The Frank and Walters
Encyclopedia
The Frank and Walters are an alternative rock
band from Cork city
in Ireland
. The band was founded in 1990 by Paul Linehan (vocalist/bassist
), his brother Niall Linehan (guitarist
), who was replaced by Kevin Pedreschi in 2004, and Ashley Keating (drum
s). They took the band name in honour of two eccentric Cork characters. Cian Corbett joined on keyboard duties in 2005.
in 1991, the group debuted with the album
EP1, and the lead track Fashion Crisis Hits New York became an indie
hit. The follow-up EP EP.2 was released soon after, which was followed by the band's signing to the Go! Discs
label where The Franks partnered with producer
Edwyn Collins
to record the Happy Busman EP
. They found success in the UK
, and following a tour in support of Carter USM
, an Ian Broudie
remix
of the LP song
After All reached the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
, where it peaked at #11, and it also peaked at #5 in the Irish chart. The group appeared on BBC Television
's Top of the Pops
in support of the single.
After a long sabbatical, the group returned with The Grand Parade (with contributions from Gus Dudgeon
), and the Indian Ocean EP in 1997. This was followed with Beauty Becomes More Than Life in 1998 and Glass in 2000. Setanta released a well received Best Of in 2002. In 2004, Niall Linehan left and was replaced by a friend of the band, Kevin Pedreschi. The band signed a new deal with FIFA Records, and released a retrospective triple album, Souvenirs, in October 2005. Its most recent album, Renewed Interest In Happiness, was released on 27 October 2006. The band returned to the charts in 2010 by releasing a comeback single entitled The Parson, as part of their "Seasonal Single Releases" project, which saw the band release a single per season. The Parson launched as the spring season single, with Let it Out following in the summer, The Clock in the autumn, and a Christmas-themed Song For A Future Love in December.
Together with The Sultans of Ping FC
and Power of Dreams
, the Franks (as they are known by fans) played a number of co-headlining shows as part of the "Reverberation Tour" in December 2010. They also toured several festivals in 2011, including Vantastival and Indiependence. The band returned to the studio in August 2011 to work on a new album - planned for release in October 2011.
Compilation albums
Singles
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 from Cork city
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The band was founded in 1990 by Paul Linehan (vocalist/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...
), his brother Niall Linehan (guitarist
Guitarist
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...
), who was replaced by Kevin Pedreschi in 2004, and Ashley Keating (drum
Drum
The 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). They took the band name in honour of two eccentric Cork characters. Cian Corbett joined on keyboard duties in 2005.
Career
Signing for the Setanta labelRecord 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,...
in 1991, the group debuted with the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
EP1, and the lead track Fashion Crisis Hits New York became an indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
hit. The follow-up EP EP.2 was released soon after, which was followed by the band's signing to the Go! Discs
Go! Discs Records
Go! Discs was a Hammersmith, London based record label, launched in 1983 by Andy MacDonald and Lesley Symons. With artists like Billy Bragg, The Housemartins and later The Beautiful South, it became a prominent label. Go! Beat Records was launched as a subsidiary for dance artists like Beats...
label where The Franks partnered with 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...
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
to record the Happy Busman 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...
. They found success in the UK
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...
, and following a tour in support of Carter USM
Carter USM
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a British indie rock band formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
, an Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie
Ian Broudie is a British singer-songwriter, musician and record producer from Liverpool, England. After emerging from the post punk scene in Liverpool in the late 1970s as a member of Big in Japan, Broudie went on to form the short-lived groups Original Mirrors and Care in the early 1980s as well...
remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
of the LP 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...
After All reached the Top 20 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 ...
, where it peaked at #11, and it also peaked at #5 in the Irish chart. The group appeared on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's 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...
in support of the single.
After a long sabbatical, the group returned with The Grand Parade (with contributions from Gus Dudgeon
Gus Dudgeon
Angus Boyd Dudgeon , most commonly known as Gus Dudgeon was an English record producer, most notable for production of many of Elton John's recordings.-Early career:...
), and the Indian Ocean EP in 1997. This was followed with Beauty Becomes More Than Life in 1998 and Glass in 2000. Setanta released a well received Best Of in 2002. In 2004, Niall Linehan left and was replaced by a friend of the band, Kevin Pedreschi. The band signed a new deal with FIFA Records, and released a retrospective triple album, Souvenirs, in October 2005. Its most recent album, Renewed Interest In Happiness, was released on 27 October 2006. The band returned to the charts in 2010 by releasing a comeback single entitled The Parson, as part of their "Seasonal Single Releases" project, which saw the band release a single per season. The Parson launched as the spring season single, with Let it Out following in the summer, The Clock in the autumn, and a Christmas-themed Song For A Future Love in December.
Together with The Sultans of Ping FC
The Sultans Of Ping FC
The Sultans of Ping FC are an Irish band formed in 1988 by Niall O'Flaherty, Pat O'Connell, Paul Fennelly and Ger Lyons. The band's name is a play on the Dire Straits song "Sultans Of Swing", dating from a time when "it was sacrilege to say anything whatsoever funny or nasty about Dire...
and Power of Dreams
Power of Dreams
Power of Dreams are a Dublin, Ireland based pop/rock band, built around the vocals and songwriting of Craig Walker.-Career:They released their critically acclaimed debut EP "A Little Piece of God" on Keith Cullen's London-based Setanta Records in 1989. Following a six-figure bidding war between...
, the Franks (as they are known by fans) played a number of co-headlining shows as part of the "Reverberation Tour" in December 2010. They also toured several festivals in 2011, including Vantastival and Indiependence. The band returned to the studio in August 2011 to work on a new album - planned for release in October 2011.
Discography
Studio albums- Trains, Boats and Planes (October 1992, UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#36) - The Grand Parade (June 1997)
- Beauty Becomes More Than Life (1999)
- Glass (October 2000)
- A Renewed Interest In Happiness (October 2006)
Compilation albums
- Best Of (August 2002)
- Souvenirs (October 2005)
Singles
- "Happy Busman" (March 1992, UKUK Singles ChartThe 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 ...
#49) - "This Is Not A Song" (September 1992, UK #46)
- "After All" (December 1992, IRE #5, UK #11)
- "Fashion Crisis Hits New York" (April 1993, IRE #28, UK #42)
- "Indian Ocean" (June 1996)
- "Colours" (August 1996)
- "How Can I Exist" (1997)
- "Plenty Times" (October 1999)
- "Something Happened To Me" (February 2000)
- "Underground" (January 2001)
- "You Asked Me" (September 2005)
- "Miles and Miles" (September 2006, IRE #20)
- "Fight" (April 2007)
- "City Lights" (October 2007)
- "The Parson" (April 2010)
- "Let It Out" (July 2010)
- "The Clock" (October 2010)
- "Song For A Future Love" (December 2010)