Jamie Wednesday were a British 1980s jangle pop band, formed in Streatham, South London in 1984,that released eight songs on two records between 1985 and 1986. Previously they had been called The Ballpoints, and then they became Peter Pan's Playground, later deciding on the name Jamie Wednesday.
The band consisted of:
James Morrison (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Fruitbat (bass guitar, backing vocals), Dean Leggett (drums and percussion), Lindsey Lowe (trumpet), and Simon Henry (saxophone). Ray Buckley may also have played drums for Jamie Wednesday, prior to joining British soul band, Buddy Curtess and the Grasshoppers.
Jamie Wednesday recorded and released two EPs, and contributed to two compilations on the Pink Records label, but they never sold well and the band remained virtually unknown. Jamie Wednesday are indirectly responsible for the name of the band Pop Will Eat Itself, when an article about Jamie Wednesday in the NME, written by David Quantick, mentioned that pop music is ever-recycling its ideas and that eventually, 'pop will eat itself'.
Jamie Wednesday split up in 1987 just before a scheduled appearance at an opening gig. James Morrison and Leslie Carter stuck together and filled in for that gig. Thus Carter USM was born, with Morrison and Carter becoming Jim Bob and Fruitbat respectively. Drummer Leggett subsequently joined BOB. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
La Gran Curva was a band from Madrid part of the so-called «sinister wave» (dark wave) scene and later synth pop, founded in 1984 and dissolved in 1987.
La Gran Curva takes its name from the Talking Heads song "The Great Curve", from their album 'Remain in Light'. The band was formed by Belén L. Celada, Juan José Suárez and Julián Sanz Escalona. Produced by Servando Carballar, leader of Aviador Dro, they released all their records in DRO, and recorded in the Duplimatic studio in Madrid.
An agreeable dance outfit with ties to industrial music, techno, and funk plus an equally appreciable pop sense, Information Society hit the dance clubs and later the charts with their infectious breakout single, 1988's "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)". The group, a quartet formed in Minneapolis by James Cassidy, Paul Robb, Kurt Harland (aka Kurt Valaquen), and Amanda Kramer, signed to Tommy Boy Records a few years later and recorded a self-titled album. The single "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)," propelled by a Leonard Nimoy sample and Valaquen's smooth, assured vocals, became a club hit and eventually landed at number three in the pop charts. Later that year, "Walking Away" hit the Top Ten as well, and the album reached gold-certified status. Kramer left soon after, however, to record with the Golden Palominos, 10,000 Maniacs, and also on her own. Information Society's sophomore album, similar to not-so-famous follow-ups by dance-popsters EMF and Jesus Jones, was more than competent but mostly ignored by critics who had pegged them as one-hit wonders. Several singles managed shallow chart exposure, but after the third album (1994's 'Peace & Love, Inc.'), both Robb and Cassidy exited. Harland continued on, signing with the Cleopatra label and releasing the industrial-tinged 'Don't Be Afraid' in 1997 along with the remix album 'InSoc Recombinant' in 1999. Harland then moved onto a career in video game music, working for publishers like Crystal Dynamics and Electronic Arts. Little Information Society activity happened until the group was featured on an episode of VH1's Bands Reunited in 2004, but Kurt was a holdout. Amanda Kramer moved on to join The Psychedelic Furs. A couple of shows with Harland, Cassidy, and Robb took place in 2005 before Harland left the band; although he remained a silent fourth member, he gave a 2006 lineup with vocalist Christopher Anton his blessing. This lineup was responsible for the 2007 album 'Synthesizer', but Anton was out by the end of 2009 and Harland returned soon after. The band released '_Hello World' in 2014 on Robb's Hakatak label and supported the album with a world tour. In 2016, the all-covers album 'Orders of Magnitude' arrived with songs originally performed by Human League ("Don't You Want Me"), Devo ("Beautiful World"), and The Sisters of Mercy ("Dominion"). [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
The Hollow Men were a British alternative band from Leeds that caused a stir on the alternative music scene in Manchester during the mid to late '80s. Comprising frontman David Ashmoore, rhythm guitarist Choque, lead guitarist Brian E. Roberts, bass guitarist Howard Taylor, and drummer Jonny Cragg, the group made their name on the gig circuit by combining the lucid, psychedelic rock sound of the '60s with the upbeat, rhythmic aspects of acid house. Naming themselves after the poem by T.S. Eliot, the project initially began as a two-piece in 1985 with Ashmoore and Choque putting out their debut release, the single 'Late Flowering Lust' on their own label, Evensong. They were eventually joined by Taylor on bass duties for their debut album, 'Tales of the Riverbank'. The album was released through Evensong along with their follow-up, 'The Man Who Would Be King', which featured Cragg and Roberts, thus completing the line-up. After a number of live performances, the ensemble began to create a buzz on the live music scene and were eventually signed to Arista Records in 1988. Arista put out their single, 'White Train' which was effectively a remix of one the tracks that originally appeared on 'The Man Who Would Be King'.
The band continued to perform around the country, and became known for their distinct live image and their penchant for decorating the stage with tree props, akin to the ones that appeared on the popular children’s television show, "The Magic Roundabout". Successful gigs eventually led to them touring in support of acts such as The Wonder Stuff, Ghost Dance and the Stone Roses. The band released their third album 'Cresta' through Arista Records in 1990. Unfortunately, it was the only release on Arista as they disbanded the following year. However the album did well on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching the Top Ten in the U.S. college radio charts and receiving critical praise throughout the U.K. The group’s tunes did not go unheard however, and a compilation entitled 'Twisted' was released through November Records in 1994. The record was made up of previously unreleased tracks, demo recordings, and rare live cuts. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
One of the earliest of the Midwest's hardcore bands, Lansing, MI's The Fix played ferocious music at a recklessly fast speed, literally burning through the arc of a band from birth to crash in just 22 months. Consisting of guitarist Craig Calvert, singer Steve Miller, drummer Jeff Wellman, and bassist Mike Achtenberg, The Fix conceptually began after Steve and Mike caught sets by The Stranglers and the Ramones within a few weeks of each other at Dooley's in Lansing. The actual band officially formed in 1980 with the arrival of Calvert and Wellman. The Fix's furious shows made them favorites on the D.I.Y. hardcore circuit, and they caught the attention of Touch and Go's Tesco Vee, who issued a Fix 7" early in 1981, 'Vengeance / In This Town', and a second 7", 'Jan's Rooms', at the end of the year. The violently fast hurricane that was The Fix finally played itself out, however, in San Francisco on New Year's Day 1982, when the band decided to call it quits. 'At the Speed of Twisted Thought...', a full-length CD made up of the band's singles, demos, and a generous set of live tracks (making it essentially the complete recorded legacy of The Fix), was issued in 2006 by Touch and Go Records. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Regarded as one-hit wonders in America, the Eurogliders actually had a longer and more successful career in their homeland. Formed in 1980 in Perth, West Australia, the Eurogliders consisted of six members: Grace Knight (vocals), Crispin Akerman (guitars), Bernie Lynch (guitars), Amanda Vincent (keyboards), Geoff Rosenberg (bass), and John Bennetts (drums). As a teenager, Knight used to perform in folk clubs. Searching for a career boost, she traveled to Australia where she met Lynch, a friend of her sister's. As Knight developed her vocal style, Lynch began assembling the pieces for a band. In 1982, the Eurogliders released their first album, 'Pink Suit Blue Day', but it did not sell well. However, "Heaven," the autumnal single from 1984's 'This Island', was a worldwide smash; it provided the group's only U.S. airplay. Unable to duplicate that success, the Eurogliders broke up in 1989. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Following the 1982 dissolution of Japan, the group's onetime frontman David Sylvian staked out a far-ranging and esoteric career that encompassed not only solo projects but also a series of fascinating collaborative efforts and forays into filmmaking, photography, and modern art. Born David Batt in Kent, England, on February 23, 1958, Sylvian formed Japan in 1974 and served as primary singer / songwriter throughout the group's eight-year existence. Just prior to Japan's breakup, Sylvian began working with composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, with whom he released the single "Bamboo Houses" in 1982, marking the beginning of a longstanding musical relationship.
After 1983's "Forbidden Colours," another joint effort with Sakamoto composed for the film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", Sylvian released his 1984 solo debut, 'Brilliant Trees'. The first step in his music's evolution from Japan's post-glam synth pop into richly textured, poetic ambience, the album featured contributions from Sakamoto as well as Jon Hassell and Can alumnus Holger Czukay. That year, Sylvian also published his first book of photographs, "Perspectives: Polaroids 82/84"; in 1985, he released "Preparations for a Journey", a documentary filmed in and around Tokyo, as well as the EP 'Words with the Shaman'.
'Gone to Earth', an ambitious double LP recorded with assistance from Robert Fripp and Bill Nelson, followed in 1986, while 1987 marked the release not only of the beautiful 'Secrets of the Beehive' album but also the book collection "Trophies: The Lyrics of David Sylvian". At the same time, he began composing the score for modern dancer Gaby Abis' "Kin", which premiered at London's Almeida Theater that September; another collaboration with Abis, "Don't Trash My Altar, Don't Alter My Trash", bowed in November 1988. Also in 1988, Sylvian reunited with Holger Czukay for the instrumental LP 'Plight and Premonition'; the duo re-teamed in 1989 for 'Flux + Mutability'. "Ember Glance: The Permanence of Memory", an installation of sculpture, sound, and light created by Sylvian and Russell Mills, was staged in Tokyo Bay, Shinagawa, in 1990; a year later, he and the other members of Japan, who had briefly reunited under the name Rain Tree Crow, issued a self-titled album.
In 1994, Sylvian emerged in tandem with Robert Fripp for both an album, 'The First Day', and "Redemption", another sound-and-image installation exhibited in Japan. The superb 'Dead Bees on a Cake' followed in 1999; 'Approaching Silence', a collection of instrumental material, appeared later that fall. In fall 2000 Sylvian returned with the double-disc 'Everything and Nothing', which made for an excellent introduction to some of Sylvian's projects that had finally taken shape after the composition completion, financial settlements, and time constraints throughout his solo career. He reappeared in 2003 with 'Blemish', an unsettling disc of new material featuring appearances by avant guitar legend Derek Bailey and electronica experimentalist Christian Fennesz. It took six long years for Sylvian to record a follow-up to 'Blemish', but he did so with 'Manafon' in 2009. Fennesz appeared on the set, as did vanguard musicians Evan Parker, John Tilbury, Otomo Yoshihide, Polwechsel, and Keith Rowe.
In 2010, Sylvian's Samadhisound imprint released 'Sleepwalkers', a 16-track compilation of his collaborations from the 2000s, including his Nine Horses project and 'World Citizen' with Sakamoto. It also included one new song, "Five Lines", a collaboration with Dai Fujikura. In 2011, Sylvian released 'Died in the Wool (MANAFON Variations)'. It featured reworkings -more than remixes- of some tracks from 'Manafon', and included six new cuts. The work was done in collaboration with Fujikura, Fennesz, and producers Jan Bang and Erik Honoré, among others. Two tracks were actually musical versions of two poems by Emily Dickinson, "I Should Not Dare" and "A Certain Slant of Light". The double digipack also included the CD for Sylvian's audio installation, "When We Return You Won’t Recognize Us". In 2012 he, Sidsel Endresen, and Arve Henriksen were featured contributors to Jan Bang's and Erik Honore's 'Uncommon Deities'. The same year he and Stephan Mathieu recorded the duo album 'Wandermüde'.
Back in 2011, Sylvian was taken with American poet Franz Wright's collection "Kindertotenwald", and while touring with Christian Fennesz, began composing and remixing ideas related to it on a laptop. He approached Wright about a collaboration, and the poet agreed. In the fall of 2013, Sylvian spent time with Wright, recording him reading from his work. A short while later, he began to assemble the earlier sound ideas, newly composed ones, and those readings in a long-form work. He was aided by Fennesz, pianist John Tilbury, Otomo Yoshihide, and Toshimaru Nakamura. The finished piece, 'There's a Light That Enters Houses with No Other House in Sight', was issued by Samadhisound in the fall of 2014. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Raleigh, North Carolina-based jangle pop outfit The Connells formed in the spring of 1984. Fronted by guitarist Mike Connell and his brother, bassist David, the first incarnation of the group also featured vocalist Doug McMillan and drummer John Schultz, who was soon replaced by former Johnny Quest percussionist Peele Wimberley. In late 1984, the quartet recorded a four-song demo. After one of the tracks, "Darker Days", was selected to appear on the North Carolina compilation 'More Mondo', The Connells' ranks expanded with the addition of singer / guitarist George Huntley, who made his debut on a March 1985 session co-produced by Don Dixon.
With the help of the band's friend Ed Morgan, the resulting demo made its way to the offices of the British label Demon, which agreed to fund the recording of additional tracks to complete a full-length LP. 'Darker Days' was released in Europe by Demon in 1985, and when Morgan returned to the U.S., he formed his own label, Black Park, to issue the album domestically. After the low-budget videos for the tracks "Seven" and "Hats Off" garnered MTV airplay, The Connells won a contract with the TVT label prior to entering producer Mitch Easter's Drive-In Studios to record 1987's brooding, more assured 'Boylan Heights', which featured the superb single "Scotty's Lament".
The edgier 'Fun and Games' followed in 1989, and a year later the group resurfaced with 'One Simple Word', scoring an alternative radio hit with the single "Stone Cold Yesterday". After a three-year tour that saw The Connells add keyboardist Steve Potak to their lineup in 1991, they finally returned to the studio to begin work on 1993's 'Ring', highlighted by the singles "Slackjawed" and "74-75", a major hit throughout Europe. After another three-year hiatus, The Connells issued 1996's 'Weird Food & Devastation', released concurrently with Huntley's solo debut, 'Brain Junk'. The group returned in 1998 with 'Still Life', and after ending their relationship with the TVT label, self-released 'Old-School Dropouts' in 2001 on Black Park Records. In 2010, the band's catalog was acquired by Bicycle Music Company, which issued the albums digitally. Four years later, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary with a live show in Raleigh. In 2016, the anthology 'Stone Cold Yesterday: The Best of The Connells' appeared on Bicycle Music Company. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Formed in Lansing, MI in 1982, The Crucifucks were a punk rock band led by frontman and lyricist Doc Corbin Dart. One of the most intensely cynical groups to arise during the Reagan era, The Crucifucks' brand of establishment hating rhetoric would score them a deal with fellow anti-establishment figure Jello Biafra and his label, Alternative Tentacles. Their debut, a self-titled affair, was released in 1985. Featuring Dart on vocals, Gus Varner on guitar, Marc H. on bass, and future Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley hitting the skins, Crucifucks featured some of the more volatile political punk rock of the time, including the tracks "Hinckley Had a Vision" and "Cops for Fertilizer." The follow-up, 1987's 'Wisconsin', showed some development musically, but would be the last new Crucifucks record for nearly a decade. In the meantime, Dart recorded two solo records, 1990s 'Patricia' for Alternative Tentacles, and a cassette-only self-release titled 'Black Tuesday' in 1991. 1992 would see Alternative Tentacles release a CD compilation of The Crucifucks' first two LPs, under the title 'Our Will Be Done'. The collection would cause a furor four years later when a Philadelphia police organization discovered that the band and the label had used a staged, public relations photo of a slain police officer. The photo, an attempt at garnering wage concessions from the Philadelphia city government, and featured on the back cover of the CD, would land The Crucifucks and Alternative Tentacles in court for copyright violation. Some sources reported that the band and label lost the case, while others have reported that the suit was dismissed. Either way, the band -Doc Corbin Dart, more correctly- was re-energized by the affair, and released their third full-length, 'L.D. Eye' in 1996. The album featured the -at the time, anyway- core of The Crucifucks, Dart and drummer Steve Merchant, alongside bassist Dave Breher and guitarist Nat Warren. 1998 saw the band re-form to play the Alternative Tentacles 20th anniversary celebration at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. [SOURCE: ALLMUSIC]
Crucifix was founded in 1980 and fronted by Cambodian-born singer Sothira Pheng, whose family had fled the country when the brutal Khmer Rouge seized power. The band's self-titled EP debuted on Universal Records of Berkeley in '81 and was followed by the 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' single on the band's own Freak Records in 1982. The band's debut full-length 'Dehumanization' on Corpus Christi Records (an offshoot of Crass Records) is also widely considered to be their definitive work and a cornerstone of political punk. The band split up after a lengthy tour of US / Canada / Europe on July 13, 1984. A posthumous compilation album of singles and live tracks entitled 'Exhibit A' was released on Kustomized Records in 1997.
Matt Borruso and Christopher Douglas later reemerged in Loudspeaker, a New York–based noise rock group. The band included guitarist Kurt Wolf (of Pussy Galore), bassist Jens Jürgensen (of Boss Hog) and later bassist Charles Hanson (of The Normals and Chrome Cranks). Christopher Douglas was later replaced by Martin Köb (Circle X, Dustdevils, Drunk Tank, Wall Drug) on drums. They released several recordings between 1990 and 1996.
Sothira Pheng (bass and vocals) and Jimmy Crucifix (guitar) now play with Proudflesh, a San Francisco-based "Hard Punk Rock 'n' Roll". Proudflesh released their first album in March 2006 on Wired Gnome Records. Vocal samples from "Annihilation", the opening track of the 'Dehumanization' LP, were used by Orbital on the song "Choice". "Annihilation" was recorded in 2004 by A Perfect Circle for their third LP, 'eMOTIVe'; Sepultura also covered it as a bonus track on the album 'Nation' (2001). [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]
