Love and Rockets were an English
rock band formed in 1985 by former
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...
members
Daniel Ash
Daniel Ash (born 31 July 1957) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He became prominent in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the iconic goth rock band Bauhaus, which spawned two related bands led by Ash: Tones on Tail and Love ...
(vocals, guitar and saxophone),
David J
David John Haskins (born 24 April 1957, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England), better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician, producer, and writer. He is the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus and for Love and Rocke ...
(bass guitar and vocals) and
Kevin Haskins
Kevin Michael Dompe (born 19 July 1960), born and best-known as Kevin Michael Haskins, is an English drummer, best known from the British rock group Bauhaus. He was also a member of Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets.
Early career
As a child ...
(drums and synthesisers) after that group split in 1983. Ash and Haskins had recorded and performed in another band,
Tones on Tail
Tones on Tail was a British post-punk band formed in 1982, originally as a musical side project of Daniel Ash of the gothic rock group Bauhaus. Their music was described by one critic as "doom-and-dance-pop."
History
While still a member ...
, between 1982 and 1984. Love and Rockets' fusion of underground rock music with elements of pop music provided an early catalyst for alternative rock. They released seven studio albums before breaking up in 1999 and reformed briefly in 2007 for a few live shows, before splitting again in 2009.
They are perhaps best known for their 1989 single "
So Alive", which reached No. 3 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.
History
The band's name was taken from the comic book series
''Love and Rockets'' by the
Hernandez brothers.
Gilbert Hernandez later referred to the confusion caused by this in his book ''
Love and Rockets X'', as there were several different bands named "Love and Rockets" for a period.
Despite their previous band's status as a
gothic rock
Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie ...
act, Love and Rockets moved towards a slightly brighter and more pop-influenced sound, as demonstrated by their first minor hit being a cover of the
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
classic "
Ball of Confusion" (reached #18 on the Canadian charts in January 1986). Their first studio album, 1985's ''
Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven'' (1985), was an early example of alternative rock, combined with
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-r ...
and
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
leanings. Their second album, 1986's ''
Express
Express or EXPRESS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn
* '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid
Music
* ''Express'' ...
'', continued in the same vein, adding even more of a pop feel to the mix. It included the dance hit "Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)". The 1987 follow-up, ''
Earth, Sun, Moon'', had a more acoustic sound and spawned the minor hit "No New Tale to Tell". The following year, they released the single "The Bubblemen Are Coming" under the alias
The Bubblemen
The Bubblemen were a side project formed in 1988 by the members of alternative rock band Love and Rockets. Love and Rockets members Daniel Ash (guitar, saxophone and vocals), David J (bass and vocals) and Kevin Haskins (drums, synthesizers) ...
.
In 1989 the band released
their self-titled album, which presented a more
AOR sound. The second single from the album was the
T. Rex-inspired song "
So Alive", which became a hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100,
a feat no Bauhaus-related band or artist has achieved before or since.
After a gruelling tour schedule in support of their big hit, Love and Rockets took a few years off before returning to the studio together. The result was a move to an
electronic sound that had more in common with
The Orb
The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...
than their rock or goth roots. Their label,
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
, dropped them. They signed with
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
's
American Recordings to release ''
Hot Trip to Heaven
''Hot Trip to Heaven'' is the fifth studio album by British rock band Love and Rockets, released in 1994 on Beggars Banquet in the United Kingdom and American in the United States. Released after a five-year hiatus, the album saw the band drop t ...
'' in 1994, followed in 1996 by ''
Sweet F.A.
Fanny Adams (30 April 1859 – 24 August 1867) was an eight-year-old English girl who was murdered by solicitor's clerk, Frederick Baker, in Alton, Hampshire, Alton, Hampshire, on 24 August 1867. The murder itself was extraordinarily brut ...
''. In April 1995, during the recording of ''Sweet F.A.'', a fire broke out in the house owned by American Recordings, where the band were living and recording. None of the members were injured, but their visiting friend
Genesis P. Orridge
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson; 22 February 1950 – 14 March 2020) was a singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, visual artist, and occultist who rose to notoriety as the founder of the COUM Transmissions arti ...
of
Psychic TV was injured whilst escaping the fire. The band lost their gear (a photo of a burnt guitar was used for the album cover of ''Sweet F.A.'') and months of work on the album. There was a lengthy legal battle between the band, their label, and the label's insurance company. Love and Rockets were found not responsible for the fire, but were left with a large legal bill. ''
Lift'' came out in 1998 on Red Ant Records, and, after performing in Toronto in April, 1999, the Love and Rockets disbanded.
Love and Rockets announced in October 2007 on their MySpace page that they would reform to play one song at "Cast a Long Shadow", a tribute to
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, f ...
and benefit for Strummerville, The Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music, on 22 December 2007 at the Key Club in
West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...
, California. They covered
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the w ...
's "
Should I Stay or Should I Go", playing the song twice, the second time inviting members of the audience to join them onstage to sing along. They performed on 27 April 2008 at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
, and also at
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
on 3 August 2008 in Chicago.
In an interview in June 2009, Ash emphatically stated that he had no further plans to play with Love and Rockets. "We've worked together since 1980. I really want to work with new people, I'm sure everybody feels the same."
A tribute album titled ''
New Tales to Tell: A Tribute to Love and Rockets'' was released on 18 August 2009 featuring contributions from
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...
,
Frank Black,
Puscifer,
A Place to Bury Strangers,
Film School,
Better Than Ezra,
Johnny Dowd,
The Dandy Warhols,
Blaqk Audio,
The Stone Foxes
The Stone Foxes is an American rock and roll band based in San Francisco, California, United States.
History
The Stone Foxes originated in the foothills of California's Central Valley where founding members Aaron Mort and brothers Spence Koehler ...
and
Monster Magnet.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven'' (1985)
* ''
Express
Express or EXPRESS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn
* '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid
Music
* ''Express'' ...
'' (1986)
* ''
Earth, Sun, Moon'' (1987)
* ''
Love and Rockets'' (1989)
* ''
Hot Trip to Heaven
''Hot Trip to Heaven'' is the fifth studio album by British rock band Love and Rockets, released in 1994 on Beggars Banquet in the United Kingdom and American in the United States. Released after a five-year hiatus, the album saw the band drop t ...
'' (1994)
* ''
Sweet F.A.
Fanny Adams (30 April 1859 – 24 August 1867) was an eight-year-old English girl who was murdered by solicitor's clerk, Frederick Baker, in Alton, Hampshire, Alton, Hampshire, on 24 August 1867. The murder itself was extraordinarily brut ...
'' (1996)
* ''
Lift'' (1998)
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Bauhaus (band)
English gothic rock groups
English alternative rock groups
English post-punk music groups
Musical groups from Northamptonshire
Musical groups established in 1985
Musical groups disestablished in 1999
Musical groups reestablished in 2007
Musical groups disestablished in 2009
1985 establishments in England