Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Encyclopedia
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry are a rock
band that were formed in Leeds
, England in early 1981.
/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist
Steve Smith and drummer
Mick Brown (who would later join The Mission
). Sweeney left the band in late 1981 and Reed permanently took over as vocalist, with Martin Fagan joining as a second guitarist. The group's sound, featuring a numbing guitar drone, powerfully throbbing drums, and Reed's cavernous vocal tones, caused the Lorries (as their fans came to call them) to be quickly lumped into the then-developing gothic rock
scene by pop journalists, although the band themselves preferred to cite Wire
as an influence.
In 1982, the Lorries' manager Dave Hall provided independent record label
Red Rhino
with a cassette
of the group's demos
. Impressed by the quality of the songs, Red Rhino label head "Tony K" (Tony Kostrzewa) signed the band and immediately released Beating My Head unchanged from the demo as the band's debut single. The song made a strong appearance on the influential NME
independent record chart
. Fagan and Smith soon departed the band, to be replaced by Dave Wolfenden and Paul Southern respectively. While numerous additional personnel changes would occur in the history of the band, Wolfenden became a mainstay and a frequent songwriting partner of Reed's during the band's most productive period. In 1983 and 1984, the band released several more singles (including "He's Read" and "Monkeys On Juice", which reached #9 on the NME indie chart). John Peel
was an early supporter, and the band recorded two radio sessions for him in March and November 1983.
In 1985, the band's debut album, Talk about the Weather
, was released and peaked at #3 on the NME
indie rock
albums chart. The album, which most fans consider to be the band's best, received generally positive reviews and sold extremely well for a small label offering. "Hollow Eyes", a single taken from the album, obtained good sales as well, as did follow-up non-LP singles "Chance" and "Spinning Round", the latter of which is generally felt to be the Lorries's strongest song.
The band released one more album on Red Rhino (Paint Your Wagon
, which reached #3 on the NME indie chart) in 1986, a single (“Cut Down”) and a four track EP (“Crawling Mantra”, utilizing the one-time band name change to "The Lorries"), before signing to Situation Two
, an off-shoot of major label Beggars Banquet Records
. Two albums followed, 1988's Nothing Wrong
and 1989's Blow
. Neither of the Beggars Banquet albums appeared on any mainstream pop charts. Singles, including “Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)” and “Open Up” (which upon its release was chosen as NME
’s Single of the Week), also failed to chart, and the band was subsequently dropped by the label. In 1991, the band released a further single, "Talking Back", and then the Blasting Off
album on the tiny Sparkhead label, after which Reed broke up what was left of the band.
In 2003, Reed revived the name Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and released four new songs in 2004, available via internet download only on the band’s website. The band toured frequently in the UK during 2004 and 2005, but no additional Red Lorry Yellow Lorry material has subsequently appeared to date. In 2005, the band released Thunder in the Black Cave, a live DVD
recorded in Belgium during their 2004 European tour. In 2006, Reed released an acoustic-based album, Minimal Animal, under the name "Chris Reed Unit".
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band that were formed in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England in early 1981.
History
The band was formed by guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Steve Smith and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Mick Brown (who would later join 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...
). Sweeney left the band in late 1981 and Reed permanently took over as vocalist, with Martin Fagan joining as a second guitarist. The group's sound, featuring a numbing guitar drone, powerfully throbbing drums, and Reed's cavernous vocal tones, caused the Lorries (as their fans came to call them) to be quickly lumped into the then-developing gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
scene by pop journalists, although the band themselves preferred to cite Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
as an influence.
In 1982, the Lorries' manager Dave Hall provided independent record label
Independent 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:...
Red Rhino
Red Rhino Records
Red Rhino Records, also known as Red Rhino, was a British record label which was developed by the independent record shop and wholesaler of the same name, all formed and run by "Tony K"...
with a cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
of the group's demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. Impressed by the quality of the songs, Red Rhino label head "Tony K" (Tony Kostrzewa) signed the band and immediately released Beating My Head unchanged from the demo as the band's debut single. The song made a strong appearance on the influential NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
independent record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. Fagan and Smith soon departed the band, to be replaced by Dave Wolfenden and Paul Southern respectively. While numerous additional personnel changes would occur in the history of the band, Wolfenden became a mainstay and a frequent songwriting partner of Reed's during the band's most productive period. In 1983 and 1984, the band released several more singles (including "He's Read" and "Monkeys On Juice", which reached #9 on the NME indie chart). John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
was an early supporter, and the band recorded two radio sessions for him in March and November 1983.
In 1985, the band's debut album, Talk about the Weather
Talk about the Weather
Talk About The Weather is the debut album of British rock band Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. It was released in 1985 in the UK on Red Rhino, an independent music record label...
, was released and peaked at #3 on the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
albums chart. The album, which most fans consider to be the band's best, received generally positive reviews and sold extremely well for a small label offering. "Hollow Eyes", a single taken from the album, obtained good sales as well, as did follow-up non-LP singles "Chance" and "Spinning Round", the latter of which is generally felt to be the Lorries's strongest song.
The band released one more album on Red Rhino (Paint Your Wagon
Paint Your Wagon (album)
Paint Your Wagon, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's second album, was released in 1986 in the UK on Red Rhino, an independent music record label. It would be the band's final original LP release on the label before signing to major label Situation Two in 1987...
, which reached #3 on the NME indie chart) in 1986, a single (“Cut Down”) and a four track EP (“Crawling Mantra”, utilizing the one-time band name change to "The Lorries"), before signing to Situation Two
Situation Two
Situation Two, aka Situation 2, was a record label created in 1981 by Peter Kent as an offshoot of the larger Beggars Banquet label. At the time, Beggars Banquet records were distributed by WEA Records; so, to appeal to the indie audience and to get releases into the indie charts, the Situation Two...
, an off-shoot of major label Beggars Banquet Records
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...
. Two albums followed, 1988's Nothing Wrong
Nothing Wrong
Nothing Wrong, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's third album, released in 1988, was their first LP on major label Beggars Banquet off-shoot Situation Two in the UK; in the US it was released via Beggars Banquet/RCA. The US version included two bonus tracks, the UK single "Open Up" and B-Side "The Rise"...
and 1989's Blow
Blow (Red Lorry Yellow Lorry album)
Blow is Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's fourth album, released in 1989. It would be their final LP on major label Beggars Banquet off-shoot Situation Two in the UK; in the US it was released via Beggars Banquet/RCA. The album proved to be a slight change in direction for the band...
. Neither of the Beggars Banquet albums appeared on any mainstream pop charts. Singles, including “Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)” and “Open Up” (which upon its release was chosen as NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
’s Single of the Week), also failed to chart, and the band was subsequently dropped by the label. In 1991, the band released a further single, "Talking Back", and then the Blasting Off
Blasting Off
Blasting Off was Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's fifth and final album, released on the small Sparkhead independent record label in 1991. The band at this point consisted of Chris Reed and a completely new assortment of musicians; Dave Wolfenden and Leon Phillips were long gone. Reed and his new cohorts...
album on the tiny Sparkhead label, after which Reed broke up what was left of the band.
In 2003, Reed revived the name Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and released four new songs in 2004, available via internet download only on the band’s website. The band toured frequently in the UK during 2004 and 2005, but no additional Red Lorry Yellow Lorry material has subsequently appeared to date. In 2005, the band released Thunder in the Black Cave, a live DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
recorded in Belgium during their 2004 European tour. In 2006, Reed released an acoustic-based album, Minimal Animal, under the name "Chris Reed Unit".
Albums
- Talk about the WeatherTalk about the WeatherTalk About The Weather is the debut album of British rock band Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. It was released in 1985 in the UK on Red Rhino, an independent music record label...
(1985) - Paint Your WagonPaint Your Wagon (album)Paint Your Wagon, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's second album, was released in 1986 in the UK on Red Rhino, an independent music record label. It would be the band's final original LP release on the label before signing to major label Situation Two in 1987...
(1986) - Smashed Hits (1987) Collection
- Nothing WrongNothing WrongNothing Wrong, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's third album, released in 1988, was their first LP on major label Beggars Banquet off-shoot Situation Two in the UK; in the US it was released via Beggars Banquet/RCA. The US version included two bonus tracks, the UK single "Open Up" and B-Side "The Rise"...
(1988) - BlowBlow (Red Lorry Yellow Lorry album)Blow is Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's fourth album, released in 1989. It would be their final LP on major label Beggars Banquet off-shoot Situation Two in the UK; in the US it was released via Beggars Banquet/RCA. The album proved to be a slight change in direction for the band...
(1989) - Blasting OffBlasting OffBlasting Off was Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's fifth and final album, released on the small Sparkhead independent record label in 1991. The band at this point consisted of Chris Reed and a completely new assortment of musicians; Dave Wolfenden and Leon Phillips were long gone. Reed and his new cohorts...
(1991) - The Singles 1982 – 87 (1994) Collection
- Generation (1994) Collection
- The Very Best Of (2000) Collection
- Nothing Wrong / Blow (2001)
Singles and EPs
- "Beating My Head" (1982)
- "Take It All" (1983)
- "He’s Read" (1983)
- This Today EP (1983)
- "Monkey’s On Juice" (1983)
- "Hollow Eyes" (1984)
- "Chance" (1985)
- "Spinning Round" (1985)
- "Walking On Your Hands" (1986)
- "Cut Down" (1986)
- "Paint Your Wagon" 7” Only (1986)
- Crawling Mantra EP, recorded and released under the one-time band name change "The Lorries" (1987)
- "Nothing Wrong" (1988)
- "Open Up" (1988)
- "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)" (1988)
- "Temptation" (1989)
- "Talking Back" (1991)