Saturday, March 27, 2010

OINGO BOINGO / Anthology

Anthology

Bit rate

LINK: anthology


Disco 1
1. Intro-Tender Lumplings (Live)
2. Ain't This The Life
3. Nasty Habits
4. On The Outside
5. Only A Lad
6. Little Girls
7. Grey Matter
8. Wild sex (In The Working Class)
9. Private Life
10. No Spill Blood
11. Nothing Bad Ever Happens To Me
12. Sweat
13. Who Do You Want To Be
14. Gratitude
15. It Only Makes Me Laugh
16. Everybody Needs
17. Dead Man's Party
18. Weird Science

Disco 2
1. Just Another Day
2. Stay
3. Not My Slave
4. Where Do All My Friends Go
5. Mama
6. Cinderella Undercover
7. Flesh 'N' Blood
8. When The Lights Go Out
9. Out Of Control
10. Insanity (Medium Version)
11. Mary
12. We Close Our Eyes (Live)
13. Whole Day Off (Live)
14. Piggies (Live)
15. Insects (Live)
16. Goodbye, Goodbye

Oingo Boingo


Oingo Boingo
Also known as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo
Clowns Of Death
Mosley & The B-Men
Boingo
Origin Los Angeles, California,
United States
Genres New Wave
Ska punk
Years active 1972–1995
Labels I.R.S. Records
A&M Records

MCA Records

Giant Records
Associated acts Doug & The Mystics
Food for Feet
Psychotic Aztecs

Zuma II[4]
Tito & Tarantula

Jennifer Nash
Website www.oingoboingo.com
Former members
List of Oingo Boingo band members

Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as a performance art group called The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, and from 1976 it was led by songwriter/vocalist Danny Elfman, who has since achieved substantial renown as a composer for film and television.

The group's format changed twice. In 1980, it changed from a semi-theatrical music and comedy troupe into a ska-influenced New Wave octet and shortened their name to Oingo Boingo. In 1994, the band reshuffled its lineup, adopted an alternative rock sound and rechristened themselves Boingo. The band retired after a farewell concert on Halloween 1995, having reverted to the name Oingo Boingo for the concert.

Career

The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, formed in late 1972 by Richard Elfman, was a musical theater troupe in the tradition of Spike Jones and Frank Zappa, performing an eclectic repertoire ranging from Cab Calloway covers to instrumentals in the style of Balinese gamelan and Russian ballet music. The name was inspired by a fictional secret society on the Amos 'n' Andy TV series called The Mystic Knights of the Sea. Most of the members performed in whiteface and clown makeup, and a typical show contained music ranging from the 1890s to the 1950s, in addition to original material. This version of the band employed as many as 15 musicians at any given time, playing over 30 instruments, including some instruments built by band members. Few recordings from this period exist, although they released a novelty record about kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, "You've Got Your Baby Back".

As Richard Elfman's interest shifted to filmmaking, he passed leadership of the band to younger brother Danny Elfman, who had recently returned from spending time in Africa playing violin and studying percussion instruments. They gained a following in Los Angeles, and appeared as contestants on The Gong Show in 1976, winning the episode they appeared on with 24 points out of a possible 30 (and without getting gonged). The band appeared in the 1977 movie I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. Their appearance was in the dream sequences of the main character.

When the group began to move away from its cabaret style towards a more pop/rock format, Richard Elfman made a film based on the band's stage performance, Forbidden Zone, which was released in 1980 and filmed in black and white with a cast mostly made up of band members and friends. In one scene, Danny, as Satan, sings a version of Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" with modified lyrics integrated into the plot of the film. In another, Richard sings the 1920s novelty song "The Yiddishe Charleston". The movie attained cult status and provided a springboard for the film and music careers of Richard and Danny.

A&M years (1980–1984)

Various reasons were given for the band's transformation from musical theater troupe to rock band. They included cutting costs, increasing mobility, exploring new musical directions such as Danny's interest in ska and New Wave, and a desire to perform music that didn't need theatrics. There was some confusion about what name the band would use. In the 1978 animated short "Face Like a Frog", by Sally Cruikshank, the band's song "Don't Go in the Basement" is credited to The Mystic Knights. The name was shortened to Oingo Boingo for the Rhino Records Los Angeles rock and New Wave compilation, L.A. In, which included their song "I'm Afraid".

By this time, Richard was no longer a group member, and the band had coalesced into an octet: Danny Elfman on lead vocals; Steve Bartek on guitars; Richard Gibbs on keyboards; Kerry Hatch on bass; Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez on drums; and Leon Schniederman, Sam "Sluggo" Phipps, and Dale Turner on horns. Early success for the group came in 1980 with the song "Only a Lad" from their eponymous EP. The song aired frequently in Los Angeles on KROQ and complemented the station's then-unusual New Wave format. Although the song was classified as New Wave and was compared to Devo, Oingo Boingo defied easy categorization. Their use of exotic percussion, a three piece horn section, unconventional scales and harmony, and surrealistic imagery was an unusual combination.

Following regional success of "Only a Lad," the group released its first full length album, also titled Only a Lad (and featuring a new recording of the song), in 1981. Oingo Boingo also appeared in the 1981 film Longshot, performing their unreleased song "I've Got To Be Entertained". The band, recording for A&M Records, released albums in 1982 (Nothing to Fear) and 1983 (Good for Your Soul) that drew comparisons to Devo and later, Wall of Voodoo. At this point, new manager Mike Gormley, who had just left the position of VP of Publicity and Asst. to the Chairman of A&M, negotiated a release from the label and signed the band to MCA Records. The first release was officially a Danny Elfman solo record in 1984 (Titled So-Lo); it was actually a group effort released under Elfman's name. Subsequently, the band would record under their own name for MCA.

MCA years (1985–1990)

With the move to MCA, the band made two personnel switches: Mike Bacich took over on keyboards from departing member Richard Gibbs, and John AvilaFast Times at Ridgemont High, which features "Goodbye, Goodbye". Their best-known song, "Weird Science", was written for the John Hughes movie of the same name, and was later included on their 1985 album Dead Man's Party. replaced Kerry Hatch on bass. Oingo Boingo appeared in a number of soundtracks in the early to mid 1980s, including

Later, the band made an appearance playing their hit "Dead Man's Party" on stage in the movie Back to School. Four more songs from the album Dead Man's PartyTobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, "Stay" (in the Boingo Alive version) was used as the theme music for the Brazilian soap opera Top Model, "Same Man I Was Before" was used in My Best Friend Is a Vampire, and "Just Another Day" opened the 1985 film adaptation of S. E. Hinton's That Was Then, This Is Now. Beginning with 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Danny Elfman had been scoring major films with increasing frequency, including almost all of Tim Burton's films. were used in soundtracks: "No One Lives Forever" was featured in

Oingo Boingo's 1987 album BOI-NGO didn't make a huge impression on the charts. After this album, Bacich was replaced by new keyboardist Carl Graves. The band's 1988 release Boingo Alive was actually recorded live on a soundstage, with no studio audience, and contained a selection of songs from earlier albums, plus two new compositions. The Boingo Alive track "Winning Side" became a #14 hit on US Modern Rock radio stations.

Final years (1991–1995)

After being dropped from MCA, the band officially shortened their name to Boingo, and reshuffled their lineup somewhat. Graves was dropped (after recording "Lost Like This"), and added were Warren Fitzgerald on guitar, Marc Mann on keyboards, and Doug Lacy on accordion. Boingo's lone self-titled album was issued on Giant Records in 1994. Though the band was officially a ten-piece ensemble, only five members (Elfman, Bartek, Avila, Hernadez and Fitzgerald) were pictured in the album's liner notes, and the guitar-oriented album used the keyboards and horns of the five remaining members sparingly, and excluded the horn section entirely from live performances of the period. The quintet was often backed by an orchestra conducted by Bartek, and which featured prominent cello by Fred Seykora. The Boingo album also continued in the less party-friendly vibe of Dark at the End of the Tunnel, although it contained the modern rock hit "Hey!" Reverting to the Oingo Boingo name and restoring the horn section, the band embarked on a brief farewell tour in 1995, culminating in a final annual Halloween performance at the Universal Amphitheatre. The final concert is available on both audio and video recordings.

Aftermath

Following the band's dissolution, frontman Danny Elfman found a career writing film scores and has been nominated for four Academy Awards. His first major motion picture score was Fast Times at Ridgemont High and he continues to be much sought-after in the movie business, particularly in collaboration with director Tim Burton. Elfman almost exclusively employs Oingo Boingo guitarist Steve Bartek as orchestrator. His film scores have included Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Good Will Hunting, Men in Black, Spider-Man, Big Fish, The Nightmare Before Christmas and dozens more. Elfman also wrote the themes for more than a dozen TV series, including The Simpsons, Batman: The Animated Series, Desperate Housewives, Tales from the Crypt, Sledge Hammer!, Dilbert and The Flash.

John Avila and Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez were two members of the trio Food For Feet. They also formed the rhythm section of Tito & Tarantula, a Los Angeles band fronted by Tito Larriva of The Plugz and the Cruzados. Avila and Hernandez also joined Larriva and guitarist Stevie Hufstetter in a one-off project band called Psychotic Aztecs. The Aztecs released one album on the Grita label called Santa Sangre. After the breakup, bassist John Avila, guitarist Steve Bartek, drummer Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, and saxophonist Sam Phipps (along with Doug Lacy and other musicians) formed a band called Doug & The Mystics. They recorded one album, New Hat, which included a cover of the Oingo Boingo song "Try to Believe", original songs, and covers of songs by Frank Zappa and other artists.

During the 2005 Halloween season, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez put together an Oingo Boingo tribute show, joined by former Oingo Boingo members Steve Bartek, John Avila, and Sam "Sluggo" Phipps, at The Grove of Anaheim. Standing in for Elfman was Bt4.[citation needed] In 2005, John Avila, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez and Steve Bartek joined the list of performers on the soundtrack of 2003 re-imagination of the sci-fi series, Battlestar Galactica. Richard Gibbs joined as well, and is credited as both a performer and composer. Their performances can be heard in seasons 2 and 3, and will likely be heard on subsequent seasons of the series as well. During the 2006 Halloween season, there were two Johnny Vatos Tribute to Halloween shows, one in Los Angeles and one in Orange County, with Vatos, Bartek, Avila, Phipps, and Legacy and Bt4.

In early 2007, Danny Elfman said there would not be a reunion. He has irreversible hearing loss and is worried that playing live would exacerbate it. He stated that some other members of the band may also suffer from the condition.

As a small tribute to the band, Southern California based Blizzard Entertainment included character references to some band members in the starting area for undead characters "The Forsaken" in the immensely popular World of Warcraft PC game. New adventurers can find skeletons with names such as Daniel Ulfman, fitting to one of the bands running themes.

Members

Discography


.

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS / remastered 1976

Remastered 1976

bit rate: 320 kps

LINK: remastered1976



1. Rockin' Around (With You)
2. Breakdown
3. Hometown Blues
4. The Wild One, Forever
5. Anything That's Rock 'N' Roll
6. Strangered In The Night
7. Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)
8. Mystery Man
9. Luna
10. American Girl

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers


Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing live in Indianapolis June 23, 2006
Background information
Origin Gainesville, Florida, United States
Genres Rock, heartland rock
Years active 1976–present
Labels Shelter, Backstreet, MCA, Warner Bros.
Associated acts Mudcrutch, Tom Petty, Traveling Wilburys, Stevie Nicks
Website www.tompetty.com
Members
Tom Petty
Mike Campbell
Benmont Tench
Ron Blair
Scott Thurston
Steve Ferrone
Former members
Stan Lynch
Howie Epstein

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are a heartland rock band, most of whose members are from the United States. They were formed in 1976 by Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench, all of whom had been members of Mudcrutch. Petty and the Heartbreakers are known for hit singles such as "American Girl", "Breakdown", "The Waiting", "Learning to Fly", "Refugee" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance."

The Heartbreakers still tour regularly and continue to make and record albums. They have gone through numerous line up changes between 1982 and 2002, with Tench, Petty and Campbell being the only members consistently in the band from when it first started.

Petty has fought against his record company on more than one occasion, first in 1976 over transference to another label and then again in 1981 over the price of his record, which was (at that time) considered expensive. He is also outspoken on the current state of the music industry and modern radio stations. On his 2002 album, The Last DJ, Petty sang about that and other issues and talked about them on the bonus DVD that came with the limited edition album.[1]

Although most of what they do is together as The Heartbreakers, they have also participated in outside projects, with Petty himself releasing solo albums, the most successful being 1989s Full Moon Fever.

Although Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have not released an album since 2002, the three founding members, along with Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon recorded an album by Mudcrutch. This was the band's first album, made more significant by the fact that they had not recorded together since 1974. Additionally, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers recently announced that they will begin a tour and release a new studio album titled Mojo in the spring of 2010.

Career

Early years

Petty's early bands included The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch (the latter with drummer Randall Marsh and future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench). In 1974, Mudcrutch signed with Shelter Records and re-located to Los Angeles, California. The band released one single, "Depot Street," in 1975, which failed to chart, and the group disbanded. According to Campbell, "Out of that the Heartbreakers sort of morphed and became what they are." The Heartbreakers began their recording career with a self-titled album. Initially, the Heartbreakers did not gain much traction in America, although they achieved success in the UK playing "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" on Top of the Pops. Early singles included "Breakdown" and "American Girl". "Breakdown" was re-released in the USA and became a Top 40 hit in 1978, after word filtered back to the States that the band was creating a firestorm in the UK.

Their 1978 second album You're Gonna Get It! marked the band's first gold album, and featured the singles "I Need to Know" and "Listen To Her Heart". In 1979, the band was dragged into a legal dispute when ABC Records was sold to MCA Records.

Petty refused to simply be transferred to another record label without his consent. He held fast to his principles, which led to him filing for bankruptcy.

1979–1989

After the dispute was settled, the Heartbreakers released their third album Damn the Torpedoes (1979) which rapidly went triple-platinum. It included "Don't Do Me Like That" (#10 U.S., the group's first Top Ten single ) and "Refugee" (#15 U.S.), their U.S. breakthrough singles.

Though he was already extremely successful, Petty ran into record company trouble again when he and the Heartbreakers prepared to release Hard Promises (1981), the follow-up album to Damn the Torpedoes. MCA wanted to release the record at the list price of $9.98, which was considered a high price for a record album at the time. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press, and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase. The album became a Top Ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single "The Waiting" (#19 U.S.). The album also included the duet "Insider", with Stevie Nicks.

On their fifth album, Long After Dark (1982), bass player Ron Blair was replaced by Howie Epstein (formerly of Del Shannon's backing band), giving the Heartbreakers their line-up until 1991. Long After Dark features the hits "You Got Lucky" (U.S. #20) and "Change of Heart" (U.S. #21), and was to feature a track called "Keeping Me Alive", but producer Jimmy Iovine[citation needed] vetoed it from the album. Petty has expressed that he feels the album would have turned out better if the song had been included on the album.

On the next album, Southern Accents (1985), the Heartbreakers picked up where they had left off.[clarification needed] The recording was not without problems; Petty became frustrated during the mixing process and broke his left hand after punching a wall. The album includes the psychedelic-sounding hit single "Don't Come Around Here No More" (#13 U.S.), which was produced by and co-written with Dave Stewart. The video for the single, which starred Stewart, featured Petty dressed as the Mad Hatter, mocking and chasing Alice from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, then cutting and eating her as if she were a cake. This caused minor controversy after it was criticized by feminist groups,[citation needed] but the video did win an MTV Video Music Award.

A successful concert tour led to the live album Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1985). The band's live capabilities were also showcased when Bob Dylan invited the Heartbreakers to join him on his True Confessions tour through Australia, Japan and the U.S. (1986) and Europe (1987). Petty praised Dylan, saying "I don't think there is anyone we admire more."

Also in 1987, the group released Let Me Up (I've Had Enough), a studio album made to sound like a live recording, using a technique they borrowed from Bob Dylan. It includes "Jammin' Me", which Petty wrote with Dylan and Campbell. Dylan recorded an edited version of the early Petty composition, "Got My Mind Made Up", on his album, Knocked Out Loaded.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1989 tour featured college rock band The ReplacementsPaul Westerberg's line "rebel without a clue" from "I'll Be You" for the title track of the Into the Great Wide Open album.[citation needed] opening every show. Petty eventually borrowed

Move to Warner Bros. Records

In 1991, the band released Into the Great Wide Open, produced by Jeff Lynne who had worked with Petty in Traveling Wilburys. Songs included the title track itself and "Learning to Fly". By this time, multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston had joined the band.

In 1993, Petty released Greatest Hits which included hit single "Mary Jane's Last Dance".

In 1994 Lynch was fired from the band and replaced by Steve Ferrone who had worked with Tom, Benmont, Mike and Howie on Petty's 'solo' album, Wildflowers.

In 1995, a six-CD box-set entitled Playback was released. Approximately half of the tracks were previously available on albums, and the rest were B-sides, demos and live tracks. Two notable tracks are a solo version of Tom's 1981 duet with Stevie Nicks, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", and the song "Waiting For Tonight", which features vocals from The Bangles. The latter song also appeared on the two CD anthology released in 2000, Anthology: Through the Years.

In 1996, Petty "reunited" with the Heartbreakers and released a soundtrack to the movie She's the One starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston (see Songs and Music from "She's the One"). Three songs charted from this album; these were "Walls (Circus)" (featuring Lindsey Buckingham); "Climb that Hill"; and a song written by Lucinda Williams, "Change the Locks". The album also included a cover of a song by Beck, "Asshole".

In 1999, Petty and the Heartbreakers released the album Echo with producer Rick Rubin at the helm. The album reached number 10 in the U.S. album charts and featured, amongst other singles, "Room at the Top".

In 2002, Petty and the Heartbreakers released The Last DJ. Many of the tracks' lyrics contain stinging attacks on the music industry and major record companies. The album reached number 9 in the U.S. charts. Ron Blair played on three of the tracks. He also replaced the man who had previously been his replacement, Howie Epstein on the band's 2002 tour as a result of Epstein's deepening personal problems and drug abuse. Epstein died in 2003 at the age of 48. Tench described him as "the coolest guy in the band."

In 2008, the Heartbreakers were also featured as the Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show. In April that year, the members of Petty's prior band, Mudcrutch, including Heartbreakers Petty, Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell, along with Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon, got together to record a Mudcrutch album. In late 2008 a live album featuring Mudcrutch was released.

A collection of live recordings was released on 23 November 2009, and announced a new studio album, Mojo, for release in the Spring of 2010.

Runnin' Down a Dream

In 2007, a four-hour film titled Runnin' Down a Dream was released, documenting the career of the band, directed by Peter Bogdanovich which runs periodically on the Sundance Channel.

As well as members of Petty and the Heartbreakers themselves, the film contains interviews with friends and fellow musicians Eddie Vedder, Jeff Lynne, Jackson Browne, Warren Zanes, Dave Stewart, Stevie Nicks and others. Archive interviews from George Harrison, Denny CordellStan Lynch were also used. and

The film, which follows Petty and the Heartbreakers from its inception as Mudcrutch right up to Petty's 2006 album, Highway Companion, was spread over the first two discs of the four. The third contains a live concert in Gainesville, Florida while the fourth is a CD of rare and unreleased material

In October 2008 an alternative DVD version, this one containing both the movie and three previously unreleased performances, was released to the public.

Other works and recognition

Live performances

  • In 1985, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers participated in the world-spanning charity rock concert Live Aid.
  • In 1986, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released a live record, Pack Up the Plantation: Live!,
  • They also played at the 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert.
  • In 2002, the band played at Concert for George honoring George Harrison, who had died the previous year.
  • In 2006, the band returned to their home town and celebrated their anniversary with a collection of popular songs.

Awards and honors

Hollywood walk of fame star

30th anniversary year (2006)

In February 2006, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were the headline act at the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. In addition to Bonnaroo, Petty was on tour throughout the summer of 2006. The tour started in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 9 and ended in Randall's Island, Manhattan, New York on August 19. Stops included major cities such as New York, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Denver. Supporting acts during the tour included Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers Band, and Trey Anastasio. Additionally, Stevie Nicks joined Tom Petty onstage during the first eight concerts as well as subsequent second leg dates to perform various songs from the Heartbreakers' vast catalog. For the Highway Companion Tour they offered a Highway Companion's Club which allowed fans to receive priority seating, discounts at the Tom Petty Store, a complimentary CD of Highway Companion and a personalized email address.

In 2006, the ABC U.S. television network hired Petty to do the music for its NBA Playoffs coverage.

On September 22, 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received the keys to the City of Gainesville, Florida, where he and his bandmates either lived or grew up. Tom Petty quipped, when questioned about the key he received from Gainesville's mayor, "It's a lot nicer than the one we got in Chicago."

From July 2006 until 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio featured an exhibit of Tom Petty items. Much of the content was donated by Petty himself from a visit to his home by some of the Rock Hall curatorial staff.

Other projects

Tom Petty

Solo Albums

Petty has released critically acclaimed solo albums, the first of which was 1989's Full Moon Fever which included his signature tune, "Free Fallin'" as well as "I Won't Back Down", later covered by Johnny Cash, and "Runnin' Down a Dream".

The Heartbreakers were dismayed by Petty's decision to go solo; despite this Campbell plays on every track, Tench contributed to the album, and Howie was invited to do but declined.

Tom's second solo album, Wildflowers was, for all intents and purposes, a Heartbreakers record as it included all members except for Stan. The album, which featured Steve Ferrone on drums, produced the single "You Don't Know How It Feels".

Petty's most recent solo album was Highway Companion.

The Wilburys

George Harrison was requested by Warner Bros. Records to record a B-side to This is Love. To do so, Harrison gathered a group of musician friends (Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan) to record what was intended to be a B-side. The resulting song, Handle With Care was considered too good for the aforementioned purposes and was released as a single. In 1988, the Traveling Wilburys, as they were known, recorded a critically acclaimed album.

The final studio album by the Wilburys, intentionally misnumbered Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, was released on October 30, 1990, but met with less success than the previous album.

Work for other artists

Petty appeared on Jeff Lynne's Armchair Theatre LP and also on Warren Zevon's The Wind. Providing backing vocals on the latter, to the song "The Rest Of The Night".

Mike Campbell

Outside the Heartbreakers, Campbell has co-written an array of songs including "The Boys of Summer" and "The Heart of the Matter" (both with Don Henley). Other songwriting credits include songs for The Blue Stingrays, Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac, Lone Justice, Roger McGuinn, Stevie Nicks, John Prine, Restless Sleeper, Patti Scialfa, Brian Setzer, J.D. Souther, The Williams Brothers, and Robin Zander. He also produced four songs on Roy Orbison's Mystery Girl album and played guitar on The Wallflowers' "Sixth Avenue Heartache."[5]

He also contributed to the albums The Wind and Sentimental Hygiene by Warren Zevon, Together Through Life by Bob Dylan, Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, and American V: A Hundred Highways by Johnny Cash.

Benmont Tench

In January 2008, Tench became part of a supergroup, initially named The Scrolls. The band is composed of Tench, Sean Watkins (guitar), Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz (various), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). The group is working on an album.[6] They have since changed their name to Works Progress Administration.

Band members

1975–82
1982–91
1991–94
1994–2002
2002–present

See also



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ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN / BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert


BBC Radio

Bit rate: 192 kps

LINK: bbcradio



1. Rescue
2. Heaven Up Here
3. With a Hip
4. Bombers Bay
5. All I Want
6. Back of Love
7. Crocodiles
8. Zimbo
9. Seven Seas
10. Bedbugs and Ballyhoo
11. The Cutter
12. Show of Strength
13. Lips Like Sugar
14. Thorn of Crowns

Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen

Will Sergeant (left) and Ian McCulloch (right) at the Frequenze Disturbate Festival in August 2005
Background information
Origin Liverpool, England
Genres Post-punk, alternative rock
Years active 1978–1992
1996–present
Labels Zoo Records (1979)
Warner Bros.
(1980–1990)
Euphoric (1991–1992)
London Records
(1997–1999)
Cooking Vinyl
(2001-2006)
Warner Bros. (2007-2008)
Ocean Rain (2009–)
Associated acts Electrafixion
Website Official website
Members
Ian McCulloch
Will Sergeant
Former members
Les Pattinson
Pete de Freitas

Noel Burke

Jake Brockman

Damon Reece

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les 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 1993.

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), Siberia (2005) and The Fountain (2009).

History

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,[1] 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,[3] 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.[4][5]

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 HereA Promise", could only reach UK #49.[6] (1981), was an even bigger critical and commercial success, reaching the UK Top Ten (#10), although a single lifted from the album, "

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. Their next album, the self-titled Echo & the Bunnymen (1987), 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. "The Killing Moon" was featured on the 1997 soundtrack from the film "Grosse Pointe Blank" (starring John Cusack). 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,[10]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. Pattinson and Sergeant recruited ex-

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.[11] 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 Siberia band line up was Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Paul Fleming (keyboards), Simon Finley (drums) and Pete Wilkinson (bass), Hugh Jones produced Siberia after previously engineering early Bunnymen albums. As from August 2009 the group's touring incarnation comprises McCulloch and Sergeant along with Stephen Brannan (bass), Gordy Goudie (guitar), Nicholas Kilroe (drums) and Jez Wing (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. The live line up was Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant, Simon Finley (Drums), Paul Fleming (Keyboards), Gordy Goudie (Guitar) and Steve Brannan (Bass) .

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 Bunnymen album with producers John McLaughlin and Simon Perry, which was originally due to be released in 2008 but was finally released on 12 October 2009. The first single from the album, "Think I Need It Too", was released on 28 September 2009.

On 1 September 2009 former keyboard player Jake Brockman died on the Isle of Man when his motorbike collided with a converted ambulance. Brockman had played keyboards for the band during the 1980's

Discography

Studio albums

References

  1. ^ "The Teardrop Explodes - Zoology - Review". Uncut. http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/the_teardrop_explodes/reviews/8511. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  2. ^ Cooper, Mark (1982), Liverpool Explodes!, Sidg. & J (published 30 September 1982), ISBN 0-28398-866-5
  3. ^ Barnett, Laura (8 January 2008), "Portrait of the artist: Ian McCulloch, singer", The Guardian, http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2236950,00.html, retrieved 2008-05-23
  4. ^ Fletcher, Tony (1987), Never Stop: The Echo & the Bunnymen Story, Omnibus Press (published 16 November 1987), ISBN 0-71191-121-5
  5. ^ Adams, Chris (2002), Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo and the Bunnymen, Soft Skull Press (published 1 July 2002), ISBN 1-88712-889-1
  6. ^ a b c managing ed.: David Roberts (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-90499-410-5.
  7. ^ Bell, Max (2003). Album notes for Ocean Rain by Echo & the Bunnymen [CD booklet]. Warner Music UK (2564-61165-2).
  8. ^ "Echo And The Bunnymen to perform classic album", NME, 5 December 2007, http://www.nme.com/news/echo-and-the-bunnymen/32961, retrieved 2008-05-23
  9. ^ Adams, Craig (2002). "Shades of Grey". Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. New York: Soft Skull Press. pp. 182. ISBN 1 887128 89 1.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin: "The Guinness Who's Who Of Indie and New Wave Music", page 67. Guinness Publishing, 1992, ISBN 0-85112-579-4
  11. ^ Allum, Simon (3 April 2006). "Incendiary interview Les Pattinson, part 2". http://www.incendiarymag.com/modules.php?story_id=888&menu_tab=reviews&backissue=0&name=News&new_cat=&file=article&sid=888. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  12. ^ "The Q Awards". Everyhit.com. http://www.everyhit.com/awardq.html. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  13. ^ "28/10/2002 - Q Awards Results". EMAP. http://www.emap.com/press-office-item.asp?Resource=2609. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  14. ^ John Elsasser (2003). "MAGNET Interview: Ian McCulloch". Magnet. http://www.magnetmagazine.com/interviews/ianmac.html. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  15. ^ Echo & The Bunnymen sign label contract with Korova/Warners
  16. ^ Live DVD for Echo & The Bunnymen
  17. ^ Sloan, Billy; Mcmonagle, Mickey (20 April 2008), "Ian McCulloch On How Bunnyman Turned Funnyman To Help Coldplay", Sunday Mail, http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/tv-showbiz-news/music-news/music-reviews/2008/04/20/funny-bunny-78057-20388668/, retrieved 2008-04-30
  18. ^ Gilbert, Pat (January 2009), "Fantastic Voyage", Mojo: 50
  19. ^ "'Fifth Bunnyman' killed in crash". BBC News. 3 September 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8234908.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-04.

Bibliography

  • Adams, Chris. Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. NY: Soft Skull Press, 2002.
  • Reynolds, Simon. Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. London: Penguin, 2005.
  • Fletcher, Tony. Never Stop: The Echo & the Bunnymen Story. London: Omnibus Press, 1987.

External links




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