Although there are countless groups who have released a couple of albums and then disappeared into the shadowy recesses of pop culture trivia, Liverpool's Wild Swans deserved a slightly better fate. Led by former Teardrop Explodes organist Paul Simpson, the group's pair of discs attracted little attention on either side of the Atlantic when released, yet stand up favorably, in retrospect, to the group's better-known contemporaries.
It took Wild Swans a while to get off the ground; an early lineup disbanded in the early '80s after recording a single for the Zoo label, but the band reconvened a few years later and released an official debut, Bringing Home The Ashes, in 1988. Although its most striking attribute was Simpson's vocal similarity to OMD's Andy McCluskey, the disc was filled with handsome, well-crafted guitar pop that gained a bit of color from splashes of organ and piano, and even made an occasional overture toward the dance floor. Simpson and bassist Joe Fearon made a far stronger impression with their 1990 follow-up, however, recruiting outstanding drummer Chris Sharrock and guitarist/vocalist Ian MacNabb from the Icicle Works, as well as that group's producer, Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie. Powered by Sharrock's rock-solid timekeeping, Space Flower touched on mild funk ("Melting Blue Delicious"), psychedelic-tinged rock ("Tangerine Temple") and hummable, chiming pop ("Butterfly Girl;" the Smiths "Immaculate"), while Broudie glazed each of the album's 10 tracks with a likable, confident sheen.
That was the last transmission from the group, who exist now as a mere footnote to late-'80s pop. But those who bother to read the fine print and stumble onto Wild Swans may be in for a pleasant surprise indeed.
Bringing Home The Ashes
1988
THE WILD SWANS Jeremy Kelly, Joseph Fearon, Paul Simpson
[Enjoy]
Track listing
Young Manhood Bible Dreams Bitterness Archangels Northern England Whirlpool Heart Bringing Home The Ashes Mythical Beast Now And Forever Worst Year Of My Life Enchanted (Updated)
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of vocalistIan McCulloch, guitaristWill Sergeant and bass playerLes Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut album, Crocodiles, met with critical acclaim and made the UK Top 20. Their second album, Heaven Up Here (1981), again found favour with the critics and reached number 10 in the UK Album chart. The band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the mid-1980s, as they scored a UK Top 10 hit with "The Cutter", and the attendant album, Porcupine (1983), reached number 2 in the UK. Their next release, Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success, and has since been regarded as their landmark release, spawning the hit singles "The Killing Moon", "Silver" and "Seven Seas". One more studio album, Echo & the Bunnymen (1987), was released before McCulloch left the band to pursue a solo career in 1988. The following year, de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident, and the band re-emerged with a new line-up. Original members Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson were joined by Noel Burke as lead singer, Damon Reece on drums and Jake Brockman on keyboards. This new incarnation of the band released Reverberation in 1990, but the disappointing critical and commercial reaction it received culminated with a complete split in 1992.
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After working together as Electrafixion, McCulloch and Sergeant regrouped with Pattinson in 1997 and returned as Echo & the Bunnymen with the UK Top 10 hit "Nothing Lasts Forever". An album of new material, Evergreen, was greeted enthusiastically by critics and the band made a successful return to the live arena. Though Pattinson left the group for a second time, McCulloch and Sergeant have continued to issue new material as Echo & the Bunnymen, including the albums What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001) and Siberia (2005). The band are scheduled to release a new album, The Fountain, in 2009.
Early years
Ian McCulloch began his career in 1977, as one third of the Crucial Three, a bedroom band which also featured Julian Cope and Pete Wylie. When Wylie left, McCulloch and Cope formed the short-lived A Shallow Madness with drummer Dave Pickett and organist Paul Simpson, during which time such songs as "Read It In Books", "Robert Mitchum", "You Think It's Love" and "Spacehopper" were written by the pair. When Cope sacked McCulloch from the band, A Shallow Madness changed their name to The Teardrop Explodes, and McCulloch joined forces with guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson to form Echo & the Bunnymen. This early incarnation of the band featured a drum machine, assumed by many to be "Echo", though this has been refuted by the band. In the 1982 book Liverpool Explodes!, Will Sergeant explained the origin of the band's name:
We had this mate who kept suggesting all these names like The Daz Men or Glisserol and the Fan Extractors. Echo and the Bunnymen was one of them. I thought it was just as stupid as the rest.
In November 1978, Echo & the Bunnymen made their debut at Liverpool's Eric's Club, appearing as the opening act for The Teardrop Explodes.
Echo & the Bunnymen's debut single "The Pictures on My Wall" was released on Bill Drummond's Zoo Records in May 1979, the B-side being the McCulloch/Cope collaboration "Read It in Books" (also recorded by The Teardrop Explodes approximately six months later as the B-side of their final Zoo Records single "Treason"). McCulloch has subsequently denied that Cope had any involvement with the writing of this song on more than one occasion.
By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles, the drum machine had been replaced by Trinidad-born Pete de Freitas. The lead single, "Rescue", climbed to UK #62 and the album broke into the Top 20 at #17, following critical acclaim. Their next album, Heaven Up Here (1981), was an even bigger critical and commercial success, reaching the UK Top Ten (#10), although a single lifted from the album, "A Promise", could only reach UK #49.
Mainstream success
In June 1982, the Bunnymen achieved their first significant UK hit single with "The Back of Love" (#19). This was followed in early 1983 with their first Top 10, the more radio-friendly "The Cutter", which climbed to #8. The parent album, Porcupine, hit #2 in the album chart. Now firmly established as a chart act, further hits followed with a one-off single, "Never Stop" (#15), and "The Killing Moon", a preview from the new album featuring a dramatic McCulloch vocal, which became the band's second UK Top 10 single at #9.
Following a PR campaign which proclaimed it "the greatest album ever made",1984's Ocean Rain reached #4, and today is widely regarded as the band's masterpiece. Single extracts "Silver" (UK #30) and "Seven Seas" (UK #16) consolidated the album's continued commercial success. In the same year, McCulloch had a minor solo hit with his cover version of "September Song".
Echo & the Bunnymen toured Scandinavia in April 1985, performing cover versions of songs from Television, the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads and The Doors. Recordings from the tour emerged as the semi-bootleg On Strike. Unfortunately for the band, Ocean Rain proved to be a difficult album to follow up, and they could only re-emerge in 1985 with a single, "Bring On the Dancing Horses" (UK #21), and a compilation album, Songs to Learn & Sing, which made #6 in the UK album chart. However, all was not well in the Bunnymen camp, and Pete de Freitas left the band. The next (self-titled) studio album was recorded with ex–ABC drummer David Palmer, but when de Freitas returned in 1986, it was largely re-recorded.[9] Eventually released in mid-1987, the record sold well (UK #4), and was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.
In the United States, the band's best-known songs were "The Killing Moon" (from Ocean Rain) and "Lips Like Sugar" (from Echo & the Bunnymen), although "Bring On the Dancing Horses" is well-known as one of the songs on the soundtrack to the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink. They also contributed a cover version of The Doors song "People Are Strange" to The Lost Boys soundtrack.
1988 split
McCulloch quit the band in 1988 and de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident in mid-1989. After former Colenso Parade singer Oscar turned down an offer to take over from McCulloch, Pattinson and Sergeant recruited ex-St. Vitus Dance vocalist Noel Burke and drummer Damon Reece. Keyboardist Jake Brockman (a touring member of the band for several years previously, and a contributor to the 1987 album) was promoted to full member, and the five-piece recorded Reverberation in 1990. This did not generate much excitement among fans or critics, and the group was abandoned in 1992. McCulloch, meanwhile, had continued his solo career, with the albums Candleland in 1989 and Mysterio in 1992.
Reformation
Echo and the Bunnymen at Paradiso, Amsterdam, in 2005.
In 1994 McCulloch and Sergeant began working together again under the name Electrafixion; in 1997 Pattinson rejoined the duo, meaning the three surviving members of the original Bunnymen lineup were now working together again. Rather than continue as Electrafixion, the trio resurrected the Echo & the Bunnymen name and released the album Evergreen (1997), which reached the UK Top 10.
Immediately prior to the release of the band's next album, What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Les Pattinson quit to take care of his mother. McCulloch and Sergeant have continued to tour and record as Echo & the Bunnymen, touring repeatedly and releasing the albums Flowers (2001) and Siberia (2005). The group's current touring incarnation comprises McCulloch and Sergeant along with Stephen Brennan (bass), Gordy Goudie (guitar), Nicholas Kilroe (drums) and Ceri James (keyboards).
In 2002 the group received the Q Inspiration award. The award is for inspiring "new generations of musicians, songs and music lovers in general." The band were said to be worthy winners as they have done much to promote the Mersey music scene. In a later interview for Magnet magazine, McCulloch said "It validates everything that we've tried to achieve—cool, great timeless music. It's not like an inspiration award affecting the past, it's affecting the current music."
On 11 September 2006, Echo & the Bunnymen released an updated version of their 1985 Songs to Learn and Sing compilation. Now re-titled More Songs to Learn and Sing, this new compilation was issued in two versions, a 17-track single CD and a 20-track version with a DVD featuring 8 videos from their career.
In March 2007, the Bunnymen announced that they had re-signed to their original record label, Warner, and were also working on a new album. The band were also said to be planning a live DVD, entitled "Dancing Horses", which also contained interviews with the band. This was released in May 2007, on Snapper/SPV.
On 11 January 2008 Ian McCulloch was interviewed on BBC Breakfast at the start of Liverpool 08. He was asked about new Bunnymen material and he revealed that a new album would coincide with their gig at the Royal Albert Hall in September. He went on to say that the album was, "The best one we've made, apart from Ocean Rain."
In a 20 April 2008 interview with the Sunday Mail Ian McCulloch announced The Fountain as the title of the new Echo & the Bunnyman album with producer John McLaughlin, which was originally due to be released in 2008 but has now been put back to mid-2009. The first single will be "Think I Need It Too" which was scheduled to be released in August 2008, but didn't materialise.
The Church is an Australianrock band formed in Canberra in 1980. Initially associated with New Wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of "progressive rock," featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay.
The Church's debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981), earned them their first radio hit "The Unguarded Moment". They were signed to major labels in Australia, Europe and the U.S. However, the U.S. label was dissatisfied with their second album and dropped the band without releasing the album. This put a dent in their commercial success, but they made a comeback in 1988, with the album Starfish and the American Top 40 hit "Under the Milky Way." Subsequently commercial success proved elusive, however, and the band weathered several line-up changes in the 1990s. The last decade has seen them settle on their current lineup, which features the original three founding members plus drummer Tim Powles.
A survey among readers of Melbourne newspaper The Age garnered 37,000 votes and the majority chose "Under the Milky Way" as the best Australian song of the last 21 years.
The Church, this week unveiled the dates of its “So Love May Find Us” tour of the U.S. in June and July. The American trek follows the release of "Untitled #23", a record that the band, on its Web site, calls “a haunting, dark, thrilling, ecstatic, melodic, psychedelic journey in 10 unforgettable pieces.” The band’s 19-date U.S. trek opens June 10 in Solana Beach, Calif., north of San Diego. Adam Franklin and Bolts of Melody, featuring the ex-Swervedriver frontman, will open the dates.
The Church tour dates:
June 10: Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach, CA
June 11: The Roxy, Hollywood, CA
June 12: Slim’s, San Francisco, CA
June 14: Sun Aladdin Theater, Portland, OR
June 15: Triple Door, Seattle, WA
June 18: Gothic Theatre, Denver, CO
June 20: House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
June 21: Varsity Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
June 23: Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
June 25: The Magic Bag, Detroit, MI
June 26: Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
June 27: Rex Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
June 28: The State Theatre, Washington DC
June 30: Ram’s Head Onstage, Annapolis, MD
July 1: The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
July 2: Showcase Live, Boston, MA
July 3: Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry, NH
July 8: Irving Plaza, New York, NY
July 9: The Ridgefield Playhouse, Danbury, CT
"Almost Yesterday" is the Church's third odds-and-ends collection (the first was 1987's HINDSIGHT, the second was the somewhat difficult-to-find 1991 release, A QUICK SMOKE AT SPOT'S), featuring tracks spanning the years 1981 through 1990. Though ... Full Descriptionthere's some crossover with the earlier collections, this one includes the band's biggest "hit," the brilliant "Under the Milky Way," and more importantly, their inspired cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "I Am a Rock," only available on CD in this collection. It also features the staggering "Texas Moon," a hard-to-find track that ranks among the band's best ever.
Everything here is good. "The Unguarded Moment" is a gorgeous pop masterpiece, "Electric Lash" features a dated but astonishingly cool drum loop and Steve Kilbey's lyrics at their hallucinogenic best, and "Tantalized" highlights Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes' amazing guitar interplay.
(1994) Almost Yesterday 1981-1990 Download 69.85mb | Link
The Unguarded Moment
For A Moment We're Strangers
Tear It All Away
Life Speeds Up
Almost With You
When You Were Mine
I Am A Rock
Electric Lash
Into My Hands
Constant In Opal
Shadow Cabinet
Tantalized
Myrrh Under The Milky Way
Reptile Metropolis
Texas Moon
Robbie Grey (Vocals),Gary McDowell (Guitar),Richard Brown (Drums),Michael Conroy (Bass),Stephen Walker (Keyboards) Dig these Breaking Away The Border Hands Across The Sea Ink And Paper Ink And Paper (Live) I Melt With You (Live) I Melt With You (12 Inch) I Melt With You
Modern English are an Englishrock band best remembered for their songs "I Melt with You," "Hands Across the Sea," and "Ink and Paper". The group disbanded for a period in 1991,but later recorded in 1995 with some new members.
Formed in Colchester, Essex, England, in 1979, Modern English were originally known as The Lepers. The group expanded to "Modern English" when Richard Brown (drums) and Stephen Walker (keyboards) were subsequently added to the line-up of the band ). [bxA]
After a single on their own 'Limp' label in 1979, the band signed to 4AD the following year, with two further singles released, and a session for John Peel recorded before the band's debut album, Mesh & Lace, in 1981, the band in the early days showing a strong Joy Division influence. A second Peel session was recorded in October 1981. The follow-up, After The Snow (April 1982), was more keyboard-oriented and was compared to Simple Minds and Duran Duran. It was also released in the United States by Sire Records the following year, where it reached number 70 on the Billboard chart, and sold over 500,000 copies. Grey said of the album, "We used to think 'God, we'll never make a pop record. We're artists!', but things don't always turn out as you planned and when you actually create a pop record, it's so much more of a thrill than anything else". The second single from the album was also a hit in the US, the jangly "I Melt With You" reaching number 78. When he reviewed the album, Johnny Waller of Sounds described the track as "A dreamy, creamy celebration of love and lust, which deserves to be showcased on as 12" single all by itself, with no b-side", while his colleague Tony Mitchell described it as "susburban amateurism at its most unrewarding". The band relocated to New York City and worked on a third album, Ricochet Days, which again made the top 100 in the US, after which the band left 4AD and were solely signed to Sire. The single "Stop Start" (1986) was the last record Modern English record released by Sire, the band splitting up.
Grey and Conroy along with Modern English worked with This Mortal Coil before re-forming Modern English with Mick Conroy and Aaron Davidson for a new album in 1990, Pillow Lips, now on the American TVT label. The album featured a re-recorded "I Melt With You", which was released as a single, and saw the band again in the Billboard top 100. The band split up for a second time in 1991, after contractual problems with TVT, with Grey forming Engine. In 1995, with the legal issues with TVT sorted out, Engine evolved into the next incarnation of Modern English and signed to the Imago label, with Grey and Matthew Shipley (keyboards). This line-up recorded the 1996 album Everything Is Mad.
Robbie Grey toured the US with a new Modern English lineup coast to coast across the US and recorded a new album with Hugh Jones (producer of Melt With You). The songs written with guitarist Steven Walker and including Matthew Shipley came together on the road and back home in London between tours , after a few years on the shelf this collection of songs is due to be released later this year.
A dark debut that has been overshadowed by the later, lighter works and is more akin to Bauhaus and Joy Division. The original album has been augmented by adding singles and rare tracks.
(1981) Mesh and Lace Released April 6, 1981
67 Megabytes: Link1 16 Days Just A Thought Move In Light Grief The Token Man A Viable Commercial Black Houses Dance Of Devotion (A Love Song)
(1981) Gathering DustDownload 32 Megabytes Gathering Dust Mesh and Lace Smiles and Laughter Swans on Glass Home
Originally known as Warsaw, this Manchester post-punk outfit comprised Ian Curtis (b. July 1956, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, d. 18 May 1980; vocals), Bernard Dicken/Albrecht (b. 4 January 1956, Salford, Manchester, England; guitar, vocals), Peter Hook (b. 13 February 1956, Manchester, England; bass) and Steven Morris (b. 28 October 1957, Macclesfield, Cheshire, England; drums).
Borrowing their name from the prostitution wing of a concentration camp, Joy Division emerged in 1978 as one of the most important groups of their era. After recording a regionally available EP, An Ideal For Living, they were signed to Manchester's recently formed Factory Records and placed in the hands of producer Martin Hannett. [bxA] Their debut, Unknown Pleasures , was a raw, intense affair, with Curtis at his most manically arresting in the insistent 'She's Lost Control'. With its stark, black cover, the album captured a group still coming to terms with the recording process, but displaying a vision that was piercing in its clinical evocation of an unsettling disorder. With Morris's drums employed as a lead instrument, backed by the leaden but compulsive bass lines of Hook, the sound of Joy Division was distinctive and disturbing.
By the time of their single 'Transmission', the quartet had already established a strong cult following, which increased after each gig. Much of the attention centred on the charismatic Curtis, who was renowned for his neurotic choreography, resembling a demented marionette on wires. By the autumn of 1979, however, Curtis's performances were drawing attention for a more serious reason. On more than one occasion he suffered an epileptic seizure and blackouts onstage, and the illness seemed to worsen with the group's increasingly demanding live schedule.
On 18 May 1980, the eve of Joy Division's proposed visit to America, Ian Curtis was found hanged. The verdict was suicide. A note was allegedly found bearing the words: 'At this moment I wish I were dead. I just can't cope anymore'. The full impact of the tragedy was underlined shortly afterwards, for it quickly became evident that Curtis had taken his life at the peak of his creativity.
While it seemed inevitable that the group's posthumously released work would receive a sympathetic reaction, few could have anticipated the quality of the material that emerged in 1980. The single, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', was probably the finest of the year, a haunting account of a fragmented relationship, sung by Curtis in a voice that few realized he possessed. The attendant album, Closer , was faultless, displaying the group at the zenith of their powers. With spine-tingling cameos such as 'Isolation' and the extraordinary 'Twenty-Four Hours', the album eloquently articulated a sense of despair, yet simultaneously offered a therapeutic release. Instrumentally, the work showed maturity in every area and is deservedly regarded by many critics as the most brilliant rock album of the 80s.
The following year, a double album, Still, collected the remainder of the group's material, most of it in primitive form. Within months of the Curtis tragedy, the remaining members sought a fresh start as New Order.
In 1995 Curtis's widow, Deborah, published a book on her former huband and the band, while a compilation album and a re-released version of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' were back on the shelves on the 15th anniversary of his death.
Rising from the ashes of the legendary British post-punk unit Joy Division, the enigmatic New Order triumphed over tragedy to emerge as one of the most influential and acclaimed bands of the 1980s; embracing the electronic textures and disco rhythms of the underground club culture many years in advance of its contemporaries, the group's pioneering fusion of new wave aesthetics and dance music successfully bridged the gap between the two worlds, creating a distinctively thoughtful and oblique brand of synth pop appealing equally to the mind, body, and soul. New Order's origins officially date back to mid-1976, when guitarist Bernard Sumner (formerly Albrecht) and bassist Peter Hook -- inspired by a recent Sex Pistols performance -- announced their intentions to form a band of their own. Recruiting singer Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris, they eventually settled on the name Joy Division, and in 1979 issued their landmark debut LP, Unknown Pleasures. [bxA]
New Order - Love Will Tear Us Apart
After completing sessions for Joy Division's sophomore effort, Closer, Curtis hanged himself on May 18, 1980; devastated, the remaining trio immediately disbanded, only to re-form soon after as New Order with the addition of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert. With Sumner assuming vocal duties, the new group debuted in March 1981 with the single "Ceremony," a darkly melodic effort originally composed for use by Joy Division. The LP Movement followed a few months later, and when it too mined territory similar to New Order's previous incarnation, many observers were quick to dismiss the band for reliving former glories. However, with its next single, "Everything's Gone Green," the quartet first began adorning its sound with synthesizers and sequencers, inspired by the music of Kraftwerk as well as the electro beats coming up from the New York underground; 1982's "Temptation" continued the trend, and like its predecessor was a major favorite among club-goers.
After a year-long hiatus, New Order resurfaced in 1983 with their breakthrough hit "Blue Monday"; packaged in a provocative sleeve designed to recall a computer disk, with virtually no information about the band itself -- a hallmark of their mysterious, distant image -- it perfectly married Sumner's plaintive yet cold vocals and abstract lyrics with cutting-edge drum-machine rhythms ideal for club consumption. "Blue Monday" went on to become the best-selling 12" release of all time, moving over three million copies worldwide. After releasing their brilliant 1983 sophomore album, Power, Corruption and Lies, New Order teamed with the then-unknown producer Arthur Baker to record "Confusion," another state-of-the-art dance classic, which even scraped into the American R&B charts. The group's success soon won them a stateside contract with Quincy Jones' Qwest label; however, apart from a pair of singles, "Thieves Like Us" and "Murder," they remained out of the spotlight throughout 1984.
Heralded by the superb single "The Perfect Kiss," New Order resurfaced in 1985 with Low-life, their most fully realized effort to date; breaking with long-standing tradition, it actually included photos of the individual members, suggesting an increasing proximity with their growing audience. Brotherhood followed in 1986, with the single "Bizarre Love Triangle" making significant inroads among mainstream pop audiences. A year later the group issued Substance, a much-needed collection of singles and remixes; it was New Order's American breakthrough, cracking the Top 40 on the strength of the newly recorded single "True Faith," which itself reached number 32 on the U.S. pop charts. The remixed "Blue Monday 1988" followed, and in 1989 -- inspired by the ecstasy-fueled house music that their work had clearly predated and influenced -- New Order issued Technique; their most club-focused outing to date, it launched the hits "Fine Time" and "Round and Round."
After recording the 1990 English World Cup Soccer anthem "World in Motion," New Order went on an extended hiatus to pursue solo projects; Hook formed the band Revenge, longtime companions Morris and Gilbert recorded as the Other Two, and, most notably, Sumner teamed with ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant in Electronic, which scored a Top 40 hit with the single "Getting Away with It." New Order reconvened in 1993 for their biggest hit to date, Republic, which earned the band its highest charting American single ("Regret") and fell just shy of the U.S. Top Ten, despite charges from longtime fans that the band had lost its edge. A major tour followed, although rumors of escalating creative conflicts plagued the group; refusing to either confirm or deny word of a breakup, New Order simply spent the mid-'90s in a state of limbo, with Sumner eventually recording a long-awaited second Electronic LP and Hook mounting another new project, Monaco. "Brutal," the first new effort from New Order in a number of years, was featured on the soundtrack of the 2000 film The Beach, and the full-length Get Ready followed one year later. By this time, Gillian Gilbert had left the band to care for her and Stephen Morris' children, and Marion guitarist Phil Cunningham had been added to bolster the lineup. Dedicated touring followed the release of Get Ready, and New Order recorded a follow-up for release in 2005, Waiting for the Sirens' Call. Source
The Chameleons (called The Chameleons UK on some American releases) were a post-punk band that formed in Middleton, in Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever (replacing original drummer Brian Schofield). The core quartet were sometimes augmented live by keyboardists Alistair Lewthwaite and Andy Clegg in the 1980s, and percussionist/vocalist Kwasi Asante during their reunion period (ex-Magazine drummer Martin Jackson also briefly replaced Lever during 1982-83 while the latter was on sabbatical).
Through Mark Burgess' vocals and dark and ironic lyrics, their songs often dealt with personal themes of childlike innocence and a reverence for nostalgia. Musically, perhaps most notable in their work was the band's innovative and distinctive use of dual guitar melodies, courtesy of Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, as opposed to the traditional rhythm-and-lead guitarist format prevalent in rock music even to this day. These arrangements were often characterized by the use of delay and chorus effects.
The band initially released three studio albums in the 1980s, following 1981 debut single "In Shreds" (the fruit of a brief signing to Epic), and several radio sessions for late legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel. The Chameleons released their first full-length studio LP, the critically-acclaimed Script of the Bridge, on the Statik label in 1983. The album features a blend of rhythmic electric guitar textures, providing a moody and intense backdrop for Mark Burgess' haunting vocals. After their third release, 1986's Strange Times and the 1987 sudden death of band manager Tony Fletcher, they abruptly disbanded. Burgess then fronted The Sun and the Moon (with Lever), who issued only one eponymous album on Geffen in 1988, followed by an array of solo projects. Guitarists Fielding and Smithies formed The Reegs, who released two albums: Return of the Sea Monkeys (1991) and Rock the Magic Rock' (1993). John Lever later joined Bushart, who released the album Yesterday is History (2008).
The Chameleons were, for all practical purposes, extinct for well over a decade before a small series of successful live dates in 2000 and the concurrent release of the album Strip (which reworked older material in an acoustic format). After a final studio album, 2001's Why Call It Anything?, another unplugged album (This Never Ending Now), and a successful reunion tour which took them across Europe and the United States, the band dissolved once again in early 2003 due to personal differences.
Although The Chameleons never attained the level of commercial success or fame enjoyed by their contemporaries (e.g. The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen), their body of work is still critically acclaimed within the music press and influenced bands as diverse as Kitchens of Distinction, Puressence, Interpol, and Editors.
Discography
Albums
1983 Script of the Bridge (Statik; issued 1984 on MCA in the US; reissued 2008 as 25th Anniversary 2CD edition)
From left to right: Lol Tolhurst (Keyboards) | Simon Gallup (Bass) | Robert Smith (Vocal and Guitar) | Porl Thompson (Guitar) | Boris Williams (Drums)
nWu BONUS
Friday I'm In Love (Rare Extended Version) Close To You (Closer Mix) Signal To Noise (Unreleased Acoustic Version) Cut Here (2001 Greatest Hits Acoustic Version) Just Like Heaven (Dizzy Mix)
It all started in 1976 as 'Easy Cure', formed by Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) along with schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Lol Tolhurst (drums) and local guitar hero Porl Thompson. They began writing and demoing their own songs almost immediately, playing throughout 1977 in Southern England to an ever growing army of fans.
The Story of the Cure
Three Imaginary Boys | Killing An Arab
Paris 12/17/1980
EASY CURE Peter O'Toole, Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Michael Dempsey & Lol Tolhurst
Biography
Robert Smith
Full name: Robert Smith Date of birth: 21 April 1959 Height: 5ft 10ins Weight: 11 stone Color of eyes: blue (sometimes grey) Town of origin: Blackpool Educated: Sometimes Qualifications: Some "O" levels, some "A" levels Hobbies: All below and more Likes: Sleeping, preferably 16 hours at a time Dislikes: Waking, Mad Bob. Previous jobs: Christmas postman 1977 Favorite food: Vegetarian Favorite drink: Tequila Sunrise, cold lager, cold milk, earl grey tea Favorite music: classical Favorite bands:Joy Division, New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, Banshees! Favorite films: 2001, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Eraserhead, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, Mad Max II, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Favorite TV: News, Dallas, Minder, Sky At Night, Late Night Film Favorite actor: De Niro, Nicholson, Gibson, Curtis, Lemmon, Matthau Favorite actress: Steadman, Monroe, Divine!, A. Hepburn, Bow, Leigh, Davis, Crawford, Kinski, Poole. Favorite books: "Les Enfants Terribles" Cocteau, "Gormenghast Trilogy" Peak, Malagor Favorite author: Camus, Kafka, Peake, Cocteau, Salinger, Thomas Favorite team: Brazil, player: Glen Hoodle Best Live Show seen: Tommy Cooper
Simon Gallup
Full name: Simon Johnathon Gallup
Date of birth: 1 June 1960
Height: 5ft 11ins
Weight: 11 stone
Color of eyes: brown
Town of origin: Horley
Educated: Balcombe Road Comprehensive Horley
Qualifications: none
Marital status: none
Children: none
Pets: none
Hobbies: games on TV computers and buying groceries/drinking
Likes: ice & vodka & grapefruit
Dislikes: catching trains & lack of ice
Previous bands: Mag Spys/Fools Dance
Previous jobs: plastics mould dipper
Favorite food: Indian/cheese and tomato rools
Favorite drink: vodka and grapefruit with lots of ice
Favorite music: The Cure, Kate Bush, some New Order, John Martyn, Nick Cave
Favorite bands: Kate Bush, The Cure
Favorite films: Peter Pan/Irma la Douce/Star Wars/First Blood/Willy Wonka
Favorite tv: Catweazle/Bullseye
Favorite actor: Mel Gibson sometimes/Roy Kinnear in Willy Wonka
Favorite actress: Carrie Fisher
Favorite books: Peter Pan/Something Wicked This Way Comes
Favorite author: Ray Bradbury, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Hero: Wolverine
Heroine: Judge Anderson
Most admired person and why: -
Best Live Show seen: Genesis in 1973
Best experience: The Cure
Worst experience: planes/godstone fair/this plane is shaking
Paul Thompson
Full name: Paul Stephen Thompson (Porl for short)
Date of birth: 8 November 1957
Height: 5ft 7ins
Weight: 9 stone 4 pounds
Color of eyes: green
Town of origin: Merton
Educated: yes
Qualifications: none
Marital status: happy
Children: none
Pets: Jack Russel named 5 mins
Hobbies: camping
Likes: dreaming
Dislikes: most things
Previous bands: Exotic Pandas & A Lifetime of Trials
Previous jobs: none that I can remember
Favorite food: cheese
Favorite drink: tea
Favorite music: Mahler, most chamber music, Eno
Favorite bands: Captain Beefheart
Favorite films: old black & whites
Favorite tv: watching old films and most Channel 4 programmes
Favorite actor: Dirk Bogarde, Gregory Peck
Favorite actress: Doc
Favorite books: all Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland
Favorite author: D.M. Thomas
Hero: none
Heroine: Simon in stockings
Most admired person and why: Janet, because she still puts with me
Best Live Show seen: Demon drummers of Kodo
Best experience: 1st cup of tea of the day
Worst experience: last cup of tea of the day
Lol Tolhurst
Full name: Laurence Andrew Tolhurst
Date of birth: 3 February 1959
Height: 5ft 10ins
Weight: 10 stone
Color of eyes: brown
Town of origin: Horley, Surrey
Educated: yes
Qualifications: yes
Hobbies: no. gardening
Likes: yes, swimming
Dislikes: yes, dishonesty
Previous jobs: yes, two
Favorite food: Japanese, anything exotic
Favorite drink: Irish whiskey
Favorite music: impossible!
Favorite bands: Echo and the Bunnymen, etc. etc.
Favorite films: any with Jack Nicholson
Favorite TV: try not to watch it! (snooker)
Favorite actor: Jack Nicholson
Favorite actress: Natassia Kinski
Favorite books: impossible!
Favorite author: D.M. Thomas
Favorite team: Manchester United
Hero: Jade Knipe (German Anarchist)
Heroine: Porl
Most admired person and why: my friends
Best Live Show seen: impossible! (life)
Best experience: reality
Worst experience: reality
Boris Williams
Full name: Boris Bransby Williams
Date of birth: 24 April 1958
Height: 5ft 10ins
Weight: 10 1/2 stone
Color of eyes: brown
Town of origin: Belgrade
Educated: Earnley School Chichester
Qualifications: 4"O" levels
Marital status: single
Children: none
Pets: none
Hobbies: riding motor bikes
Likes: cricket, sleeping, traveling, sunshine
Dislikes: red tape, officialdom, cold, waking up
Previous bands: T.Twins, Kim Wilde, Tomatoe City
Previous jobs: planting Xmas trees, making nuts & bolts
Favorite food: lettuce with French dressing
Favorite drink: Coke
Favorite music: depends on mood
Favorite bands: depends on mood
Favorite films: Sir Henry at Rawlinsons End
Favorite TV: Sony 14" portable
Favorite actor: Gerald de Pardieu (sic), Alistair Sim
Favorite actress: Lauren Bacall
Favorite books: science fiction
Favorite author: -
Hero: Daffy Duck
Heroine: Cindy
Most admired person and why: don't have anyone I admire that much
Best Live Show seen: Mothers of Invention at Royal Festival Hall
Best experience: spending a year traveling in India
Worst experience: spending a year traveling in India
Lol Tolhurst, Robert Smith & Michael Dempsey
Robert Smith, Michael Dempsey & Lol Tolhurst
Michael Dempsey, Robert Smith & Lol Tolhurst
Lol Tolhurst & Robert Smith
History
In 1978 the 'Easy' was dropped, along with Porl, and an eager trio now known simply as The Cure were quickly signed to Chris Parry's new Fiction label.
In May 1979 their debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released to great acclaim, and as the band toured extensively around the UK, the singles “Boys Don't Cry” and “Jumping Someone Else's Train” were released. Michael left the band at the end of the year, and Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) joined. In early 1980 the 4-piece Cure embarked on an exploration of the darker side of Robert's songwriting, and emerged with the minimalist classic Seventeen Seconds, along with their first bona-fide 'hit single' “A Forest.”
After an intense world tour Matthieu left the group, and in early 1981 the trio recorded an album of mournful atmospheric soundscapes entitled Faith, which included another successful single in “Primary.” The band then set out on a second global trek, named “The Picture Tour,” during which they released the non-album single “Charlotte Sometimes.” In 1982 The Cure went back into the studio, and their increasingly ugly fascination with despair and decay culminated in the unrelenting sonic attack of Pornography. An intensely volatile tour ensued, and the single “The Hanging Garden” was released just as Simon left the band.
After pushing the limits of excess, Robert felt he had to change things, and did so by 'going pop' again. Rejuvenated, the now 2-piece Cure released their first real dance single, the cheesy “Let's Go To Bed,” and during the making of the accompanying video forged a colorful and lasting relationship with director Tim Pope. The band continued into 1983 with the groovy electronic dance of “The Walk,” followed by the demented cartoon jazz of “The Lovecats.” In 1984 The Top was released, a strange hallucinogenic mix, which contained the infectiously psychedelic single “The Caterpillar.” The world ‘Top Tour’ saw the band expand to a 5-piece, with the addition of Andy Anderson (drums) and Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of Porl Thompson (guitar).
The new Cure sound was captured live for the album Concert. Andy and Phil left soon after the end of the tour, and were replaced by Boris Williams (drums) and further returnee Simon Gallup (bass). This new incarnation started work on 1985's The Head On The Door with a very real sense of 'something happening'... The vibrant hit single “Inbetween Days” was followed up by “Close To Me,” and the ensuing world tour paved the way for the massive success of the singles collection Standing On A Beach in 1986. That summer saw the band headline the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, and a year of extensive gigs and festivals was crowned by Tim Pope's live concert film The Cure In Orange.
In 1987 The Cure brought out Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, an immense double album of extreme and extraordinary stylistic range, and with the arrival of Roger O'Donnell on keyboards the 6-piece Cure traveled the world with the 'Kissing Tour', enjoying 4 more hit singles along the way. The wonderfully atmospheric Disintegration was demoed in 1988 and released in 1989, and despite being a work of powerful brooding grandeur, it too gave rise to 4 hit singles. The awesome 'Prayer Tour' that followed, with the band back down to a 5-piece following the departure of Lol Tolhurst, included some of The Cure's best performances to date, and was captured live for the album Entreat.
In early 1990 Roger O'Donnell left the group, and was replaced by long-time band friend Perry Bamonte, just in time for a series of headlining European festival shows that included the band's second Glastonbury headline slot. The album Mixed Up was released, supported by the re-mixed singles “Never Enough,” “Close To Me” and “A Forest,” and in 1991 The Cure at last won some long overdue “home” recognition with a Brit Award for “Best British Group.”
The Cure Gets Inducted Into The Rock Walk in Hollywood Members of the English rock band The Cure (from left): Jason Cooper, Simon Gallup, Robert Smith, Roger O'Donnell and Perry Bamonte place their hands in cement during their induction into the Rock Walk at the Guitar Center on April 30, 2004 in Hollywood, California. In 1992 they produced Wish, a richly diverse multi-faceted guitar driven album hailed by some as their best work to date. It spawned 3 fabulous hit singles, and the glorious ‘Wish Tour' that followed was a worldwide sell-out. The sheer power of the shows inspired the release of two live works in 1993, Paris and Show. Immediately after the tour ended, guitarist Porl Thompson left the band again (this time with a smile!), and The Cure headlined the XFM 'Great Xpectations Show' in London's Finsbury Park as a 4-piece. The band also contributed '”Burn” to the film ‘The Crow’ and covered “Purple Haze” for the Hendrix tribute album 'Stone Free'.
In 1994 Boris Williams decided to move on, and in early 1995 Jason Cooper took up residency behind the drum kit, with Roger O'Donnell rejoining once more on keyboards. Work on the next album was interspersed with recording “Dredd Song” for the film ‘Judge Dredd’, a cover of Bowie's “Young Americans” for an XFM album, and headlining several major European festivals, including the 25th Glastonbury. Wild Mood Swings was released in 1996, and went straight into almost every top ten around the world. The Cure hit the road once more with 'The Swing Tour', their longest to date, and released 4 more singles.
Galore, the follow up singles and video compilation to Standing On A Beach, was released in 1997, after which work took place in 1998 on a variety of projects, including “More than This” for the ‘X Files’ album, and a memorable appearance by Robert in the TV cartoon show ‘South Park’! In 1999 the band completed the recording and mixing of what many regarded as their best studio album so far, the Grammy Nominated Bloodflowers. With it's release in 2000 the band set off on the massive world-wide ‘Dreamtour' - playing to more than a million people in 9 months.
2001 saw the long awaited release of the Cure's Greatest Hits album, which featured all the band's biggest selling singles along with 2 new songs, the elegiac “Cut Here” and the ebullient “Just Say Yes,” a duet with Saffron. This year also saw the end of the group's relationship with Fiction Records, the label they had been instrumental in starting 23 years before.
In 2002 the band spent the summer headlining a number of European Festivals before going into rehearsals for two very special nights in November at the Tempodrom Berlin, where they performed all the tracks from Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers plus encores! Both performances were shot in Hi-Def video on 12 cameras, and Trilogy DVD was released.
In 2003 as another chapter of The Cure story opened, the band signing a 3 album global deal with the Geffen label. 2004 saw the release of Join the Dots, a 4cd Box set compiled by Robert of all the B-sides and Rarities, followed by the widely acclaimed new album The Cure, co-produced with the renowned Ross Robinson. 3 singles, “The End Of The World”, “alt.end” and “Taking Off” all hit big, and another hugely successful world tour ensued, with the 23 date North American Curiosa Festival leg especially notable for seeing the band supported by a number of hand picked younger bands including Interpol, Mogwai, The Rapture and Muse. The year ended with an MTV Icon Award presented at a special televised London show.
In 2005 Perry Bamonte and Roger O’Donnell left the band and Porl Thompson joined for a third time. The quartet’s debut show was headlining Live 8 Paris, followed by a number of other summer European Festivals. The first four Cure albums (Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography) were re-released, with Robert providing 'rarities' for Deluxe Edition extras CD's, as part of an ongoing campaign to re-master and re-issue all the Cure albums. Immediately after closing a week of Teenage Cancer Trust Shows at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2006, the band started recording their 13th studio album, breaking off in June to allow Robert to work on a live DVD. In August the second set of re-releases (The Top, The Head On The Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me) was released, each album as a 2CD Deluxe Edition, along with 1983’s Glove album Blue Sunshine. In November Festival 2005, a 155 minute 5.1 DVD comprising a 30 song selection of live performances captured the previous summer by a mix of fans, crew and ‘on-the-night-big-screen cameras’, was put out.
Spring 2007 saw The Cure headline the Miami Ultra Music Festival before heading back into the studio to continue work on new songs. The 11 show Australasian leg of ‘The Cure 4Tour 2007-2008’ kicked off in July with a headline slot at the Fuji Rock Festival, the band’s first performance in Japan since 1984, before moving on through Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. In October the band headlined the San Francisco Download Festival, before playing 3 wild nights in Mexico City at the Palacio de los Deportes, followed by an outstanding performance at the MTV Latin America Awards.
In February 2008 The Cure kicked off the 23 date European leg of ‘The 4Tour’, and in May released “The Only One”, the first of 4 singles to be released every 13th of the month for 4 months. “Freakshow”, “Sleep When I’m Dead” and “The Perfect Boy” followed, and as the band continued ‘The 4Tour’ with a sell-out 27 date North American leg, all 4 singles reached #1 on the Billboard chart. Indeed, for one remarkable week in August, 4 Cure singles were in the USA Top 20 at the same time! In September the “Hypnagogic States” EP was released, featuring remixes of the first 4 singles by acclaimed younger artists Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Pete Wentz & Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Jade Puget (AFI) and 30 Seconds To Mars. 4Tour support band 65 Days Of Static joined in the fun, remixing all four singles as one track. All artist royalties from this EP were donated to the International Red Cross.
In a radical move the new album 4:13 Dream was performed in its 13 song entirety by The Cure 2 weeks prior to release at a live broadcast MTV event in the Piazza San Giovanni in Rome before an estimated crowd of 75,000 and a potential TV audience of 200 million. The reaction to the event has been awesome, with many fans already acclaiming this new Cure album as a bona fide classic…
In late October 4:13 Dream, The Cure’s 13th studio album - recorded, engineered, produced and mixed at Parkgate Studios UK by Robert Smith and Keith Uddin - is released worldwide…
The Church is an 
![I Melt with You [Cassette Single]](http://d.yimg.com/ec/noPicture80.jpg)
![After the Snow [Bonus Tracks]](http://d.yimg.com/ec/image/v1/release/31404;size=78x78;fallback=defaultImage)
Originally known as 
Robert Smith
Lol Tolhurst
After pushing the limits of excess, Robert felt he had to change things, and did so by 'going pop' again. Rejuvenated, the now 2-piece Cure released their first real dance single, the cheesy “
tor Tim Pope. The band continued into 1983 with the groovy electronic dance of “The Walk,” followed by the demented cartoon jazz of “
The new Cure sound was captured live for the album Concert. Andy and Phil left soon after the end of the tour, and were replaced by Boris Williams (drums) and further returnee Simon Gallup (bass). This new incarnation started work on 1985's 
In 1987 The Cure brought out 
In 1992 they produced 
In 1994 Boris Williams decided to move on, and in early 1995 Jason Cooper took up residency behind the drum kit, with Roger O'Donnell rejoining once more on keyboards. Work on the next album was interspersed with recording “Dredd Song” for the film ‘
Galore, the follow up singles and video compilation to 
In a radical move the new album 