Information AboutKilling Joke |
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Killing Joke is an influential English Post-punk Rock band formed in 1979. Founding members Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman ( Vocal , Keyboards and Arrangements ) and Geordie Walker (guitars) have been the only constant members. Regarded as one of the most significant bands to have emerged from the Post-punk / New Wave era of the late-1970s/early-1980s, Killing Joke strongly influenced bands such as Nirvana , Ministry , Nine Inch Nails , Big Black , Prong , Metallica , Jane's Addiction , Soundgarden , Foo Fighters , Econoline Crush , Faith No More and Korn , all of whom have at some point cited a substantial debt of gratitude to 'The Joke'. Original Drummer "Big Paul" Ferguson once described their music as "the sound of the earth vomiting". Killing Joke's music typically consists of hypnotic, metallic guitars and heavy, tribal, and danceable rhythms. Coleman's vocals are sometimes in a talk-sing style, sometimes a malevolent-sounding growl and sometimes emotional and melodic. Dark, ominous synthesizer loops and even sweeping, gothic keyboards appear to varying degrees, and indeed were a song-driving element on their mid 80s albums. Geordie never plays solos but his unique style has earned him praise from the likes of Edward Van Halen and Jimmy Page . Their albums have evolved stylistically from one release to the next, whilst always retaining the band's distinctive flavour. From Post-punk and Dub Reggae beginnings (late 70s) they developed a unique tribal, proto- Industrial metal (early 80s), gradually added more hooks and keyboards, got increasingly " Progressive " (late 80s), then dumped that to embrace 90s dance elements. HISTORY 1979–1982 Ferguson was drummer in the Matt Stagger Band when he met Coleman (originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire ) in Notting Hill, London . In early 1979, after Coleman was briefly keyboard player in that band, he and Ferguson defected to form Killing Joke with Geordie and bassist Martin "Youth" Glover . According to Coleman, their Manifesto was to "define the exquisite beauty of the Atomic Age in terms of style, sound and form". in 1980.]] In late 1979, they began the Malicious Damage Record Label with graphic artist Mike Coles as a way to press and sell their music; Island Records distributed the records, until Malicious Damage switched to E.G. Records in 1980. The songs on Killing Joke's early singles were primitive punk rock sometimes mixed with Funk ("Nervous System") and Dub / Reggae ("Turn to Red") styles. Their 'Nervous System/Turn To Red' EP came to the attention of legendary DJ John Peel , who was keen to champion the band's urgent new sound and gave them extensive airplay. They quickly progressed this sound into something denser, more aggressive, and more akin to Heavy Metal , as heard on their first two albums, '' Killing Joke '' (1980) and the more abrasive '' What's THIS For...! '' (1981). They toured extensively throughout the UK during this time, and both fans of Post Punk and Heavy Metal took interest in Killing Joke through singles such as "Follow the Leaders" (1981). Killing Joke became notorious largely due to the controversies that arose from their imagery. The images that appeared on their records and on-stage while performing live were, typically, bizarre and potentially shocking and inflammatory. One promotion poster featured an undoctored photo from the Spanish Civil war, of Pope Pius being shown off to rows of saluting Nazis. Shortly afterwards, the band was banned from performing a concert in Glasgow, Scotland . Strangely enough, at that time some NME's leftist journalists were suspicious about Killing Joke's image and wrote that "Killing Joke's music includes certain fascist tendencies...". This was a common misconception because, if anything, Killing Joke were a politically left-leaning band, with much of their disturbing imagery acting as ironic or cynical symbols for a world which they perceived was becoming ever more materialist, unjust and conservative. However, following various 'run-ins' with a number of music journalists, Killing Joke were far from being the industry darlings of the era, regardless of their actual output. Killing Joke's third album, '' Revelations '', produced by Conny Plank , was issued in 1982, and supported by a pair of performances on The John Peel Show and by the singles "Chop-Chop" and "Empire Song". By 1982, members of Killing Joke, especially Coleman, had become immersed in the Occult , particularly the works of occultist Aleister Crowley . In February of that year, Coleman, with Geordie and Youth following shortly after, relocated to Iceland to survive the Apocalypse , which Coleman predicted was coming soon. While in Iceland, Coleman and Geordie worked with musicians from the band Þeyr . After a few months, Youth decided there was no indication of the Apocalypse, and decided to relocate back to England. Youth then began the band Brilliant with Big Paul, but the latter defected and traveled to Iceland to rejoin Killing Joke with new bassist Paul Raven (previously of Neon Hearts and the rock / glam band Kitsch) in tow. After spending some time in Iceland, Killing Joke returned to England and began touring and recording again. The new lineup soon produced, again with Conny Plank, the single "Birds of a Feather / Sun Goes Down / Flock the B-Side" and '' HA! '', a 6 track 10" EP of a live performance recorded in Toronto in August. 1983–1988 Killing Joke's fourth album, '' Fire Dances '' (1983), contained music that, like that heard on the "Birds Of A Feather" single, was artier and relatively calmer than before, which, in hindsight, began a new direction. This was continued with the non LP singles "Me Or You" (1983, b/w "Wilful Days") and "A New Day" (1984, b/w a dance remix or dub mix of the same), the latter promoted with a Music Video . Mixing their sound with a slightly Pop style, and with Coleman singing and not growling, Killing Joke had developed a decidedly unique variation of new wave, which was heard on their fifth album, '' Night Time '' (1985). They unexpectedly achieved mainstream success with the single "Love Like Blood" (from ''Night Time''), which became a big hit, peaking at #16 in their homeland. ''Night Time'' was also supported with singles for "Eighties" (1984), "Kings and Queens" (1985) and "Love like Blood (Gestalt mix)" (1985), which all reached the UK Top 75. dominates the cover of Killing Joke's 1986 release '' Brighter Than A Thousand Suns ''.]] The music on Killing Joke's sixth album, '' Brighter Than A Thousand Suns '' (1986), was mostly similar in sound and mood to ''Love like Blood''. While no less aggressive and heavy than their older work, ''Brighter than a Thousand Suns'' diverged musically (as is common in Killing Joke's broad oeuvre) in ways that lead to controversy among listeners. In this case disagreements between fans and critics alike included opinions on whether the band was conforming with pressures from EG Records to develop a more commercial sound, to whether the songs were relevant for those listeners more comfortable with their proto post-punk beginnings. Those who are strongly approving of the work consider it a milestone - and quite intense - progressive rock album, and their most consistent work to date. Two singles were released from the album - "Adorations" and "Sanity" - and the band continued touring successfully until the end of the year. In 1987, Coleman began plans for a solo record of unusual music, and he made demos of his songs, on which he performed with Geordie 's assistance. The project ran way over budget and so, despite Coleman's objections, the record company decided that the music would be released under the name "Killing Joke" in order to best recoup the costs. Attempts were made to include Killing Joke rhythm section members Raven and Ferguson, but it didn't work out and tensions ultimately led to both being fired from the band. Session player Jimmy Copley was then brought in to provide the drumming on the songs, along with percussion player Jeff Scantlebury . The resulting album, '' This struggle resulted in Coleman suffering a nervous breakdown. On 19th September 1987 Coleman had delivered a lecture at London's Courtauld Institute outlining the thinking behind the then-unreleased '' Outside The Gate '' album, touching on Numerology and the occult. Geordie and percussionist Jeff Scantlebury provided a minimal musical backing at the event. A recording of the lecture was eventually released under the title '' The Courtauld Talks '' on Martin Atkins' Invisible Records in 1989. 1989–1991 Towards the end of 1988, Coleman and Geordie decided to get Killing Joke up and running again as a live band, and they began looking for full-time bass players and drummers. First on board was drummer '' was played (and indeed, never has been since). Touring continued across the UK, Europe and the US until August 1989, when the band took a break to record its new material in Germany, and to allow Jaz Coleman time to record '' Songs From The Victorious City '' with Anne Dudley of Art Of Noise . However, for reasons which remain unclear, the German Killing Joke sessions were scrapped and bass player Taif left the band to be replaced by old hand Paul Raven . The revised line up began recording again, this time in London, and the result was Killing Joke's eighth album, the ferocious '' Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions '', released on the German Noise International label in 1990. It included some of the heaviest, noisiest and harshest music ever to appear on a Killing Joke record, although the progressive musical spirit of the previous two albums remained as well. The many highlights included "Solitude", "Slipstream", "Age of Greed" and the single "Money Is Not Our God". Once again the band toured Europe and North America, but by the middle of 1991 this promising new line up had imploded. Coleman emigrated to New Zealand to live on a remote Pacific island, and it looked like Killing Joke was over for good. Geordie Walker , Martin Atkins , Paul Ferguson , Paul Raven and the band's live keyboard player John Bechdel ( Ministry , Fear Factory , Prong , Pigface , Abstinence , False Icons , Ascension Of The Watchers ) added Scottish vocalist Chris Connelly ( Finitribe , Revolting Cocks ) and continued as the short-lived Murder, Inc. , releasing a self-titled album in 1992. 1992–1996 A Killing Joke anthology, '' Laugh? I Nearly Bought One! '', was released in 1992, and during its production Geordie was re-acquainted with Youth , who suggested that they reform the band with himself back on bass. That same year two singles (on cassette and CD) appeared featuring the early songs "Change" and "Wardance" in several new versions remixed by Youth, by then a very successful producer. The reactivated Killing Joke released two strong and well-received albums on Youth's Butterfly Recordings label, '' Pandemonium '' and '' Democracy '', which saw the band shift back to the simpler arrangements of their early albums. '' Pandemonium '' (1994) wove a metallesque ritualistic sound with mosh beats and loops and provided Killing Joke with a memorable Top Of The Pops performance for the single 'Millennium', which was a UK Top 30 hit. ''Democracy'' (1996) successfully introduced acoustic guitar into the mix, as well as adopting more of a "live band" sound again. Much of ''Pandemonium'' and all of ''Democracy'' featured session drummer Geoff Dugmore . He also played live with the band throughout this era. Youth bowed out of live performance early in the ''Democracy'' tour and was replaced by Troy Gregory , ex Prong . Coleman had produced the 1993 debut album '' in the media. Shihad singer and guitarist Jon Toogood says his band have put the dispute behind them, however a song was recorded by Shihad called "Killing Jaz". After the ''Democracy'' tour the band went on an extended hiatus. Jaz Coleman and Youth produced a string of well-received orchestral rock albums based on the music of legends such as Led Zeppelin and The Doors . Coleman became Composer-in-Residence for New Zealand and Czech symphony orchestras. He seems to have become something of a celebrity in the Czech Republic and made his acting debut with the main role in the film Rok ďábla (Year of the Devil) by Czech filmmaker Petr Zelenka (who later would direct the video for " Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell "). 2002–present Coleman, Geordie and Youth reformed Killing Joke in 2002, and recorded their Second Self-titled Album with producer Andy Gill , released to much acclaim in 2003 on the Zuma/Sony label - a powerful addition to ''Extremities'' and other visceral 1990s albums, and considered one of their finest recordings. The War On Terror and the Invasion Of Iraq were cited as major factors in their reforming and this is reflected in the lyrical content of much of the album, based on themes of war, government control and Armageddon . The album was their heaviest to date and spawned two singles, "Loose Cannon" and "Seeing Red". The songs are all credited to Coleman/Walker/ Glover /Gill, although Raven 's name is also on the list of musicians on the liner notes, marking his return to the band after more than a decade. It remains unclear who actually played bass on which tracks on the album and in some interviews with Geordie he hints that it may have been he who actually played bass on most of the songs, with occasional contributions from Youth. Raven played on the subsequent tour however, with Youth appearing to have retired from the band by this point. Dave Grohl ( Nirvana , Foo Fighters , Probot ), a longtime fan of the band, occupied the drum stool for all tracks. The original plan had been to use many different drummers on the album, including Grohl, but he was so enthusiastic about the material that he persuaded the band to let him do the whole thing. The album was accompanied by a tour of the United States, Europe and Australia in 2003/2004, with ex- Prong drummer Ted Parsons on board. In February 2005, now with young Twin Zero and Sack Trick drummer ''. In June 2005 remastered and expanded editions of their two 1990s Butterfly Recordings albums, ''Pandemonium'' and ''Democracy'', were released by Cooking Vinyl . These were followed in July by their first four albums (''Killing Joke'' to ''Ha!'') on EMI , who by then owned the E.G. Records catalogue. The second batch of EMI reissues has yet to appear (as of July 2007), although they are rumoured to include a completely remixed version of ''Fire Dances'' and the original Chris Kimsey mix of ''Brighter Than A Thousand Suns''. In summer 2005 they provided unlikely support on the British leg of Mötley Crüe 's world tour and then began work on their next album in Prague . Coleman had been working there for a few years on classical and traditional music projects and it had come to be Killing Joke's ''de facto'' base. Opting for simplicity and raw energy, the band recorded the new album in its basement rehearsal studio, going for live takes with the minimum of overdubs. The result was '' Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell '', released in April 2006 on Cooking Vinyl. Once again it was well received by the critics. Killing Joke began a European tour in support of the album in April 2006. However, bass player Paul Raven abruptly departed after a few dates to tour with Ministry and was temporarily replaced by Kneill Brown . The tour included an appearance headlining the MySpace stage of the Download Festival on June 10 2006 , which received four K's from '' Kerrang! '' magazine. Other highlights of the summer included a memorable set in Japan at the Fuji Rock festival where there were joined on stage by Orb frontman Alex Paterson (once a Killing Joke drum roadie) and headlining the Beautiful Days festival in the UK. The band's momentum suffered another blow however, when health problems caused the autumn leg of the tour to be cancelled. In October 2006 it was announced that Coleman had been chosen as Composer In Residence for the European Union . As Composer in Residence he will be commissioned to write music for special occasionshttp://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=139331&command=displayContent&sourceNode=139314&contentPK=15808526&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch. Early in 2007 Killing Joke released three archival collections via Candlelight Records . The first, "Inside Extremities", is a double CD of material taken from the band's preparations for the "Extremities" album: rehearsals, rare mixes, a previously unheard track "The Fanatic" and a full live show from the Extremities tour Rarities release for Killing Joke . This was followed by "Bootleg Vinyl Archive" Volumes 1 & 2, each of which is a 3 CD box set of live-in-concert bootleg recordings originally released on vinyl in the 1980s, plus the Astoria gig from the "Pandemonium" tour which was voted one of the greatest gigs of all time by Kerrang.[http://www.rocklist.net/kerrang_p2.htm#gigs] In May 2007 it was announced that reissues will be released at around the same time, completing the Killing Joke reissue series. DISCOGRAPHY Albums
''See also: List Of Musicians With Multiple Self-titled Albums '' Singles & EPs
Live albums
Compilations
Videography
SIDE PROJECTS INFLUENCE
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