Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry is a rock band that was formed in Leeds, England in early 1981.

History

The band was formed by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown (who would later join The Mission). Sweeney left the band in late 1981 and Reed permanently took over as vocalist, with Martin Fagan joining as a second guitarist. The group's sound, featuring a numbing guitar drone, powerfully throbbing drums, and Reed's cavernous vocal tones, caused the Lorries (as their fans came to call them) to be quickly lumped into the then-developing gothic rock scene by pop journalists, although the band themselves preferred to cite Wire as an influence.Gittins, Ian. "Melody Maker", "The Angry Brigade" article on the band, October 25, 1986, pg. 32.]

In 1982, the Lorries' manager Dave Hall provided independent record label Red Rhino with a cassette of the group's demos.Ogg, Alex. "Talk about the Weather" Compact Disc, Anagram Records, 2005, liner notes.] Impressed by the quality of the songs, Red Rhino label head "Tony K" (Tony Kostrzewa) [cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/tony-kostrzewa-founder-of-red-rhino-records-824290.html|title=Obituaries: Tony Kostrzewa - Founder of Red Rhino Records|accessdate=2008-05-25|first=Pierre|last=Perrone|publisher="The Independent"] signed the band and immediately released "Beating My Head" unchanged from the demo as the band's debut single.K, Tony. "Red Lorry Yellow Lorry: The Singles 1982 - 87" Compact Disc, Cherry Red Records, 1993, liner notes.] The song made a strong appearance on the influential "New Musical Express" (NME) independent record chart. Fagan and Smith soon departed the band, to be replaced by Dave Wolfenden and Paul Southern respectively. While numerous additional personnel changes would occur in the history of the band, Wolfenden became a mainstay and a frequent songwriting partner of Reed's during the band's most productive period. In 1983 and 1984, the band released several more singles (including "He's Read" and "Monkeys On Juice", which reached #9 on the NME indie chart"Independent 45s" Chart, "New Musical Express", August 4, 1984, pg. 4] ). John Peel was an early supporter, and the band recorded two radio sessions for him in March and November of 1983.Ogg, Alex. "Talk about the Weather" Compact Disc, Anagram Records, 2005, liner notes.] [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/r/redlorryyellowlo/|title=Keeping it Peel - Artist A-Z: Red Lorry Yellow Lorry|accessdate=2008-02-18|first=|last=|publisher=BBC.co.UK]

In 1985, the band's debut album, "Talk about the Weather", was released and peaked at #3 on the NME indie rock albums chart."Independent LPs" Chart, "New Musical Express", February 23, 1985, pg. 4] The album, which most fans consider to be the band's best, received generally positive reviews and sold extremely well for a small label offering.K, Tony. "Red Lorry Yellow Lorry: The Singles 1982 - 87" Compact Disc, Cherry Red Records, 1993, liner notes.] "Hollow Eyes", a single taken from the album, obtained good sales as well,"Independent 45s" Chart, "New Musical Express", January 5, 1985, pg. 4. The single reached #7 on the chart.] as did follow-up non-LP singles "Chance" and "Spinning Round","Independent 45s" Chart, "New Musical Express", October 19, 1985, pg. 4. "Spinning Round" peaked at # 11 on the chart.] the latter of which is generally felt to be the Lorries's strongest song.

The band released one more album on Red Rhino ("Paint Your Wagon", which reached #3 on the NME indie chart"Independent LPs" Chart, "New Musical Express", March 29, 1986, pg. 44] ) in 1986, a single (“Cut Down”) and a four track EP (“Crawling Mantra”, utilizing the one-time band name change to "The Lorries"), before signing to Situation Two, an off-shoot of major label Beggars Banquet Records. Two albums followed, 1988's "Nothing Wrong" and 1989's "Blow". Neither of the Beggars Banquet albums appeared on any mainstream pop charts. Singles, including “Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)” and “Open Up” (which upon its release was chosen as NME’s Single of the WeekSolanos, Jane. "Singles", "New Musical Express", November 21, 1987, pg. 16.] ), also failed to chart, and the band was subsequently dropped by the label. In 1991, the band released "Blasting Off" on the tiny Sparkhead label. Despite the relative strength of the song "Talking Back" (released as a single prior to the LP), the album was considered a major disappointment by fans and sold poorly. Reed broke up what was left of the band at that point.

In 2003, Reed revived the name Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and released four new songs in 2004, available via internet download only on the band’s website. The band toured frequently in the UK during 2004 and 2005, but no additional Red Lorry Yellow Lorry material has subsequently appeared to date. In 2005, the band released "Thunder in the Black Cave", a live DVD recorded in Belgium during their 2004 European tour.Ogg, Alex. "Talk about the Weather" Compact Disc, Anagram Records, 2005, liner notes.] In 2006, Reed released an acoustic-based album, "Minimal Animal", under the name "Chris Reed Unit". [cite web|url=http://www.chrisreedunit.com/index.htm|title=Chris Reed Unit webpage|accessdate=2007-11-26|first=|last=|publisher=Chrisreedunit.com]

Discography

Albums

* "Talk about the Weather" (1985)
* "Paint Your Wagon" (1986)
* "Smashed Hits" (1987) Collection
* "Nothing Wrong" (1988)
* "Blow" (1989)
* "Blasting Off" (1991)
* "The Singles 1982 – 87" (1994) Collection
* "Generation" (1994) Collection
* "The Very Best Of" (2000) Collection
* "Nothing Wrong / Blow" (2001)

Singles/EPs

* "Beating My Head" (1982)
* "Take It All" (1983)
* "He’s Read" (1983)
* "This Today" EP (1983)
* "Monkey’s On Juice" (1983)
* "Hollow Eyes" (1984)
* "Chance" (1985)
* "Spinning Round" (1985)
* "Walking On Your Hands" (1986)
* "Cut Down" (1986)
* "Paint Your Wagon" 7” Only (1986)
* "Crawling Mantra" EP, recorded and released under the one-time band name change "The Lorries" (1987)
* "Nothing Wrong" (1988)
* "Open Up" (1988)
* "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)" (1988)
* "Temptation" (1989)
* "Talking Back" (1991)

Compilations

*"" (1995)

References

External links

* [http://www.red-lorry-yellow-lorry.com/ Red Lorry Yellow Lorry official homepage]
* [http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=red_lorry_yellow_lorry Trouser Press: Red Lorry Yellow Lorry entry]