The Sound

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Sound


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = London, England
Genre = Post-punk, Alternative rock
Years_active = 1978-1987
Associated_acts = The Outsiders
Label = Korova
Warner Bros. / WEA
Statik
Renascent
URL = [http://www.thesounduk.com The Sound]
Current_members = Adrian Borland
Graham Bailey (AKA Graham Green)
Max Mayers
Michael Dudley
Past_members = Bi Marshall (to late 1980)

The Sound was a British post-punk band from 1979 to 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders. [Brittle Heaven website [http://www.brittleheaven.com/] ] They shared record labels with groups such as Echo & the Bunnymen [Korova Records Wikipedia article [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korova_(record_label)] ] and The Chameleons, [Script of the Bridge Wikipedia article [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Script_of_the_Bridge] ] and shared stages with Echo & the Bunnymen, the Comsat Angels, the Au Pairs, Modern Eon, Felt, Medium Medium, U2, Public Image Ltd., Eyeless In Gaza, The Stranglers, China Crisis, Thompson Twins, and Aztec Camera. [Renascent webiste The Sound gig list [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/giglist2.html] ]

History

Beginnings

Founded from the remnants of The Outsiders, the original lineup of The Sound consisted of Adrian Borland (vocals, guitar), Graham Bailey (bass), Mike Dudley (drums) and Benita "Bi" Marshall (keyboards, saxophone, clarinet). In 1979, the band signed a contract with Korova Records, a small label under Warner Brothers, to produce three albums. They debuted with "Jeopardy", which received favorable reviews. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ]

The second album, "From the Lion's Mouth", saw the replacement of keyboard player Marshall with Colvin "Max" Mayers, and more accolades from the critics, but neither record caused the band to break beyond a cult status. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ] Korova pressured Borland and his mates to come up with a more commercially successful third album. In an act of rebellion, the band responded with "All Fall Down", an album that took them even further away from that direction. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ] Drummer Dudley told it this way: "We thought [the label wasn't] giving us the support that we were due and that if they really wanted a commercial album, they had got to put plenty of money behind it, which with both "Jeopardy" and "From the Lion’s Mouth" they hadn’t really done....So when they turned around and said 'The solution is for you to write more commercial songs,' we thought, 'F--- you,' and went ahead and produced "All Fall Down"." [Michael Dudley interview, 2004 [http://www.adrianborland.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=286] ]

During the early 1980s, The Sound toured throughout Europe, covering the UK and much of the continent. Like their contemporaries, the Comsat Angels (whom they toured with in 1981), they enjoyed perhaps their greatest success in the Netherlands, developing a substantial following there. [Record Collector magazine, March 2002 [http://www.brittleheaven.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=46] ] The Sound recorded several Peel sessions and performed the single "Sense Of Purpose" on the TV show Old Grey Whistle Test (circa 1981). [YouTube video of The Sound on Old Grey Whistle Test [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb38SyLBZXw] ] And in 1983 and 1984, they made two short tours of the US. [Renascent webiste The Sound gig list [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/giglist2.html] ]

Change of record labels

After "All Fall Down", The Sound parted company with Korova and sought out another record company. In 1984, they signed with Statik, an independent label. The following year, they released an EP, "Shock of Daylight", and an album "Heads and Hearts". The touring continued, in spite of the fact the band still struggled to gain a wider audience. By 1985, Borland began to exhibit symptoms of mental illness, perhaps made worse by the frustrations of his career. [Michael Dudley interview, 2004 [http://www.adrianborland.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=286] ]

Not long after the release of a live album in 1986, "In the Hothouse", Statik went into bankruptcy. [Michael Dudley interview, 2004 [http://www.adrianborland.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=286] ] The band produced one more album, "Thunder Up", on the small Belgian label Play It Again Sam. While touring in Spain in 1987, they had to cancel several appearances when Borland had a complete breakdown. Dudley recalled bringing an incoherent Borland home on a plane. [Michael Dudley interview, 2004 [http://www.adrianborland.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=286] ] The band decided to split up in early 1988. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ]

Post-breakup activity

Graham Bailey moved to New Orleans, where he lived for 16 years, returning to the UK in 2007. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ] Max Mayers died in 1993, from an AIDS-related condition. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ] Mike Dudley retired from the music industry, living and working in South London. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ]

Following the collapse of The Sound, Borland maintained a solo career for approximately a decade, and helmed the bands White Rose Transmission and Honolulu Mountain Daffodils (in which he gave himself the alias Joachim Pimento). [Head Heritage website [http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/review/1402] ] Never able to conquer depression, Borland committed suicide on April 26th, 1999, throwing himself in the path of an express train at Wimbledon station. [Renascent website band history [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/soundhistory.html] ]

Legacy

Many have said that The Sound were not given the recognition they deserved. From the Sun Records Music Store: "The Sound were tragically overlooked in their time and have remained unjustly neglected since." [Sun Records Music Store website [http://www.redsunrecords.be/product_info.php?products_id=492] ] From Trouser Press: "It's hard to understand why this London quartet never found commercial success. At their best, the Sound's excellent neo-pop bears favorable comparison to the Psychedelic Furs and Echo and the Bunnymen." And from Jack Rabid of Big Takeover magazine: "The Sound? Just one of the finest bands of the 1980s." [Review of Renascent re-releases, Big Takeover magazine, June 2002 [http://www.brittleheaven.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=51] ]

Shortly before Adrian Borland's death, The Sound's back catalog was remastered and reissued by Renascent Records, a label which was originally founded to perform solely that task. [Record Collector magazine, March 2002 [http://www.brittleheaven.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=46] ] ("Thunder Up" is the band's only studio album to not see reissue by Renascent.) In June 2006, members of notable British bands held a concert called "The Sound Of Adrian Borland;" various guest singers who had been close friends with Borland (such as Mark Burgess of The Chameleons) filled in on vocals. [article in Dutch about The Sound of Adrian Borland concert, 2006 [http://www.brittleheaven.com/index.php?section=2&category=&page=4&id=307] ]

There is a biography of Adrian Borland, entitled "(The Book Of) Happy Memories". [Brittle Heaven website [http://www.brittleheaven.com/index.php?section=13&category=&page=21&id=35] ] In 2001, a tribute album titled "In Passing – A Tribute to Adrian Borland and The Sound" was released. [Amazon.com listing [http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Tribute-Adrian-Borland-Sound/dp/B00005B6X4] ] Another tribute album is forthcoming, titled "There Must Be a Hole In Your Memory". [TBM mail order website [http://www.thebeautifulmusic.com/tbm-music.html] ]

Discography

Albums

*"Jeopardy" (Korova, 1980)
*"From the Lion's Mouth" (Korova, 1981)
*"All Fall Down" (Warner Bros. [WEA] , 1982)
*"Heads And Hearts" (Statik, 1985)
*"Thunder Up" (PIAS, 1987)

EPs, Singles

*"Physical World" (Torch, 1979)
*"Heyday" (b/w "Brute Force") 7" (Korova, 1980)
*"Live Instinct" EP (Korova [Holland only] , 1981)
*"Sense Of Purpose" 7"/12" (b/w "Point Of No Return," "Coldbeat") (Korova, 1981)
*"Hothouse" (b/w "New Dark Age" [live in Holland] ) 7" (Korova, 1982)
*"Counting The Days" (b/w "Dreams Then Plans") 7" (Statik, 1984)
*"One Thousand Reasons" 7"/12" (b/w "Blood And Poison," "Steel Your Air") (Statik, 1984)
*"Shock Of Daylight" EP (A&M [U.S.] / Statik, 1984) (contained on the CD reissue of "Heads And Hearts")
*"Temperature Drop" (b/w "Oiled") 7" (Statik, 1985)
*"Under You" (b/w "Total Recall") 7" (Statik, 1986)
*"Hand Of Love" 7/12" (b/w "Fall Of Europe," "Such A Difference") (Play It Again Sam, 1987)
*"Iron Years" 7"/12" (b/w "Fall Of Europe," "I Give You Pain (live)") (Play It Again Sam, 1987)

Compilation albums, Live albums

*"Counting The Days" CD (Statik, 1986; best-of compilation)
*"In The Hothouse" 2xLP (Statik, 1986; live at The Marquee in London, Aug. 27&28, 1985) (reissued twice, each time on 1 CD)
*"Propaganda" CD (Renascent, 1999; 1979 studio session)
*"The BBC Recordings" 2xCD (Renascent, 2004; live 1980-85)
*"Dutch Radio Recordings" ("Vols. 1 - 5") (live 1980-85) (2006, Renascent)

ee also

*Kevin Hewick

References

External links

* [http://www.brittleheaven.com/ Brittle Heaven] the official website of Adrian Borland
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kpfrxq95ldse~T1 The Sound biography on Allmusic.com] by Andy Kellman
* [http://www.myspace.com/thesounduk The Sound's MySpace page]
* [http://www.renascent.co.uk Renascent label website]
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=sound The Sound's Trouser Press entry]
* [http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/giglist2.html The Sound's gig list]
* [http://www.renascent.co.uk/sound/shockpressrelease.jpg1984 "Shock Of Daylight" press release (.jpg)]