Died Pretty
Encyclopedia
Died Pretty, sometimes The Died Pretty, were an Australian alternative rock
band founded by mainstays, Ron Peno
as lead singer and Brett Myers as lead guitarist and backing vocalist, in Sydney in 1983 – briefly as Final Solution. Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan
with psychedelic
influences, including The Velvet Underground
and Television
. They were managed
by John Needham, who is the owner of Citadel Records
, their main label.
Died Pretty's 1990s albums, Doughboy Hollow, Trace and Sold appeared on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Charts
but they had more success on the alternate scene. The group disbanded in 2002 to reform briefly during 2008 to 2009. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, they "unashamedly plundered rock's past to arrive at an original sound that was always passionate, atmospheric and uplifting ... produced some of the most inspirational rock music heard in Australia".
had left his previous band, Screaming Tribesmen
. Peno had been a member of Sydney punk
band The Hellcats (as Ronnie Pop, 1977), and followed with The 31st (in Brisbane
, 1979–1981) and Screaming Tribesmen (Brisbane then Sydney, 1981–1983). In April 1983, music journalist and keyboardist Frank Brunetti of Super K had formed a duo with lead guitarist and vocalist Brett Myers from The End (in Brisbane then Sydney). Myers was a fan of American group Velvet Underground and the duo modelled themselves after experimental New York protopunk
band Suicide
. Brunetti suggested Peno join as singer and their first five performances were in Brisbane under the name Final Solution, after the song by Pere Ubu
. Peno provided the name Died Pretty, and on drums, they recruited Rob Younger
(Radio Birdman
, Super K) for two months. After various bass guitarists, Jonathan Lickliter joined and Younger was replaced by Colin Barwick both from The End with Myers. Younger concentrated on his career as producer
for Citadel Records
. Died Pretty signed with Citadel and were managed by the label's owner John Needham. Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan
with psychedelic
influences, including The Velvet Underground and Television
. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, they "unashamedly plundered rock's past to arrive at an original sound that was always passionate, atmospheric and uplifting ... produced some of the most inspirational rock music heard in Australia".
The band came to the attention of the Australian independent music scene and inner city circuit. In January 1984 they recorded "Out of the Unknown", with Younger producing, which was released on Citadel as their first single. Before touring to Melbourne, Lickliter was replaced on bass guitar by Mark Lock (The Phantom Agents, End). In August they recorded a 10-minute psychedelic epic "Mirror Blues" (issued split over a 7" in Australia and intact on 12" in the United Kingdom). Barwick was dissatisfied with Died Pretty and the band tried to recruit Chris Welsh (The 31st, Screaming Tribesmen) but initially could not finance a drum kit for him. With Welsh finally on-board, they recorded the extended play (EP), Next to Nothing, released in August 1985. It held a top ten position on the alternative charts for nearly 12 months, starting their career with critical attention and three alternative chart No. 1 hits in a row. UK label, What Goes On, compiled their early singles as The Died Pretty on a three-track EP and French label Closer released Next to Nothing in 1985. Three releases achieved 'Single of the Week' in UK music weekly Melody Maker
, though the band did not achieve a great deal of popularity or notice by the UK public. The next single "Stoneage Cinderella" appeared in June 1986, taken from their first album Free Dirt
, produced by Younger, which followed in August. Free Dirt was released internationally by What Goes On and Citadel. The band went on its first tour to Europe and the United States in October, which included two weeks in France with drummer Andrew Edge
filling-in for Welsh, who had broken his foot in London. Died Pretty became a popular attraction in France and Italy.
The second album, Lost, was released in June 1988 on the Blue Mosque label, an offshoot of Citadel and major label Festival Records, and outside Australia through Beggars Banquet
and Closer. It was the second highest selling alternative album for the year and peaked at No. 3 in Italy. Lock departed after recording Lost but before its release – he had grown weary of touring – and was replaced on bass guitar by Steve Clark (The Glass, 30/40 Purple). Died Pretty undertook their second tour of US and Europe. Lost provided three singles – "Winterland" (October 1987), "Towers of Strength" (June 1988) and "Out of My Hands" (November). Brunetti had left in April 1988 – his last recording, "Everybody Moves", was released as a single in 1989 – and was replaced by John Hoey, (Thought Criminals
, X-Men, New Christs
) on keyboards. The band went on a third tour of Europe and US, but remained in Los Angeles at tour's end to prepare for their next album.
) producing, it was released on Blue Mosque in April 1990. The album featured a more polished production with leaner, more rock-oriented songs – it spawned the singles, "Whitlam Square" (February), "True Fools Fall" (May) and "Is There Anyone?".
Their fourth album Doughboy Hollow, was released in August 1991 on Blue Mosque and Beggars Banquet, which peaked at No. 24 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) Albums Chart
. The album was "[b]rimming with passionate, dramatic and alluring musical vistas". It was produced by Englishman Hugh Jones
(The Damned, Echo & the Bunnymen
, Simple Minds
). Its singles, "Stop Myself" (July 1991), "D.C." (September) and "Sweetheart" (February 1992), despite being "near-perfect pop", did not achieve mainstream chart success. After recording the album, Brisbane bass guitarist Robert Warren replaced Clark. The band were nominated for two ARIA Awards in 1992
- 'Album of the Year' for Doughboy Hollow and 'Best Video' for "D.C.". Welsh was replaced by a succession of drummers, Murray Shepherd (Screaming Tribesmen), Warwick Fraser (Screaming Tribesmen) and Stuart Eadie (Clouds) before he returned at year's end.
Their next album, Trace was released, in September 1993, worldwide by Sony Music, and became their biggest-selling album to date which peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It span off four singles, "Caressing Swine" (on a four-track EP in June), "Harness Up" (August, which reached the Top 40 Singles Chart), "Headaround" (November) and "A State of Graceful Mourning'" (December). Soon after the release of Trace, long-time drummer Welsh left and retired from music to become an English teacher in Thailand. A CD-EP, Days was issued late in 1994 with Nick Kennedy (Big Heavy Stuff
) on drums. They supported R.E.M.
, at that band's request, on the Australian leg of their Monster Tour, in early 1995.
Their next album, Sold, released in February 1996, was recorded with contributions by two drummers - Kennedy had been replaced by Shane Melder (on loan from Sidewinder
). Sold reunited them with original producer Younger, who co-produced with Wayne Connolly
.It was also mixed at the well-known Fort Apache Studios
in Boston by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade
(Buffalo Tom, Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr). A rougher, harder-sounding collection than Doughboy or Trace, it gained critical acclaim and reached the Top 30. Its singles "Cuttin' Up Her Legs" (September 1995) and "Good at Love" (November) failed to chart and Died Pretty were dropped by Sony in April 1996. Simon Cox (Juice) joined on as full-time drummer in May and the group signed back with Citadel, and released a four-track EP, Deeper in November. The EP has a guest appearance by Hoodoo Gurus
guitarist Brad Shepherd
(brother of Murray), and has Peno playing harmonica on the opening track "You Need Wings". The EP was produced by Connolly, who had become the band's producer of choice and would work on all their subsequent studio output.
Their last two studio albums, Using My Gills As a Roadmap (1998) and Everydaydream (2000) showed the band moving away from basic guitar rock and making greater use of electronics, citing Kraftwerk
, David Bowie
's Low and obscure Euro dance records as influences. They released a compilation, Out of the Unknown – The Best of Died Pretty (1999), on Citadel.
Bass guitarist, Warren departed the band temporarily in December 2001 due to tinnitus. Myers and Peno – the band's main song writers – began working on a proposed new album, but this proved difficult as Peno had moved to Melbourne. In May 2002, Died Pretty announced they would disband after a final Australian tour with Warren back on-board. They released a three-track 'farewell' single, "My Generation Landslide" in August.
(The Scientists
, Beasts of Bourbon
) in 2005 to form country music group, Darling Downs. They recorded two albums, How Can I Forget This Heart of Mine? (2005) and From One to Another (2007). In 2007, Peno and Myers recorded an independently-released album as Noises and Other Voices. It included material originally written for Died Pretty's unrecorded final album, along with some newly-written songs. Peno and Myers played occasional 'Songs of Died Pretty Unplugged' shows in Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne including the Queenscliff music festival.
In February 2008, Died Pretty reformed to perform Doughboy Hollow in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties
-curated Don't Look Back
series, using that album's line-up - Clark, Hoey, Myers, Peno and Welsh - playing together for the first time in sixteen years. Peno revealed that a documentary was pending - featuring interviews with band members, and rehearsal and concert footage from the Melbourne shows. Doughboy Hollow was remastered, expanded and reissued by Citadel Records in February. The tour included shows in all major capital cities. The line up continued with appearances at the 2008 Homebake Festival in Sydney and as 'EG Awards Hall of Fame' inductees on 4 December in Melbourne. They appeared on the nationwide Big Day Out
tour in January 2009, having played the inaugural Big Day Out back in 1992. A 2×CD deluxe reissue of their debut album Free Dirt was released through Aztec Music in late 2008. As from December 2010, a similar reissue of 1988's Lost was expected.; as of August 2011 this is on hold while issues with sourcing master tapes are resolved. Peno & Myers performed an acoustic set at the Orient Hotel, Brisbane, on 7 November 2009 for a private party. Peno had returned to his solo career by May 2010. In October 2010, Doughboy Hollow (1991) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band founded by mainstays, Ron Peno
Ron Peno
Ronald "Ron" Stephen Peno, who also performed as Ronnie Pop, is an Australian rock singer, he fronted Died Pretty during 1984–2002; and was a member of early Sydney punk band The Hellcats , and followed with The 31st and Screaming Tribesmen .He was born in Gosford, NSW Central Coast.After Died...
as lead singer and Brett Myers as lead guitarist and backing vocalist, in Sydney in 1983 – briefly as Final Solution. Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
with psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
influences, including The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
and Television
Television (band)
Television was an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk" and New Wave music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti...
. They were managed
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
by John Needham, who is the owner of Citadel Records
Citadel Records
Citadel Records are an independent record label from Sydney, Australia. They were created in the early 80s by John Needham. Bands that released through Citadel include Died Pretty, Deniz Tek, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, The Trilobites, Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin, Harem Scarem, New...
, their main label.
Died Pretty's 1990s albums, Doughboy Hollow, Trace and Sold appeared on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
but they had more success on the alternate scene. The group disbanded in 2002 to reform briefly during 2008 to 2009. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, they "unashamedly plundered rock's past to arrive at an original sound that was always passionate, atmospheric and uplifting ... produced some of the most inspirational rock music heard in Australia".
1983-1989: Formation and early years
Died Pretty was formed in 1983 in Sydney after vocalist Ron PenoRon Peno
Ronald "Ron" Stephen Peno, who also performed as Ronnie Pop, is an Australian rock singer, he fronted Died Pretty during 1984–2002; and was a member of early Sydney punk band The Hellcats , and followed with The 31st and Screaming Tribesmen .He was born in Gosford, NSW Central Coast.After Died...
had left his previous band, Screaming Tribesmen
Screaming Tribesmen
The Screaming Tribesmen was a band formed in Brisbane by Mick Medew, John Hartley & Murray Shepherd. After their I Don't Wanna Know EP and a string of successful singles, including "A Stand Alone" and their first hit, "Igloo" which was penned by Medew and Died Pretty frontman Ron Peno, the band...
. Peno had been a member of Sydney punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Hellcats (as Ronnie Pop, 1977), and followed with The 31st (in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, 1979–1981) and Screaming Tribesmen (Brisbane then Sydney, 1981–1983). In April 1983, music journalist and keyboardist Frank Brunetti of Super K had formed a duo with lead guitarist and vocalist Brett Myers from The End (in Brisbane then Sydney). Myers was a fan of American group Velvet Underground and the duo modelled themselves after experimental New York protopunk
Protopunk
Protopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of musicians who were important precursors of punk rock in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential...
band Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
. Brunetti suggested Peno join as singer and their first five performances were in Brisbane under the name Final Solution, after the song by Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an experimental rock music group from Cleveland, Ohio.Père Ubu may also refer to:* Ubu, the enigmatic central figure of a series of French plays by Alfred Jarry, including Ubu Roi, and subsequent plays Ubu Cocu and Ubu Enchaîné...
. Peno provided the name Died Pretty, and on drums, they recruited Rob Younger
Rob Younger
Rob Younger is an Australian rock musician, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the influential Sydney-based punk rock group Radio Birdman, which formed in 1974. After the Radio Birdman break-up, Younger joined the super-group, New Race, who were active in 1981...
(Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
, Super K) for two months. After various bass guitarists, Jonathan Lickliter joined and Younger was replaced by Colin Barwick both from The End with Myers. Younger concentrated on his career as producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
for Citadel Records
Citadel Records
Citadel Records are an independent record label from Sydney, Australia. They were created in the early 80s by John Needham. Bands that released through Citadel include Died Pretty, Deniz Tek, Kim Salmon and the Surrealists, The Trilobites, Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin, Harem Scarem, New...
. Died Pretty signed with Citadel and were managed by the label's owner John Needham. Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
with psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
influences, including The Velvet Underground and Television
Television (band)
Television was an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1973. They are best known for the album Marquee Moon and widely regarded as one of the founders of "punk" and New Wave music. Television was part of the early 1970s New York underground rock scene, along with bands like the Patti...
. According to rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, they "unashamedly plundered rock's past to arrive at an original sound that was always passionate, atmospheric and uplifting ... produced some of the most inspirational rock music heard in Australia".
The band came to the attention of the Australian independent music scene and inner city circuit. In January 1984 they recorded "Out of the Unknown", with Younger producing, which was released on Citadel as their first single. Before touring to Melbourne, Lickliter was replaced on bass guitar by Mark Lock (The Phantom Agents, End). In August they recorded a 10-minute psychedelic epic "Mirror Blues" (issued split over a 7" in Australia and intact on 12" in the United Kingdom). Barwick was dissatisfied with Died Pretty and the band tried to recruit Chris Welsh (The 31st, Screaming Tribesmen) but initially could not finance a drum kit for him. With Welsh finally on-board, they recorded the extended play (EP), Next to Nothing, released in August 1985. It held a top ten position on the alternative charts for nearly 12 months, starting their career with critical attention and three alternative chart No. 1 hits in a row. UK label, What Goes On, compiled their early singles as The Died Pretty on a three-track EP and French label Closer released Next to Nothing in 1985. Three releases achieved 'Single of the Week' in UK music weekly Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, though the band did not achieve a great deal of popularity or notice by the UK public. The next single "Stoneage Cinderella" appeared in June 1986, taken from their first album Free Dirt
Free Dirt
Free Dirt is Died Pretty's first full-length album, released in 1986 .-Track listing:#"Blue Sky Day" - 3:29#"Round and Round" - 2:41#"Wig-Out" - 3:06#"Laughing Boy" - 3:34...
, produced by Younger, which followed in August. Free Dirt was released internationally by What Goes On and Citadel. The band went on its first tour to Europe and the United States in October, which included two weeks in France with drummer Andrew Edge
Andrew Edge
Andrew Edge is a musician from Leeds, England who has played pop music, dance, synth pop and ballads. After playing in local Leeds jazz-rock bands and Working Men's Club bands, he moved to London in the late 1970s, and joined the Thompson Twins...
filling-in for Welsh, who had broken his foot in London. Died Pretty became a popular attraction in France and Italy.
The second album, Lost, was released in June 1988 on the Blue Mosque label, an offshoot of Citadel and major label Festival Records, and outside Australia through Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
and Closer. It was the second highest selling alternative album for the year and peaked at No. 3 in Italy. Lock departed after recording Lost but before its release – he had grown weary of touring – and was replaced on bass guitar by Steve Clark (The Glass, 30/40 Purple). Died Pretty undertook their second tour of US and Europe. Lost provided three singles – "Winterland" (October 1987), "Towers of Strength" (June 1988) and "Out of My Hands" (November). Brunetti had left in April 1988 – his last recording, "Everybody Moves", was released as a single in 1989 – and was replaced by John Hoey, (Thought Criminals
Thought Criminals
The Thought Criminals were an influential and enterprising Australian punk band based in Sydney. They formed in late 1977 and disbanded in late 1981...
, X-Men, New Christs
New Christs
The New Christs are an Australian rock and roll band, led by Rob Younger, with various lineups through the 80s, 90s, Noughties. Younger was the singer in the influential Australian band Radio Birdman....
) on keyboards. The band went on a third tour of Europe and US, but remained in Los Angeles at tour's end to prepare for their next album.
1990-2002: Second phase
Died Pretty recorded their third album, Every Brilliant Eye, in Los Angeles with Jeff Eyrich (The Gun Club, The PlimsoulsThe Plimsouls
The Plimsouls are an American rock band formed in Paramount, California in 1978.-Formation:Formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Peter Case , the Plimsouls began as a trio in 1978 which included Case, bassist Dave Pahoa and drummer Louie Ramírez...
) producing, it was released on Blue Mosque in April 1990. The album featured a more polished production with leaner, more rock-oriented songs – it spawned the singles, "Whitlam Square" (February), "True Fools Fall" (May) and "Is There Anyone?".
Their fourth album Doughboy Hollow, was released in August 1991 on Blue Mosque and Beggars Banquet, which peaked at No. 24 on the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
. The album was "[b]rimming with passionate, dramatic and alluring musical vistas". It was produced by Englishman Hugh Jones
Hugh Jones
Hugh Jones is a British record producer with many important post-punk albums to his credit.-Career:Jones made a name early in the 1980s with a jangly sound that aged better than many of his contemporaries' production styles, however he started out as lead singer in the band Mistral in the early...
(The Damned, Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
, Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
). Its singles, "Stop Myself" (July 1991), "D.C." (September) and "Sweetheart" (February 1992), despite being "near-perfect pop", did not achieve mainstream chart success. After recording the album, Brisbane bass guitarist Robert Warren replaced Clark. The band were nominated for two ARIA Awards in 1992
ARIA Music Awards of 1992
The Sixth Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 6 March 1992 at the World Congress Centre in Melbourne. Hosts were international guest, Julian Lennon and local Richard Wilkins, they were assisted by presenters, Spinal Tap, Rod Stewart and Mick Jones to distribute 24...
- 'Album of the Year' for Doughboy Hollow and 'Best Video' for "D.C.". Welsh was replaced by a succession of drummers, Murray Shepherd (Screaming Tribesmen), Warwick Fraser (Screaming Tribesmen) and Stuart Eadie (Clouds) before he returned at year's end.
Their next album, Trace was released, in September 1993, worldwide by Sony Music, and became their biggest-selling album to date which peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It span off four singles, "Caressing Swine" (on a four-track EP in June), "Harness Up" (August, which reached the Top 40 Singles Chart), "Headaround" (November) and "A State of Graceful Mourning'" (December). Soon after the release of Trace, long-time drummer Welsh left and retired from music to become an English teacher in Thailand. A CD-EP, Days was issued late in 1994 with Nick Kennedy (Big Heavy Stuff
Big Heavy Stuff
- Overview :Big Heavy Stuff is a four-piece band, featuring Greg Atkinson , Carolyn Polley , Eliot Fish and Nick Kennedy . The band was established in 1990 and is with the recording label Redline Records...
) on drums. They supported R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, at that band's request, on the Australian leg of their Monster Tour, in early 1995.
Their next album, Sold, released in February 1996, was recorded with contributions by two drummers - Kennedy had been replaced by Shane Melder (on loan from Sidewinder
Sidewinder (band)
Sidewinder was a rock band founded in 1991 by brothers Nick and Martin Craft in the Australian capital Canberra. They supported U2 on the Australian leg of their Popmart tour. In the same year. Sidewinder's second album Tangerine received much airplay on Australian radio, most notably on Triple J.-...
). Sold reunited them with original producer Younger, who co-produced with Wayne Connolly
Wayne Connolly
Wayne Connolly is an Australian producer/engineer and musician. Throughout the 1990s Connolly played in Sydney band The Welcome Mat, who released a series of critically acclaimed albums and EPs through Waterfront Records and id/Mercury...
.It was also mixed at the well-known Fort Apache Studios
Fort Apache Studios
Fort Apache Studios is a New England recording studio internationally renowned for alternative rock sessions produced there since 1986. The studio is currently located in the village of Bellows Falls, Vermont in space leased in an old hotel called The Windham, owned by the town of Rockingham,...
in Boston by Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade
Sean Slade
Sean Slade is a record producer, engineer, and mixer. He has worked with artists including Hole, Radiohead, Warren Zevon, Juliana Hatfield, Dinosaur Jr., Uncle Tupelo, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Boo Radleys, Sebadoh, Lush, the Go-Go's, and The Dictators among others. In 2005 he produced The...
(Buffalo Tom, Radiohead, Dinosaur Jr). A rougher, harder-sounding collection than Doughboy or Trace, it gained critical acclaim and reached the Top 30. Its singles "Cuttin' Up Her Legs" (September 1995) and "Good at Love" (November) failed to chart and Died Pretty were dropped by Sony in April 1996. Simon Cox (Juice) joined on as full-time drummer in May and the group signed back with Citadel, and released a four-track EP, Deeper in November. The EP has a guest appearance by Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
guitarist Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd
Brad Shepherd is an Australian rock musician. Shepherd is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and harmonica player; he has performed with several bands, especially the Hoodoo Gurus...
(brother of Murray), and has Peno playing harmonica on the opening track "You Need Wings". The EP was produced by Connolly, who had become the band's producer of choice and would work on all their subsequent studio output.
Their last two studio albums, Using My Gills As a Roadmap (1998) and Everydaydream (2000) showed the band moving away from basic guitar rock and making greater use of electronics, citing Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's Low and obscure Euro dance records as influences. They released a compilation, Out of the Unknown – The Best of Died Pretty (1999), on Citadel.
Bass guitarist, Warren departed the band temporarily in December 2001 due to tinnitus. Myers and Peno – the band's main song writers – began working on a proposed new album, but this proved difficult as Peno had moved to Melbourne. In May 2002, Died Pretty announced they would disband after a final Australian tour with Warren back on-board. They released a three-track 'farewell' single, "My Generation Landslide" in August.
2002-present: Later projects and reformations
Peno joined with guitarist and vocalist Kim SalmonKim Salmon
Kim Leith Salmon is an Australian indie rock musician and songwriter, who attained fame in June 2004, when he was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame....
(The Scientists
The Scientists
The Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as Exterminators and then Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s...
, Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
) in 2005 to form country music group, Darling Downs. They recorded two albums, How Can I Forget This Heart of Mine? (2005) and From One to Another (2007). In 2007, Peno and Myers recorded an independently-released album as Noises and Other Voices. It included material originally written for Died Pretty's unrecorded final album, along with some newly-written songs. Peno and Myers played occasional 'Songs of Died Pretty Unplugged' shows in Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne including the Queenscliff music festival.
In February 2008, Died Pretty reformed to perform Doughboy Hollow in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
-curated Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back (concert series)
Don't Look Back is a yearly series of concerts in which London based promoters All Tomorrow's Parties ask artists and bands to play one of their seminal albums live in its entirety...
series, using that album's line-up - Clark, Hoey, Myers, Peno and Welsh - playing together for the first time in sixteen years. Peno revealed that a documentary was pending - featuring interviews with band members, and rehearsal and concert footage from the Melbourne shows. Doughboy Hollow was remastered, expanded and reissued by Citadel Records in February. The tour included shows in all major capital cities. The line up continued with appearances at the 2008 Homebake Festival in Sydney and as 'EG Awards Hall of Fame' inductees on 4 December in Melbourne. They appeared on the nationwide Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
tour in January 2009, having played the inaugural Big Day Out back in 1992. A 2×CD deluxe reissue of their debut album Free Dirt was released through Aztec Music in late 2008. As from December 2010, a similar reissue of 1988's Lost was expected.; as of August 2011 this is on hold while issues with sourcing master tapes are resolved. Peno & Myers performed an acoustic set at the Orient Hotel, Brisbane, on 7 November 2009 for a private party. Peno had returned to his solo career by May 2010. In October 2010, Doughboy Hollow (1991) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
Members
- Frank Brunetti – keyboards (1983–1988)
- Brett Myers – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (1983–2002, 2008–2009)
- Ronald S. PenoRon PenoRonald "Ron" Stephen Peno, who also performed as Ronnie Pop, is an Australian rock singer, he fronted Died Pretty during 1984–2002; and was a member of early Sydney punk band The Hellcats , and followed with The 31st and Screaming Tribesmen .He was born in Gosford, NSW Central Coast.After Died...
– lead vocals (1983–2002, 2008–2009) - Rob YoungerRob YoungerRob Younger is an Australian rock musician, vocalist and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the influential Sydney-based punk rock group Radio Birdman, which formed in 1974. After the Radio Birdman break-up, Younger joined the super-group, New Race, who were active in 1981...
– drums (1983) - Colin Barwick – drums (1983–1985)
- Jonathan Licklitter – bass guitar (1983–1984)
- Mark Lock – bass guitar (1984–1988)
- Chris Welsh – drums, percussion (1985–1992, 1993–1995, 2008–2009)
- Steve Clark – bass guitar (1988–1991, 2008–2009)
- John Hoey – keyboards (1988–2002, 2008–2009)
- Robert Warren – bass guitar, backing vocals (1991–2002)
- Murray Shepherd – drums (1992)
- Warwick Fraser – drums (1992)
- Stuart Eadie – drums (1992–1993)
- Nick Kennedy – drums (1995)
- Shane Melder – drums (1995)
- Simon Cox – drums (1996–2002)
Albums
- Free DirtFree DirtFree Dirt is Died Pretty's first full-length album, released in 1986 .-Track listing:#"Blue Sky Day" - 3:29#"Round and Round" - 2:41#"Wig-Out" - 3:06#"Laughing Boy" - 3:34...
(August 1986) - Lost (June 1988)
- Every Brilliant Eye (1990)
- Doughboy Hollow (1991)
- Trace (1993)
- Sold (1995)
- Using My Gills as a Roadmap (1998)
- Everydaydream'' (2000)
Compilations
- Pre-Deity (1987)
- Out of the Unknown – The Best of Died Pretty (1999)
Extended plays
- Next to Nothing (August 1985)
- Caressing Swine (June 1993)
- Days (1994)
- Deeper (1996)
Singles
- "Out of the Unknown" (1984)
- "Mirror Blues" (1984)
- "Final Twist" (1985)
- "Stoneage Cinderella" (1986)
- "Winterland" (1987)
- "Towers of Strength" (1988)
- "Out of My Hands" (1988)
- "Everybody Moves" (1989)
- "Whitlam Square" (1990)
- "True Fools Fall" (1990)
- "Is There Anyone?" (1990)
- "Stop Myself" (1991)
- "Wonder" (1991)
- "D.C." (1991)
- "Sweetheart" (1992)
- "Caressing Swine" (1993)
- "Harness Up" (1993)
- "Headaround" (1993)
- "A State of Graceful Mourning" (1993)
- "Cuttin' Up Her Legs" (1995)
- "Good at Love" (1995)
- "Radio" (1997)
- "Slide Song" (1998)
- "My Generation Landslide" (2002)