Ethel the Frog (band)
Encyclopedia
Ethel the Frog was a heavy metal
band
formed in 1976 in Hull
, England
. They are notable for being a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
movement. The band's unusual name was taken from a Monty Python
sketch about the "Piranha Brothers
".
version
of The Beatles
song
"Eleanor Rigby
" in 1978. Ethel the Frog also contributed the song "Fight Back" to one of Neal Kay
's Metal for Muthas
compilations
. In 1979, they signed a recording contract
with EMI
, which re-released the "Eleanor Rigby" single
with "Whatever Happened to Love" as the B-side
.
Reports vary on when the group broke up, but it was either immediately prior to, or shortly after, the release of their self-titled debut album, which was released in 1980. The album cover
artwork
for Ethel the Frog was done by David Dragon.
A CD
release on a small record label
, British Steel, appeared in 1997.
School of Archaeology. He was a Research Fellow at St John's College
in Cambridge
for three years before joining the University of Leicester in 2002.
Tognola and Conyers went on to join a band called Salem
, releasing one single called "Reach for Eternity/Cold as Steel" before that band also split in 1983.
Doug Sheppard continued to play in cover bands, but then formed the band No Messiahs which lasted a couple of years, and he continues to play guitar in the Netherlands
and has several original songs issued on Reverbnation.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
formed in 1976 in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, 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...
. They are notable for being a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
movement. The band's unusual name was taken from a Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
sketch about the "Piranha Brothers
Piranha Brothers
"Piranha Brothers" is a Monty Python sketch, first seen in Series 2, Episode 1 of Monty Python's Flying Circus, originally transmitted on September 15, 1970...
".
Career
After building a local following, they released a heavyHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
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...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Eleanor Rigby
Eleanor Rigby
"Eleanor Rigby" is a song by The Beatles, simultaneously released on the 1966 album Revolver and on a 45 rpm single. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney...
" in 1978. Ethel the Frog also contributed the song "Fight Back" to one of Neal Kay
Neal Kay
Neal Kay is a London-based DJ who along with Tommy Vance was a significant factor in the rise of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. He himself helped in coining this term for this subgenre of heavy metal....
's Metal for Muthas
Metal for Muthas
Metal For Muthas is the name given to a series of heavy metal compilations made during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The original compilation was Metal For Muthas , released in February 1980...
compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. In 1979, they signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with 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...
, which re-released the "Eleanor Rigby" 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...
with "Whatever Happened to Love" as the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
.
Reports vary on when the group broke up, but it was either immediately prior to, or shortly after, the release of their self-titled debut album, which was released in 1980. The album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
artwork
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
for Ethel the Frog was done by David Dragon.
A CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release on a small record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, British Steel, appeared in 1997.
Post Ethel
Hopkinson (MA, PhD) is now a lecturer at the University of LeicesterUniversity of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
School of Archaeology. He was a Research Fellow at St John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
for three years before joining the University of Leicester in 2002.
Tognola and Conyers went on to join a band called Salem
Salem (UK)
Salem is a heavy rock/metal band from Hull, England. The band was formed following the split of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Ethel The Frog who featured on the Metal for Muthas compilations alongside the likes of Iron Maiden, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Praying Mantis and Samson...
, releasing one single called "Reach for Eternity/Cold as Steel" before that band also split in 1983.
Doug Sheppard continued to play in cover bands, but then formed the band No Messiahs which lasted a couple of years, and he continues to play guitar in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and has several original songs issued on Reverbnation.
Line-up
The original line-up was:- Doug Sheppard (vocals, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
) - Terry Hopkinson (vocals, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) - Paul Tognola (vocals, 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...
) - Paul Conyers (drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s).
Discography
- Metal for MuthasMetal for MuthasMetal For Muthas is the name given to a series of heavy metal compilations made during the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. The original compilation was Metal For Muthas , released in February 1980...
- Compilation (1980) Sanctuary RecordsSanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world... - Ethel the Frog (1980) EMI