Hard Corps were an English coldwave/synthpop band from London that released a standalone single on Survival Records in 1984, followed by a pair of singles on Polydor in 1985 and a fourth on Sonoscope in 1987. The singles were collected with additional recordings on two compilations by specialty archivists Minimal Wave during the 2010s. French-born […]
Barbara Dickson (born Sept. 27, 1947) is a Scottish folk/pop vocalist and actress who first entered showbiz in the late 1960s. Partnered with Glaswegian guitarist/vocalist Archie Fisher, they issued back-to-back albums together circa 1969/70. Her debut solo album, Do Right Woman, appeared in 1970 on Decca. In 1974, she contributed to the cast recording of […]
Trevor Rabin (born Jan. 13, 1984) is a South African-born/U.S.-naturalized guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer with a musical career that dates to the early 1970s. He first emerged in the Johannesburg art-rock/pop band Rabbitt, which he joined at age 18 in 1972. Rabbitt scored locally with the chart-topping symphonic-ballad “Charlie” and the album Boys Will […]
Jim Diamond (Sept. 28, 1951 — Oct. 8, 2015) was a Scottish vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Bridgetown, Glasgow, who debuted with a standalone single on Bradley’s in 1975. He then embarked on a series of band-oriented projects, starting with a 1976 album heading hard-rockers Bandit. After a brief stint with Alexis Korner, Diamond finished […]
Dr. Feelgood were an English blues-rock band from Canvey Island, Essex, that released seven studio albums and two live discs on United Artists between 1975 and 1980, followed by six further albums on assorted labels during the ensuing decade. The band gained notoriety for the kinetic stage antics of guitarist Wilko Johnson and vocalist Lee […]
Richard Thompson (born April 3, 1949) is an English singer/songwriter from Notting Hill with a professional recording career that has spanned half a century. He first performed circa 1965/66 in a school band, Emil and the Detectives, with classmate and future-Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell. In 1967 at age 18, Thompson became a founding member of […]
Gerald Watkiss (Feb. 17, 1955 — Feb. 5, 2007) was an English pianist, songwriter, and singer from Wolverhampton who released the album Purgatory & Paradise on Pye in 1978. He then adopted the moniker Gerald Masters for an eponymous album with accompanying singles on CBS-subsidiary Handshake Records and Tapes in 1981. A second album, Music […]
Lakshminarayana Shankar (born April 26, 1950) is an Indian violinist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, who played on albums by Archie Shepp and Clifford Thornton during the early 1970s. He rose to prominence as a member of the ethno-jam band Shakti, which released three albums in collaboration with John McLaughlin in 1976 and 1977. As a […]
Kevin Dunn is an American New Wave/art-pop musician from Jacksonville, Fla., who first recorded with Athens garage-psych band The Fans, which issued three singles on Blue Beam and Albion between 1977 and 1980. As a solo artist, he issued a standalone single on DB Rec in 1979. He then assembled a backing band, the Regiment […]
Dark Day were an American coldwave band from NYC that issued a single on one-press Strike It From the Records in 1979, followed by the album Exterminating Angel on Infidelity in 1980. A second album, Window, appeared on the Dutch Plexus label in 1982. Two cassettes and one further album appeared on self-press Nigh Eve […]
Industry were an American New Wave/synthpop band from NYC, formed in 1978 as Industrial Complex by ex-Cathedral drummer Mercury Caronia. The initial combo released an eponymous EP on self-press Metro Records in 1980. After a lineup overhaul that roped-in fellow Cathedral alumnus Rudy Perrone, the band issued a second EP, Turning to Light, on self-press […]
The Fire Engines were a Scottish art-punk band from Edinburgh that released the album Lubricate Your Living Room on Bob Last’s Pop:Aural Music small-press in 1980. Just prior to the band, vocalist Davy Henderson cut an EP with Leicester combo the Disco Zombies. During the late 1980s, he recorded two albums with electro-posters Win alongside […]
Henry Badowski (born Oct. 3, 1958) is an English New Wave/synthpop songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from North Kensington who released a standalone single on Deptford Fun City in 1979, followed by the album Life Is a Grand… on I.R.S. in 1981. He played with a sequence of acts beforehand, each on a different instrument: Chelsea (bass, […]
Dalek I were an English electro/art-pop combo from Liverpool that released two albums and a clutch of singles between 1979 and 1983. Originally called Dalek I Love You — a space-age play on the phrase “darling I love you” — the band distilled from a late-’70s Liverpudlian conglomerate that would also yield future members of […]
Eardance was an American art-rock band from Chicago that released the album Seek Opposites on self-press Touch Records in 1982. The album is one of the earliest to feature extensive use of the Chapman Stick, played by multi-instrumentalist/bandleader Jim Jacobsen, who later became a soundtrack composer. Members: Jim Jacobsen (bass, guitar, Chapman Stick, clarinet, synthesizer, […]
Mike Makhalemele (June 10, 1938 — May 6, 2000) was a South African saxophonist from Alexandra, Gauteng, who released the album The Peacemaker on Jo’Burg in 1975. During this period, he also appeared on albums by Margaret Singana, Teaspoon Ndelu, Richard Jon Smith, and The Soul of the City. In 1976, he collaborated with saxist […]
Mick Karn — aka Andonis Michaelides (July 24, 1958 — Jan. 4, 2011) — was an English-Cypriot multi-instrumentalist and composer who rose to prominence as the bassist in the New Wave/art-pop band Japan, which released five studio albums between 1978 and 1981. Just as the band announced its breakup, Karn debuted as a solo artist […]
Norma Winstone (born Sept. 23, 1941) is an English jazz singer and lyricist from London who began her recording career with three vocals on the 1969 album Hum Dono by Joe Harriott & Amancio D’Silva Quartet. In 1970, she sang on the albums Love Songs by the Mike Westbrook Concert Band and The Heart Is […]
Eric Clapton (born March 30, 1945) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter who initially courted fame as the original soloist in the R&B/beat combo The Yardbirds. He played with the band between late 1963 and early 1965 before handing the slot to fellow rising star Jeff Beck. In 1966, Clapton was the featured performer […]
John Miles (April 23, 1949 — December 5, 2021) was an English vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist, and songwriter who shot to fame on Decca with the 1976 album Rebel and the singles “Highfly” and “Music.” It was produced by Alan Parsons, who also handled Miles’ 1979 fourth album More Miles Per Hour. Concurrently, Parsons enlisted the […]
Cos was a Belgian avant-jazz-rock band that released four albums on IBC between 1974 and 1979, followed by two 1983–84 titles on Lark. Keyboardist Charles Loos (Abraxis/Julverne) appears on the first and third albums, Postaeolian Train Robbery and Babel. Former Placebo keyboardist Marc Moulin produced their 1976 release Viva Boma, which features sundry instrumentation from […]
Josef K were a Scottish New Wave/pop-rock band from Edinburgh that debuted with a single on self-press Absolute Records in 1979, followed by the album The Only Fun in Town with accompanying singles on Postcard Records in 1981. Two further singles followed on Les Disques Du Crépuscule in 1981/82. The album was preceded by the […]
Steve Winwood (born May 12, 1948) is an English vocalist, keyboardist, and songwriter from Birmingham who emerged as the voice of the Spencer Davis Group, which he joined in 1963 at age 15. After four years, three proper albums, and assorted singles with the band — including the soul-rock evergreens “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m […]
Wah! was the revolving band-moniker of Liverpudlian guitarist/vocalist Pete Wylie. The name first appeared as Wah! Heat on a pair of singles issued by small-press Inevitable Music in 1980. In 1981, the band dropped “Heat” from its name and issued a standalone single and the album Nah=Poo – The Art of Bluff on WEA-subsidiary Eternal, […]
The Rezillos were a Scottish New Wave band that released the 1978 Sire album Can’t Stand The Rezillos, surrounded by the singles “I Can’t Stand My Baby,” “(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures,” “Destination Venus,” and the UK Top 20 hit “Top of the Pops.” After their collapse, singer Fay Fife and multi-instrumentalist Eugene Reynolds formed […]
Graduate was an English mod-ska band from Bath, Somerset, that released the album Acting My Age on Pye-subsidiary Precision in 1980. Guitarist Roland Orzabal and bassist Curt Smith cut two singles in Naked Eyes precursor Neon, then formed Tears for Fears. Members: Roland Orzabal (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Curt Smith (bass, synthesizers, vocals), John Baker (guitar, […]
Slade was an English hard-rock/pop band from Wolverhampton that scored 16 hits on the UK Top 10 between 1971 and 1984. Evolving from beatsters The N’ Betweens, they signed with Fontana in 1969 and released one album as Ambrose Slade. In 1970, they met ex-Animal (and Hendrix manager) Chas Chandler, who refashioned them as skinheads […]
Travis Biggs is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist whose services were widely employed on the jazz-funk and soul circuits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Under his own name, he released two albums during the late 1970s. Spreading his talents over sides by John Kasandra and Bohannon, among others, Biggs adopted the little-used nickname […]
Kimiko Kasai — 笠井紀美子 (born Dec. 10, 1945) — is a Japanese jazz vocalist who released a clutch of live and collaborative recordings on assorted labels during the early 1970s, culminating with her solo-studio debut Umbrella, released in 1972 on Liberty. Between 1973 and 1986, she released 14 album on CBS/Sony. Kimiko Kasai was born […]
The Human League are an English synthpop band best known for the 1981 global No. 1 hit “Don’t You Want Me.” They emerged on the Sheffield post-punk scene with the 1978 DIY release “Being Boiled” / “Circus of Death,” a pioneering electro-pop single. The original lineup of singer Philip Oakey, slide-projectionist Adrian Wright, and keyboardists […]
Gang of Four are an English post-punk band from Leeds that debuted with the 1978 single “Damaged Goods” on small-press Fast Product, followed by Entertainment! on EMI/Warner Bros. Their style — a mix of funky rhythms, dischorded riffs, taut vocals, and provocative lyrics — streamlined over their 1981/82 albums Solid Gold and Songs of the […]
ZZ Top is an American hard-rock/blues trio from Houston that released five albums on London Records between 1971 and 1976, scoring FM evergreens with “Tush” and “La Grange.” After the frontal pair of guitarist/singer Billy Gibbons and bassist Billy Etheridge grew long, matching beards, the band signed to Warner Bros and released another five albums […]
Godley & Creme were an English musical duo and video-production team comprised of multi-instrumentalists Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. They first charted in the comedy-rock act Hotlegs, which morphed into 10cc. After four albums and a string of hits with 10cc, Godley & Creme recorded as a duo, starting with the 1977 triple-album Consequences, a […]
Culture Club are an English pop band that was primarily active as a recording unit during the early–mid 1980s. The band achieved world renown with a string of hits in the pop/rock and blue-eyed soul veins. Members: Boy George (vocals), Roy Hay (guitar, electric sitar, piano, keyboards, synthesizer), Mikey Craig (bass, piano), Jon Moss (drums, […]
Blue Motion were a Swiss avant-classical keyboard trio that sprung from the ashes of Circus. They snuck into a Riehen studio on the night of October 1–2, 1980, and recorded their singular album, released that year on local-press Amos. The clandestine recording was later issued by archivists Laser’s Edge (1992) and Belle Antique (2013). Members: […]
Picchio dal Pozzo are an Italian avant-jazz/rock band from Genova, Liguria, formed in 1973. The band debuted with a self-titled album on Grog in 1976, followed by Abbiamo Tutti i Suoi Problemi on L’Orchestra in 1980. Two decades later, recordings for a would-have-been 1977 album were issued by Cuneiform on the outtakes collection Camere Zimmer […]
Störung were a Dutch coldwave duo that released the album This Is Future in 1982 on Clogsontronics, followed by a cassette-only live recording on Combinator. Members: Eugenius [Eus Otte] (guitar, vocals), Arian Brunwin [Hylkia de Jong] (synthesizer, vocals) Discography: This Is Future (1982) The Art of Combining (1983)
Ensemble Pittoresque were a Dutch coldwave band that released two albums on Clogsontronics and Vip Records circa 1983/84. In 2007, a 40-minute demo recorded in 1982 was issued by U.S. specialty label Minimal Wave. Members: Richard Neumöller (vocals, guitar, tapes), Paulus Wieland (synthesizer, piano), Marion Prinz (vocals, synthesizer, 1983-84), Le Biquo (synthesizer, trumpet, 1983-84), Ed […]
Flue were a Dutch coldwave/art-punk band that released a single and two albums between 1980 and 1983 on Torso. Members: Cor Bolten, Edward Gijsen (vocals, guitar, synthesizer, piano, bass), Judith Smorenberg (synthesizer), Hans (drums), Jerome (bass) Discography: “Jerome” / “Ugly People” (1980) One and a Half (1981) Vista (1983) “Some-times (in Arabia)” / “Legacy” (1987)
Mo were a Dutch art-pop combo that released three albums on Backdoor between 1980 and 1984. Members: Clemens de Lange (keyboards, 1979-81), Harm Bieger (drums, 1979-84), Heili Helder (vocals, 1979-81), Huub de Lange (bassoon, keyboards, 1979-81), Frank Pels [aka The Pels Syndicate] (keyboards, 1983-85), Hans Nieuwint (keyboards, 1981-85), Hans van der Meer (drums, 1984-85), Linda […]
Flyte were a Dutch symphonic-rock band that issued the album Dawn Dancer on Don Quixote Records in 1979. Members: Lu Rousseau (vocals, percussion), Ruud Worthman (guitar), Jack van Liesdonck (piano, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer), Leo Cornelissens (organ, Mellotron, ARP Solina string ensemble, vocals), Hans Marynissen (percussion), Peter Dekeersmaeker (bass, vocals) Discography: Dawn Dancer (1979)
Doe Maar were a Dutch New Wave/ska band that released four albums on Killroy/Sky between 1979 and 1983. Members: Ernst Jansz (vocals, keyboards, guitar, saxophone), Jan Hendriks (guitar, vocals), Joost Belinfante (bass, trombone, percussion, vocals, 1978-84), Carel Copier (drums, vocals, 1978-81), Piet Dekker (bass, vocals, 1978-80), Henny Vrienten (vocals, bass, 1980-2013), René van Collem (drums, […]
Avalanche were a Dutch folk-rock/psych band that released the album Perseverance Kills Our Game on Starlet in 1979. Members: Jan Blom (vocals, mandolin, guitar, bass), Rob Dekker (keyboards), Daan Slaman (guitar), Marcella Neeleman (flute), Fred Dekker (bass guitar), Johan Spek (drums) Discography: Perseverance Kills Our Game (1979)
Golden Earring was a Dutch rock band that started life in 1961 as The Tornadoes. The band released two Nederbeat albums on Polydor between 1965 and 1967 under variations of the pluralized “Golden Earrings” banner before the arrival of vocalist Barry Hay. Between 1968 and 1981, the band recorded 16 albums for the label before […]
Jan Akkerman (born Dec. 24, 1946) is a Dutch guitarist who achieved global renown as a member of Focus between 1969 and 1976. In a career that has spanned half a century, he has released more than 25 solo albums. Discography: Talent for Sale (1968) Profile (1972) Tabernakel (1973) Eli (1976 • Jan Akkerman & […]
Jasper van’t Hof (born June 30, 1947) is a Dutch pianist who has played in numerous combo configurations since the early 1970s, including the jazz-rock supergroups Association P.C. and Pork Pie. He has released more than 30 solo albums. Discography: Eye Ball (1974) The Selfkicker (1977) Flowers Allover (1978) However (1978) Fairytale (1979 • Jasper […]
Vandenberg were a Dutch hard-rock band that released three albums on Atco between 1982 and 1985. Members: Adrian Vandenberg (guitar), Bert Heerink (vocals), Dick Kemper (bass), Jos Zoomer (drums), Peter Struyk [Peter Strykes] (vocals) Discography: Vandenberg (1982) Heading for a Storm (1983) Alibi (1985)
The Nits are a Dutch art-pop band from Amsterdam, formed in 1974 by vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Henk Hofstede. The band debuted with a 1976 single on Dureco, followed in 1978 by a self-titled album on Scramble. Ten albums and assorted shortplayers appeared on CBS between 1979 and 1990, with further titles on Columbia and Sony over the […]
Kayak were a Dutch art-pop band that released eight albums on EMI and Vertigo between 1973 and 1981. Members: Ton Scherpenzeel (keyboards, piano, organ, accordion, vocals), Johan Slager (guitar, vocals, 1972-81), Max Werner (vocals, percussion, 1972-81, 1999-2001), Pim Koopman (drums, percussion, vocals, 1972-76, 1999-2009), Cees van Leeuwen (bass, 1972-74), Bert Veldkamp (bass, vocals, 1974-76, 1999-2004), […]
Steve Kipner (born 1950) is a U.S.-born Australian songwriter, producer, and former singer with a career in music that dates back to the mid-1960s. He first emerged as the namesake frontman of the antipodean beat combo Steve & the Board. In the early 1970s, he made headway in the Northern Hemisphere with the pop trio […]
Bonnie Tyler (born June 8, 1951) is a Welsh pop/blue-eyed soul vocalist who has been active since the late 1970s. In 1977, she released her debut album The World Starts Tonight, which featured the U.K.-charting ballad “Lost in France.” The following year, “It’s a Heartache” from her sophomore effort Natural Force broke her in the […]
The Alarm are a Welsh anthem-rock band that was initially active for 10 years, starting in 1981. The band debuted with an eponymous EP on I.R.S. in 1983, followed by four albums for that label between 1984 and 1989. Guitarist/vocalist Mike Peters reactivated the nameplate in the 21st century. Members: Mike Peters (lead vocals, guitar), […]
Budgie was a Welsh hard-rock band that released 10 albums between 1971 and 1982 on MCA, A&M, and RCA Victor. The one constant member throughout that time was bassist/vocalist Burke Shelley, who resurrected the nameplate in the 21st century. Members: Burke Shelley (lead vocals, bass), Tony Bourge (guitar, 1967-78), Ray Phillips (drums, 1967-73), Pete Boot […]
Julian Cope (Oct. 21, 1957) is a Welsh vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter who first emerged as the frontman of Liverpudlian NuRo-psychsters The Teardrop Explodes. The band released two albums and assorted shortplayers between 1979 and 1982. Cope launched his solo career with the 1983 EP Sunshine Playroom on Mercury. Four albums would follow between 1984 […]
Gene Loves Jezebel were a Welsh goth-rock band that was originally active during the 1980s and early ’90s. Five albums appeared on Situation Two/Beggars Banquet between 1983 and 1990, three of which were issued stateside on Geffen. The band were led by twin brothers Jay and Michael Aston, who later fell out with one another […]
John Cale (born March 9, 1942) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who emerged on the London/New York avant-garde scene during the early 1960s, playing alongside Michael Garrett, John Cage, Tony Conrad, and La Monte Young. He entered rock as the bassist/violist in The Velvet Underground, with whom he recorded two albums: The Velvet Underground […]
Freur were a Welsh synthpop band that was active during the early-to-mid 1980s. The band released two albums on Epic and CBS between 1983 and 1985. Drummer Bryn B. Burrows had earlier played with the Fabulous Poodles. Members: Rick Smith (keyboards, guitar), Karl Hyde (vocals, guitar), Bryn B. Burrows (drums), John Warwicker (synthesizer), Alfie Thomas […]
Roger Glover (born Nov. 30, 1945) is a Welsh bassist, composer, and producer with a musical career that dates back to the mid-1960s. He first emerged as part of the English sunshine-pop band Episode Six, in which he played with vocalist Ian Gillan. The two joined Deep Purple in 1970, completing what would become the […]
The Associates were a Scottish New Wave/art-pop band from Dundee that formed in the late 1970s. Between 1980 and 1982, the band released two proper albums and a compilation of non-album singles on Fiction and Beggars Banquet. During this time, the band centered on the creative team of vocalist Billy MacKenzie and multi-instrumentalist Alan Rankine. […]
Altered Images were a Scottish new wave band that released three albums between 1981 and 1983 on Epic. They debuted with the single “Dead Pop Stars,” followed by the album Happy Birthday, both produced by Siouxsie and the Banshees bassist Steve Severin. A second Altered Images album, Pinky Blue, appeared in 1982 with production work […]
Aztec Camera was a Scottish rock and pop band centered on the talents of guitarist–singer and songwriter Roddy Frame. Formed in East Kilbride in 1980, they released a pair of singles on the Glaswegian small-press Postcard and the 1983 album High Land, Hard Rain on Rough Trade. Mark Knopfler produced their second album Knife, released […]
The Average White Band are a Scottish soul–funk sextet that debuted with the 1973 MCA release Show Your Hand. Between 1974 and 1979, AWB released six studio albums and a live set on Atlantic, followed with 1980–82 titles on RCA. Stateside, they’re best known for the instrumental “Pick Up the Pieces,” a 1974 chart-topper from […]
Modern Man were a Scottish New Wave band that released the album Concrete Scheme with accompanying singles on MAM Records in 1980. Members: Jim Cook (vocals), Colin King (drums), Ali McLeod (guitar), Danny Mitchell (guitar), Mike Moran (bass) Discography: Concrete Scheme (1980) “Things Could Be Better” (1981)
The Blue Nile were a Scottish art-pop/sophisti-pop trio that released four albums at lengthy intervals between 1984 and 2004. Formed in Glasgow in 1981, the band debuted with a single that year on RSO. Three years later, the album A Walk Across the Rooftops appeared on Linn/A&M, followed a half-decade later by Hats. The subsequent two […]
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish goth/dream-pop trio that was active for 16 years, starting in 1981. Between 1982 and 1990, the band released six albums and assorted EPs on 4AD. Two additional longplayers appeared on Fontana during the 1990s. Members: Elizabeth Fraser (vocals), Robin Guthrie (guitar), Will Heggie (bass, 1981-83), Simon Raymonde (bass, 1983-97) Background […]
Endgames were a Scottish New Wave/synthpop band that released a standalone single on Mercury in 1982, followed by two albums with accompanying singles on Virgin between 1983 and 1985. Members: David Murdoch (keyboards), Douglas Muirden (keyboards, programming), David Rudden (bass, vocals), Willie Gardner (keyboards, bass, guitar), Brian McGee (drums, programming), Paul Wishart (saxophone) Discography: Building […]
Fingerprintz was a Scottish new wave band signed to Virgin Records. Between 1979 and 1981, they released three albums: The Very Dab, Distinguishing Marks, and Beat Noir. Bandleader Jimme O’Neill also wrote songs for Lene Lovich and later worked with Jacqui Brookes. He and guitarist Cha Burns later reteamed in The Silencers. Members: Jimme O’Neill […]
Fiction Factory were a Scottish synthpop band that released the album Throw the Warped Wheel Out with accompanying singles on CBS in 1984, followed by Another Story on Foundry Records in 1985. Members: Kevin Patterson (vocals), Chic Medley (guitar), Graham McGregor (bass), Eddie Jordan (keyboards), Mike Ogletree (drums, percussion) Discography: Throw the Warped Wheel Out […]
Sheena Easton (born April 27, 1959) is a Scottish singer who premiered with four singles on EMI in 1980, followed by seven albums on the label between 1981 and 1987. A further round of titles appeared on MCA during the subsequent 10-year period. She was born Sheena Shirley Orr in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on April […]
Midge Ure — aka James Ure (born Oct. 10, 1953) — is a Scottish vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter from Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, who fronted the bands Slik and the Rich Kids during the mid-to-late 1970s. In 1979, he replaced John Foxx in Ultravox, releasing five albums with the band between 1980 and 1986. At the […]
Pallas are a Scottish symphonic-rock band from Aberdeen, formed in the mid-1970s and unrecorded for much of their first decade beyond a cassette-only release on self-press Granite Wax. Between 1984 and 1986, the band released two albums on Harvest, followed by a long run of self-issued live and studio titles during the 1990s and into […]
Frankie Miller is a Scottish blues-rock and blue-eyed-soul singer who released seven albums between 1972 and 1980 on Chrysalis, followed by two albums on Capitol and Vertigo. He charted with the singles “Be Good to Yourself” and “Love Letters” from his 1977 fourth album Full House and scored a multi-national Top 10 with his 1978 […]
Gerry Rafferty (1947–2011) was a Scottish musician and songwriter who emerged in The Humblebums, a folk duo with future comedian Billy Connolly. The pair released two 1969–70 albums, which presaged Rafferty’s 1971 solo debut Can I Have My Money Back? In 1972, Rafferty teamed with longtime friend Joe Egan in the art-pop/folk combo Stealers Wheel, […]
The Skids were a Scottish New Wave/modern-rock band that released four albums and assorted shortplayers on Virgin between 1978 and 1981. Bill Nelson produced and played keyboards on their 1979 second album Days in Europa. Guitarist Stuart Adamson departed after the third album to form Big Country. Members: Richard Jobson (vocals, guitar), Stuart Adamson (guitar, […]
Thomas Leer — aka Thomas Wishart (born 1953) — is a Scottish musician and producer who released several small-press recordings during the late 1970s, including a collaborative album with guitarist/keyboardist Robert Rental. In 1981, Leer issued his first of three back-to-back shortplayers on Cherry Red. His first proper album, The Scale of Ten, appeared on […]
Ali Thomson is a Scottish art-pop vocalist and songwriter who released two albums on A&M circa 1980/81. The title track to his first album, Take a Little Rhythm, reached #15 on the Billboard chart in 1980. He is the brother of Supertramp bassist Dougie Thomson. Discography: Take a Little Rhythm (1980) Deception Is an Art […]
Al Stewart is a Scottish singer/songwriter who emerged from the British folk boom of the mid-1960s. He debuted with the 1967 orchestral-psych album Bed Sitter Images, his first of five albums on CBS, culminating with the lavish 1972/73 works Orange and Past, Present and Future. His 1975 release Modern Times marked his first collaboration with […]
Big Country are a Scottish Celt/anthem-rock band formed in 1981 by former Skids guitarist Stuart Adamson. The band soared internationally with their debut album The Crossing and its lead-off single “In a Big Country,” noted for its distinct e-bow guitar licks. The album was released in 1983 on Mercury, which issued three further longplayers by […]
Berlin Blondes were a Scottish coldwave/New Romantic band that released a self-titled album on EMI in 1980. Members: Steven Bonomi (vocals), Robert Farrell (guitar, synthesizer), Jim McKinven [Jim Spender] (keyboards, synthesizer, 1979-80), David Rudden (bass, 1979-80), Nick Clarke (bass, 1980-81), Steve ‘Stevo’ Jones (keyboards, 1981), Alasdair Gowans (bass, 1981), Brian Miller (drums, 1981), David Freeman […]
Drinking Electricity were a Scottish coldwave/art-punk band that released three shortplayers on local small-press Pop Aural in 1980. The band issued a standalone single on Survival Records in 1981, followed by the album Overload on that label in 1982. Members: Anne-Marie Heighway (vocals), David Rome (guitar, vocals), Paul Edgley (bass) Discography: Overload (1982)
Nazareth are a Scottish hard-rock band from Dunfermline, formed in 1968. The band released a pair of albums on Pegasus/Peg in 1971/72, followed by a sting of albums on Mooncrest and Mountain between 1973 and 1980. A further run of titles appeared on NEMS and Vertigo during the 1980s. Members: Pete Agnew (bass, vocals), Dan […]
