Crazyhead
Encyclopedia
Crazyhead are an English
garage punk
band from Leicester
, England
. Though lumped in with the largely media-created grebo scene, they were more influenced by the garage rock
of the late 1960s, as well as bands like The Ramones, The Stooges
and Captain Beefheart
. They described themselves as an "urban bastard blues band", and their songs ranged in theme from trenchant social commentary to the surreal, but always with an underlying vein of black humour.
They were occasionally joined by:
who were credited as "The Phantom Horns" or "The Space Bastards".
, Food
, later that year and their début single
, "What Gives You The Idea That You're So Amazing, Baby?", reached number 2 in the UK Indie Chart
in March 1983. For the rest of the year they toured extensively, supporting The Cult
, then Julian Cope
, and also played the Glastonbury Festival
. Their second single "Baby Turpentine" reached number 4 in the Indie Chart.
In mid 1988 their third single "Time Has Taken Its Toll On You" reached #65 in the UK Singles Chart
, their label now owned by EMI
. The band embarked on another UK tour to promote their début album Desert Orchid, released in October 1988, along with another single, "Rags", and then toured Europe supporting Iggy Pop
. They then released the Have Love Will Travel EP (which reached #68) before embarking on yet another UK tour.
In 1989, they made two brief tours of the United States
, and appeared at the Reading Festival. At the behest of the British Council
, they played an international music festival in Moscow
, and in early 1990, along with Skin Games
and Jesus Jones
were one the first western bands to tour post-Nicolae Ceauşescu
Romania
. Later that year they played at the Namibia
n Independence Day concert to an audience of 50,000.
The band were dropped by Food Records in 1989, and their second album Some Kind Of Fever was released through Revolver Records. In 1992 they gigged across Europe, and in 1993 embarked on a tour of the UK in order to promote an album of cover version
s, Live In Memphis, even though the deal to release it fell through.
Over the next few years Crazyhead made sporadic live appearances. In 1997, they released Fucked By Rock - a collection of previously unreleased material, demo versions, and live tracks, and an EP of new material, 13th Floor. They again toured the UK, supporting The Mission
on a number of UK dates. They started recording material for a new album, but the departure of Anderson to work abroad meant the end of the band. They played their farewell gig in Leicester on 21 December 2000.
Today, Kev Reverb and Rob Vom play in an alternative rock band called 'Scaley Fuego.' The 3 piece is fronted by singer/bassist Stewart Brackley. The group is currently playing small gigs in and around leicester.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
garage punk
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
band from Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Though lumped in with the largely media-created grebo scene, they were more influenced by the garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
of the late 1960s, as well as bands like The Ramones, The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
and Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
. They described themselves as an "urban bastard blues band", and their songs ranged in theme from trenchant social commentary to the surreal, but always with an underlying vein of black humour.
Personnel
- Kev Reverb (Kevin Bayliss) – GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages... - Anderson (Ian R. Anderson) – Vocals
- Vom (Robert Morris) – DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Fast Dick (Richard Bell) – Guitar (1985–1997)
- Peter Creed – Guitar (1997–2000)
- Porkbeast (Dr. Alex Peach) – BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1985–1990) - Christina X (Christine Wigmore) – Bass (1990–present)
They were occasionally joined by:
- Gaz Birtles - SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- John Barrow - Saxophone
- Tony Robinson - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
who were credited as "The Phantom Horns" or "The Space Bastards".
- PP Arnold and Katie KissoonMac and Katie KissoonMac and Katie Kissoon is a male / female vocal duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon and Katie Kissoon...
sang backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on the single, "Rags".
History
Formed in 1986, they signed to the independent record labelIndependent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, Food
Food Records
Food Records was a record label set up in 1984 by David Balfe, who later took on Andy Ross as his partner. Originally formed as an independent record label with distribution going through Rough Trade Distribution, Food licenced acts to the Polygram offshoot London and Warner's WEA Records, before...
, later that year and their début single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "What Gives You The Idea That You're So Amazing, Baby?", reached number 2 in the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
in March 1983. For the rest of the year they toured extensively, supporting The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
, then Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
, and also played the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
. Their second single "Baby Turpentine" reached number 4 in the Indie Chart.
In mid 1988 their third single "Time Has Taken Its Toll On You" reached #65 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, their label now owned by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The band embarked on another UK tour to promote their début album Desert Orchid, released in October 1988, along with another single, "Rags", and then toured Europe supporting Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
. They then released the Have Love Will Travel EP (which reached #68) before embarking on yet another UK tour.
In 1989, they made two brief tours of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and appeared at the Reading Festival. At the behest of the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
, they played an international music festival in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and in early 1990, along with Skin Games
Skin Games
Skin Games were a British pop/rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Critically acclaimed as artists, they never gained commercial success, and broke up after just one album release, The Blood Rush, released in 1989. The soaring vocal style of lead singer Wendy Page has been compared with...
and Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for...
were one the first western bands to tour post-Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Later that year they played at the Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n Independence Day concert to an audience of 50,000.
The band were dropped by Food Records in 1989, and their second album Some Kind Of Fever was released through Revolver Records. In 1992 they gigged across Europe, and in 1993 embarked on a tour of the UK in order to promote an album of cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s, Live In Memphis, even though the deal to release it fell through.
Over the next few years Crazyhead made sporadic live appearances. In 1997, they released Fucked By Rock - a collection of previously unreleased material, demo versions, and live tracks, and an EP of new material, 13th Floor. They again toured the UK, supporting The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
on a number of UK dates. They started recording material for a new album, but the departure of Anderson to work abroad meant the end of the band. They played their farewell gig in Leicester on 21 December 2000.
Today, Kev Reverb and Rob Vom play in an alternative rock band called 'Scaley Fuego.' The 3 piece is fronted by singer/bassist Stewart Brackley. The group is currently playing small gigs in and around leicester.
Singles
| Year | Title | Label | Cat. No. | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
| 1987 | "What Gives You The Idea That You're So Amazing, Baby?" | Food | FOOD 8 | 2 | |
| 1987 | "Baby Turpentine" | Food | FOOD 10 | 4 | |
| 1988 | "Time Has Taken Its Toll On You" | Food | FOOD 12 | 65 | |
| 1988 | "Rags" | Food | FOOD 14 | ||
| 1990 | "Everything’s Alright" | Revolver Records | REV 64 |
EPs
| Year | Title | Label | Cat. No. | UK Singles Chart | Notes |
| 1989 | Have Love Will Travel | Food | Food 16 | 68 | |
| 1989 | The Food Christmas EP | Food | Food 23 | Shared release with Jesus Jones Jesus Jones Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for... and Diesel Park West Diesel Park West Diesel Park West are an alternative rock band from Leicester, England. Formed in 1981, they have released ten albums to date, plus six singles that have appeared in the UK Singles Chart.-Original line-up:*John Butler... |
|
| 1998 | Chemical Lunch | Self-released CD-R of cover versions | |||
| 1999 | 13th Floor | Snatch Records | ATOG1 |
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Cat. No. | Other information |
| 1988 | Desert Orchid | Food | LP1 | |
| 1990 | Some Kind Of Fever | Revolver Records | REV 162 | |
| 1995 | 'Live In Memphis' | Unreleased covers album | ||
| 1995 | Grind | Bliss Out | BOE-003 | |
| 1999 | Fucked By Rock | Snatch Records | Gash 3 | Compilation of demos, unreleased tracks and new material |
Afterwards
- Kev Reverb worked as a record producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and engineer at his 'Memphis Studio' (in Leicester, named in tribute to Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
) and has worked with such diverse artists as CornershopCornershopCornershop are a British indie rock band formed in 1991 by Wolverhampton-born Tjinder Singh , his brother Avtar Singh , David Chambers and Ben Ayres , the first three having previously been members of Preston-based band General Havoc, who released one single in 1991...
, Kevin HewickKevin HewickKevin Hewick is an English singer-songwriter who was an early member of the Factory Records roster. In the present day he is known for his recording on Pink Box records, an independent label based in Leicester and his recent work with Italian collective Unfolk.-The Factory years:Newly added to the...
, Zodiac MindwarpZodiac Mindwarp-Overview:The band is the brainchild of Mark Manning, a graphic artist and editor of London's Flexipop magazine. Deciding to experience the debauchery of life as a decadent rock star, he assumed the alter ego, Zodiac Mindwarp, and formed the Love Reaction in the mid 1980s together with guitarist...
, Diesel Park WestDiesel Park WestDiesel Park West are an alternative rock band from Leicester, England. Formed in 1981, they have released ten albums to date, plus six singles that have appeared in the UK Singles Chart.-Original line-up:*John Butler...
, MJ HibbettMJ HibbettMark John Hibbett is an English guitarist singer-songwriter, often compared to Billy Bragg and Richard Digance.With his band The Validators, Hibbett came to widespread online notice in 2000 with "", an ode to the ZX Spectrum and other home microcomputers of the 1980s...
, Volcano The BearVolcano The BearVolcano the Bear are an improvisational/experimental English band formed in Leicester in 1995. The group's members are Aaron Moore , Nick Mott , Clarence Manuelo and Daniel Padden...
, Bill DrummondBill DrummondWilliam Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
and Satan's Little Heartbreakers. - Robert Morris (Vom) has played drums with Zodiac Mindwarp on and off since 1993, while Reverb played bass and produced Zodiac's 2001 album I Am Rock. Vom currently plays with Diesel Park WestDiesel Park WestDiesel Park West are an alternative rock band from Leicester, England. Formed in 1981, they have released ten albums to date, plus six singles that have appeared in the UK Singles Chart.-Original line-up:*John Butler...
. Contrary to what various websites say Vom was not the drummer with Doctor and the MedicsDoctor and the MedicsDoctor and the Medics are a London based psychedelic rock band which enjoyed greatest success in the 1980s and are best known for their UK No. 1 song, "Spirit in the Sky"...
(their drummer was Steve Ritchie, also nicknamed "Vom"). - Christine Wigmore now works in community arts. With Debs Bracher, she formed Timeless Banditz, who released an album of house musicHouse musicHouse music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
Hose Down on Communicato Records in 2004. - Porkbeast gained a PhD in social history and is currently teaching English at Prince William SchoolPrince William SchoolPrince William School is a comprehensive school in Oundle, Northamptonshire. The school was built in 1971 and currently holds 1156 pupils. It was named in honour of Prince William of Gloucester whose family home, Barnwell Manor is a few miles away. Prince William was killed in an air crash less...
. He also sings and plays lead guitar for the Leicester garage rock band Stressbitch. - Anderson gained a degree in fine art, worked as a teacher of English in Europe, and is currently living in Thailand.