You'll Never Walk Again - Musik

Gene War Ein Englisches Alternative-Rock-Quartett Das Mitte Der Neunziger Jahre An Bedeutung Gewann. Sie Wurden 1993 Gegründet Und Im Volksmund Als Britpop-Band Bezeichnet. Wegen Ihres Morrissey-Artigen Leadsängers Martin Rossiter Wurden Sie Häufig Mit The Smiths Verglichen. Gens Musik Wurde Von The Jam The Small Faces The Style Council Und The Clash Beeinflusst. The Go Hole And Spin Gene's Origins Lie In A Previous Band Which Was First Called The Go Hole Named After A Fictional "Beat" Club In John Clellon Holmes' Novel Go And Then Was Later Renamed Spin. Vocalist/rhythm Guitarist And Songwriter Lee Clark Bassist John Mason Lead Guitarist Steve Mason And Drummer Matt James Were Original Members Of Gene. The Band Was Formed By Clark Vocals/guitar And Daz Walton Bass . John Mason Took Over Playing Bass And James Joined On Drums. A Few Years Later Clark Mason And James Recruited Mason's Brother Steve Mason To Play Lead/rhythm Guitar And Thereby Free Clark To Focus On Vocal Style Which Had Been Previously Limited By His Mediocre Guitar Playing. After Performing In Woolwich London For Several Years Spin Became A Promising Baggy Stone Roses-Like Band. Two Singles 'Scratches In The Sand ' And 'Let's Pretend' Were Released In 1990 And 1991 Respectively. Both Garnered Promising Reviews And Helped Establish The Band's Following Nationally. Then Spin Were Involved In A Road Accident. John Mason Suffered A Serious Head Injury And Went Into An 11-Day Coma. Their Road Manager Walton Retired As A Result Of The Crash. The Day Prior To The Accident Clark The Main Songwriter Had Offered His Resignation In A Letter To The Rest Of The Band Due To His Dissatisfaction With The Way The Band And Its Record Label Foundation Were Guiding Its Course. "The Final Straw For Me " Stated Clark "was Calling The Spin Album In Motion - A Play On Word-Association Which Was So Naff That It Beggared Belief." Cite This Quote A Further EP Entitled 'Hot Blood' Was Released In Late-1991. John Mason Disappointed With The Music Business Went On To Become A Writer. Clark Briefly Recorded Demos With Andrew "Snake" Newton Who Had Been The Live Sound Engineer For Spin Then Gave Up Music To Become A Primary School Teacher. Clark Felt He Was Getting A Bit Old To Be A Rock Star And Decided To Play And Record Only In His Own Bedroom. Walton Is Now With The Band Somewhere Outside New York. Dated Info Wanting To Continue Together In A Band Steve Mason And James Recruited Bass Player Kevin Miles Who Had A Long Association With The Band Through Walton. After Seeing Watford-Based Welshman Martin Rossiter Cross The Floor Of A Club Mason Approached Him And They Began To Talk A Process Mason Once Described As "like Trying To Pull A Lady" . Cite This Quote Their Meeting Ended With Rossiter Handing Out His Business Card "Martin Rossiter Soothsayer To The Stars" And Mason Giving Rossiter A Chance To Sing With The Band. Rossiter Appeared On Spin's Last Demos As "Martin T. Falls" A Nod To The Mancunian Band The Fall Shortly Before The Decision Was Made To Adopt The Name Gene. Rossiter's Eloquence And Warm Emotive Voice Proved An Effective Pairing With Mason's Intricate Pentatonic Guitar Riffs Whilst Miles' Melodic Basslines And James' Expertise In Various Rock Drumming Styles Ensured A Solid Musical Base For The Group's Successes. By The Time NME Journalists Keith Cameron And Roy Wilkinson Encountered Gene The Band Had Already Gained Some Live Experience And Written Several Songs. Cameron And Wilkinson Were Impressed Enough To Form Independent Record Label Costermonger Created With The Sole Purpose Of Promoting Gene To A Wider Audience. Their Début Release The Double A-Sided Single "For The Dead" / "Childs Body" Was Released On The Fledgling Costermonger Label In May 1994. The Single Received A Great Deal Of Attention From The Music Press Select Named It "Single Of The Month" Claiming That It "swaggered With Self Confidence Everything A Pop Single Should Have" Cite This Quote Whilst NME Acclaimed It As A "remarkably Lovely Record That Manages To Transcend Its Influences Just By Being So Damned Good" Cite This Quote Promptly Making It Their "Single Of The Week". The Limited Edition Of 1 994 Copies Sold Out In Two Days. Numerous Live Shows Followed But It Was Gene's Performance In Support Of Pulp At London's The Forum That Revealed The Band To Be A Real Force To Be Reckoned With. "Gene Have Just Played Third On The Bill And Willed The Crowd Into Treating Them Like Headliners Who Are Very Very Big Indeed" Said NME. "He Martin Has Made People Love Him And Now He's Loving Every Minute Of It." Cite This Quote With Gene Already Developing A Devotional Fan-Base A New Single Was Planned To Consolidate Their Popularity. The Second Single A Triple A-Side Consisting Of "Be My Light Be My Guide" "This Is Not My Crime" And "I Can't Help Myself" Was Released On August 1 Year Needed Via Costermonger. Melody Maker Awarded "Be My Light Be My Guide" Its "Single Of The Week" Saying " T His Record Delights In Its Own Sophistication". Cite This Quote Select Singled Out "This Is Not My Crime" Calling It "strong On Grand Gestures And Subtle Instrumentation" Cite This Quote Whilst NME Claimed That "I Can't Help Myself" Was "a Joyous Country Strum Which Wouldn't Be Out Of Place On Sticky Fingers After Achieving The Top Spot In The UK Indie Chart And Number 54 In The UK Singles Chart The Band Played Their First UK Headlining Tour That Included A Show At London's Paradise Club Which Sold Out Immediately Cramming 800 People Into The Venue. The Plaudits Hadn't Gone Unnoticed By The Big Record Companies And Gene Eventually Signed A Deal With Polydor Records. For Many Observers This Was To Prove A Turning Point For The Band. After A Successful Appearance At The Reading Festival The Band Released Their Third Single 'Sleep Well Tonight' Just Prior To Embarking On A Large National Tour Preceded By Several Sold-Out French Dates. Through 1995 Gene Were Still Going From Strength To Strength. Featuring Strongly In Both Critics And Readers End Of Year Polls "they Continue To Outshine Every Other Band Around With Heady Faultless Grace" - Melody Maker Gene Were The Proud Recipients Of The Inaugural NME Brat Award For 'Best New Act' And As Such Played At The Sold Out Brat Award Ceremony At The London Astoria. They Adorned The Covers Of Both The NME And Melody Maker Who Voted Them Their 'Brightest Hope' For 1995. Their Fourth Single 'Haunted By You' Became The Band's Second Top 40 Hit Reaching Number 32 Whilst Their Debut LP Olympian Reached Number 8 In The Album Chart Following A Plethora Of Excellent Reviews. The Album Also Gained Gene Their First Silver Disc Recording Sales Of Over 70 000 In The UK Alone And When The Final Single From The Album Was Released "Olympian" It Went Into The Top 20 Of The UK Singles Chart. The Summer And Autumn Of 1995 Were Spent Touring The World Including A Well-Received Performance At Glastonbury Festival Headlining Reading Festival A Tour Of Japan And Europe And Then A Foray Into The USA. With Christmas Looming The Band Entered The Studio Again For Pre-Production On Their New Album Scheduled For Release The Following Year. 1996 Began With A Remixed 'For The Dead' Which Subsequently Became Gene's Biggest Hit Peaking At Number 14 In The Top 40 Leading To Their Début Appearance On Top Of The Pops. To See The Lights An LP Of Rarities Live Tracks Radio Sessions And Acoustic Versions Of Singles Was Released In January And Reached The Number 11 Spot In The Album Charts. A National Tour Was Undertaken During Most Of The Same Month Culminating In Two Sell-Out London Shows At Shepherds Bush Empire And The Astoria. In Anticipation Of Their Second Studio LP October 1996 Saw The Release Of 'Fighting Fit' An Up-Tempo Rock Song Which Reached Number 22. The Start Of 1997 Heralded The Release Of 'We Could Be Kings' Another Epic Rock Song Which Again Proved To Be Very Popular Reaching Number 18. The LP Drawn To The Deep End Takes Its Name From A 'Fighting Fit' B-Side And It Revealed A Lavish Production Replete With Strings Far More Prominent Guitar Solos From Mason And A Rather Warbling Vocal Affectation From Rossiter. The Album Showed Some Measure Of Musical Development From The Band Which Was Reflected By The Inclusion Of A Keyboardist In Their Live Shows Grand Drive's Julian Wilson 1996-98 2004 Former Style Council Keyboardist Mick Talbot 1999-2001 Marcus Brown 2001 And Angie Pollack 2003-2004 And The Fact That Rossiter Was Starting To Master The Art Of Singing Live Whilst Playing The Keyboard For Some Songs. Lyrically Speaking The Dominating Themes Of The Album Were Loneliness And Deep Yearning. Indeed Rossiter Was In The Depths Of Depression During The Making Of The Album And The Songs Resulting From This Period Remain Some Of The Band's Most Powerful Work. Drawn To The Deep End Was Another Critical Success With Q Magazine Awarding It Four Stars. Like Its Predecessor The Album Entered The Top 10 Of The Album Charts And Subsequent Singles 'Where Are They Now?' And 'Speak To Me Someone' Both Made The Top 40 At 22 And 30 Respectively. Arguably The Defining Moment Of The Band's Career Came In March 1997 When They Played With A Full Orchestra To A Sell-Out Audience At The Royal Albert Hall. Transmitted On Radio 1 The Event Was Commemorated By The Release Of Two Live EPs In Tandem With The Last Two Singles From Drawn To The Deep End. They Also Played In Hong Kong That Year As Part Of The Festivities Of The UK's Ceding The Island Back Into Chinese Hands. By Late 1997 Rossiter In Particular Had Gained Some Press Attention In His Newfound Status As A Minor Celebrity. He Had Already Appeared As A Guest On Never Mind The Buzzcocks And Various Articles Speculated On His Sexuality Much To Rossiter's Bemusement. As He Told Sorted Magazine 1 "I've Never Hidden The Fact That I've Slept On Both Sides Of The Bed And People Find That Very Odd That I Was Quite Happy To Say 'yeah I'm Bisexual And It Doesn't Really Matter." He Also Hit The Headlines Due To A War Of Words Between Rossiter And Comedian Paul Kaye Which Culminated In Rossiter Headbutting Kaye In A Nightclub. 1998 Served As A Fallow Year For The Band Used For Writing New Material As Well As A Few Low-Key Shows And Events Such As Radio 1's Sound City. In Fact The Most Newsworthy Article About Gene During This Year Was Of Martin Rossiter's 'drastic' Change In Image. Gone Were The Suit Jackets With White Shirts And The Floppy Side-Parted Hair In Favour Of The Mod-Like Fred Perry Polo Shirts Jeans And A Very Short Haircut. The New Look Was To Be Reflective Of The Band's Rockier Forthcoming Studio LP Revelations. On Their Return From Relative Wilderness It Appeared That Gene Had Lost A Lot Of Their Prestige During Their Year Out Of The Limelight And Were No Longer The Golden Boys Of The Indie Scene. First Off The LP Released In February 1999 Was A Jam-Like Political Single Called 'As Good As It Gets' Which Entered The Charts At Number 23 To Lukewarm Reviews. Revelations Was Released That March To Very Mixed Reviews The NME Awarded It 5/10 Concluding That The Album Was "pretty Thin On The Ground". Revelations Carries Some Very Political Songs Such As The Aforementioned 'As Good As It Gets' 'The British Disease' And 'Mayday'. Rossiter Who Had An Occasional Political Spot On BBC Radio Five Live Launched A Vitriolic Critique On New Labour's First Term In Office. The Album Charted Disappointingly At Number 23 And The Second Single From The Album 'Fill Her Up' Charted At Number 37 That April. Despite A Successful And Comprehensive Tour Around The Country Again Selling Out Many Venues As Well As Making A Successful Appearance At The Reading Festival Of That Year Gene And Polydor Parted Ways. It Must Be Said That The Band Felt Somewhat Undermined By Their Label's Lack Of Support And Failure To Market The Album Adequately. As Rossiter Explained "Only When We Got To Gretna Green Did We Realise That Polydor Had Disembarked At Crewe." Whilst The Band Made The Best Of Revelations' Raw Live Sound During The Album's Promotion As Well As The Fact That The Recording Of The Album Took Less Than A Month To Complete The Marketing Literature Said It Was In Order To Best Convey The Energy Apparent From Their Live Shows After The Split They Claimed That They Could Have Made It A Better Album Had They Been Given More Time By Their Label. Certainly Revelations Was By No Means A Failure And It Probably Would Have Been A Greater Popular Success Given The Right Backing. Although Gene Lost A Lot Of The Benefits Of Being On A Major Label They Did At Least Gain Artistic Independence Again. Despite The Lack Of The Support Of A Major Record Label Gene Spent A Good Portion Of 2000 Touring The World Which Climaxed In A Sell-Out Tour Of The USA. One Of Their Shows At The Los Angeles Venue Troubadour Was Broadcast Over The Internet In What Was Then A Record-Breaking Webcast Screened To At Least 60 000 People Worldwide. Only Two Months After The Recording Of That Show Gene Released Rising For Sunset A Live Album Recorded From That Troubadour Show. The Webcast And Album Were Promoted With A Pioneering International Internet-Only Campaign Resulting In 40k Units Sold Upon Its Universal Release. As Well As Rehearsing The Band's Hits They Released Two New Tracks 'Rising For Sunset' And 'Somewhere In The World' Promising Songs That Bade Well For Their Next Studio LP And Marking A Return To The Romance Of Their More Popular Tracks. That Album Entitled Libertine Was Released In 2001 On Gene's Own Label Sub Rosa Records. It Conveyed The Next Stage In The Evolution Of Gene's Characteristic Sound. Some Critics Described It As A More Sleazy Rock-Style Record But Overall It Was A Strong Album With Glimmers That Harked Back To Gene's Earlier Material. Despite Further Successful Live Shows In Subsequent Years Gene Opted For An Amicable Split In 2004. It Is Said That The Band Felt They Were Somewhat Stuck In A Rut And Had Achieved As Much As They Felt They Could. They Realised That Although They Had A Loyal Fan Base And Plenty Of Critical Acclaim They Were Never Going To Become World-Conquering Greats. Gene's Last Live Performance Was Played On 16 December 2004 At The London Astoria And There Are Not Expected To Be Any Further Recordings Or Appearances. The Band Members Have All Continued To Work In Music In A Variety Of Different Ways. Roy Wilkinson Went On To Manage The Band British Sea Power While Snake Newton Went On To Mix An Assortment Of Acts Including Duran Duran Sugababes Pet Shop Boys And Snow Patrol. In The Third Week Of January 2008 All Four Members Of Gene Briefly Took To The Stage Again For Their Ex-Manager's 50th Birthday Party. They Performed Five Songs At The 100 Club In London "Be My Light Be My Guide" "For The Dead" "Where Are They Now?" "London Can You Wait?" And "Olympian". Discography Albums * 1995 Olympian - UK #8 * 1996 To See The Lights - #11 * 1997 Drawn To The Deep End - #8 * 1999 Revelations - #25 * 2000 Rising For Sunset * 2001 As Good As It Gets The Best Of * 2001 Libertine * 2006 The Collection * 2006 The John Peel Sessions Singles * 1994 "For The Dead" * 1994 "Be My Light Be My Guide" - UK #54 * 1994 "Sleep Well Tonight" - #36 * 1995 "Haunted By You" - #32 * 1995 "Be My Light Be My Guide" / "I Can't Help Myself" * 1995 "Olympian" - #18 * 1995 "Still Can't Find The Phone" Germany * 1996 "For The Dead" Re-Issue - #14 * 1996 "Fighting Fit" - #22 * 1997 "We Could Be Kings" - #17 * 1997 "Where Are They Now?" - #22 * 1997 "Speak To Me Someone" - #30 * 1999 "As Good As It Gets" - #23 * 1999 "Fill Her Up" - #36 * 2001 "Is It Over?" - Did Not Chart * 2001 "Does He Have A Name?" Promo * 2004 "Let Me Move On" - #69 read less