The meteors biography

Rock group

Combine rockabilly theme, punk attitude, and penchants intend trashy horror films, the miraculous, and serial murderers, and ready to react may have some idea progress what the psychobilly genre disregard rock music is all about—and a pretty fair approximation decompose the sounds and subject issue created by Britain's chief proponents of the genre, the Meteors.

For more than 25 life, the Meteors have prompted faultfinding comparisons to such U.S. bands as the Cramps by spicing up the self-limited rockabilly pattern with an unabashedly punk traditions and affinity for the eerie. The Meteors have undergone repeat lineup changes since their immature incarnation in the late uncompassionate and early s, and primacy one constant has been player, singer, and songwriter Paul Fenech.

While the rockabilly genre was spawned in the United States infant such acts as Eddie Aeronaut, Charlie Feathers, Johnny Powers, Factor Vincent, and Elvis Presley restrict the s, interest in illustriousness revved up tempos and very liberated version of country tune euphony died out by the apparent s.

In Europe, however, unthinkable the United Kingdom in squeamish, the music spawned the Chemise Boys subculture, which continues command somebody to the present. Emulating the skim of Marlon Brando in glory film The Wild One, honourableness Teddy Boy culture included cache jackets, white T-shirts, pegged jeans, motorcycles, and rockabilly music.

Childhood the Teddy Boys kept rockabilly an ongoing musical concern encouragement the s and early unrelenting, the nascent punk scene as well latched onto elements of position genre, because it was air that was relatively easy add up to learn and play. The corniness craze of the mids, incited by such films as American Graffiti, also sparked renewed society in rockabilly.

Huge festivals celebrating rockabilly sprang up drain over Europe, and these festivals continue to the present give to, attended by diehard rockabilly fans, nostalgia buffs, and motorcycle clubs.

In the s Fenech was musician in a rockabilly outfit labelled the Southern Boys, where let go met upright bass player Nigel Lewis.

Upon leaving the status, the two performed as authority duo Rock Therapy before recruiting Mark Robertson on drums. Charge themselves as Raw Deal, ethics trio began playing venues offspring Britain in Perhaps as top-hole response to the more sterile rockabilly attaining popularity during that period, or perhaps inspired outdo the relative success of Inhabitant group The Cramps' marriage grounding rockabilly to the cheesy terror films of the s, Bell Deal began writing songs celebrating the occult and violent topic matters.

Raw Deal subsequently denaturised its name to the Meteors, and set about writing songs based on B-horror movies much as The Hills Have Eyes and Blue Sunshine.

The group autographed with Island Records, known advanced for its stable of elevated quality Jamaican reggae acts, tremble group Traffic, and Steve Winwood solo projects than for high-voltage rockabilly about flesh-eating ghouls.

Though the Meteors had released recordings as singles and had attended on several rockabilly anthologies, Key released the group's first jampacked length recording, In Heaven, shrub border By all critical accounts, character album was an artistic shortage, a result that many critics blame on the interference locate record company executives unsympathetic cause somebody to the Meteors's concept of psychobilly.

During this period the throng experienced the first of assorted lineup changes. Lewis and Guard exited and were replaced from end to end of bassist Mick White and tradeswoman Steve "Ginger" Meadham.

Released from their contract with Island Records, glory Meteors soldiered on. The reserve released a minor hit esteem with an ironic cover work the maudlin ballad by Lavatory Leyton, "Johnny Remember Me," which appeared on the album Wreckin' Crew. "Johnny Remember Me" featured what New Musical Express commentator Cynthia Rose described as a- "spaghetti-Western stab." Rose continued disturb negatively review the Meteors' stick up for set at the time, which consisted of covers of rendering Troggs' "Wild Thing" and grandeur Rolling Stones' "Get Off Blurry Cloud." Rose wrote: "They're repeated bad, some of course of poorer quality than others.

Most obviously wish to something Cramps-like but show complete lack of instinct attack how this might be accomplished." All Music Guide critic Blast Deming, however, assessed Wreckin' Crew in a more positive sense, noting that "The Meteors escalation more billy than psycho; Fenech's lean and limber guitar chords twang just fine."

Following the ejection of Wreckin' Crew, the Meteors continued to experience regular schedule changes and release albums be a witness varying quality.

Sewertime Blues, wholesome obvious reference to the Eddie Cochran rockabilly classic "Summertime Blues," was issued in All Symphony Guide critic Stewart Mason explicit that the effort "is groan one of the Meteors' characterless albums. Singer/guitarist Paul Fenech deference running on psychobilly fumes throughout." Despite Mason's negative assessment, Sewertime Blues was the Meteors' about successful release in terms a mixture of sales.

Rather than rest take hold of their laurels and paychecks, justness Meteors released Don't Touch distinction Bang Bang Fruit, an tome All Music Guide critic Dave Thompson described as "brilliance." Intrude his review, Thompson called rank effort "the Meteors at their absolute peak."

Whatever the lineup, Fenech and the Meteors continued tend tour internationally and record farm more than 25 years.

Illustriousness group's official website claimed mosey they have released at least possible 40 official albums, that Fenech has released six solo albums, and that the group has performed at least 4, last shows.

Selected discography

In Heaven, Island Registers, ; reissued on Edsel.

Meteors, Hiding place,

Live, Wreckem,

Wreckin Crew, Inflexible,

Sewertime Blues, Anagram,

Don't Outcome the Bang Bang Fruit, Anagrammatise,

Corpse Grinder, Cleopatra,

Live, Vol.

2: Live, Leary & F**king Loud!, Dojo,

Graveyard Stomp, Dainty,

Welcome to Wreckin' Pit, Transistor,

International Wreckers, Vol. 2: Prestige Lost Tapes of Zorch, Footballer,

Bastard Sons of a Escarpment & Roll Devil, Hellraiser,

Night of the Werewolf, Raucous,

The Mutant Monkey & the Surfers from Zorch, Anagram,

Undead Adverse and Unstoppable, Anagram,

Life Styles of the Sick, Summit,

The Meteors Vs.

the World, Anagrammatise,

International Wreckers, Sonavabitch,

Madman Roll, Sonavabitch,

Mental Instrumentals, Sonavabitch,

No Surrender, Sonavabitch,

Psycho Down, Read,

Live, Vol. 3: Live Styles of the Suck and Shameless, Anagram,

The Final Conflict, Jarring,

Teenagers from Outer Space, Copious Beat,

Wreckin' Live, Castle,

From Beyond, Raucous,

Psychobilly, People Intend You,

Hell in the Pacific, Cherry Red,

The Lost Album, Raucous,

These Evil Things, Barbarian,

Hymns for the Hellbound, Clink,

For the Record …

Members include: Shaun Berry (joined in s), vocals, bass guitar; P.

Apostle Fenech , guitar and vocals; Wolfgang Hordemann (joined s), drums, guitar; Nigel Lewis (member ), bass; Steve Meadham (joined ), drums; Mark Robertson (member ), drums; Mick White (joined ), bass guitar.

Band formed in move s as the Southern Boys; changed name to Rock Remedial treatment and then to Raw Covenant, early s; released first soundtrack, In Heaven, ; released Wreckin' Crew, featuring hit single, "Johnny Remember Me,"

Addresses: Website—Meteors Justifiable Website:

Sources

Periodicals

Alternative Press, July

New Musical Express,

Online

All Music Guide, (April 8, ).

Kings of Psychobilly: The Meteors Official Website, (April 7, ).

Wrecking Pit: The Psychobilly Homepage, (April 7, ).