Ambitious Lovers
Encyclopedia
Ambitious Lovers were a musical group composed of guitarist/singer Arto Lindsay
and keyboardist Peter Scherer, active from the mid 1980s to the early '90s.
Their music incorporated elements from No Wave
, Synthpop
, Bossa Nova
, Post-punk
, Soul Music
, P-Funk
and Art rock
. Despite strong reviews from critics for their three albums, Ambitious Lovers found little success with mainstream audiences.
, a seminal group in New York City's noisy no wave
music scene. With Ambitious Lovers, however, Lindsay would reduce the abrasive qualities in his music (apart from his own distinctive, untrained guitar mangling), and increase the presence of standard pop music elements. Notable was a strong influence from Brazilian music, with Lindsay sometimes singing in Portuguese
.
Envy (1984) was the first of a projected series of albums inspired by the seven deadly sins
[NEEDS REFERENCE], though Ambitious Lovers recorded only Greed (1988) and Lust (1991). Most of their albums featured appearances from many prominent musicians, including guitarists Marc Ribot
, Vernon Reid
and Bill Frisell
; Brazilian music legend Caetano Veloso
; percussionists Nana Vasconcelos
and Joey Baron
; bassist Melvin Gibbs
; and Nile Rodgers
, who came to fame with '70's funk icons Chic
..
Their legacy helped promote the modernization and globalization of world music under a singular brand and helped forward careers of many performers, who have since recorded for record labels like Nonesuch Records
and Luaka Bop
.
Their song "It Only Has to Happen Once" was featured in the 1990 film Wild Orchid.
Arto Lindsay
Arthur Morgan Lindsay is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He is a 1974 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida....
and keyboardist Peter Scherer, active from the mid 1980s to the early '90s.
Their music incorporated elements from No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
, Synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova
Bossa Nova may refer to:*Bossa nova, a style of music*Bossa Nova , a dance form associated with the music*Bossa Nova , a 2000 film*Bossa Nova - album by John Pizzarelli...
, Post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, Soul Music
Soul Music
Soul Music is the sixteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1994. Like many of Pratchett's novels it introduces an element of modern society into the magical and vaguely late medieval, early modern world of the Discworld, in this case Rock and Roll music and stardom, with...
, P-Funk
P-Funk
P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed...
and Art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
. Despite strong reviews from critics for their three albums, Ambitious Lovers found little success with mainstream audiences.
Band history
Lindsay had earlier been active with DNADNA (band)
DNA was a No Wave band formed in 1978 by guitarist Arto Lindsay and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield. Rather than playing their instruments in a traditional manner, they instead focused on making unique and unusual sounds...
, a seminal group in New York City's noisy no wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
music scene. With Ambitious Lovers, however, Lindsay would reduce the abrasive qualities in his music (apart from his own distinctive, untrained guitar mangling), and increase the presence of standard pop music elements. Notable was a strong influence from Brazilian music, with Lindsay sometimes singing in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
Envy (1984) was the first of a projected series of albums inspired by the seven deadly sins
Seven deadly sins
The 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
[NEEDS REFERENCE], though Ambitious Lovers recorded only Greed (1988) and Lust (1991). Most of their albums featured appearances from many prominent musicians, including guitarists Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot
Marc Ribot born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer.His own work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and composer John Zorn.-Biography:Ribot was...
, Vernon Reid
Vernon Reid
Vernon Reid is an English-born American guitarist, songwriter, composer, and bandleader. Best known as the founder and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Living Colour, Reid was named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's]...
and Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
; Brazilian music legend Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
; percussionists Nana Vasconcelos
Naná Vasconcelos
Naná Vasconcelos is a Brazilian Latin jazz percussionist, vocalist and berimbau player, most notable for his works with Pat Metheny, Don Cherry, Egberto Gismonti, and Gato Barbieri....
and Joey Baron
Joey Baron
Joey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...
; bassist Melvin Gibbs
Melvin Gibbs
Melvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist, composer, and producer who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Gibbs has been called "the best bassist in the world" by Time Out New York magazine....
; and Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, who came to fame with '70's funk icons Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
..
Their legacy helped promote the modernization and globalization of world music under a singular brand and helped forward careers of many performers, who have since recorded for record labels like Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
and Luaka Bop
Luaka Bop
Luaka Bop is a world music-oriented record label established by David Byrne, former guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer of the art rock/new wave band Talking Heads. It has been a wholly independent label since leaving V2 in 2006. Previous distribution relationships included Warner and Virgin...
.
Their song "It Only Has to Happen Once" was featured in the 1990 film Wild Orchid.
Discography
- 1984 - EnvyEnvy (Ambitious Lovers album)Envy is the first official release by Ambitious Lovers. The album picks up where DNA left off.- Track listing :#"Cross Your Legs" #"Trouble Maker" #"Pagode Americano"...
(EG/Caroline) - 1988 - GreedGreed (Ambitious Lovers album)- Track listing :#"Copy Me" #"Privacy" #"Caso" #"King" #"Omotesando" #"Too Far" #"Love Overlap" #"Admit It" #"Steel Wool" #"Para Nao Contraria Voce" #"Quasi You" #"It Only Has to Happen Once" #"Dot Stuff"...
(Virgin/EMI) - 1991 - LustLust (Ambitious Lovers album)Lust is the third and last album by Ambitious Lovers, released in 1991. The band released one single prior to their full-length album, "Ponta de Lança Africano ", which became an instant dance club hit.- Track listing :...
(Elektra/Warner)