Duran Duran - Duran Duran (1981)

"Careless Memories" by Duran Duran


The Nice's album, despite not selling well, did have a recognizable album cover where the band were without clothes and wrapped in cellophane. Gered Mankowitz is responsible for that picture and many others. He is one of the most prolific and prominent rock photographers today. Although it might be one of his less recognizable pieces, Mankowitz also took the cover photo for Duran Duran's breakout single "Girls on Film".

Nick Rhodes and John Taylor formed Duran Duran in 1978 in Birmingham. Starting work for the Rum Runner night club, they eventually became the house band while they were also busting tables and doing dishes. The group went through several lineup changes (foregoing two vocalists, a bassist, and a drum machine) before coming together: Nick Rhodes (keyboards), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar), Roger Taylor (drums), and Simon Le Bon (vocals). Despite the same last names, none of the Taylors are related. By the turn of the decade, Duran Duran began receiving press as one of the leading New Romantic bands (a branch of late '70s New Wave). The band's connection with Rum Runner proved to be a good one as the owners became Duran Duran's original management and booked the group's first demo recordings. While touring in the late eighties, their marketability was noticed by several record companies resulting in a bidding war. Duran Duran would sign with EMI in patriotic reverence to The Beatles's original label (despite getting an unfair deal).

Their debut album Duran Duran came out in June of 1981 and was produced by Colin Thurston, a man largely credited with developing the classic "eighties sound". The album was accompanied by three singles "Planet Earth", "Careless Memories", and "Girls on Film". Of the three, "Girls on Film" hit highest on the UK charts at #5. It also gained a certain notoriety for its music video that portrayed sexual fetishes and was intended only to be played on pay TV channels. A heavily edited version brought the band to prominence in the United States as it breached the rotation of music videos on the burgeoning MTV.

Duran Duran quickly became the "prettiest boys in rock" around the time when exposure was at an all time high. MTV had recently gotten off the ground and Duran Duran were one of the first bands to take advantage of the new outlet to American audiences. All five members had photogenic features and worked with stylists to develop their own unique look. Musically, they also remixed their own songs, creating "night versions" in the studio that were more instrumental and dance friendly. In a quickly changing musical landscape and industry, Duran Duran were one of the first bands to exemplify the change and reap a surreal global popularity that would only keep growing.

Here is the discography surrounding Duran Duran's debut album:

Planet Earth (1981 single)
Careless Memories (1981 single)
Duran Duran
Girls on Film (1981 single)
Nite Romantics (1981 Japanese Remix EP)
Live at Club Paradise (1981 live bootleg)

"Girls on Film" by Duran Duran


"Tel Aviv" by Duran Duran


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

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The Nice - The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967)

"The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack" by The Nice


P.P. Arnold's backing band was thrown together piecemeal by her manager Andrew Loog Oldham just in time for her to tour the UK. The backing band would take on a life of its own as the group members ended up forming their own band and naming themselves (presumably) after a Small Faces song. The Nice would go from a backing band to a band capable of making waves in the progression of rock and roll.

As The Nice were thrown together by Oldham, they already had the benefit of Immediate Records ready to release their work. The Nice originally consisted of wandering musicians Keith Emerson (keyboards), Lee Jackson (bass and vocals), and David O'List (guitar). The original drummer from Arnold's backing group, Ian Hague, was replaced by Brian Davison to round out the quartet. The names of the members would provide the title of the group's first single and album in 1967: The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack.

The Nice had big Jimi Hendrix inspired, psychedelic guitar riffs and bigger, progressive musical ideas. They were able to play any which style of music so they made good use of their skills by throwing them together to see what coalesced. They could play short, power pop songs or variations on classical or jazz. On their debut, they tackled covers of Dave Brubeck and musical quotations of composer Leoš Janáček. Their second single "America" released in 1968, The Nice covered Leonard Bernstein while adding quotations from Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony. The song's historical context, ad posters for the album that featured John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., its original title "America (Second Amendment)", and its spoken word conclusion: "America is pregnant with promise and anticipation, but is murdered by the hand of the inevitable" helps it fall into an odd place as an "instrumental protest song" as described by Keith Emerson. With O'List's guitars, they had a tinge of psychedlia laced through every song, but their grandiose musical ideas separated them from the pack as their debut album is often considered the first progressive rock album.

Here is the discography surrounding The Nice's debut album:

Blow My Blues Away (1965 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Portland Town (1965 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Follow Me (1966 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Forbidden Fruit (1966 single by The Mark Leeman Five)
Elbow Baby (1966 single by The Habits)
Hi-Ho Silver Lining (1966 single by The Attack)
Created by Clive (1967 single by The Attack)
Try It (1967 single by The Attack)
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967 single)
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack
America (1968 single)
Neville Thumbcatch (1968 single by The Attack)
Autumn '67-Spring '68 (1972 live album)
Magic in the Air (1990 compilation album by The Attack)
Memorial Album (1991 compilation album by The Mark Leeman Five)
The Complete Recordings from 1967-68 (1999 compilation album by The Attack)
Final Daze (2001 compilation album by The Attack)
About Time! (2006 compilation album by The Attack)

"America" by The Nice


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P.P. Arnold - The First Lady of Immediate (1967)

"The First Cut Is the Deepest" by P.P. Arnold


Although "The First Cut Is the Deepest" is one of Cat Stevens's best and widely recognized songs, he didn't record it first. Two others got the chance to record it before him. The Koobas performed a mediocre psychedelic version of the song and P. P. Arnold performed a soul version, both earlier in 1967. Interestingly, Stevens never released his version as a single because he believed that P.P. Arnold's take on his song was its definitive performance.

P.P. (Patricia) Arnold began her career in music around 1964 when she and her friends Maxine Smith and Gloria Scott tried out for and won the job of the Ikettes, a backup singing group, for the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. By 1966, the popularity of Ike and Tina faltered in the United States, though it boomed in England. It was during a fateful tour of the UK that she impressed prominent concert-goers Mick Jagger and Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham with her dynamic and powerful voice. With both convinced that she had the potential to be a hit maker, they signed her to Oldham's newly christened recording label, Immediate Records. Arnold quit the Ikettes and remained in London.

Arnold's first big hit came with her second single, her cover and original recording of "The First Cut Is the Deepest". It reached the Top 20 and overshadowed another version (by The Koobas) that also came out about that time. She followed this success with another: single "The Time Has Come, a song written for her by Paul Korda. In an attempt to keep Arnold in the spotlight, Oldham had Arnold perform with other popular Immediate artists like The Small Faces and Rod Stewart. Her singles and a few other filler songs were recorded and packaged into her first album The First Lady of Immediate (a reference to her status as the first signed female artist to the Immediate label). The album didn't share the same success as her hit singles.

Here is the discography surrounding P.P. Arnold's debut album:

Everything's Gonna Be Alright (1967 single)
The First Cut Is the Deepest (1967 single)
The Time Has Come (1967 single)
(If You Think You're) Groovy (1967 single)
The First Lady of Immediate

"(If You Think You're) Groovy" by P.P. Arnold


"Though It Hurts Me Badly" by P.P. Arnold


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

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The Koobas - Koobas (1969)

"Mr. Claire" by The Koobas


After Yes formed, they very quickly lost their drummer Bill Bruford who wished to attend university. They found a replacement in Tony O'Riley who had previously played with the recently broken up Merseybeat group The Koobas. Either O'Riley's style didn't mesh with Yes or his drumming skills didn't meet Yes standards, nonetheless, Chris Squire was forced to beg Bruford to rejoin the group as Yes became more successful. Bruford soon came back to Yes, and this left O'Riley to look for a new band.

The Koobas were a band that never found their own sound. The band's roots are in Liverpool and, formed in 1962, they naturally started with a Merseybeat-like sound (think early Beatles). Stu Leatherwood and Roy Morris shared guitar and vocal duties, Keith Ellis played bass, and O'Riley played drums. Much like The Beatles, they played a stint in Germany. And, much like The Beatles, they were managed by Brian Epstein. By 1964, they signed to Pye Records and released their first single a year later. Unlike The Beatles, they were not a success. The lack of hits followed them as they resigned with Columbia. By 1968 after six singles that failed to chart in the Top 20 (though "Sally" did decently on pirate radio), The Koobas called it quits. The next year, Columbia finally got around to unceremoniously releasing The Koobas's only LP, Koobas. Throughout their career, they tried out different styles like beat, blue-eyed soul, and psychedelia. Unfortunately, they never found a sound that suited them or helped them stand out of the fodder.

Here is the complete discography for The Koobas:

I Love Her (1965 single)
Take Me for a Little While (1965 single)
You'd Better Make Up Your Mind (1966 single)
Sweet Music (1966 single)
Sally (1967 single)
Gypsy Fred (1967 single)
The First Cut Is the Deepest (1968 single)
Koobas

"Shake" and "Take Me for a Little While" by The Koobas circa 1966 on the German TV Show Beat Beat Beat


"You'd Better Make Up Your Mind" and "You Don't Love Me" by The Koobas circa 1966 on the German TV Show Beat Beat Beat


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

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Yes - Yes (1969)

"Beyond and Before" by Yes


In their early days before they discovered punk, The Replacements's reserve of cover songs included Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, and Yes. In fact when Paul Westerberg overheard Dogbreath (the original name for The Mats) playing in the Stinson garage, he overheard them playing a Yes composition.

It took several tries for the original lineup of Yes to play in a successful rock band. Singer and primary lyricist Jon Anderson started in a Merseybeat band called The Warriors, sang temporarily for bands The Gun, The Open Mind, and Savoy Brown, and enjoyed a few singles as a solo artist (as Hans Christian). Drummer Bill Bruford played in groups The Breed, The Noise, and shortly for Savoy Brown. Keyboardist Tony Kaye enjoyed the most success in The Federals and a few Jimmy Winston groups. Bassist Chris Squire's first band were called The Selfs until it merged with another local band, The Syn. With The Syn, Squire met guitarist Peter Banks. Banks was briefly recruited by The Neat Change while Squire went on to form the proto-Yes band Mabel Greer's Toyshop with friends Clive Bailey and Bob Haggar. The Toyshop never recorded any singles but did perform a live set for BBC Radio. Peter Banks would eventually rejoin Squire while Bailey and Haggar were dropped from the group. The band contiued, however, thanks to the recruitment of Kaye, Bruford and Anderson into the band as replacements. But Mabel Greer's Toyshop needed a new name, and Yes it was. Squire would later reveal that by forming a band together, it was the only way that the bunch of misfits could ever play (they had difficulty finding session work) and build their individual, untraditional styles.

They began practicing together the summer of 1968. Their live sets began with covers of various vocal groups but given the "Yes" treatment meaning they included many ethereal solos and vocal harmonies punctuated by Jon Anderson's poetic delivery. Their progressive rock would meet its first success and audience approval when they filled in for a no-show Sly and the Family Stone at London's Blaise's club. This performance earned them a manager and ultimately a residency at the Marquee Club. They signed a record deal early in 1969 with Atlantic and released two singles and their eponymous debut album a few months later.

Yes didn't bomb but it wasn't a hit. The singles were not commercial enough for the radio and naturally didn't chart. The album featured a jazz fusion inspired cover of The Byrds's "I See You" and a psychedelic take on The Beatles's "Every Little Thing". They also had six original songs that included more conventional ballads ("Sweetness", "Yesterday and Today"). Of particular note is a spacey and experimental take on Leonard Bernstein's "Something's Coming". For early Yes, any style of music was subject to their adaption and absorption into their overall sound.

Here is the discography surrounding Yes's debut album:

Don't Make Me Blue (1964 single by The Warriors)
Bolton Club 65 (1965 live album by The Warriors)
Never My Love (1968 single by Hans Christian)
Autobiography of a Hobo (1968 single by Hans Christian)
Out of My Mind (1968 single by Hans Christian)
I Lied to Auntie May (1968 single by The Neat Change)
Live BBC 1968 (1968 live performance by Mabel Greer's Toyshop)
In the Beginning (1969 live bootleg)
Sweetness (1969 single)
Yes
Looking Around (1969 single)
Live at Sunderland (1969 live album)
Live at the Big Apple Club (1969 live album)

"Looking Around" by Yes


"Yesterday and Today" by Yes


"Something's Coming" by Yes


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!

The Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981)

"I Hate Music" by The Replacements


When Titanic Love Affair was mercilessly criticized for sounding like a knock off version of The Replacements (often referenced as The Mats by critics and fans), it's more than likely that they were already comfortable with The Mats being such a heavy influence on their sound. After all, they got Chris Mars, original drummer for The Replacements, to do their debut's liner notes.


The Replacements saw themselves as the band that you turned to in case the originally scheduled act failed to show. Before that, they went by The Impendiments, a name adopting the "The ______" format inspired from their discovery of the British punk scene. Dogbreath, however, was the moniker that the band began to form under. The core starts with the Stinson brothers and Chris Mars. They formed Dogbreath in 1979 with the elder Bob Stinson on lead guitar, Chris Mars on drums, and Tommy Stinson on bass (at the ripe age of 12). Paul Westerberg, the band's eventual frontman, rhythm guitarist, producer, and primary songwriter, met the unfocused trio when he overheard them jamming in the Stinson's garage. He befriended the band and eventually sought out the vocalist position which at the time was already filled. This didn't stop Westerberg, however, as he convinced the then-vocalist, that none of the other band members liked him and were aiming to fire him. The singer quit soon after, and Westerberg filled the vacancy. With him, he brought professionalism and an untapped knack for songwriting.

The acquisition of Westerberg was the band's first stroke of luck. A connection with Peter Jesperson was the other. Jesperson ran the local record store and founded an independent record label Twin/Tone Records. He was more than impressed with the band's demo; he believed the band were surefire hits and had an unnatural enthusiasm in getting the quartet recorded. They signed with Twin/Tone in the winter of 1980, and Westerberg went to work immediately on writing material. They soon found themselves in the recording studio laying down the tracks for their debut album. The recording process took its time as they couldn't afford successive weeks in the studio, and even with it finished after six weeks, it took time for Twin/Tone to afford its release.


Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash saw release in August of 1981, preempted by one single "I'm in Trouble". Though the album is filled with an epic-seeming 18 songs, the rare song clocks in at over two minutes so the album is over within forty minutes of pressing play. Sorry Ma captures youthful frustration and raw inability. The Mats's energy is modeled after the anarchy of English punk groups but produce a sound a bit more fun and real aided by the band's own self-awareness. They relish in their trite impulsiveness and their inability to play their instruments properly. At this point, they have no more aspirations than simply having fun together and being in a rock band.

Here is the discography surrounding The Replacements's debut album:

1980 Demo (1980 demos)
1980-12-06 Minneapolis. MN (1980 live bootleg)
I'm in Trouble (1981 single)
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash
Incident on 7th Street Main (1981 live bootleg)

"Johnny's Gonna Die", "Kick Your Door Down". and "Dope Smokin' Moron" by The Replacements live at 7th Street Entry on September 5th, 1981


"If Only You Were Lonely" by The Replacements


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

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Titanic Love Affair - Titanic Love Affair (1991)

Pieholden Studio, where Vandervelde worked and where he recorded his debut, was owned at the time by musician Jay Bennett. He co-produced Brie Stoner's debut album with Vandervelde, and Vandervelde would play on a couple of Jay Bennett's records. Although Vandervelde played almost all of the instruments on Moonstation, Bennett threw in his talents on bass to return the favor. Although Jay Bennett is most famous for his work as a member of Wilco during his creative zenith, he was first a member of an early 90s alternative rock band called Titanic Love Affair.

Titanic formed in the late eighties in Urbana, Illinois with the unfortunate fate of making a derivative power pop quartet when power pop was labeled "alternative", or more simply, unpopular. Mike Hartz acted as frontman on vocals and rhythm guitar. Jay Bennett provided back-up vocals and his skill as the lead guitarist. Lars Gustafsson and Mike Hazelrigg rounded out the group on the bass and drums respectively. They released their debut album Titanic Love Affair in 1991 on the Charisma Records label to little success and middling reviews. Their work was confronted as a lesser sounding version of The Replacements. With the album's lack of success, Charisma dropped them from their label to which the band replied with a new EP flippantly titled No Charisma. Although their is not much growth in the band's sound, the EP is marked with a little bit more attitude and a small dose of influence from the soon-to-breakout grunge scene.

Here is the discography surrounding Titanic Love Affair's debut album:

Titanic Love Affair
No Charisma (1992 EP)

"Planet Strange" by Titanic Love Affair


If you have any ideas for where the tour should go next, please give a shout. I'm open to whatever as long as the artists are historically related in some way and go in an artist's chronological order.

Pass the Headphones!!