Animal Nightlife was a British male vocal/instrumental group in the 1980s. It consisted of Andy Polaris on vocals, Leonardo Chignoli on bass, Flid on guitar, Billy Chapman on saxophone, Michael "Mac" McDermott on percussion, and Paul Waller on drums.
Band members
Andy Polaris: vocals (1980–1988)
Sally Gissing: vocals (1980–1981)
Lynn Harding: vocals (1980–1981)
Leah Seresin: vocals (1981–1983)
Chrysta Jones: vocals (1981–1983)
Billy Chapman: saxophone (1980–1988)
Declan John Barclay: trumpet (1980–1983)
Steve 'Fild' Brown: guitar (1980–1988)
Steve Shanley: bass (1980–1983)
Leonardo Chignoli: bass (1984–1988)
Michael 'Mac' McDermott: percussion (1980–1983)
Marc 'Yellowcoat' Kingman: Backing Vocals (Occasional)
Paul Waller: drums (1980–1986)
Founded in 1982 by the core duo of Paul Bell (keyboards/vocals, ex Lookalikes) from Wexford and guitarist Grimmo AKA Andreas Grimminger AKA Andrias O'Gruama, later Cathal Coughlan's right hand man in Fatima Mansions. They were joined by Adrian Wyatt on bass. Another ex Lookalike Mike Mesbur played drums on the first demo. He was replaced by Korda Marshall in 1983, yielding the most stable lineup. Alison Kelly provided cello.
The early singles are interesting but as they developed their sound became a bombastic U2-meets-Psychedelic Furs which will not be to everyone's tastes. To make matters worse, Todd Rundgren produced the debut LP, emphasising all the worst aspects of the music. The second album is more balanced and makes better use of synths and is all the better for echoes (sorry) of Echo & The Bunnymen but there are still too many grandiose anthems. The artwork for their Mercury releases is consistently bad too.
Paul Bell (extreme left above) later formed a duo called Wild Swans (later just Swans) with Brendan Wade of Cry Before Dawn. Andreas Grimminger fronted his own band The Baby's Head before joining Fatima Mansions. Korda Marshall later worked in A&R and ran Infectious Records.
Lineup:
Paul Bell - vocals/keyboards
Andreas Grimminger - guitar
Adrian Wyatt - bass
Mike Mesbur - drums
01. Dozen Girls
02. Lovely Money
03. I Think I'm Wonderful
04. Disguise
05. Take That
06. Torture Me
07. Disco Man
08. Thanks For The Night
09. Take Me Away
10. Some Girls Are Ugly
11. Nice Cup Of Tea
12. Billy Bad Breaks
The Damned are an English gothic punk band formed in London in 1976. They were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single ("New Rose"), an album (Damned Damned Damned), to have a record on the UK music charts, and to tour the United States. The Damned later evolved into one of the forerunners of the gothic genre.
They have incorporated numerous styles into their music and image, including: garage rock, psychedelic rock, cabaret, and the theatrical rock of Screaming Lord Sutch and Alex Harvey. Lead singer Dave Vanian's vocal style has been described as similar to a crooner. The Damned have dissolved and reformed many times, with Vanian as the sole constant member. However, the lineups have always included either guitarist Captain Sensible and/or drummer Rat Scabies, who are both founding members. The current line-up includes Vanian, Captain Sensible, Monty Oxy Moron, Pinch and Stu West.
Dave Vanian (David Letts), Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns) and Rat Scabies (Chris Millar) had been members of the band Masters of the Backside, which also included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde. Brian James (Brian Robertson) had been a member of the punk band London SS, who never played live but included musicians who later found fame in The Clash and Generation X. Scabies knew James through a failed audition as drummer for London SS. When the two decided to start their own band, James and Scabies had invited Sid Vicious and Dave Vanian to audition to be the singer of The Damned. Only Vanian showed up, and so he became the frontman of the band.
Space, formally Didier Marouani & Space, are a French electronic music band from the city of Marseille active from 1977 through 1980 and returning with on-stage remake performances since 1992. They are considered as one of the most notable artists of the short lived space disco music scene, and early pioneers of Eurodance electronica subgenre.
Space was founded in 1977 by Didier Marouani (also known as Ecama), Roland Romanelli, and Jannick Top. The first three albums — Magic Fly, Deliverance and Just Blue — were an immediate success (they sold over 12 million records all over the world). The album Magic Fly, which is widely considered to be their best work, was released in audio cd in 2001, 24 years after its original release. Although Didier Marouani left the band in 1979, the other two members Roland Romanelli and Jannick Top released in 1980 the album Deeper Zone under the name of Space. Then Space officially split up in 1981.
In early 1980s Marouani, with Janny Loseth of Titanic as lead vocalist, continued to perform and record under the titles of Didier Marouani & Space, and Paris-France-Transit due to release lawsuits. The name "spAce" was legally reacquired after some artistic copyright disputes around 1990, allowing musicians to re-release classic albums and give a European live cover tour in 1993. The latest Space album was released in 2002. In the same year, the S Club Juniors made a remix to their single "New Direction" featuring the backing track of "Magic Fly". The band's hit "Magic Fly" as well as many other songs from the self-named album were remixed in 2003 by the Belgian dance music project Minimalistix. Now in 2011, there is a new release by Space called From Earth To Mars.
Albums
Magic Fly (1977)
Deliverance (1977)
Just Blue (1978)
Deeper Zone (1980)
Paris-France Transit (1982)
Space Opera (1987)
The Very Best of Space (1985)
Concerts en URSS (1996)
Best of (1998)
Symphonic Space Dream (2002)
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles and four Top Ten albums in the UK between 1980 and 1990. The band split acrimoniously in 1990 but announced their reunion in March 2009, complete with a tour that began in October 2009.
The band was formed in 1976 and was originally called 'The Cut', with Gary Kemp and Steve Norman on guitar, later saxophone and percussion. Kemp and Norman were both attending Dame Alice Owen's School, Islington, and were close friends, as they shared a similar interest in music and a common desire to form a band. They were joined by fellow student John Keeble, who had met Norman through storing his drum kit in the school's music room and would regularly meet at lunchtimes to practice. John was followed by bass player Michael Ellison. Tony Hadley, who knew Norman, then joined as lead singer. After a few months, Richard Miller replaced Michael Ellison on bass, before Kemp's brother, Martin Kemp, finally took over the role, joining the band a couple of years later. By this time, the band had already gained some live experience. Steve Dagger, a friend of the band members, was then asked by Steve Norman and Gary Kemp to manage them. He was to be an integral part of the band's initial and continuing success.
The band was called 'The Makers' in the early years, but profess to having changed their name after a friend of the band, journalist and DJ Robert Elms, saw the name scrawled on the wall of a nightclub lavatory during a visit to Berlin along the lines of "Rudolf Hess, all alone, dancing the Spandau Ballet" (Rudolf Hess was the sole inmate at Germany's Spandau Prison). The new Spandau Ballet, with Martin Kemp and Tony Hadley, began performing with this name and generating a positive buzz around London. Their music prior to then was in the style of the early Rolling Stones or The Kinks, but became more electronic as they began to hang out in clubs such as Sally's and Blitz, where they would listen to bands like Kraftwerk and Telex. The Blitz was regarded as the birthplace of a new 1980s music and fashion phenomenon called New Romanticism.
The band was involved in a major bidding war, but eventually signed to Chrysalis Records and released "To Cut a Long Story Short", produced by the electronic musician Richard James Burgess. Released just ten days after the band emerged from the studio in order to meet the huge demand created by the buzz they had established, "To Cut a Long Story Short" was an instant British top 5 hit in 1980. This was followed by hits with "The Freeze", "Musclebound" and the well-received and Gold-certified album Journeys to Glory in 1981. The sound of Journeys to Glory was typified by chanted vocals, a splashy snare drum sound, strongly rhythmic guitar parts and a lack of guitar solos; the hallmarks of what would become known as the New Romantic sound and the sound of the early eighties.
01. Ballet Dance (4:10)
02. Slant & Slide (3:17)
03. Love Life (2:53)
04. Trial 13 (3:09)
05. Tangled Web (4:08)
06. 42°F (4:33)
07. Money Talks (2:54)
08. Death Train (4:08)
09. Arctic Flowers (3:09)
10. False Promises (3:05)
11. Thugs (3:09)
12. Plastic Life (2:52)
13. Let Us Out (3:42)
14. T [Emotional Blackmail] (10:13)
15. Rainbow Love (4:09)
16. It'll Never Happen To Me (4:29)
17. Animal House (2:40)
Rubella Ballet are a punk rock band formed in autumn, 1979, who released several albums before splitting up in 1991. They reformed in 2000.
The band was formed by former Fatal Microbes Pete Fender (Dan Sansom, guitar), Gem Stone (Gemma Sansom, bass) and It (Quentin North, also bass), with vocalists Annie Anxiety and Womble, and drummer Sid Ation (born Sid Truelove, 18 April 1960, Sutton Coldfield, a former chef, later also the drummer with Flux of Pink Indians). Annie, Womble and It were involved only initially, left and were replaced by vocalist Zillah Minx (born Zillah Elaine Ashworth, 31 March 1961, Birkenhead). Fender and Stone were the son and daughter of Poison Girls singer Vi Subversa. The band used Poison Girls equipment to jam and write songs and their first performance was when they took to the stage at a Crass/Poison Girls concert. They had originally been called Rubella Babies. The band's first proper gig was a fundraiser for the Theatre Royal in Stratford, which ended in a riot, and the band played frequently, often asking audience members to put them up after gigs.
The new line-up were soon known for wearing brightly coloured dayglo clothes on stage, to differentiate themselves from the anarcho-punk bands who tended to wear black, 'army-surplus' style clothing. Pete Fender left at the end of 1982 and soon afterwards joined Omega Tribe as a full-time member, having been their early mentor and record producer.
The band released one album on cassette tape, entitled Ballet Bag (1981) and a 4 track 7" EP, Ballet Dance (1982), both for Poison Girls' XNTRIX Records, after rejecting the opportunity to put out a record on the Crass label. Adrian Thrills, reviewing the single in the NME stated "the Ballet have an appealing sharp edge to their claustrophobic punk thrash, a poppy surge and even a discernable funk readjustment...of course, they could always just be taking the piss". After releasing the 42f single on Jungle Records (with Sean replacing Fender) the band started their own Ubiquitous label. Rubella Ballet toured extensively with Poison Girls and Crass, and recorded two John Peel sessions for BBC Radio.[4] In 1984 they embarked on an ill-fated tour of Italy to promote 42F. The band had only been given single airline tickets and after a week of playing without getting paid, they returned to England by train.
The band's line-up underwent several changes before their next release, "Money Talks" (1985); Sean and Gem had left, to be replaced by Adam and Rachel Minx (Zillah's younger sister Rachel Irene Jane Ashworth), and Adam himself has replaced by Steve Cachman prior to the recording of the debut album At Last, It's Playtime, the same year, an album that has been described as "chugging mid-paced stuff, many of the tracks dominated by Zillah's steamroller-flat vox". The line-up stabilized over the next few years, the band recording a second album, If... in 1986. A compilation and a double live album followed, but it would be 1990 before the next studio album, At the End of the Rainbow. The band split up shortly after its release, Sid already playing in the dance band Xenophobia.
In 2000, the band reformed for a performance at the European Gathering festival in Milton Keynes, and have continued on and off since, with the core members Sid and Zillah joined by a varying line-up including original guitarist Fender. A retrospective covering the first half of the band's career, Anarchy in the U.V., including Ballet Bag, Ballet Dance, At Last It's Play Time, the 12-inch version of "Money Talks", and two previously unreleased tracks, was released in December 2008. A second volume was released in 2010, containing the remaining tracks from the band's back-catalogue.
Albums
Ballet Bag (1981), XNTRIX (cassette only, with booklet and badge)
At Last Its Playtime (1985)
IF (1986)
At The End Of The Rainbow (1990)
Compilations, live albums, remixes
Cocktail Mix (1987)(Ballet Bag + Ballet Dance)
The Ballet's Birthday Box (double LP)(1988)(badge, poster, cut-out doll, sticker & booklet)
Greatest Trips (1990)
Death Rock Daze (2007) (Limited Edition) Rubella Ballet's tracks mixed by Sidation
Anarchy in the U.V. (2008)
Nevermind the Day-Glo. (2010)
Video
Freak Box (1984), Ubiquitous - Live concert, 60 min, VHS
"Live to Tell" (LP Version) – 5:49
"Live to Tell" (Edit) – 4:37
"Live to Tell" (Instrumental) – 5:49
"Live to Tell" is a pop ballad by American singer-songwriter Madonna. Originally written by Patrick Leonard for the soundtrack of the film Fire with Fire, the song was shown to Madonna, who decided to use it for then-husband Sean Penn's film At Close Range. It was produced by Leonard and Madonna for her third studio album True Blue, released in mid-1986, later appearing as a remix on the 1990 compilation album The Immaculate Collection, in its original form on the 1995 ballads compilation album Something to Remember, and most recently on her third compilation album Celebration (again in its original form), released in September 2009.
The song includes instrumentation from guitars, keyboards, drums and a synthesizer, and its lyrics deals with deceit, mistrust and childhood scars. It is also about being strong, which Madonna recalled in an interview that she thought about her relationship with her parents, while writing the lyrics. The music video, directed by James Foley, shows Madonna's first image makeover, featuring her with a cleaner look, shoulder-length wavy golden blond hair, conservative wardrobe and subtle make-up. This toned down blond appearance was again inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Released as the album's first single in March 1986, the song was a commercial success. It became Madonna's third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and her first number-one on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was generally well-received by music critics, who frequently referred to it as the best ballad of her career. The song faced controversy when Madonna performed it on her 2006 Confessions Tour wearing a crown of Thorns while hanging on a giant mirrored cross. The performance at Rome's Olympic Stadium was condemned as an act of hostility toward the Roman Catholic Church by religious leaders.
Side one
"America Is Waiting"
"Mea Culpa"
"Regiment"
"Help Me Somebody"
"The Jezebel Spirit" Side two
"Qu'ran"
"Moonlight in Glory"
"The Carrier"
"A Secret Life"
"Come with Us"
"Mountain of Needles"
My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a 1981 album by Brian Eno and David Byrne, titled after Amos Tutuola's 1954 novel of the same name. The album was re-released in expanded form in 2006.
Receiving strong reviews upon its release, My Life is now regarded as a high point in the discographies of Eno and Byrne. In a 1985 interview, singer Kate Bush remarked that the album "left a very big mark on popular music," while critic John Bush describes it as a "pioneering work for countless styles connected to electronics, ambience, and Third World music." The extensive use of sampling on My Life is widely considered ground-breaking—it was one of the first albums to do so—but its actual influence on the sample-based music genres that later emerged continues to be debated.
The album was recorded entirely with analogue technology, before the advent of digital sequencing and MIDI. The sampled voices were synchronized with the instrumental tracks via trial and error, a practice that was often frustrating, but which also produced several happy accidents.
Also according to Byrne's 2006 notes, neither he nor Eno had read Tutuola's novel before the album was recorded. Both were familiar with Tutuola's earlier The Palm-Wine Drinkard (1952), but his My Life in the Bush of Ghosts was not easily obtained in the U.S. when the material was recorded. Even without reading the book, Eno and Byrne thought the title reflected their interest in African music, and also had an evocative, vaguely sinister quality that also referenced the voices sampled for the album: the vocalists were recorded sometimes several decades before being re-appropriated by Eno and Byrne, and the voices often seemed to take on unanticipated qualities when placed in the new context.
Personnel
David Byrne and Brian Eno – guitars, bass guitars, synthesizers, drums, percussion, found objects
John Cooksey – drums on "Help Me Somebody" and "Qu'ran"
Chris Frantz – drums on "Regiment"
Busta Jones – bass guitar on "Regiment"
Dennis Keeley – bodhran on "Mea Culpa"
Bill Laswell – bass guitar on "America Is Waiting"
Mingo Lewis – bata, sticks on "The Jezebel Spirit" and "The Carrier"
Prairie Prince – can, bass drum on "The Jezebel Spirit" and "The Carrier"
Jose Rossy – congas, agong-gong on "Moonlight in Glory"
Steve Scales – congas, metals on "Help Me Somebody"
David van Tieghem – drums, percussion on "America Is Waiting" and "Regiment"
Tim Wright – click bass on "America Is Waiting"
Rooks on "Help Me Somebody" courtesy of April Potts, recorded at Eglingham Hall
So Cold The Night9:12
When The Walls Come Tumbling Down4:22
Never No More2:58
The Communards were a British pop duo active from 1985 to 1988. They are most famous for their cover of Thelma Houston's song, "Don't Leave Me This Way" as well as "Never Can Say Goodbye".
The Communards formed in 1985 after singer Jimmy Somerville left his earlier band Bronski Beat to team up with classically-trained musician Richard Coles. Though mainly a pianist, Coles played a number of instruments and had been seen previously performing the clarinet solos on the Bronski Beat hit "It Ain't Necessarily So". They were joined by bass player Dave Renwick who had also played with Bronski Beat. Somerville was well-known for his falsetto singing style, and that he was openly gay during a period of increasing socio-political debate and conflict in the UK regarding homosexuality.
The band had their first UK Top 30 hit in 1985 with the piano-based #30 single "You Are My World". The following year they had their biggest hit with an energetic cover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way" (in a version inspired by Thelma Houston's cover) which spent four weeks at number one and became the UK's biggest selling single of 1986. It also made the US Top 40. It featured Sarah Jane Morris as co-vocalist, taking advantage of the contrast between Morris' deep and rounded contralto and Somerville's soaring falsetto. Morris performed both backing and co-lead vocals on many of the Communards' other recordings, and appeared in group photos as an unofficial third member.
Later that year The Communards had another UK Top 10 hit with the single "So Cold the Night," which reached number 8. In 1987, they released an album titled Red, which was partly produced by Stephen Hague. Red featured a cover version of the Jackson 5's hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" (in a version inspired by Gloria Gaynor's cover), which the Communards took to Number 4. Their last released single was "There's More to Love" in 1988, which reached Number 20 and was, consequently, their final Top 20 hit.
They split in 1988 and Somerville began a solo career. Coles followed his Christian leanings and, after periods as a journalist for the Times Literary Supplement and Catholic Herald, he was ordained in the Church of England, spending time as the curate of St Botolph's (The Stump) in Boston, Lincolnshire. He is now the assistant priest at St Paul's Knightsbridge and Chaplain to the Royal College of Music.
Click Click is a British electro-industrial music band.
Click Click formed in Sheffield, England in 1982 by Adrian Smith, and Derek E. Smith, after the end of their previous rock project "Those Nervous Surgeons" (which formed in 1976 with bassist Tim Wilson). When Wilson bought their first synthesizer, (an EDP Wasp), the direction of the group changed so dramatically, they renamed themselves.
In 1982, the group acquired guitarist Richard Camp from another band and thus the first experimental synth-rock incarnation of Click Click was born. They cut their first single later that year, but Camp departed over creative issues and formed a blues band.
Influenced by artists such as Brian Eno, Cabaret Voltaire, The Residents and Frank Zappa, and of course Blade Runner, Clive Barker and "mind-expanding" substances, Click Click continued on with other revolving members down a more electronic path until their eventual break up around 1990. Other members included guitarist Jon Morris, who was replaced by Graham Stronach in 1987, and Pete Hosier who remained with the group until the end.
After a 7 year hiatus, Adrian and Derek reformed briefly in 1997 to record Shadowblack on the OffBeat label. The album was more EBM than their earlier work and almost completely instrumental. It was greeted with overall positive reviews within the underground music scene. Due to the member's volatile relationship however, the band split again in 1998, with no current plans for another reunion.
A Click Click vinyl release was issued on NYC-based Sonic Groove Records in 2004, but it is most like that only Adrian was involved, but that is still unclear. Throughout the 2000s, Adrian has been involved with Paperhouse, a darker ambient soundtrack project. Nothing has been released publicly, aside from a few odd compilation appearances, but at least 4 CD-R releases are known to exist: Bug Sun, Sappho, Frey, and Sammlung. In addition, three Click Click CD-Rs surfaced offering odd unreleased and remixed material: Lung Function, Crushed, and Behind Dark Glasses.
The summer of 2008 brought the news that Click Click's back catalogue would be available again, this time via various download platforms including iTunes. The material will come in remastered versions and will also include the early catalogue. Lung Function, a compilation of remastered singles, was released on iTunes, Amazon digital service and eMusic in 2008.
Clock DVA are an industrial music, post-punk and EBM group from Sheffield, England. The group was formed in 1978, with two members, Adolphus "Adi" Newton and Steven "Judd" Turner. Along with contemporaries Heaven 17, Clock DVA's name was inspired by the Russian-influenced Nadsat of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange; "dva" is the Russian word for "two". Adi had previously worked with members of Cabaret Voltaire in a collective called The Studs and with Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware in a band called The Future. Ian and Martyn went on to found The Human League.
The group was originally known for making a form of experimental electronic music involving treated tape loops and synthesisers. Clock DVA became associated with industrial music with the 1980 release of their album White Souls in Black Suits on Throbbing Gristle's Industrial Records. The album Thirst, released on Fetish Records, followed in 1981 to a favourable critical reaction, knocking Adam and the Ants' Dirk Wears White Sox from the top of the NME Indie Charts, by which time the band had combined musique concrète techniques with standard rock instrumentation. "4 Hours", the single from "Thirst" was later covered by former Bauhaus bassist David J on his 1985 solo e.p. "Blue moods turning tail".
The band split up in 1981, with the non original members of the band going on to form The Box.
In 1983, Newton formed a new version of the band. First releasing the single "High Holy Disco Mass" on the major label Polydor Records under the name DVA, the band then released the album Advantage (with several singles) under the name Clock DVA. After a European tour, however, the band split acrimoniously.
After the 1983 breakup of Clock DVA, Adi Newton formed The Anti-Group or T.A.G.C. They released several albums continuing in a similar vein to the early Clock DVA, yet more experimental.
In 1987, Adi Newton reactivated DVA and invited Dean Dennis and Paul Browse back into the fold to aid Newton's use of computer aided sampling techniques which he had been developing in the Anti Group. The album Buried Dreams, an electronic album which received critical acclaim as a pioneering work. Browse left the group in 1989 and was replaced by R E Baker. The album Man-Amplified was the next album to be released, an exploration of cybernetics. Digital Soundtracks, an instrumental album, was the next release. Following Dennis's departure, Newton and Baker produced the album Sign.
Adi Newton reactivated Clock DVA along with his creative partner Jane Radion Newton in 2008.
1."Runaway"
2."Roulette"
3."She Don't Know Me"
4."Shot Through The Heart"
5."Love Lies"
6."Breakout"
7."Burning for Love"
8."Come Back"
9."Get Ready"
Bon Jovi is the debut album from American rock band Bon Jovi, released January 21, 1984. Produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn, the album is significant for being the only Bon Jovi album on which a song ("She Don't Know Me") appears that was not written or co-written by members of the band. The album charted at #43 on The Billboard 200.
Aside from hit single "Runaway", songs from the album were rarely performed live after the band released their breakthrough album Slippery When Wet in 1986. However, on the band's current Circle Tour, songs including "Roulette", "Shot Through the Heart", and "Get Ready" have been performed.
The album was ranked the 11th best rock album of 1984 by Kerrang! magazine.
In 1980, Jon Bon Jovi started to work at Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner. Jon Bon Jovi made several demos and sent them out to many record companies, but failed to make an impact.
In 1982, Jon Bon Jovi went to local radio station WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple". DJ Chip Hobart listened to Jon's demos and loved "Runaway", deciding to include it on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. The studio musicians who helped record "Runaway" were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, bassist Hugh McDonald, and additional singers David Grahmme and Mick Seeley
The song began to get airplay around New York. Jon signed to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. Jon Bon Jovi wanted a group name and the A&R staff at PolyGram came up with Bon Jovi
In March 1983 Bon Jovi called David Bryan (then Rashbaum), who in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres. At that time Bon Jovi's lead guitarist was Dave Sabo (a.k.a. The Snake), who later formed the group Skid Row. Dave Sabo was eventually replaced by Richie Sambora.
The band recorded the album (originally titled "Tough Talk" but renamed it after the record company decided it was wiser to issue the album as a self titled release) at Power Station Studios and produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn. Most of the songs are written by Jon Bon Jovi, David Bryan, and Richie Sambora. "Burning For Love" and "Come Back" were the very first songs written for the album. Three singles were released from the album, "Runaway", "She Don't Know Me" and in Japan only, "Burning For Love".
Personnel
Jon Bon Jovi – lead vocals, guitar
Richie Sambora – guitar, background vocals
Alec John Such – bass, background vocals
Tico Torres – drums, percussion
David Bryan (credited as David Rashbaum) – keyboards, background vocals Additional personnel
Roy Bittan – keyboards
Chuck Burgi - additional drums
David Grahmme - background vocals
Doug Katsaros - additional keyboards
Frankie La Rocka – drums
Hugh McDonald – bass
Aldo Nova - additional guitar, additional keyboards
Tim Pierce – guitar
Mick Seeley - background vocals
AWonderful Life4:50
B1Birthday Night5:10
B2Everything's Coming Up Roses4:04
Black
Wonderful Life 12''
1987
Pop
England
Tracklist:
A1Wonderful Life 4:49
A2Life Calls 4:47
B1Had Enough 3:51
B2All We Need Is The Money4:23
"Wonderful Life" is a song by British band Black from their 1987 album of the same name. Written by lead singer Colin Vearncombe, the song was released twice as a single and was successful the second time, becoming a top ten hit in Switzerland, Germany, UK, France, Austria and Italy.
First released in 1985 by Ugly Man Records, it initially peaked at #72 on the UK Singles Chart. The band then decided to re-release the song with a new record company, A&M Records after the success of "Sweetest Smile". The single then reached a higher peak of #8 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1987.
Black is a British pop band that is primarily a musical vehicle for British singer-songwriter Colin Vearncombe (born 26 May 1962, Liverpool, England).
Black's first release was "Human Features" on Rox Records in 1981. This was followed by another independent release in 1982 "More than the Sun", after which Black were signed by WEA Records.
In 1982, Black played with the Thompson Twins on their "Quick Step and Side Kick" tour. The live sound of synth/percussion/guitar and the use of reel-to-reel tapes got them noticed.
The first release for WEA was "Hey Presto" (1984), which got the band noticed outside the UK: the video for this song featured on the satellite music channel Music Box, and the single was released in Australia. The second WEA single was a re-recording of "More than the Sun". After this, Black were dropped from the record label. During this period, the band also included producer Dave Dix.
1985 was a gloomy year for Vearncombe, causing him to write the ironically entitled minor key song "Wonderful Life". Released independently at first, this track got Black noticed by A&M Records who signed Vearncombe and launched his international career. At first, the singles "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and "Sweetest Smile" were moderately successful in the UK alone, but the third single, a re-release of "Wonderful Life", was a massive hit worldwide. The album of the same name, released in 1987, had similar success, reaping commercial and critical acclaim.
Black then went on to sell over two million records worldwide with Comedy (1988) and Black (1991). In the meantime, Vearncombe's personal life took a turn for the better when he married Swedish singer Camilla Griehsel, formerly from the band One 2 Many. Disillusioned with having to deal with a big record company, Vearncombe founded the independent label Nero Schwarz (which is the word "black" in Italian and German, respectively), and released one album Are We Having Fun Yet? (1993).
After a prolonged hiatus, Vearncombe returned in 1999 to release a string of critically acclaimed recordings under his own name.
Vearncombe returned to the band format and the name "Black" to release a new recording entitled Between Two Churches in November 2005. On this album he included a song mocking the success of his hit "Wonderful life", where he poignantly re-asked the question, "Are you having a wonderful life?".
2009 saw two album releases. The Given was issued on 4 July, initially available as a free download under Vearncombe's name; and Water On Stone on 17 November, the first Black studio album in four years.
ACaribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) (New Extended Mix) 8:20
B1African Queen (No More Love On The Run) (New Extended Mix) 8:20
B2Dance Floor (Extended Mix) 6:37
Billy Ocean (born Leslie Sebastian Charles, 21 January 1950) is a Trinidad-born English Grammy Award winning popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the early to mid-1980s.
He was born in Trinidad and Tobago to Grenadian parents, and moved to Romford, London, England with his family at the age of eight. Ocean's musical influence came at an early age of his life, as his father was a musician, and realised he was in line to follow those ambitions as he was growing up. During his teenage years, he sang regularly in London clubs while also working as a tailor in London's Savile Row. He released his first single in 1972 on Spark Records as Les Charles.
He took his stage name from the Ocean Estate, Stepney, where he was living at the time.
AE=MC2 (Extended Remix)
BThis Is Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) are a British musical group formed in 1984 by the ex-guitarist and singer of The Clash, Mick Jones. The group is noted for their effective mixture of varied musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk. BAD's one constant throughout frequent shifts in membership and musical direction are the vocals provided by Mick Jones. After releasing a number of well-received albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Big Audio Dynamite disbanded in 1997, but have announced a reunion as of January 2011.
"E=MC2" is a song written by Mick Jones, the guitarist and singer of The Clash and performed by his post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite. It was included as the third track on their 1985 debut album This Is Big Audio Dynamite.
The track is considered to be the first song to make use of highly defined sampling technologies. E=MC2 missed out on becoming a top ten hit in the UK, where it peaked at #11 and #37 in the U.S. dance chart becoming the band's most well-known song.
Personnel
Big Audio Dynamite (1984–1990, 2011–present)
Mick Jones – vocals and guitar
Don Letts – sound effects and vocals
Dan Donovan – keyboards
Leo Williams – bass
Greg Roberts – drums and background vocals Big Audio Dynamite II (1990–1993)
Mick Jones – vocals and guitar
Nick Hawkins – guitar and background vocals
Gary Stonadge – bass and background vocals
Chris Kavanagh – drums and background vocals Big Audio (1994–1995)
Mick Jones – vocals and guitar
Nick Hawkins – guitar and background vocals
Gary Stonadge – bass and background vocals
Chris Kavanagh – drums and background vocals
Andre Shapps – keyboards
Michael 'Zonka' Custance – DJ, percussion and background vocals Big Audio Dynamite (1996–1998)
Mick Jones – vocals and guitar
Nick Hawkins – guitar
Andre Shapps – keyboards
Michael 'Zonka' Custance – Dj
Darryl Fulstow – bass
Bob Wond – drums
Joe Attard – Mc vocals
Ranking Roger – vocals
Age of Chance were a British alternative rock-dance crossover band from Leeds, England active from 1985 to 1991. They were perhaps most known for their mutant metallic cover of Prince's "Kiss" which topped the UK Indie Chart in 1986, and peaked at #50 in the UK Singles Chart in January the following year. Despite signing for major label Virgin, and being favourites with the UK music press, they never enjoyed a major hit in the UK, although "Don't Get Mad… Get Even" reached #5 in the US Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart.
Musically they were a sonic collision of punk, hip hop, industrial rock and Northern soul. Steven E provided a distinctive strident nasal vocal style, often employing a megaphone. Striking cover art visuals were a collaboration between the group and The Designers Republic, who would go on to graphic design fame. They were contemporaries of Pop Will Eat Itself, whose music also featured rock guitar, dance beats and copious samples, and other early UK samplist groups such as Coldcut and The JAMMs.
Line-up
Steven Elvidge (mob-orator)
Geoff Taylor (all nite bass frequencies)
Neil Howson (power-noise generator)
Jan Perry (beat dominator)
Charles Hutchinson (singer on Mecca)
Albums
Kiss Crush Collision (mini LP, 1986)
One Thousand Years of Trouble (1987)
Mecca (1990) Singles
"Motorcity" (1985)
"Bible of the Beats" (1986)
"The Twilight World of Sonic Disco EP" (1986)
"Kiss" (1986)(re-issued 1987)
"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Noise" (1987)
"Don't Get Mad ... Get Even" (1987)
"Take It!" (1988)
"Time's Up" (1989)
"Higher Than Heaven" (1990)
"Playing With Fire" (1990)
Michael Cretu born 18 May, 1957, Bucharest, is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair (creț means "curly" in Romanian). His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany.
Cretu's third solo album was titled Die Chinesische Mauer and was released in 1985. The literal English translation is The Chinese Wall. Like his previous album, this had German-language lyrics, was sung by Michael, co-produced by Armand Volker and Michael Cretu. This album was also released as a separate album with English-language lyrics and a different track listing under the name The Invisible Man. Several of the tracks on The Invisible Man were edited slightly and, therefore, was different length than the German-language versions on Die Chinesische Mauer. This featured the song "Samurai," which became a minor hit.
A1 Crawling Mantra
A2 All The Same
B1 Hang Man
B2 Shout At The Sky (Live)
One of England's more subtly original goth rock groups, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry were initially branded as worshipful Joy Division acolytes, but came up with enough distinct variations to break free of their main influence. Their foundation always remained icy, droning post-punk, replete with sludgy, murky guitars and mumbled Ian Curtis-style vocals. However, as the Lorries evolved, they gradually sprinkled in elements of industrial dance, early rave music, and spaghetti Western soundtracks, as well as liberal doses of inventive, acid-tinged guitar work. Taking their name from a British tongue twister, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry was formed in Leeds in late 1981 by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney. Reed and Sweeney had previously performed in the local bands Radio Id and Knife Edge, respectively, and added a rhythm section of bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown. Sweeney left within a year, however, and Reed took over lead vocal duties, with Martin Fagan coming onboard as a second guitarist. Later in 1982, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry signed with the independent Red Rhino label and issued their debut single, "Beating My Head." Although it was a hit on the British indie charts, Fagan subsequently left the band and was replaced by Dave "Wolfie" Wolfenden, who became Reed's frequent songwriting partner; bassist Smith also departed in favor of Paul Southern. The band's second single, "Take It All," appeared in 1983, as did the third, "He's Read"; both helped solidify the Lorries' popularity on the indie listings. After another single, 1984's "Monkeys on Juice," the band finally got around to recording its debut album; Talk About the Weather was released in early 1985, and was a hit on the indie charts thanks to the single "Hollow Eyes." It was followed by two non-LP singles, "Chance" and "Spinning Round." In 1986, Reed and Wolfenden regrouped with a new rhythm section of bassist Leon Phillips and drummer Chris Oldroyd. They were in place for the Lorries' second LP, Paint Your Wagon, which drew on imagery of the old American West and featured another indie hit in "Walking on Your Hands."
Following one more non-LP single that year, "Cut Down," the band temporarily adopted its longtime nickname of The Lorries, and issued one single, 1987's "Crawling Mantra," under that moniker before reverting back to the original form. Later in 1987, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry signed a major-label deal with Situation Two, a subsidiary of RCA affiliate Beggars Banquet. They debuted in 1988 with the LP Nothing Wrong, which spun off the single "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)."On their second major-label album, 1989's Blow, the Lorries flirted with the sound and visual style of England's emerging rave culture, resulting in their clearest, most spacious production to date. There was more turnover in the rhythm section; drummer Oldroyd was replaced by Mark Chillington prior to the recording of the album, and bassist Phillips departed before the supporting tour, with his spot permanently filled by Gary Weight. Chillington, in turn, left during the tour, and George Schulz came onboard in his stead. The Lorries subsequently parted ways with Beggars Banquet and released their fifth LP, Blasting Off — with several songwriting contributions from Weight — in 1991, on the small Sparkhead label. The album didn't appear in the U.S. for another three years, until Relapse finally picked it up. By that time, faced with diminishing returns, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry had disbanded. Several CD retrospectives of the group's work have since been released. [Source: AMG]
1.Intro
2.Unit
3.Domino Dance
4.Convulsion Of Nature
5.XY?
6.Talk Back
7.Clash (Chinjyu Of Sun)
8.Person To Person
9.Logic
Logic System is a musical project of Hideki Matsutake. Hideki started as an assistant for Isao Tomita in the 70's and is well-known as the sequencer programmer and modular synthesizer operator for the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), but he wasn't a member of YMO. He worked on several of their albums and toured with his huge collection of synths. He also did sequencing work for numerous technopop albums for other artists, particularily in the early 80's. In 1996 he performed in a big concert event organized by Isao Tomita and was also guest on Towa Tei albums. On his website is a huge number of MIDI files he released, with some of YMO's original songs.
Hideki Matsutake (born August 12, 1951 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese composer, arranger, and computer programmer. He is known for his pioneering work in electronic music and particularly music programming, as the assistant of Isao Tomita during the early 1970s and as the "fourth member" of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra during the late 1970s to early 1980s.
In 1981, Matsutake formed "Logic System" with Makoto Irie, with whom he toured to perform in other Asian countries several times. The unit has released 10 albums to date, 2 out of them released in 8 countries. Its latest album is Tansu Matrix, released in 2008. He was also a member of Akihabara Electric Circus, which released the chiptune album Super Mario Bros. 3: Akihabara Electric Circus in 1988. He also composed the video game music for Treasure's Guardian Heroes in 1996, alongside Nazo Suzuki. Matsutake is currently Chairman of Japan Synthesizer Programmers Association (JSPA).
01 Walking Into Mirrors
02 Radio Active
03 Searchlights
04 Martian Summer
05 Screaming Jets
06 Three Minutes
07 Will You Dance With Me?
08 (SOS) Sending Out Signals
09 Dancing Dolls
10 Fantastic Light
"Born in Bethnal Green, London, Johnny Warman made his stage debut as a child, when his local school choir was judged proficient enough to appear in two productions at London's prestigious Royal Opera House, alongside Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. By the mid-'70s, however, he had gravitated to rock, forming the band Bearded Lady and releasing a 1975 single, Rock Star. It went nowhere and, when the band split, Warman signed solo with Ringo Starr's Ring-O label, releasing a single in 1977 and a Germany-only album, Hour Glass, two years later. By 1980, Warman had formed a new band, Three Minutes - following their breakup, he took much of the band's repertoire for his next solo album, 1981's Walking Into Mirrors, released by Elton John's Rocket label. Recorded with Peter Gabriel's then-current band, with Gabriel himself guesting on backing vocals on the single Screaming Jets, Warman found himself with a major Australian hit. (...) A masterful, electronics-driven slab of wartorn paranoia whose edginess was only amplified by the presence of Peter Gabriel on effectively keening backing vocals. (...) Hints of the John Foxx-era Ultravox (not to mention the inevitable Gary Numan, too) shine through some of the sparser numbers, an impression heightened by both Warman's own, occasionally robotic vocal intonations and the sense that the entire album is an idiot dancing on the edge of Armageddon; the early '80s, of course, saw civilization perched on one of its way-too-regular nuclear precipices, and Walking Into Mirrors echoes both the scientific realities and the science-fiction romances of that scenario. (...) Unfortunately, the follow-up, 1983's From the Jungle to the New Horizons, did little, prompting Warman to abandon his own recording career and concentrate on songwriting".
(Dave Thompson, All-Music Guide)
From the Jungles to the New Horizons
Spirit in the Sky
Looking Back (to See If Someone's Looking Back at Me)
China's Moving (West)
I Love My Planet
(United) The State of America
Flying out of Windows
Dream, Dream, Dream
Johnny Warman (born John Robert Waughman 1951 in Bethnal Green, London) is an English singer-songwriter best known for his 1981 album Walking Into Mirrors and the hit single "Screaming Jets".
In the early 1970s Warman joined the group Bearded Lady (originally named Elmo's Fire) as a vocalist/rhythm guitarist with fellow members Freddy Sheriff on guitar, Chris Peel on bass, Mickey Irvine (Later replaced by Paul 'The Mouse' Martin and then Clive 'Short Bar' Brooks and finally Bryson Graham) on drums and Kim Jury and Theresa O'Neil as backing singers. Warman and Sheriff had been in school and The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme together and were brought together musically by a mutual friend named Yvonne. The group's first gig was at the Morpeth Castle, during which the only member of the audience walked out after the first song. Being managed by John Hunt and Barry Sullivan's Hunsul Enterprises very much a "Pub Rock" group, they performed at many London (as well as many other towns) venues including, The Hope And Anchor, The Brecknock, The Kensington, The Cock At Kilburn And The Lord Nelson, even being a support act for Humphrey Littleton in Fishguard. The group focused their efforts on their live act and had a solid following built up over four years, including Mickie Most who unsuccessfully tried to sign them to RAK Records three times. Chuck Berry also came to see the band. During the period in which Warman was in Bearded Lady he was often to be found frequenting the clubs of London where he was in contact with many other "scene" people including David Bowie, who referred to Warman by name, which was a true accolade for an aspiring rock star.
The band took out on a tour of West Germany (Zoom in Frankfurt and P.N. Club in Munich) to support a German release of the single on Bellaphon/Youngblood International which was as close as the group would ever get to a world tour. Warman worked a day job to support his wife and young family (Daughters Zowie born 1973 and Tammy) but still insisted the band commit to at least four nights of rehearsals a week. One day whilst Warman was waiting for the band to pick him up in their van the other band members had decided to sell all their equipment and the van and with that the group ceased to exist. The last performance by Bearded Lady was at the Marquee Club supported by The Jam. After the collapse of Bearded Lady, Warman set out with demos in hand to get a solo deal. It was around this time that he started spelling his surname "Warman" rather than "Waughman", as both "Johnny" and "Warman" have six letters.
With Warman's success with the Walking Into Mirrors he took to the road including live and television performances in Sweden, West Germany, Belgium, France, Spain (Music Express), Portugal (Fiesta Fiesta), Great Britain, performing second on the bill to Ian Hunter at the New Pop Festival in Rotterdam in 1982. Rocket encouraged Warman to start work on a second Rocket album which he took to at The Manor Studios in Oxford. Warman invited back Jerry Marrota and Tony Levin as well as inviting Chris Payne of Dramatis (who at that time were Gary Numan's backing band) and Andy Clark who had just returned from backing David Bowie on tour. Warman's concept for the From The Jungle To The New Horizons album was the process from Apeman to Spaceman. The album would be a more musically complicated production than the previous Walking Into Mirrors album. Kiki Dee was invited to contribute backing vocals to (United) The State Of America and Looking Back (To See If Someone's Looking Back At Me). Although Kiki was only scheduled to work in the studio for one day she (as all the other musicians) enjoyed herself so much she stayed for three days. "Dream Dream Dream" was the lead and only single from the album being released on Rocket a month before the release on the album. Neither the single nor the album managed to make any impact in the charts and once again with the downsizing of Rocket Records Warman found himself without a record label even with all the successes of 1981/2 under his belt.
