Quantum Jump
Encyclopedia
Quantum Jump was a 1970s British
band, consisting of keyboard player and singer Rupert Hine
, guitarist Mark Warner
, bass player John G. Perry (then of Caravan
) and drummer Trevor Morais (ex-The Peddlers
).
. "He had told me about the relatively recent discovery at Cambridge of the manner in which an electron
's energy increases and decreases... not linearly as had been long assumed, but in a discrete step, known as a "quantum". The term "quantum jump" (later to be commonly referred to as "quantum leap
") was coined by the Cambridge team. I preferred "jump", as it had more of a "soul / funk" music connotation".
Quantum Jump's sound was, indeed, a hybrid of fusion
, funk
and jazz rock. The first album was written and arranged in 1973/74, and recorded (with equipment hired from Air London) at Farmyard. Hine produced the sessions, with Steve Nye
as sound engineer. The sessions were independently financed by Jeffrey Levinson (of Mountain Fjord) but, explained Hine, after some 18 months of managerial and contractual problems, the rights to the album were sold to The Electric Record Company in 1975. The label's MD, Jeremy Thomas, felt that the song "The Lone Ranger" was a potential hit single if only it had something more "interesting" for the intro. Hine picked up on his remark and sang the longest word in the world
(listed in The Guinness Book of Records) a capella, replacing the original intro to the song altogether. The word in question, taken from the language of the Maori, New Zealand's indigenous people, was the name of a hill in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
. On the record, the word (made to sound as if it were Native American
, in keeping with the Lone Ranger
and Tonto theme) is chanted as follows:
Taumata-whaka-tangi-hanga-kuayuwo
tamate-aturi-pukaku-piki-maunga
horonuku-pokaiawhen-uaka-tana-tahu
mataku-atanganu-akawa-miki-tora
"The Lone Ranger" was first released as a single in 1976. After it was chosen as Tony Blackburn's "Record of the Week" (the nationwide morning radio show with the highest ratings in the UK at the time), it was banned - some fragments of lyrics were deemed to have "drug" and "homosexual" references. The BBC stopped playing the record and it failed to chart as a result. This, added to disillusion with the length of time it had taken to get the original record deal and the lack of any really cohesive management, resulted in guitarist Mark Warner's decision to leave and join Cat Stevens
' live band.
Quantum Jump soldiered on for a second album, recorded in late 1976 as a trio with the help of various musician friends, most notably Caravan
multi-instrumentalist Geoffrey Richardson. Barracuda was released in April 1977, coinciding with the band going out on the road for a couple of UK tours with Roye Albrighton (of Nektar
) on guitar. Unfortunately, the album had been expensive to record, and when it didn't sell well enough, Quantum Jump disbanded at the end of 1977.
The band would however make an unexpected return two years later, when a re-release of the "Lone Ranger" single became an unexpected hit. The song had been widely played by Kenny Everett
on both his radio and TV shows. Re-released in 1979, it eventually reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart
. The band (including Mark Warner) reconvened for an appearance on Top of the Pops
. A third Quantum Jump album was released to coincide with this unexpected "smash" single. Titled Mixing, it was essentially a collection of the best tracks from the first two albums, albeit heavily reworked and remixed.
Hine went on to become the producer of more than 100 albums for artists as varied as Tina Turner
, Bob Geldof
, Chris de Burgh
, The Thompson Twins
, Stevie Nicks
, Rush
, The Waterboys
, Suzanne Vega
, Duncan Sheik
, The Fixx
and Howard Jones
. He would also appear to form another band in the mid 1980s, called Thinkman, but this was simply another name for his solo recordings. In addition, there is the Soundtrack album Better Off Dead on A&M Records
, featuring Rupert Hine, Cy Curnin
(The Fixx
), Martin Ansell, Terri Nunn
, Thinkman, and E. G. Daily
. The production is centered on Rupert Hine, and this is the first appearance of Thinkman.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band, consisting of keyboard player and singer Rupert Hine
Rupert Hine
Rupert Neville Hine is an English musician, songwriter and prolific record producer, having produced albums for artists including Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins, Stevie Nicks, Chris de Burgh, Suzanne Vega, Rush, Underworld, Duncan Sheik, and ...
, guitarist Mark Warner
Mark Warner (guitarist)
Mark Warner is a Nashville, Tennessee session guitarist, published songwriter and music producer who has contributed to many Rock and Pop music recordings. []...
, bass player John G. Perry (then of Caravan
Caravan (band)
Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...
) and drummer Trevor Morais (ex-The Peddlers
The Peddlers
The Peddlers were a British pop trio of the 1960s and 1970s.-History:The Peddlers formed in Manchester in April 1964, as a trio of Trevor Morais , Tab Martin and Roy Phillips The Peddlers were a British pop trio of the 1960s and 1970s.-History:The Peddlers formed in Manchester in April 1964, as a...
).
Career
Quantum Jump was formed in 1973 at Farmyard rehearsal studios. The idea for the name came from a conversation Hine had with an ex-Cambridge University friend and filmmaker, Anthony SternAnthony Stern
Anthony Stern was born in Cambridge, England in 1944 and first started making films while at Cambridge University, working as assistant to the avant-garde documentary film maker Peter Whitehead....
. "He had told me about the relatively recent discovery at Cambridge of the manner in which an electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
's energy increases and decreases... not linearly as had been long assumed, but in a discrete step, known as a "quantum". The term "quantum jump" (later to be commonly referred to as "quantum leap
Quantum leap
In physics and chemistry, an atomic electron transition is a change of an electron from one quantum state to another within an atom...
") was coined by the Cambridge team. I preferred "jump", as it had more of a "soul / funk" music connotation".
Quantum Jump's sound was, indeed, a hybrid of fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and jazz rock. The first album was written and arranged in 1973/74, and recorded (with equipment hired from Air London) at Farmyard. Hine produced the sessions, with Steve Nye
Steve Nye
Steve Nye is a music producer for several artists. Some of his better known artists include Bryan Ferry , Penguin Cafe Orchestra, XTC , Japan , David Sylvian , Clannad, TM Network, Scary Thieves , as...
as sound engineer. The sessions were independently financed by Jeffrey Levinson (of Mountain Fjord) but, explained Hine, after some 18 months of managerial and contractual problems, the rights to the album were sold to The Electric Record Company in 1975. The label's MD, Jeremy Thomas, felt that the song "The Lone Ranger" was a potential hit single if only it had something more "interesting" for the intro. Hine picked up on his remark and sang the longest word in the world
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the Māori name for a hill, high, close to Porangahau, south of Waipukurau in southern Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.The name is often shortened to Taumata...
(listed in The Guinness Book of Records) a capella, replacing the original intro to the song altogether. The word in question, taken from the language of the Maori, New Zealand's indigenous people, was the name of a hill in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. On the record, the word (made to sound as if it were Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, in keeping with the Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
and Tonto theme) is chanted as follows:
Taumata-whaka-tangi-hanga-kuayuwo
tamate-aturi-pukaku-piki-maunga
horonuku-pokaiawhen-uaka-tana-tahu
mataku-atanganu-akawa-miki-tora
"The Lone Ranger" was first released as a single in 1976. After it was chosen as Tony Blackburn's "Record of the Week" (the nationwide morning radio show with the highest ratings in the UK at the time), it was banned - some fragments of lyrics were deemed to have "drug" and "homosexual" references. The BBC stopped playing the record and it failed to chart as a result. This, added to disillusion with the length of time it had taken to get the original record deal and the lack of any really cohesive management, resulted in guitarist Mark Warner's decision to leave and join Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
' live band.
Quantum Jump soldiered on for a second album, recorded in late 1976 as a trio with the help of various musician friends, most notably Caravan
Caravan (band)
Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...
multi-instrumentalist Geoffrey Richardson. Barracuda was released in April 1977, coinciding with the band going out on the road for a couple of UK tours with Roye Albrighton (of Nektar
Nektar
Nektar is a 1970s English progressive rock band originally based in Germany.- History :The band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett...
) on guitar. Unfortunately, the album had been expensive to record, and when it didn't sell well enough, Quantum Jump disbanded at the end of 1977.
The band would however make an unexpected return two years later, when a re-release of the "Lone Ranger" single became an unexpected hit. The song had been widely played by Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett was an English comedian, radio DJ and television entertainer. Born Maurice James Christopher Cole, Everett is best known for his career as a radio DJ and for the Kenny Everett television shows.-Early life:...
on both his radio and TV shows. Re-released in 1979, it eventually reached number 5 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 ...
. The band (including Mark Warner) reconvened for an appearance on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. A third Quantum Jump album was released to coincide with this unexpected "smash" single. Titled Mixing, it was essentially a collection of the best tracks from the first two albums, albeit heavily reworked and remixed.
Hine went on to become the producer of more than 100 albums for artists as varied as Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
, The Thompson Twins
Thompson Twins
The Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
, Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
, Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik
Duncan Scott Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". He later expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the...
, The Fixx
The Fixx
The Fixx is an English rock band formed in London in 1979. Their hits include "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies," "Stand or Fall," "Saved by Zero," "Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves?," "Secret Separation," "Driven Out," "How Much Is Enough?," and "Deeper and Deeper," which was featured on...
and Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
. He would also appear to form another band in the mid 1980s, called Thinkman, but this was simply another name for his solo recordings. In addition, there is the Soundtrack album Better Off Dead on A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
, featuring Rupert Hine, Cy Curnin
Cy Curnin
Cy Curnin is a singer/songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist for the new wave music group, The Fixx. The band became famous with the song "One Thing Leads to Another" in 1983, and remained popular in the United States throughout the 1980s...
(The Fixx
The Fixx
The Fixx is an English rock band formed in London in 1979. Their hits include "One Thing Leads to Another," "Red Skies," "Stand or Fall," "Saved by Zero," "Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves?," "Secret Separation," "Driven Out," "How Much Is Enough?," and "Deeper and Deeper," which was featured on...
), Martin Ansell, Terri Nunn
Terri Nunn
Terri Kathleen Nunn , is an American singer and actress. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the New Wave band Berlin.-Biography:...
, Thinkman, and E. G. Daily
Elizabeth Daily
Elizabeth Ann Guttman , better known by her stage names of Elizabeth Daily and E.G. Daily, is an American voice actress, actress, singer-songwriter, and musician...
. The production is centered on Rupert Hine, and this is the first appearance of Thinkman.