The Members is a British rock band formed by vocalist and songwriter Nikki Tesco in 1976 in Cumberley, Surrey , England , and performing punk rock , later with elements of reggae music. The Members' highest achievement in the UK Singles Chart is # 12 (Sound of the Suburbs, 1979) and # 34 (Offshore Banking Business, 1979). [1] The group released four studio albums, of which the debut, At the Chelsea Nightclub (1979, # 45 UK Albums Chart ), was the most successful. [one]
| The members | |
|---|---|
| basic information | |
| Genres | punk rock new wave |
| Years | 1976 - 1983 |
| A country |  Great Britain |
| City | Camberley Surrey England |
| Where from | |
| Labels | Virgin Arista |
| Former the participants | Nicky tesco Gary baker Steve morley Clive parker Jean marie carroll Nigel bennett Chris payne Adrian lillywhite Rudi thompson Simon lloyd |
| Other projects | Spizzenergi Big country Leningrad Cowboys , |
| www.themembers.co.uk | |
Content
Group History
The members of The Members, except for Tesco (real name Nick Lightowlers, English Nick Lightowlers ), included guitarist Gary Baker, bassist Steve Morley and drummer Clive Parker. Soon Morley was replaced by Chris Payne, and Adrian Lillywight replaced Parker, who moved to The Planets, a group that has toured more than once with The Members. After its collapse, he became a member of Spizzenergi , and subsequently played in Big Country , Scary Thieves and The Expressway.
The group independently recorded several demos, and then, with the help of Steve Lillight (Adrian’s brother), the track “Fear On The Streets”, which was included in the very first release of Beggars Banquet Records ; punk compilation Streets. The debut single, The Members (now with new member JC Carroll on the lineup) was released on Stiff Records in the One Off series and was titled “Solitary Confinement”. [2] Then Baker left and the group began to actively tour with Tesco (vocals), JC Carroll (vocals, guitar), Nigel Bennett (guitar), Chris Payne (bass), Adrian Lillight (drums).
In 1978, signing a contract with Virgin Records , the band released The Sound of the Suburbs: the single, recorded by producer Steve Lillywright , became a hit and the song with which The Members remained in the history of the British new wave. The single “Offshore Banking Business” followed: it did not repeat the success of its predecessor, but the lyrics aroused some resonance in countries where the offshore business flourished: members of the Bahamas parliament spoke out loudly. [3]
At the Chelsea Nightclub 's debut album received a good press, but rose to the charts only to # 45. Even less successful was the second, The Choice Is Yours (1980); after him, the group lost a contract with Virgin. [4] Meanwhile, The Members have already become famous in the USA: enough to start making a living by touring there on a regular basis.
The third album, Going West (in the USA it was released under the title Uprhythm Downbeat ), with the single “Working Girl” (# 34, US Maistream Rock) [5] , which became (according to Allmusic ) a “cult classic” in the USA [4] , became groups last. Nikki Tesco left the lineup in 1983 after finishing the American tour. In 1989, he starred in the film Leningrad Cowboys Go America directed by Aki Kaurismäki , after which he collaborated for some time with Leningrad Cowboys , recording the songs Thru The Wire and LA Woman with them. Tesco starred in two more Kaurismaki films.
Shortly after Tesco left, The Members broke up, after which only in 2006 they performed together - at the birthday of JC Carroll, with guitarist Gary Baker. In 2007, a brief reunion took place, and in February 2009, The Members released the single “International Financial Crises” (Smash The System Recordings), themed sequel to the thirtieth anniversary of “Offshore Banking Business”. Tesco, Carroll, Payne and Bennett took part in the recording.
Tesco currently works as a journalist with Music Week and runs his own Roundtable program on 6 Music. Nigel Bennett is touring with The Vibrators .
Discography
Singles
- "Solitary Confinement" (1978)
- Sound of the Suburbs (1979) UK # 12
- Offshore Banking Business (1979) UK # 34
- Killing Time (1979)
- "Romance" (1980)
- Flying Again (1980)
- "Working Girl" (1981)
- Radio (1982) [6]
Albums
- At the Chelsea Nightclub (1979) UK # 45
- 1980 - The Choice Is Yours (1980)
- Uprhythm, Downbeat (1982)
- Going West (1983) [6]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 The Members: UK Hits . www.chartstats.com. Date of treatment January 12, 2010. Archived April 15, 2012.
- ↑ Stand Up And Spit: The Story of the Members p2. Noise For Heroes. Date of treatment August 5, 2008. Archived April 15, 2012.
- ↑ Artist Profile - The Members (link not available) . EMI Music Publishing. Date of treatment August 5, 2008. Archived October 24, 2007.
- ↑ 1 2 Chris Woodstra. The Members . www.allmusic.com. Date of treatment January 12, 2010. Archived April 15, 2012.
- ↑ The Members. Billboard singles . www.allmusic.com. Date of treatment January 12, 2010. Archived April 15, 2012.
- ↑ 1 2 Roberts, David. British Hit Singles & Albums. - 19th. - London: Guinness World Records Limited, 2006 .-- P. 361. - ISBN 1-904994-10-5 .