Venus and the Razorblades
Encyclopedia
Venus and the Razorblades were a short-lived New Wave
rock
band from Los Angeles
, put
together by Kim Fowley
after he severed professional relations with The Runaways
. Fowley
sought to put together a band with a teenaged male singer and teenaged female musicians backing him up. Roni Lee (guitarist and song writer) joined the band early and co-wrote "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are" performed by The Runaways as well as Venus and the Razorblades. Roni Lee also wrote and co-wrote many of the Venus and the Razorblades songs. She also went on to play with Mars Bonfire and Steppenwolf. They put out a novelty single called "Punk-A-Rama" on the independent label Bomp! Records
trying to capitalize on the popularity of the punk rock
genre of the late 1970s and then broke up. (An album came out later, which is extremely rare today.) The recordings featured session players associated with Fowley projects such as guitarist Mars Bonfire
, formerly of an early version of Steppenwolf
and keyboardist Billy Bizeau, formerly of The Quick, as well as members of the band itself. The band's song "Young and Wild" was sometimes covered live by Van Halen when they were still a Los Angeles bar band.
Fowley then tried to make guitarist Dyan Diamond into a big star, and got her a deal with Elektra Records
; due to the late 1970s not being very conducive to the bubblegum pop
/teen pop
genre, Diamond had no success.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
rock
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 from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, put
together by Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
after he severed professional relations with The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
. Fowley
sought to put together a band with a teenaged male singer and teenaged female musicians backing him up. Roni Lee (guitarist and song writer) joined the band early and co-wrote "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are" performed by The Runaways as well as Venus and the Razorblades. Roni Lee also wrote and co-wrote many of the Venus and the Razorblades songs. She also went on to play with Mars Bonfire and Steppenwolf. They put out a novelty single called "Punk-A-Rama" on the independent label Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
trying to capitalize on the popularity of the 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...
genre of the late 1970s and then broke up. (An album came out later, which is extremely rare today.) The recordings featured session players associated with Fowley projects such as guitarist Mars Bonfire
Mars Bonfire
Dennis Edmonton , also known by the stage name Mars Bonfire, is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter, best known for writing the hit song "Born to Be Wild" for Steppenwolf....
, formerly of an early version of Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
and keyboardist Billy Bizeau, formerly of The Quick, as well as members of the band itself. The band's song "Young and Wild" was sometimes covered live by Van Halen when they were still a Los Angeles bar band.
Fowley then tried to make guitarist Dyan Diamond into a big star, and got her a deal with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
; due to the late 1970s not being very conducive to the bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
/teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
genre, Diamond had no success.
External links
- [ Allmusic]