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Dead or Alive were an English
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
band who released seven studio albums from 1984 to 2000. The band formed in 1979 in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and found success in the mid-1980s, releasing seven singles that made the UK Top 40 and three albums in the UK Top 30. At the peak of their success, the line-up consisted of
Pete Burns Peter Jozzeppi Burns (5 August 1959 – 23 October 2016) was an English singer, songwriter and television personality who formed the band Dead or Alive (band), Dead or Alive in 1980 during the New wave music, new wave era and was the band's lea ...
(vocals), Steve Coy (drums), Mike Percy (bass), and Tim Lever (keyboards), with the core pair of Burns and Coy writing and producing for the remainder of the band's career due to Percy and Lever exiting the group in 1989. Following Burns' death on October 23, 2016, the remaining members chose to disband Dead or Alive. Two of the band's singles reached the US Top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100: "
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, '' Youthquake'' (1985). Released as a single in November 1984 by Epic Records, it reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart ...
" (No. 11 in August 1985), and "
Brand New Lover "Brand New Lover" is a song recorded by the English pop band Dead or Alive. It was the lead single released from the band's third studio album, '' Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know'' on Epic Records. It achieved international success when released as ...
" (No. 15 in March 1987). "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" peaked at No. 1 for two weeks in 1985 in the UK, then charted again in 2006 following Burns's appearance on the television reality show ''
Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...
'' and on
season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album ...
of ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
''. It also became the first of two singles to top the ''Billboard''
Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart. In December 2016, ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' ranked them as the 96th most successful dance artist of all time.


History


Formation and early career of band

In 1977, Burns formed a punk band with contemporaries
Julian Cope Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...
,
Pete Wylie Peter James Wylie (born 22 March 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as the leader of the band variously known as Wah!, Wah! Heat, Shambeko! Say Wah!, JF Wah!, The Mighty Wah! and Wah! The Mongrel. Career Early ba ...
, and Phil Hurst, calling themselves ''the Mystery Girls''. They only had one performance (opening for
Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, ac ...
at
Eric's Club Eric's Club is a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 October 1976 in the basement of The Fruit Exchange Building in Victoria Street, with performances by The Runaways and The Sex Pistols (their only Liverpool gig) before soon mo ...
in Liverpool in November 1977) before disintegrating. Cope stated that Burns's performing style drew from the transgender punk performer Wayne County and Wylie recalled that "his head looked like someone had melted a load of black vinyl down into a kind of space quiff." Burns continued in early-1979 with a new band, ''Rainbows Over Nagasaki'' (subsequently renamed ''Nightmares In Wax''), featuring a
gothic post-punk 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 an ...
sound, with backing from keyboardist Martin Healy, guitarist Mick Reid, bassist Rob Jones (who left to be replaced by Walter Ogden), and drummer Paul Hornby (who also exited after the band's formation to be replaced by Phil Hurst). The group played their first gig supporting
Wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
at
Eric's Club Eric's Club is a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 October 1976 in the basement of The Fruit Exchange Building in Victoria Street, with performances by The Runaways and The Sex Pistols (their only Liverpool gig) before soon mo ...
in July 1979, and recorded demos which included a cover of the
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound Simon Dupree and the Big Sound were a British psychedelic band formed in 1966 by brothers Derek (vocals), Phil (vocals, saxophone, trumpet), and Ray Shulman (guitar, violin, trumpet, vocals); also known for their later prog rock band, Gentle Gia ...
song "Kites", a feature of their early shows. Their sole release under the name Nightmares In Wax was a 7-inch EP, ''Birth of a Nation'', released in March 1980 on Inevitable Records. The EP featured "Black Leather", which turned halfway into
KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits " Get Down Tonight", " That's the Way (I Like It)", "⁠ (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", ...
's "
That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of the ...
". Two of the tracks from the EP, "Girl Song" and "Shangri-La", were re-released in 1985 as a 12” single, following the band’s later rise to fame. In 1980, during a line-up change, Burns changed the band's name once more to Dead or Alive.Greene, Jo-Ann "Nightmares in Wax Biography" Allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 December 2016. The band went through several line-up changes over the next three years while recording a series of independent singles. Dead or Alive's singles started charting on the
UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...
, beginning with 1982's "The Stranger" reaching No. 7.Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p.61 This prompted major label
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
to sign the band in 1983. Their first release for Epic was the single " Misty Circles", which appeared at No. 100 on the major UK Singles Chart in 1983. Two more singles co-produced by Zeus B. Held (" What I Want" and " I'd Do Anything") were released but mainstream success continued to elude the band. The band's debut album, ''
Sophisticated Boom Boom ''Sophisticated Boom Boom'' is the debut studio album by the English pop band Dead or Alive, released on 20 April 1984 by Epic Records. Featuring mostly synth-pop and dance elements, the album contains the band's first UK top 40 single, a cover ...
'', was released in May 1984 and featured their first Top 40 UK single, "
That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of the ...
", a cover of the 1975 hit by
KC and the Sunshine Band KC and the Sunshine Band is an American disco and funk band that was founded in 1973 in Hialeah, Florida. Their best-known songs include the hits " Get Down Tonight", " That's the Way (I Like It)", "⁠ (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty", ...
. That song, along with " Misty Circles", were also hits on the US
Hot Dance Music/Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart. The album was a minor success in the UK where it peaked at No. 29. As Burns and his band achieved greater media exposure, his eccentric and
androgynous Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in humans, it often r ...
appearance often led to comparisons with
Culture Club Culture Club are an English new wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (musician), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Mikey Craig (bass guitar), and formerly included Jon Moss ( ...
and its lead singer
Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...
as well as "
Calling Your Name "Calling Your Name" is the debut single by British singer Marilyn. The song was an international hit, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1983 and No. 3 in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, ...
" singer Marilyn. Burns would describe producing his first album as "the most joyous experience of my life, full of happy memories, because there was no commercial pressure on us."


Chart success

The band released its second album '' Youthquake'' (US No. 31, UK No. 9) in May 1985, produced by the then-fledgling production team of
Mike Stock Michael Stock (born 3 December 1951) is an English songwriter, record producer, musician, and member of the songwriting and production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. He has been responsible for over a hundred top-40 hits in the UK, including 16 n ...
,
Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as part of the 1980s/early-1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Biography He beg ...
, and
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An av ...
, known as
Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...
(SAW). "
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, '' Youthquake'' (1985). Released as a single in November 1984 by Epic Records, it reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart ...
" became the band's only song to reach No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart after lingering outside the Top 40 for over two months. The track also hit No. 11 in the US and No. 1 in Canada.
Burns said that the record company was initially unenthusiastic about the single to such an extent that he had to take out a £2,500 loan to record it. Afterward, he recalled, "the record company said it was awful" and the band also had to fund production of the song's video themselves. Additionally, Burns said that Twelve-inch single, 12-inch singles comprised over 70% of the original sales of "You Spin Me Round", and because these were regarded by the record label as promotional tools rather than sales, the band had to threaten legal action against the label before they received the royalties on them. Other album tracks released as singles included " Lover Come Back To Me" (No. 11), " In Too Deep" (No. 14), and "
My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor) "My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor)" is a 1985 song by the English pop band Dead or Alive. It was the fourth and final single from the band's second studio album '' Youthquake''. It peaked at No. 23 on the UK singles chart, No. 12 in Japan, ...
" (No. 23) which all reached the UK Top 30. Despite the international chart-topping success of '' Youthquake'' and its lead single, Burns said it was the album that he was "most dissatisfied with" and recalled that "one of the unhappiest days of my life was when ''Spin Me'' reached No. 1 – and I mean really unhappy. Because I knew it would be downhill all the way after that." Burns had a fear of success and hoped that his singles would not chart highly. "I didn't want too high positions because I didn't want to lose my life," he recalled. "I thought, if it happens it happens, but if it doesn't – phew!" In late 1986, Dead or Alive released their third album, '' Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know'' (US No. 52, UK No. 27). Production of the album was marred by more fights between the band and SAW. The lead single "
Brand New Lover "Brand New Lover" is a song recorded by the English pop band Dead or Alive. It was the lead single released from the band's third studio album, '' Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know'' on Epic Records. It achieved international success when released as ...
" became a modest UK hit, peaking at No. 31, but was more successful in the US where it reached No. 15 on the US Hot 100, and No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' dance chart. Three more singles from the album were released; the most successful in the UK was " Something in My House" (No. 12). Despite the reservations of the label and producers, the track proved to be Dead or Alive's biggest hit in the UK since " Lover Come Back to Me" and was the only single from their third album to earn a UK Top 20 placement. The song also proved to be the act's final Top 40 hit with an original release in the UK, and their last Top 20 hit in Australia. A 12-inch version of the song, the 'Mortevicar Mix', featured scenes from Nosferatu and sampling of dialogue from the soundtrack of ''
The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...
'' and a sampling from the George A. Romero American movie trailer from his film ''
Day of the Dead The Day of the Dead () is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pa ...
''. In 1987, ''Dead or Alive'' released their greatest hits album '' Rip It Up'', and a concert tour of the same name with dates in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Film footage was recorded at two shows at Tokyo's
Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wres ...
on 9 October and at Osaka's
Osaka-jō Hall is a multi-purpose arena located in the Kyōbashi, Osaka, Kyōbashi area of Osaka, Japan. The hall opened in 1983 and can seat up to 16,000 people. Built on a site area of , part of its form uses stone walls, modeled after those of Osaka Castle ...
on 11 October, and released on video cassette (
VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...
) and
Laserdisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...
that same year under the title ''Rip It Up Live''. The concert was eventually issued as bonus material for the first time on DVD as part of the 2003 compilation release. In mid-1988, ''Dead or Alive'', now pared down to a duo of Burns and Coy, released the self-produced ''
Nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
'' (US No. 106, UK No. 82). In 2021, ''RetroPop Magazine'' retrospectively described ''
Nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
'' as the "perfect ''Dead or Alive'' album" and "their strongest offering overall". During the album's production Tim Lever and Mike Percy were fired from the band. The pair later formed careers as mixers and producers; both owned and operated ''Steelworks Studios'' in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
and experienced success writing and mixing songs for acts like
S Club 7 S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls. Original members were Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Ha ...
,
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...
, and
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...
. From the information booklet in Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI, Burns stated: The album featured the single " Turn Around and Count 2 Ten" which reached No. 2 in the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and No. 1 for a record-breaking seventeen-weeks in Japan. It was followed by the singles "Baby Don't Say Goodbye" which peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart and " Come Home with Me Baby" which spent thirteen-weeks at No. 1 on the US
Hot Dance Music/Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
due to a popular remix by producer
Lewis Martineé Lewis A. Martineé (born Luis Antonio Martínez) is a producer, songwriter and disc jockey based in Miami, Florida. Martineé reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Pop charts as writer and producer of the song " Seasons Change" by Latin freestyle ...
. However, " Come Home with Me Baby" and the other singles struggled in the UK. This was attributed to the lyrical theme of
casual sex Casual sex is sexual activity that takes place outside a romantic relationship and implies an absence of commitment, emotional attachment, or familiarity between sexual partners. Examples are sexual activity while casually dating, one-nig ...
being at odds with the
AIDs epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...
of the time. Additionally, despite strong customer demand, the US record company refused to release it as a proper single (claiming they objected to the
male dancers Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...
in the music video) which prevented the song from becoming a major hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1989, to support his ''
Nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
'' album and the release of its companion remix album ''
Nude – Remade Remodelled Dead or Alive were an English pop band who released seven studio albums from 1984 to 2000. The band formed in 1979 in Liverpool and found success in the mid-1980s, releasing seven singles that made the UK Top 40 and three albums in the UK Top ...
'', Burns toured with fellow
Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW and also known as the Hit Factory) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s throug ...
acts
Sinitta Sinitta Malone known mononymously as Sinitta, is a British-American singer. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single " So Macho" and had several other hits during the decade. In the 2000s, she became known for te ...
and
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
in Asia and Europe on the ensemble '' Disco in Dream''
concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...
. On 6 October, Burns gave a performance at the
Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...
, the largest concert venue in Japan (with a seating capacity of 55,000 people), which was broadcast on the
NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...
television network.


1990s and 2000s

In 1990, the band produced their next studio album, ''
Fan the Flame (Part 1) ''Fan the Flame (Part 1)'' is the fifth studio album from English band Dead or Alive, released in 1990. Epic Records released ''Fan the Flame (Part 1)'' in Japan only, after its international release was cancelled for an unknown reason. The album ...
'', although their only successful record deal was in Japan where the album peaked at No. 27 on the
Japanese Albums Chart Japanese Albums Chart may refer to: * Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridg ...
. The band had begun to produce '' Fan the Flame (Part 2)'', however the album was shelved until it was finished in 2021. An acoustic album ''Love, Pete'' was also made available during a US personal appearance tour in 1992 and was since widely bootlegged with the title ''Fan the Flame (Part 2): The Acoustic Sessions''. Pete strongly criticized its subsequent distribution. In 2000, ''Dead or Alive'' released '' Fragile'', a collection of remakes with several new tracks and covers including U2's "
Even Better Than the Real Thing "Even Better Than the Real Thing" is a song by Irish rock band U2, and is the second track on their seventh album, ''Achtung Baby'' (1991). It was released as the album's fourth single on 8 June 1992, and it reached number three in Ireland and ...
" and
Nick Kamen Ivor Neville "Nick" Kamen (15 April 1962 – 4 May 2021) was a British singer, songwriter and model of mixed Burmese, Irish, Dutch and French descent. He was best known for the singles "Each Time You Break My Heart" from 1986 and "I Promised My ...
's "I Promised Myself". The first song on the album, " Hit and Run Lover", was a
hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...
peaking at No. 2 on the Japanese charts. A new remix album, '' Unbreakable: The Fragile Remixes'', was released in 2001. This was followed in 2003 with a greatest hits album entitled '' Evolution: the Hits'' along with a video compilation that was also released on DVD. "
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by the English pop band Dead or Alive, featured on their second studio album, '' Youthquake'' (1985). Released as a single in November 1984 by Epic Records, it reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart ...
" was re-released as a single to promote the album with it reaching No. 23 on the UK Singles Chart.


2010s

On 7 September 2010, Burns's solo single "Never Marry an Icon", produced and co-written by the Dirty Disco, was released to the iTunes Store. The single was released by fellow band member Steve Coy's label, ''Bristar Records''. Even though Burns stated Dead or Alive had ceased to exist in 2011, Coy later declared the moniker was still active and the band was not over. On 21 December 2012, Burns and Coy performed at the
Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, and television personality. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman production and songwriting team, he co-wrote and co-produced many UK hit singles. An av ...
concert Hit Factory Live at London's
O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena, London * O2 Arena, Prague *The 3Arena, Dublin, formerly known as The O2 *The Uber Arena, Berlin, formerly known as O2 World *The Barclays Arena Barclays Arena (originally known as the Color Line Arena an ...
. Burns died of a cardiac arrest on 23 October 2016, at the age of 57, ending the band. On 28 October 2016, a 19-disc box set titled '' Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI'' was released by Edsel Records. The release was announced on September 8, via
Demon Music Group Demon Music Group Limited (DMG; formerly Object Enterprises Limited from 19821991 and Music Collection International Limited from 19912000) is a record company owned by BBC Studios that is mainly concerned with back-catalogue rights and re-iss ...
as a "personally curated y Burns and Coy19 disc set, featuring the original album tracks plus a plethora of rarities, live recordings, alternate mixes, instrumental versions and more than 12 previously unreleased remixes and tracks from their vaults, bringing a unique collection together from the band’s internationally successful career for the very first time." Coy died on 4 May 2018 at the age of 56. Coy was in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
to work on a new studio album before he died at his
Bogliasco Bogliasco () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about southeast of Genoa. Together with the ''comuni'' of Camogli, Recco, Pieve Ligure and Sori, it is part of the so-call ...
home following an eleven-month battle with cancer.


Personnel

Members *
Pete Burns Peter Jozzeppi Burns (5 August 1959 – 23 October 2016) was an English singer, songwriter and television personality who formed the band Dead or Alive (band), Dead or Alive in 1980 during the New wave music, new wave era and was the band's lea ...
 – vocals, tambourineIn some music videos he was pretending to play guitar, but actually never played any instrument(1979–2016; his death) * Martin Healy – keyboards (1979–1983) * Mick Reid – guitars (1979–1980) * Walter Ogden – bass (1979) * Rob Jones – bass (1979) * Paul Hornby – drums (1979) * Phil Hurst – drums (1979–1980) * Pete Lloyd – bass (1980) * Joe Musker – drums (1980–1982) * Sue James – bass (1980–1981) * Adrian Mitchley – guitars (1980–1981) * Mike Percy – bass, guitars, keyboards (1981–1988) *
Wayne Hussey 250px, Hussey performing at the Hildesheim.html" ;"title="M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim">M'era Luna Festival in Hildesheim, Germany, 2004 Jerry Wayne Hussey (born 26 May 1958) is an English musician who was born in Bristol, England. He is ...
 – guitars (1981–1984) * Steve Coy – drums, percussion, keyboards, guitars, bass (1982–2016; died 2018) * Timothy Lever – keyboards, saxophone, guitars, sequencers (1983–1988) *
Peter Oxendale Peter Oxendale (born ) is an English forensic musicologist and an expert witness on copyright infringement in music. He was involved as an expert in the notable Blurred Lines lawsuit. He was a keyboardist in the glam rock bands Sparks and Jet an ...
 – keyboards (1989–1995) * Jason Alburey – keyboards, guitars (1995–2003) * Dean Bright – keyboards, keytar (1995–2003) Touring members * Sonia Mazumder – dancer, backing vocals (1982–1984) * James Hyde – dancer (1987–1990) * Adam Perry – dancer (1987) * Simon Gogerly – keytar, keyboards (1989) * B.J. Smouth – keyboards (1989) * Gary Hughes – dancer (1989) * Matt Selby – dancer (1989) * Tony Griffiths – dancer (1989) * Steve Agyei – dancer (1989) * Zeb Jamenson – keyboards (1990) *
Tracy Ackerman Tracy Ackerman is a British singer and songwriter. She works with several other British songwriters including Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson of Absolute and Mark Taylor. Ackerman has written for artists including Geri Halliwell, Cher, Boyzone, Tina ...
 – backing vocals (1990) * Tony Griffith – dancer (1990) * Philip Hurst – dancer (1990) * Mark Scott – dancer (1990) * Cliff Slapher – keyboards (2001) * Micki Dee – keyboards (2001)


Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:85 bottom:60 top:10 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:1979 till:10/23/2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocal value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:Keyboard value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Sax value:tan2 legend:Saxophone id:Keytar value:lavender legend:Keytar id:Album value:black legend:Album Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1979 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1979 LineData = layer:back color:Album at:04/01/1984 at:05/01/1985 at:02/01/1987 at:07/01/1989 at:12/13/1990 at:10/01/1995 at:09/19/2000 BarData = bar:PB text:"Pete Burns" bar:MR text:"Mick Reid" bar:AM text:"Adrian Mitchley" bar:WH text:"Wayne Hussey" bar:MH text:"Martin Healy" bar:TL text:"Timothy Lever" bar:PO text:"Peter Oxendale" bar:JA text:"Jason Alburey" bar:DB text:"Dean Bright" bar:WO text:"Walter Ogden" bar:PL text:"Pete Lloyd" bar:SJ text:"Sue James" bar:MP text:"Mike Percy" bar:PA text:"Paul Hornby" bar:PH text:"Phil Hurst" bar:JM text:"Joe Musker" bar:SC text:"Steve Coy" PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:PB from:01/01/1979 till:end color:Vocal bar:SC from:01/01/1982 till:end color:Drums bar:SC from:01/01/1989 till:end color:Guitar width:3 bar:SC from:01/01/1989 till:end color:Bass width:5 bar:SC from:01/01/1989 till:end color:Keyboard width:7 bar:MP from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1989 color:Guitar width:3 bar:MP from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1989 color:Bass bar:MP from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1989 color:Keyboard width:7 bar:TL from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1989 color:Keyboard bar:TL from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1989 color:Guitar width:3 bar:TL from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1989 color:Sax width:7 bar:MH from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1983 color:Keyboard bar:MR from:01/01/1979 till:03/31/1980 color:Guitar bar:PA from:01/01/1979 till:07/31/1979 color:Drums bar:PH from:08/01/1979 till:08/31/1980 color:Drums bar:JM from:09/01/1980 till:01/01/1983 color:Drums bar:AM from:04/01/1980 till:01/01/1981 color:Guitar bar:PL from:01/01/1980 till:03/31/1980 color:Bass bar:SJ from:04/01/1980 till:01/01/1981 color:Bass bar:WO from:01/01/1979 till:10/31/1979 color:Bass bar:WH from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1984 color:Guitar bar:PO from:01/01/1990 till:12/31/1994 color:Keyboard bar:JA from:01/01/1995 till:12/31/2003 color:Keyboard bar:DB from:01/01/1995 till:12/31/2003 color:Keyboard bar:DB from:01/01/1995 till:12/31/2003 color:Keytar width:3 bar:JA from:01/01/2000 till:12/31/2003 color:Guitar width:3


Discography

* ''
Sophisticated Boom Boom ''Sophisticated Boom Boom'' is the debut studio album by the English pop band Dead or Alive, released on 20 April 1984 by Epic Records. Featuring mostly synth-pop and dance elements, the album contains the band's first UK top 40 single, a cover ...
'' (1984) * '' Youthquake'' (1985) * '' Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know'' (1986) * ''
Nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
'' (1988) * ''
Fan the Flame (Part 1) ''Fan the Flame (Part 1)'' is the fifth studio album from English band Dead or Alive, released in 1990. Epic Records released ''Fan the Flame (Part 1)'' in Japan only, after its international release was cancelled for an unknown reason. The album ...
'' (1990) * ''
Nukleopatra ''Nukleopatra'' is the sixth studio album from British synth-pop band Dead or Alive, first released in Japan in 1995 by Epic Records. ''Nukleopatra'' was subsequently issued by several different labels in different territories, with varying trac ...
'' (1995) * '' Fragile'' (2000) * '' Fan the Flame (Part 2): The Resurrection'' (2021)


See also

* List of ''Billboard'' number-one dance club songs * List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Or Alive Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 2018 English pop music groups English new wave musical groups British hi-NRG groups British Eurodisco groups English synth-pop groups Musical groups from Liverpool Scouse culture of the early 1980s Cleopatra Records artists Epic Records artists Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists Avex Trax artists Dance-pop groups 1980 establishments in England