The Room (band)
Encyclopedia
The Room were a post punk band from Liverpool
formed in late 1979. They released three albums and several singles before breaking up in 1985. Two of the band members went on to form Benny Profane
, Dust and Dead Cowboys.
, and gained them strong support from the music press and John Peel. They released a cassette album 'Bitter Reaction' in 1980 and two double A-sided singles, 'Waiting Room/Motion' (1980) and 'Bated Breath/In Sickness and Health'(1981) on Box and in 1982 they signed to Red Flame records, debuting with the single "Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought to Crawl", followed by first vinyl album 'Indoor Fireworks'. 1983 saw major changes to the line-up, with Odlum and Thomas departing to be replaced by ex-Wild Swans
drummer Alan Wills, guitarist Paul Cavanagh, and keyboard player Peter Baker. The new line-up released the mini-album Clear! in late 1983. Brass player Phil Lucking was added to the line-up in 1984, but departed before third album, In Evil Hour, which was part-produced by Tom Verlaine
, who the band had played several dates with earlier that year, the remainder produced by John Porter
. An EP of tracks recorded for Saturday Live and Janice Long
's BBC Radio One programme proved to be the band's final release while still together, in 1985. Clear! and In Evil Hour were later reissued as a double-LP set, titled Nemesis, and an EP of one of the band's four sessions for John Peel
's programme was issued by Strange Fruit Records
in 1988. Jackson and Stringer formed a new band, Benny Profane, in 1986, and later formed Dust and The Dead Cowboys. Dave Jackson released his first solo album, 'Cathedral Mountain' in 2010, recorded with John Head (Pale Fountains & Shack) and Tim O'Shea (Send No flowers). He is currently finishing a low-budget fantasy feature film called 'Violet City' and has a book of song lyrics called 'Songs from Violet City' due to be published by Headland in 2011. The book includes some Room lyrics and the accompanying CD includes rare Room tracks.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
formed in late 1979. They released three albums and several singles before breaking up in 1985. Two of the band members went on to form Benny Profane
Benny Profane
Benny Profane were a Liverpool band that existed from 1985 until 1990. They released two albums, various singles and EPs, and recorded three John Peel sessions.-History:...
, Dust and Dead Cowboys.
History
The Room formed in 1979 with an initial line-up of Dave Jackson (vocals), Robyn Odlum (guitar), Becky Stringer (bass), and Clive Thomas (drums, percussion). Early releases on their self-financed independent label, Box Records saw the band compared to Joy Division, The Fall and fellow Liverpool band Echo & the BunnymenEcho & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
, and gained them strong support from the music press and John Peel. They released a cassette album 'Bitter Reaction' in 1980 and two double A-sided singles, 'Waiting Room/Motion' (1980) and 'Bated Breath/In Sickness and Health'(1981) on Box and in 1982 they signed to Red Flame records, debuting with the single "Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought to Crawl", followed by first vinyl album 'Indoor Fireworks'. 1983 saw major changes to the line-up, with Odlum and Thomas departing to be replaced by ex-Wild Swans
The Wild Swans (band)
The Wild Swans are a post-punk band from Liverpool, England, which originally formed in 1980 shortly after Paul Simpson left The Teardrop Explodes and teamed up with Jeremy Kelly , Ged Quinn , James Weston and Justin Stavely...
drummer Alan Wills, guitarist Paul Cavanagh, and keyboard player Peter Baker. The new line-up released the mini-album Clear! in late 1983. Brass player Phil Lucking was added to the line-up in 1984, but departed before third album, In Evil Hour, which was part-produced by Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine
Tom Verlaine is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the frontman for the New York rock band Television.-Biography:...
, who the band had played several dates with earlier that year, the remainder produced by John Porter
John Porter (musician)
John Porter is an English musician and record producer.-Biography:He attended St Michael's School, Allerton Grange School, King's College, and Newcastle University....
. An EP of tracks recorded for Saturday Live and Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
's BBC Radio One programme proved to be the band's final release while still together, in 1985. Clear! and In Evil Hour were later reissued as a double-LP set, titled Nemesis, and an EP of one of the band's four sessions for 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...
's programme was issued by Strange Fruit Records
Strange Fruit Records
Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions....
in 1988. Jackson and Stringer formed a new band, Benny Profane, in 1986, and later formed Dust and The Dead Cowboys. Dave Jackson released his first solo album, 'Cathedral Mountain' in 2010, recorded with John Head (Pale Fountains & Shack) and Tim O'Shea (Send No flowers). He is currently finishing a low-budget fantasy feature film called 'Violet City' and has a book of song lyrics called 'Songs from Violet City' due to be published by Headland in 2011. The book includes some Room lyrics and the accompanying CD includes rare Room tracks.
Singles
- "Waiting Room/Motion" (1980) Box
- "Bated Breath/In Sickness and Health" (1981) Box
- "Things Have Learnt to Walk That Ought to Crawl" (1982) Red Flame
- "100 Years" (1982) Red Flame
- "New Dreams For Old" (1984) Red Flame
- Jackpot Jack EP (Saturday Live & Janice Long Sessions) (1985) Red Flame (UK Indie ChartUK Indie ChartThe 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...
#22) - The Peel Session (1988) Strange Fruit Records
Albums
- Bitter Reaction (cassette only) (1980) Box
- Indoor Fireworks (1982) Red Flame
- Clear! (1983) Red Flame
- In Evil Hour (1984) Red Flame
- Nemesis (1986) Red Flame