platinum due to its size- 'Emancipation' didn't generate any hit singles. Abundance soon became a calling card for Prince. Just over a year after 'Emancipation', he released another triple-disc set named 'Crystal Ball'. Collecting unreleased material recorded over the years, 'Crystal Ball' was accompanied by a bonus acoustic album called 'The Truth'; it would receive its own independent release in 2021. Soon, the market was flooded with new Prince material. 'Newpower Soul', an album billed to New Power Generation but effectively a new Prince album, appeared in June 1998, Warner released a disc of outtakes called 'The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale' in the summer of 1999, and Prince signed with Arista for 'Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic', a star-studded wannabe blockbuster that performed modestly upon its November 1999 release.
Prince spent the first few years of the 2000s indulging in his love of jazz fusion on a series of records released on NPG, the first being 2001's 'The Rainbow Children', an album that referred to his recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Prince returned to pop and R&B in 2004 -and to major labels- with 'Musicology', an album that brought him back into the Top Ten, while also garnering him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2005; it'd be certified double platinum by the RIAA. He consolidated his commercial comeback with '3121', which hit number one on the album charts soon after its release in March 2006. 'Planet Earth' followed in 2007, featuring contributions from his old Revolution bandmates Wendy & Lisa. In the U.K., copies were cover-mounted on the July 15 edition of The Mail on Sunday, provoking Columbia -the worldwide distributor for the release- to refuse distribution throughout the U.K. In the U.S., the album was issued on July 24, debuting at number three.
'LotusFlow3r', a three-disc set, arrived in 2009, featuring a trio of distinct albums: 'LotusFlow3r' itself (a guitar showcase), 'MPLSound' (a throwback to his '80s funk output), and 'Elixer' (a smooth contemporary R&B album featuring the breathy vocals of Bria Valente). Despite only being available online and through one big-box retailer, the set debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. A year later, another throwback-flavored effort, '20Ten', became his second U.K. newspaper giveaway. No official online edition of the album was made available.
From mid-2010 to the end of 2012, Prince toured throughout Europe, America, Europe again, Canada, and Australia. In 2013, he released several singles, starting with "Screwdriver" and continuing with "Breakfast Can Wait" in the summer of that year. Early in 2014, he made a cameo appearance on the Zooey Deschanel sitcom "The New Girl", appearing in the episode that aired following the Super Bowl. All this activity was a prelude to the spring announcement that Prince had re-signed to Warner Bros., the label he had feuded with 20 years prior. As part of the deal, he wound up receiving ownership of his master recordings, and the label planned a reissue campaign that would begin with an expanded release of 'Purple Rain' roughly timed to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
First came two new albums: 'Art Official Age' and 'PlectrumElectrum', the latter credited to 3rdEyeGirl, the all-female power trio that was his new-millennial backing band. Both records came out on the same day in September 2014. Almost a year to the day, he released 'HITnRUN: Phase One', with contributions from Lianne La Havas, Judith Hill, and Rita Ora. A sequel, 'HITnRUN: Phase Two', was released online in December 2015, with a physical release following in January 2016. Also in early 2016, Prince set out on a rare solo tour, a run of shows he called "Piano and a Microphone." The tour was cut short in April due to sickness, however, and Prince flew home to Minneapolis. On April 21, 2016, police were called to Paisley Park where they found Prince unresponsive; he died that day at the age of 57.
On June 2, 2016, Prince's death was ruled by the Anoka County's Midwest Medical Examiner's Office to be the result of an accidental overdose of fentanyl. His premature death and incredible achievements prompted an outpouring of emotion from fans, friends, influences, and professional associates. On the following week's Billboard charts, he occupied four of the Top Ten album positions and four of the top singles positions. As the particulars of his estate were sorted out by the courts -the singer didn't leave a will, which complicated matters- his Paisley Park complex was opened to the public in the autumn of 2016. That holiday season, NPG and Warner released '4Ever', a double-disc hits collection that contained the unreleased 1982 outtake "Moonbeam Levels." Upon its November 22, 2016 release, it debuted at 35 on Billboard's Top 200. The long-promised expanded reissue of 'Purple Rain' appeared in June of 2017, featuring a disc's worth of previously unreleased music from Prince's vaults. 'Anthology: 1995-2010', a double-disc compilation of highlights from Prince's latter-day recordings, appeared in August 2018 in conjunction with the digital re-release of his post-Warner catalog; it was part of a deal with Sony Legacy, which also masterminded physical reissues of these latter-day records in the subsequent years.
The archival 'Piano & A Microphone 1983' appeared in September 2018; it debuted at 11 in the U.S. and 12 in the U.K. The next major reissue was 'Originals', a collection of Prince's original versions of 15 songs he gave to other artists. Featuring his versions of "Manic Monday," "Nothing Compares 2 You," "Jungle Love," and "The Glamorous Life," 'Originals' arrived in June of 2019; it debuted at 15 in the U.S. and 21 in the U.K. A deluxe edition of '1999' -containing two discs of unreleased material from Prince's vault, a live show from 1982, and a disc of single variations- appeared later that November. In May 2020, Sony reissued all of the 2002 albums released under the "One Nite Alone" moniker as the box 'Up All Nite with Prince: The One Nite Alone Collection'. This set was overshadowed by the September release of a Super Deluxe edition of 'Sign 'o' the Times', which expanded the original double album with a wealth of unreleased studio recordings and live material.
'Welcome 2 America', the first completed, unreleased album culled from Prince's vaults, appeared in July 2021. The album was recorded in March 2010 prior to his Welcome 2 America Tour and featured bassist Tal Wilkenfeld and drummer Chris Coleman. It debuted at number four upon its release. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Ciudad Jardin was a Spanish pop band from Madrid, founded by Rodrigo De Lorenzo and Eugenio Haro Ibars (Alberto Haro's brother) in 1982. Rodrigo was guitarist from Ella y los Neumáticos and Eugenio played also guitar in Glutamato Ye-Ye.
They recorded an LP for Producciones Goldstein but when their distributor, Pancoca, went bankrupt the album got lost (it was finally edited in 1999 by Subterfuge Records). Finally they signed to Fonomusic and released their first LP 'Falso' (1985).
They got some success with "Emmanuelle Negra en el Valle de los Zombies", from their first album 'Falso', and with "Su Casa Es Suya", from the Mini-LP 'Dame Calidad' (1986). Line-up: Rodrigo de Lorenzo (guitar, vocals), Eugenio Haro (guitar, bass), Julián Hidalgo (drums). In 1987 Francisco Musulén (keyboards) and Luis Elices (guitar) joined the band.
Buenas Vibraciones was a strange and multitudinous band from Madrid formed by people like Patacho, Iñaki and Ramón Recio from Glutamato Ye-Ye; Poch (Derribos Arias), Pepe Aura, Fernando Caballero, Luís Jovellar (Sindicato Malone) or Ulises Montero. Together they recorded 'Paris Le Trip' (1983), their first album, psychedelic, crazed and self-defined as “zarzuela rock”. Corrosive and dilettantes, most of its members belonged to the "Hornadas Irritantes", and their humor is seen as something incomprehensible and unconnected.
Later in 1990, 'Volumen II', with the incorporation of José María Granados, the band gains in imaginative songs, lucid and humor, less dispersed and more skillful. In this recording they also count with Angel Altolaguirre, Pepa Ripoll and Tony Luz, and they reach their best moment, without forgetting the experimentation and the madness, they decide to make “songs”, mostly interpreted by José María Granados and infected with his heterodox sense of pop. As a promotional single for the album they choose 'En el Salón/Intenta Recordar'.
Both 'Volumen II' and 'Paris Le Trip', were recovered on a compact disc released in 1999 by Subterfuge, from their series "Canciones Desde La Tumba".
Buenas Vibraciones songs appear in several compilations; "No Tienes Ni Idea' in 'El Chico Más Pálido de la Playa de Gros' (Gasa, 1991), "A Reloj Parado" in 'Indisciplina. La Fábrica Magnética Collection 1988-92' (La Fábrica Magnética, 1992), "Colegas del Universo" in 'Corazón Loco. 40 Joyas Inencontrables del Pop Español' (Lollipop, 1996), "El Secuestro" in 'Grabaciones Encontradas 2' (Locomotive Records, 1997), "Colegas del Universo' and "Surfin Bowl" in 'Producciones Goldstein' (Subterfuge Records, 1997) or "Intenta Recordar" and "Esto Nunca Fue Mejor' in 'Hornadas Irritantes' (Lemuria Music, 2011). [SOURCE: GRUPOS NACIONALES NUEVA OLA 80]
Internal Autonomy were a Punk/Goth band from Frimley, heavily influenced by Black Easter, with the guitarist Al from Cyanide Scenario originally forming the band with others. In ’87 they released their first demo 'Song and Speech', followed the next year by 50 copies of the self-released C90 cassette 'The Cause of Liberty'. There were 13 tracks on the A-side; nothing was listed for the B-side, but it carried folk music and poetry.
In ’89 there were two releases: 'Capitalism on Sulphate' and the '4th Demo'. Early in ’90 came the 'Tired of Sleeping' compilation EP. This, along with the earlier releases led to interest from German label Recordrom Records who released 'Inquiry' in ’90 and the 7″ single 'Love & Life' in ’91. That same year an LP release on WoW Records titled 'Hear in Our Hearts', with title track written by Andy Martin (lyrics) and Music & Elsewhere‘s Mick Magic (music), was planned but never made it to fruition.
In ’92 the band were included on a number of compilations, including 'Agony of A Contaminated Society' and 'Mind Pollution'. The following year they changed their name to Automomex, but only after releasing the double EP 'Only You Have the Power' on the Profane Existence Records, the label for Dan Siskind’s DIY punk collective tat released anarcho-punk from bands throughout the world. 2010 saw the release on 'Discography' on Front Cover Productions, a 2xCD compilation of Internal Autonomy’s work.
From around 2013 some original members continued as Ferox / Feroxide, out of Neath, South Wales; where Alex Cable ran Raven Studios -which was moved from Camberley, where it was used by The Perfect Circles- until around 2018. [SOURCE: OUR SOUND SCENE]
Between 1978-80, the Rondos played 50 live shows. They released their records on their own independent label, King Kong Records, and together with three other bands (Rode Wig, Tändstickor Shocks, and Sovjets) formed the Rotterdam music collective “Red Rock,” with whom they shared gigs, equipment, and rehearsal space. Punk for the Rondos obviously meant more than “entertainment,” hence their slogan “Punk = Resistance.” Their independently published fanzine Raket (“Rocket”) quickly became the mouthpiece of many Dutch youth who turned their backs on consumerist society.
The Rondos operated from the house called Huize Schoonderloo, a building that they saved from demolition and turned into a living and working space. Here they operated a print shop, a rehearsal room, and the alternative bookshop “Raketbasis” (“Rocketbase”).
The Rondos gathered a fanatic and devoted following, but unhappy with the fact that this devotion threatened to turn them into punk heroes, which had nothing to do with their own idea of punk, the Rondos called it a day. [SOURCE: PM PRESS]
Lost Cherrees were formed in Sutton in 1979 by drummer Steve Battershill, guitarist Dave Greaves, and singer Siân Jeffreys. They recorded six tracks and released them on cassette as 'The Worst Demo Ever Recorded', which was split with the band Warning. In 1981, Greaves left the band and was replaced by Andy Rolfe, while Battershill switched to bass and new drummer Warren "Nuts" Samuels joined. This lineup recorded another demo in 1982, which was released on the Bluurg label.
The band's first proper gig was at the Swan pub in Kingston in July 1983 with the band Riot/Clone. The two bands starting working together regularly, leading to the first official Lost Cherrees single release, "No Fighting, No War, No Trouble, No More" on Riot/Clone's label in late 1983. John Peel became an unexpected supporter of the song, and it reached number 27 on the UK Independent Singles chart. Their next single, "A Man's Duty, A Woman's Place," from a five-track EP of the same title, was released in 1984 and reached number 8 on the UK Independent Singles chart.
The band made the news after a gig at the Surbiton Assembly Rooms, which ended in a pitched battle on the streets of Surbiton with the Special Patrol Group; the incident was reported as a riot in next day's national press. During this period, the band added keyboardist Gail Thibert and singer Beverly Cook-Abbott. Founding singer Siân Jeffreys announced her departure and the band recruited Debbie McKenna as her replacement. Jeffreys then decided to stay on and the band continued with an unconventional seven-member lineup with three female lead singers.
Lost Cherrees contributed two songs to the compilation 'Who? What? Why? When? Where?' in 1984. They also contributed a partially spoken-word track to the compilation 'We Don't Want Your Fucking War' in 1984. Their first full album, 'All Part of Growing Up', engineered by Mad Professor and Patrick Donegan, was released on Fight Back Records in 1985. The album reached number 9 on the UK Independent Albums chart. Jeffreys left the band shortly before the album's release and joined Blyth Power. Lost Cherrees attracted attention for pushing the boundaries of punk rock, with female singers, keyboards, and reggae elements. Their 1985 EP 'Unwanted Children' featured a horn section.
At a gig in Birmingham in 1986, singer Bev Cook-Abbott got into an argument with audience members over sexist comments and announced that this would be the last performance by Lost Cherrees, and the band agreed to break up due to disillusionment with their disappointing record sales. The band members participated in various other projects over the next 17 years. In 2003, Battershill learned that Lost Cherrees tracks were being traded on Napster and reformed the band with Cook-Abbott, Nuts, and Rolfe. They were unable to locate Jeffreys, Thibert, and McKenna, leaving Cook-Abbott as the only lead singer, though Rolfe soon took on additional vocal duties. This lineup began performing regularly in 2003 and were able to reestablish contact with the three missing members, who made occasional special appearances with the band onstage. In September 2003 Lost Cherrees played at the Gathering of the Thousands punk festival with many other bands from their original 1980s punk scene.
Also in 2003, the band released the compilation 'In the Beginning' as part of a project in which their early works were re-released. They released the five-track EP 'Another Bite of the Cherrees' in early 2004. While touring in 2004, Bev Cook-Abbott had to take time off due to vocal cord nodules and was temporarily replaced by Joey Hill. The studio album 'Free to Speak, But Not to Question' was released in early 2006 and was praised by AllMusic as "one of those so-rare examples of a band picking up precisely where they left off, and then astonishing every ear by proving that they lost absolutely nothing during their absence." [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
With the exception of Crass, no British anarcho-punk band was as celebrated (or as prolific) as Conflict. One of the most intense and passionate bands on the scene, Conflict played brutalist, no-frills punk rock with a tough, aggressive edge while their lyrics were furious broadsides against war and class division, and in support of anarchist principles and animal rights. Founded by vocalist Colin Jerwood, Conflict established their template on 1983's 'It's Time To See Who's Who', and though they experimented with relatively elaborate production and artful audio collages on 1986's 'The Ungovernable Force' and 1989's 'Against All Odds', their unapologetic attack ultimately changed little with the passage of time, as their musical ferocity walked hand in hand with their ideals.
Formed in the South London community of Eltham, the first edition of Conflict came together in 1981, featuring Colin Jerwood on lead vocals, Steve Gittins on guitar, John Clifford on bass, Pauline Beck on additional vocals, and Francisco "Paco" Carreno on drums. After making a name for themselves on London's underground punk scene, Conflict got a valuable endorsement when fellow anarchist punks Crass arranged for them to release their debut seven-inch, a four-song EP titled 'The House Than Man Built', through their Crass Records label. Crass's affiliated Corpus Christi imprint issued their 1983 EP 'To A Nation of Animal Lovers', focusing on the evils of experimentation on animals, which included guest vocals from Crass vocalist Steve Ignorant. Pauline Beck had dropped out of the band by the time Corpus Christi issued Conflict's first full-length album, 'It's Time To See Who's Who', and by the time their second LP, 'Increase the Pressure', appeared in shops in 1984, the band had started their own label, Mortarhate Records. In 1986, Conflict issued a pair of live albums -'From Protest to Resistance' was a self-released non-profit LP benefiting a fund to bail anarchist activists out of jail, and 'Only Stupid Bastards Help EMI', released by New Army Records. 1986 also saw Steve Ignorant of Crass join Conflict on stage, trading off vocals with Jerwood, and 1987's 'Turning Rebellion Into Money' was another live set, this one featuring Jerwood singing Conflict songs and Ignorant performing material from the Crass songbook. Ignorant would also appear on the 1988 studio album 'The Final Conflict'; by this point, Colin Jerwood and Francisco "Paco" Carreno were the only original members still in the band, as a variety of players moved in and out of the lineup.
1989's 'Against All Odds' was an unusual release, with the title track, over fourteen minutes in length, filling all of side one in its original vinyl edition, as five tracks of more conventional length appeared on the flip side. The prog rock influences that made themselves known on the epic-scale "Against All Odd" were also audible on 1993's 'Conclusion', a studio effort that found Conflict still in aggressive form while employing a more polished production, with heavy metal guitar textures. 1994's 'It's Time To See Who's Who Now' found the group taking a look back to their first album, re-recording twelve tracks from the debut. It would prove to be the last studio album of the 1990s from Conflict, though a steady flow of live releases and re-issues would keep fans occupied, and Jerwood and Carreno kept the band on the road, with the drummer also collaborating with the group Inner Terrestrials. American fans got a chance to catch up on their back catalog when the U.S. punk label Go-Kart Records struck a deal with Mortarhate Records to reissue most of Conflict's albums stateside. It wouldn't be until 2003 that Conflict would issue a fresh set of songs, 'There's No Power Without Control', which featured the controversial track "An Option," which was seen by some fans as calling for the U.K. to close its borders to Muslims, though others saw it as Jerwood assuming the voice of an unreliable narrator. It would prove to be Conflict's final studio set with Francisco "Paco" Carreno; he died on February 20, 2015. Jerwood continued to tour with various editions of Conflict in Carreno's last years, and continued to do so after he passed, though no new studio recordings emerged. In 2023, Cleopatra Records released 'The Serenade is Dead', a three-song vinyl seven-inch that included three classic Conflict tracks -"C.R.A.S.S.," "Might and Superior," and the title tune. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Von LMO (born Frankie Cavallo; March 10, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Cavallo has made various claims about his life and origins. At times, he has claimed to have been born in 1924 to Sicilian parents living in Brooklyn, at other times he has said that he is an extraterrestrial from the planet Strazar. Cavallo has cited Bill Haley & His Comets and Jerry Lee Lewis as being particularly inspirational for his music. In 1982, Cavallo moved to Long Island and married a woman with two children. In 1984, this marriage produced a son for Cavallo. Cavallo tried to live a simple home life on Long Island (which he referred to as "The Sticks"), but was haunted by the demons of his past, including his heroin addiction. His continued drug use and violent past, including growing up with a violent and abusive father, caused him to violently physically and emotionally abused this family for 10 years, before divorcing and returning to New York City.
In the 1990s, Cavallo collaborated with the San Francisco Bay Area bands Monoshock and OATS. Both were very short-lived.
In 2007, Cavallo was convicted of second-degree robbery, and sentenced to three and a half years. He was released from prison in 2010 and began performing with former collaborator Otto von Ruggins in Avant Duel, a space rock outfit based in Brooklyn, New York. Avant Duel debuted with 'Beyond Human' on March 10, 2012, marking Cavallo's first studio release in over fifteen years.
In 1994, Foetus released a cover of Cavallo's song "Outside of Time" on the single 'Vice Squad Dick'. Julian Cope is a notable admirer of Cavallo's music, which he has called a work of genius. He has written a rave review of the album 'Red Resistor' on his website. Suicide front-man Alan Vega described his admiration of Cavallo, writing "Red Transistor... Von LMO sang and played guitar and Rudolph Grey was on guitar or bass and it was total insanity. Von LMO was a nut, a great nut. I was afraid to be in the same room as him. One night they played at Max's and everyone was too afraid to sit up front as they smashed guitars and things were flying all over the place. I went into the front room in fear of my life and tried to get everyone to come with me. Nobody came with me because it was such an intense show." [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Velvet Crush is an American power pop band from Providence, Rhode Island, United States, that achieved prominence in indie-rock circles in the early- and mid-1990s. The band broke up in 1996 but re-formed in 1998 and have continued to record, releasing their most recent album in 2004. Vocalist/bassist Paul Chastain and drummer Ric Menck are the band's core members, having previously worked together as Choo Choo Train, Bag-O-Shells, and The Springfields, and they share singing and songwriting duties. Guitarist Jeffrey Underhill (of Honeybunch) played on the band's first three albums, 'In the Presence of Greatness', 'Teenage Symphonies to God', and 'Heavy Changes'. 'In the Presence of Greatness' was produced by Matthew Sweet, while the second and third albums were produced by Mitch Easter.
Chastain had recorded in the mid-1980s as a solo artist and as a member of Nines and The Stupid Cupids, while Menck had been a member of The Reverbs and The Paint Set. The long association between Chastain and Menck began in 1987 with the indie pop band Choo Choo Train, who released two singles and an EP and were signed to the British indie label The Subway Organization. The duo also recorded for Sarah Records as The Springfields, and for Bus Stop as Bag-O-Shells. Both had been based in Chicago, but they relocated to Rhode Island around this time. Opting for a more rock-oriented power pop sound, the duo formed Velvet Crush in 1989, with Jeffery Borchardt of Honeybunch. After three singles on Bus Stop Records, the band released a cover version of Teenage Fanclub's "Everything Flows", as an extra track on the CD Single of 'Ash & Earth', on Seminal Twang, run by David Barker of Glass Records, who was in charge of the Paperhouse label for Fire Records at this time. Paperhouse were keen to release the first Velvet Crush LP, but they chose to sign to Creation Records in the UK, who issued the band's debut album, 'In the Presence of Greatness', in 1991. The band stayed with Creation for a second album, 'Teenage Symphonies to God', released in 1994 (on Sony Records in the US). The group members spent the next few years acting as Stephen Duffy's backing band, recording two albums with the singer. Velvet Crush returned in 1997 with the 'Heavy Changes' album, now on the Action Musik label. Another album, 'Free Expression', followed in 1999, by which time the band was reduced to a duo of Chastain and Menck. 'Soft Sounds' followed in 2002, and 'Stereo Blues' in 2004.
In 2015 David Barker revived his Glass Records label, and reissued 'In the Presence of Greatness' on vinyl in October 2018 on the Glass Modern imprint. In July 2019 Menck and Chastain reunited with Underhill and added Jason-Victor on lead guitar for a mini-reunion tour of New England. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
Suede kick-started the Brit-pop revolution of the 1990s, reviving the romance and drama of glammy guitar rock for an era that got mired in the swirling neo-psychedelia of shoegaze and Madchester. Despite their enormous influence, Suede always seemed to exist on the margins of Brit-pop, never indulging in the laddish behavior that wound up defining the scene by the mid-'90s. Part of this was due to a matter of taste: Suede didn't favor the brightly colored sounds of the swinging '60s, they preferred the seedy, arty styles of proto- and post-punk. It proved to be the foundation for an enduring career, yet after the release of their eponymous debut in 1993, Brit-pop soon became defined by boisterous hooks and lager-swilling loud guitars, and the group was ill-equipped to combat the shifting tides due to a rift between their vocalist Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler. Butler left during the recording of 1994's 'Dog Man Star', a weighty double-album that emphasized the gothic undertones in Suede's work. Continuing with guitarist Richard Oakes, Suede swapped gloom for "Trash," creating a fizzy spin on glam for 'Coming Up', their biggest hit album of the '90s. The group followed in that direction for two more albums before splitting, only to reunite a decade later with 'Bloodsports', an effort that touched upon the highs of 'Suede' and 'Dog Man Star'. The reunited Suede turned into an institution as they found new ways to spin their signature sound on such albums as 2022's 'Autofiction'.
Through all of Suede's history, vocalist/lyricist Brett Anderson and bassist Mat Osman remained at the band's core. The son of a cabdriver, Anderson formed the Smiths-inspired Geoff in 1985 with his schoolmate Osman and drummer Danny Wilder.Anderson was the group's guitarist; Gareth Perry was the band's vocalist. Geoff recorded two demos before splitting up in 1986, as Anderson and Osman left to attend university in London. A few years later, the pair formed Suave & Elegant, which lasted only a few months. By the end of 1989, the pair had placed an advertisement in New Musical Express, asking for a "non-muso" guitarist. Bernard Butler responded, and the trio began recording songs, primarily written by Anderson and Butler, with the support of a drum machine. Taking the name Suede after Morrissey's "Suedehead" single, the trio sent a demo tape, 'Specially Suede', to compete in Demo Clash, a radio show on GLR run by DJ Gary Crowley. "Wonderful Sometimes" won Demo Clash for five Sundays in a row in 1990, leading to a record contract with the Brighton-based indie label RML. By the time the band signed with RML, Anderson's girlfriend, Justine Frischmann, had joined as a second guitarist.
Suede placed an advertisement for a drummer, and former Smiths member Mike Joyce responded. Joyce appeared on the group's debut single for RML, "Be My God"/"Art." Scheduled to be released on a 12" in the fall of 1990, the single was scrapped shortly before its release due to a fight between the band and the label. Throughout 1991, the group rehearsed and recorded demos, eventually adding drummer Simon Gilbert.Frischmann left Suede in early 1992 to form Elastica; she was not replaced. A few months later, Suede signed a two-single deal with the indie label Nude Records. Shortly afterward, the band appeared on the cover of Melody Maker, without having released any material. The weekly newspaper declared them the Best New Band in Britain.
"The Drowners," the band's first single, appeared shortly after the Melody Maker cover, and it became a moderate hit, debuting at number 49 to strong reviews and word of mouth. "Metal Mickey," released in the fall, became their breakthrough hit, reaching number 17 on the U.K. charts after a suggestive, controversial performance on Top of the Pops. Anderson soon became notorious for causing controversy, and his infamous comment that he was "a bisexual man who never had a homosexual experience" was indicative of how the group both courted controversy and a sexually ambiguous, alienated audience.
A short tour before the spring release of their eponymous debut album was very successful, setting the stage for "Animal Nitrate" debuting at number seven. Shortly afterward, 'Suede' entered the charts at number one, registering the biggest initial sales of a debut since Frankie Goes to Hollywood's 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome'. By the summer, Suede had become the most popular band in Britain -winning the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for Best Album that fall- and they attempted to make headway into the United States. Their progress was halted when Butler's father died that fall, forcing the cancellation of their second tour; they had already begun to be upstaged by their opening act, The Cranberries, who received the support from MTV that Suede lacked. Shortly afterward, the band was forced to change its name to The London Suede in America, due to a lawsuit from an obscure lounge singer performing under the name Suede.
Tensions had begun to develop between Bernard Butler and the rest of the band during the group's 1993 tours, and they peaked when they reentered the studio to record a new single in late 1993. Butler conceived the song "Stay Together" as a sweeping epic partially in tribute to his father, and while it was a success upon its February 1994 release, debuting at number three, the recording was not easy. As they were working on Suede's second album, Anderson and Butler began to fight frequently, with the guitarist claiming in a rare interview that the singer worked too slowly and that his partner was too concerned with rock stardom, often at the expense of the music. Butler left the band toward the end of the sessions for the second album, and the group finished the record with Anderson playing guitar. Bernard's departure launched a flurry of speculation about Suede's future, and 'Dog Man Star' didn't answer any of those questions. The grandiose, ambitious, and heavily orchestrated 'Dog Man Star' was greeted with enthusiastic reviews but muted commercial response. As Suede were working on their second album, their remarkable commercial success was eclipsed by that of Blur and Oasis, whose lighter, more accessible music brought both groups blockbuster success in the wake of Suede.
While 'Dog Man Star' sold nearly as well as 'Suede', the impression in the press was that the group was rapidly falling apart, and the band didn't help matters when Butler was replaced by Richard Oakes, a 17-year-old amateur guitarist, in September. Suede embarked on a long, grueling international tour in late 1994 and the spring of 1995, before disappearing to work on their third album. In the interim, Butler had a Top Ten single with vocalist David McAlmont, and Gilbert, the only gay member of Suede, was attacked in a hate crime in the fall. At a fan club gig in January of 1996, Suede debuted several new songs, as well as their new keyboardist, Neil Codling, Gilbert's cousin. The group returned as a five-piece in September of 1996 with 'Coming Up'. A lighter, more band-oriented affair than either of Suede's two previous albums, 'Coming Up' was an unexpected hit, entering the charts at number one and generating a remarkable string of five Top Ten hits -"Trash," "Beautiful Ones," "Saturday Night," "Lazy," and "Filmstar." 'Coming Up' was a hit throughout Europe, Canada, and Asia, but it wasn't released in the U.S. until the spring of 1997.
'Coming Up' never did win an audience in America, partially because it appeared nearly a year after its initial release and partially because Suede only supported it with a three-city tour. Nevertheless, the record was their most successful release to date, setting expectations high for the follow-up. Upon their return to the studio in the fall of 1998, Suede decided to ditch their longtime producer, Ed Buller, choosing to work with Steve Osborne, who had previously produced New Order and Happy Mondays. The resulting album, 'Head Music', was released in May of 1999; an American release followed in June. Featuring heavy use of analog synthesizers and drum machines, 'Head Music' divided opinion among hardcore Suede fans, who preferred the band's more guitar-centric approach. However, the production changes were largely aesthetic, and the band still delivered plenty of anthemic glitter rock glitz with songs like "Electricity," "Can't Get Enough," and "She's in Fashion."
Around 2001, Suede found themselves at a career crossroads. Keyboardist Codling, who had contributed greatly to the writing on 'Head Music', left the band and was replaced by Strangelove's Alex Lee. Adding to the sense of change, the band's label, Nude Records, went bankrupt and Suede were left at the mercy of their parent label, Sony. Also around this time, Anderson, having struggled with drug addiction (he later admitted to being a crack addict), finally decided to get clean. Despite these upheavals, by 2003 Suede had finished their fifth studio album, the Stephen Street-produced 'A New Morning'. Unfortunately, public interest in Suede, not to mention the Brit-pop sound, had faded by the early 2000s and the album sold poorly. Several concerts followed in support of the band's 2003 compilation, 'Singles', but by October, Suede had announced they would not be releasing any new music in the foreseeable future. They played their final concert at the London Astoria on December 13, 2003, before going on indefinite hiatus. Following the break, Anderson did the previously unthinkable and reunited with original Suede guitarist Bernard Butler under the name The Tears. The duo released a well-received 2005 album, 'Here Come the Tears'. Also during the hiatus, Anderson recorded four low-key solo albums with 2007's 'Brett Anderson', 2008's 'Wilderness', 2009's 'Slow Attack', and 2011's 'Black Rainbows'.
Finally, in 2010, with Codling back on board, Suede reunited for several live shows beginning with a performance at the Teenage Cancer Trust show at Royal Albert Hall on March 24. This led to more shows, including a tour promoting the compilation album 'The Best of Suede'. By 2011, the band had begun performing new songs live, and in 2012, Suede announced they were in the studio working on a new album with producer Ed Buller, who had produced the band's first three albums. In 2013, Suede released their sixth studio album and first album of all-original material since 2003, 'Bloodsports'. Suede debuted several of the 'Bloodsports' tracks online, including "Barriers" and "It Starts and Ends with You." The release featured a more mature perspective from Anderson, and a sound that harked back to the grand guitar pop of Suede's early work. After playing anniversary concerts celebrating 'Dog Man Star' in 2014, Suede returned to the studio to make their seventh studio album. In September 2015, they announced the impending release of 'Night Thoughts'. A dark, majestic album that recalled 'Dog Man Star', 'Night Thoughts' saw release in late January 2016, debuting at six on the U.K. charts. Later that year, the band released a super deluxe 20th anniversary edition of 'Coming Up'. The band spent 2017 in the studio writing and recording their eighth LP. The record -titled 'The Blue Hour'- marked the first effort collaboration with producer Alan Moulder (The Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails) and arrived in September 2018. 'The Blue Hour' debuted at five in the U.K., their best chart position since 'Head Music' in 1999. Also In 2018, the band was the subject of a documentary called "Suede: The Insatiable Ones", which was directed by Mike Christie.
Suede returned in September 2022 with 'Autofiction', an edgy, post-punk-inspired album produced by Ed Buller. 'Autofiction' debuted at number two on the U.K. charts and the group supported it with a co-headlining tour of North America with The Manic Street Preachers. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
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]
