The Business (band)
Encyclopedia
The Business are an English
Oi!
/punk rock
band formed in 1979 in Lewisham
, South London
. Their album Suburban Rebels became influential in the Oi!
movement. Their biggest hit song in recent times, "England 5 - Germany 1", (based on the result of a World Cup Qualifying match in 2001
), became a football anthem for England.
, and they became closely associated with the Oi! scene from then on. While the Oi! movement was wrongly labelled as far right
and racist
(despite the fact that several Oi! bands played at Rock Against Racism
concerts), The Business took a stance against political extremism with their Oi Against Racism and Political Extremism ...But Still Against The System tour.
In November 1981, they released their debut single, "Harry May", which spent over three months in the UK Indie Chart
, reaching #13. The initial line-up split up in late 1981, with Kent, Cunningham, and Smith forming Q-Bow, but Fitz carried on with Pryor, recruiting Graham Ball on guitar, Mark Brennan and Steve Whale from The Blackout, and John Fisher on drums. The new line-up made their live debut in January 1982, after which Ball and Fisher departed, leaving the band as a four-piece, with Kev Boyce of The Blackout on drums. The new line-up recorded the Smash the Discos EP
, which was a #3 indie hit, and after a short tour, they recorded their debut album, which was to be called Loud, Proud, and Punk. The master tapes for the album went missing after disagreements between the band's label and the studio, forcing them to re-record the album, which was released as Suburban Rebels in May 1983. The album was remixed by their label, Secret, without them knowing, and Secret's financial difficulties limited promotion of the album. Frustrated by this, the band split up, with The Business members forming short-lived bands Chapter and Sabre Dance.
Pryor issued a retrospective album consisting of demos and live tracks on his Syndicate label, the success of which prompted the band to reform and record a what was to be marketed as a live album, Loud, Proud, and Punk. It was actually recorded in a studio, with crowd noise dubbed in later. Pryor renamed his record label Wonderful World and issued several Business albums in late 1985, with the Drinking and Driving tour following. The name of the tour caused controversy, with tabloid journalists accusing the band of condoning drunk-driving, although the title was tongue-in-cheek.
In late 1986, Brennan and Pryor founded Link Records, and with Brennan becoming increasingly busy running the label, the band split up again. In 1992, Fitz performed a few songs guesting with The Elite and he reformed the band to play a benefit concert for Bobby Moore
, who had recently died of cancer. Brennan later started a new record label, Captain Oi! Records
and did not join the reformed band. The band's line-up then became Micky Fitz (singer), Steve Whale (guitar), Lol Proctor (bass) and Micky Fairbairn (drums). The band released a new single Anywhere But Here and new album Keep The Faith in 1994. After a number of tours in Western Europe, the band played their first gigs in America in August 1994. In 1997 The Business released The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth (which was produced by Lars Frederiksen from Rancid
). Despite various line up changes, the band's popularity continues to grow today with regular tours of America, West Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East.
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...
Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
/punk rock
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 formed in 1979 in Lewisham
Lewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
. Their album Suburban Rebels became influential in the Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
movement. Their biggest hit song in recent times, "England 5 - Germany 1", (based on the result of a World Cup Qualifying match in 2001
Germany 1 England 5 (2001)
On 1 September 2001 Germany met England during the qualifying stages of the 2002 World Cup, at the Olympiastadion in Munich. England won the game 5–1, abetted by a hat-trick from England striker Michael Owen. All of the England goalscorers were Liverpool players....
), became a football anthem for England.
History
The band was formed in 1979 by school friends Steve Kent (guitar), Micky Fitz (vocals), Nick Cunningham (drums) and Martin Smith (bass). They played their first gig in front of friends in February 1980, and after taking on Lol Pryor as manager, began performing more often. The band's first release was the song "Out in the Cold" on the A Sudden Surge of Sound compilation album. They played their first Oi! concert in 1981, supporting The 4-SkinsThe 4-Skins
The 4-Skins are a working class Oi! punk rock band from the East End of London, England. Originally composed of Gary Hodges , 'Hoxton' Tom McCourt , Steve 'H' Hamer and Gary Hitchcock , they formed in 1979 and disbanded in 1984 – although new line-ups formed in 2007 and 2008...
, and they became closely associated with the Oi! scene from then on. While the Oi! movement was wrongly labelled as far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
and racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
(despite the fact that several Oi! bands played at Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
concerts), The Business took a stance against political extremism with their Oi Against Racism and Political Extremism ...But Still Against The System tour.
In November 1981, they released their debut single, "Harry May", which spent over three months 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...
, reaching #13. The initial line-up split up in late 1981, with Kent, Cunningham, and Smith forming Q-Bow, but Fitz carried on with Pryor, recruiting Graham Ball on guitar, Mark Brennan and Steve Whale from The Blackout, and John Fisher on drums. The new line-up made their live debut in January 1982, after which Ball and Fisher departed, leaving the band as a four-piece, with Kev Boyce of The Blackout on drums. The new line-up recorded the Smash the Discos EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, which was a #3 indie hit, and after a short tour, they recorded their debut album, which was to be called Loud, Proud, and Punk. The master tapes for the album went missing after disagreements between the band's label and the studio, forcing them to re-record the album, which was released as Suburban Rebels in May 1983. The album was remixed by their label, Secret, without them knowing, and Secret's financial difficulties limited promotion of the album. Frustrated by this, the band split up, with The Business members forming short-lived bands Chapter and Sabre Dance.
Pryor issued a retrospective album consisting of demos and live tracks on his Syndicate label, the success of which prompted the band to reform and record a what was to be marketed as a live album, Loud, Proud, and Punk. It was actually recorded in a studio, with crowd noise dubbed in later. Pryor renamed his record label Wonderful World and issued several Business albums in late 1985, with the Drinking and Driving tour following. The name of the tour caused controversy, with tabloid journalists accusing the band of condoning drunk-driving, although the title was tongue-in-cheek.
In late 1986, Brennan and Pryor founded Link Records, and with Brennan becoming increasingly busy running the label, the band split up again. In 1992, Fitz performed a few songs guesting with The Elite and he reformed the band to play a benefit concert for Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
, who had recently died of cancer. Brennan later started a new record label, Captain Oi! Records
Captain Oi! Records
Captain Oi! is a punk rock and Oi! record label based in High Wycombe, England. The company has released over 300 albums by many notable punk and Oi! bands of the late 1970s and 1980s. The label was set up by Mark Brennan, former bassist of The Business, who had previously co-run Link Records and...
and did not join the reformed band. The band's line-up then became Micky Fitz (singer), Steve Whale (guitar), Lol Proctor (bass) and Micky Fairbairn (drums). The band released a new single Anywhere But Here and new album Keep The Faith in 1994. After a number of tours in Western Europe, the band played their first gigs in America in August 1994. In 1997 The Business released The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth (which was produced by Lars Frederiksen from Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
). Despite various line up changes, the band's popularity continues to grow today with regular tours of America, West Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East.
Studio albums
- Suburban Rebels (1983) Secret
- 1980-81 - Official Bootleg (1983) Syndicate #17
- Loud, Proud & Punk - Live) (1984) Syndicate #22
- Saturday's Heroes (1985) Harry May
- Welcome To The Real World (1988) Link
- In and Out of Business (1990) Link (mail-order only, reissued on CD 1998 by Mog)
- Keep The Faith (1994) Century Media
- The Truth, The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth (1997) Taang!
- No Mercy For You (2001) Burning Heart
- Under The Influence (2003) Rhythm Vicar
- Hardcore Hooligan (2003) Burning Heart
- Doing The Business (2010) Sailor's Grave
Singles/EPs
- "Harry May" (1981) Secret #13
- "Smash the Discos EP" (1982) Secret #3
- "Out of Business" (1983) Secret (withdrawn)
- "Get Out of My House" (1985) Wonderful World
- "Drinking and Driving" (1985) Diamond #27
- "Do a Runner" (1988) Link
- "Anywhere But Here" (1994) Walzwerk
- "Death II Dance" (1996) Taang!
- "One Common Voice" (1997) Taang!
- "Hell 2 Pay" (2002) TKO
- "Mean Girl EP" (2008) Bad Dog
Compilations/Live albums
- Back To Back (1985) Wonderful World
- Back To Back Volume 2 (1985) Wonderful World
- Singalongabusiness (1986) Dojo
- Live & Loud (1989) Link
- The Business 1979-1989 (1991) Blackout
- The Best of The Business: 28 Classic Oi Anthems... (1992) Link
- The Complete Business Singles Collection (1995) Anagram
- Harry May - The Singles Collection (1996) Taang!
- Loud, Proud and Oi! (1996) Dojo
- The Business Live (1998) Pinhead
- Mob MentalityMob MentalityMob Mentality is a split 7" and album by Dropkick Murphys and The Business. Originally, the bands put out a split 7" single with the name Mob Mentality. This single consisted of three songs, two which were each band covering one of the other band's songs, and the third was an original song...
(2000) Taang! (split with Dropkick MurphysDropkick MurphysDropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
)
Compilation appearances
- A Sudden Surge of Sound LP (1980) VU
- Carry On Oi! LP (1981) Secret
- Oi! Oi! That's Yer Lot! LP (1982) Secret
- The Scret Life Of Punks LP (1982) Secret
- Burning Ambitions: A History Of Punk 2 X LP (1982) Cherry Red
- UK/DK LP (1982) Anagram
- Defiant Pose LP (1983) Illegal
- Son Of Oi! LP (1984) Syndicate
- Oi! The Resurrection LP (1987) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 1 LP (1987) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 2 LP (1987) Link
- The Sound Of Oi! (1987) Link
- Oi!..The Picture Disc LP (1987) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 2 LP (1987) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 3 LP (1988) Link
- Oi!..The Picture Disc Volume 2 LP (1988) Link
- Oi!..That's What I Call Music LP (1988) Link
- Oi!..The Main Event LP (1988) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 4 LP (1988) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 5 LP (1989) Link
- Pop Oi! LP (1989) Link
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 6 LP (1990) Link
- Punk On The Road LP (1990) Skunx
- The Oddities Of Oi! LP (1991) Link
- Heroes And Villans LP (1996) Step-1
- Oi! It's A World League LP (1193) Havin' a Laugh
- Nobody's Heroes (1993) Castle Communications
- The Punk Generation (1993) Castle Communications
- The Voice Of The Street (1995) Pub City Royal
- Kill Your Radio (IRS, 1995)
- The Punk Rockers (Castle Communications, 1995)
- The Best Of Oi! LP (1996) Dojo
- Secret Records - The Punk Singles Collection Volume 1 LP (1996) Captain Oi!
- Punk & Nasty (1996) Emporio
- Real Punk - The Nasty Years (1996) Cleopatra
- England's Glory (1996) Cherry Red
- Punk Crazy (1996) Castle Pulse
- Anarchy From The UK - Volume 1 (1996) Dojo
- Secret Records - The Punk Singles Collection Volume 2 LP (1996) Captain Oi!
- The Great British Punk Rock Explosion LP (1996) Dojo
- Trouble On The Terraces LP (1996) Step-1
- The Best Of Oi! LP (1996) Dojo
- Heroes And Villans LP (1996) Step-1
- Punk & Disorderly LP (1996) Step-1
- Tribute To The Smiths (1996) Too Damn Hype
- Forever Blowing Bubbles (1996) Cherry Red
- Punk Power (1996) Emporio
- On The Streets (1997) We Bite
- Give 'Em The Boot (1997) Hellcat
- Oi! The Tine (1997) Harry May
- Box Or be Boxed (1997) Lonsdale
- Down To Margate (1997) Harry May
- 100% British Oi! (1998) Captain Oi!
- Cheap Shots III (1998) Burning Heart
- Lords Of Oi! (1998) Dressed To Kill
- Live Hate (1998) Music Collection
- The World Of Football - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Of World Football (1998) Charlton
- Scene Killer Volume 1 (1998) Outsider
- Around The World In 80 Minutes (1999) Rotten
- The Greatest Punk Of All Time (1999) Dressed To Kill
- Punk (1999) Pegasus
- Oi! This Is England (2000) Dressed To Kill
- Cheap Shots IV (2000) Burning Heart
- The Worldwide Tribute To Real Oi! (2000) I Scream
- Spirit Of The Street (2000) Burning Heart
- Complete Burning Ambitions - A History Of Punk (2001) Cleopatra
- Punk-O-Rama 6 (2001) Epitaph
- Cheap Shots V (2001) Burning Heart
- Cash From Chaos - Complete Punk Collection (2001) EMI
- Without Warning - It's Punch Drunk IV (2002) TKO
- Addicted To Oi! (2002) Captain Oi!
- Riot (2003) Hepcat
- The Kings Of Street Punk (2007) G&R
- Doing The Business(2010) STD