Sting
Peter Gabriel
As the leader of Genesis in the early '70s, Peter Gabriel helped move progressive rock to new levels of theatricality. In his solo career, Gabriel was no less ambitious, but he was more subtle in his methods. With his first eponymous solo album in 1977, he began exploring darker, more cerebral territory, incorporating avant-garde, electronic, and worldbeat influences into his music. The record, as well as its two similarly titled successors, established Gabriel as a critically acclaimed cult artist, and with 1982's Security, he began to move into the mainstream; "Shock the Monkey" became his first Top 40 hit, paving the way for his multi-platinum breakthrough So in 1986. Accompanied by a series of groundbreaking videos and the number one single "Sledgehammer," So became a multi-platinum hit, and Gabriel became an international star. Instead of capitalizing on his sudden success, he began to explore other interests, including recording soundtracks and running his company Real World. By the time he returned to pop with 1992's Us, his mass audience had faded away and he spent the remainder of the '90s working on multimedia projects for Real World.
Following his departure from Genesis in 1976, Peter Gabriel began work on the first of three consecutive eponymously titled albums; each record was named Peter Gabriel, he said, as if they were editions of the same magazine. In 1977, his first solo album appeared and became a moderate success due to the single "Solsbury Hill." Another self-titled record followed in 1978, yet received comparatively weaker reviews. Gabriel's third eponymous album was his artistic breakthrough. Produced by Steve Lillywhite and released in 1980, the album established Gabriel as one of rock's most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most political -- "Biko," a song about a murdered antiapartheid activist, became one of the biggest protest anthems of the '80s. "Games Without Frontiers," with its eerie chorus, nearly reached the Top 40.
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In 1982, Gabriel released Security, which was an even bigger success, earning positive reviews and going gold on the strength of the startling video for "Shock the Monkey." Just as his solo career was taking off, Gabriel participated in a one-shot Genesis reunion in order to finance his WOMAD -- World of Music, Arts and Dance -- Festival. WOMAD was designed to bring various world musics and customs to a Western audience, and it soon turned into an annual event, and a live double album was released that year to commemorate the event. As Gabriel worked on his fifth album, he contributed the soundtrack to Alan Parker's 1984 film Birdy. His score was highly praised and it won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes that year. After founding Real World, Inc. -- a corporation devoted to developing bridges between technology and multiethnic arts -- in 1985, he completed his fifth album, So.
Released in 1986, So became Gabriel's commercial breakthrough, largely because his Stax homage "Sledgehammer" was blessed with an innovative video that combined stop-action animation with live action. So climbed to number two as "Sledgehammer" hit number one, with "Big Time" -- featuring a video very similar to "Sledgehammer" -- reaching the Top Ten and "In Your Eyes" hitting the Top 30. As So was riding high on the American and British charts, Gabriel co-headlined the first benefit tour for Amnesty International in 1986 with Sting and U2. Another Amnesty International Tour followed in 1988, and the following year, Gabriel released Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ, a collection of instrumentals used in Martin Scorsese's film. Passion was the furthest Gabriel delved into worldbeat, and the album was widely acclaimed, winning the Grammy Award in 1989 for Best New Age Performance. In 1990, he released the hits compilation Shaking the Tree.
Gabriel labored long on the pop-music follow-up to So, finally releasing Us in the spring of 1992. During the recording of Us, Gabriel went through a number of personal upheavals, including a painful divorce, and those tensions manifested themselves on Us, a much darker record than So. For various reasons, not the least of which was the fact that it was released six years after its predecessor, Us wasn't as commercially successful as So, despite positive reviews. Only one single, the "Sledgehammer" knockoff "Steam," reached the Top 40, and the album stalled at platinum sales. In 1993, Gabriel embarked on the most ambitious WOMAD tour to date, touring the United States with a roster including Crowded House, James, and Sinéad O'Connor, with whom he had an on-off romantic relationship. The following year, he released the double-disc Secret World Live, which went gold. Later in 1994, he released the CD-ROM Xplora, one of many projects he developed with Real World. For the next three years, Gabriel concentrated on developing more multimedia projects for the company.
Peter Gabriels lastest album Up (2002) was his first studio album in a decade and has since released and new material. However, Peter has released a cover album entitled Scratch My Back in 2010 which featured songs by David Bowie, Lou Reed, Arcade Fire, Radiohead and Neil Young done in the style of the great man himself.
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Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were one of the biggest bands to come out of the UK new wave, punk genre. The group consisted of Pete Briquette (bass), Gerry Cott (guitar), Johnny Fingers (piano), Bob Geldof (vocals), Garry Roberts (guitar) and Simon Crowe (drummer). This Irish six-piece was primarily active between the years of 1975 - 1985 and best known for hits I Don’t Like Mondays and Rat Trap.
In 1977, The Boomtown Rats appeared on Britain’s Top of the Pops performing Mary of the Fourth Form. The band had an interesting stage presence; Geldof was known for being new wave’s Mick Jagger and Fingers performed in striped pyjamas.
Two years later, the band set off on a world tour and shortly after Geldof and Fingers wrote the classic I Don’t Like Mondays after hearing about a Californian girl that shot her school principal and injured other fellow students. The track was banned on American radio and only managed to reach #73 on the US charts. But it was named 1979’s Single of the Year by the British Pop and Rock awards and sold over a million copies in England alone.
The early 80s ushered in the new romantics, a spin-off of the new wave movement, with bands like Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran. It also proved to be the years that the Boomtown Rats were to break up.
After releasing its fourth album, the band began dabbling with a reggae sound and that wasn't popular with their core fans.
In 1985, after seeing a news report on Ethopia, Geldof set about arranging Band Aid that recorded a charity track called Do They Know It’s Christmas. The song featured The Boomtown Rats as well as vocals from some of the major British artists of the time including Sting, Bono, Paul McCartney and Boy George. This was the beginning of Geldof going solo and launching the Live Aid Trust.
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One year later, the band managed to release its final album In the Long Grass but it failed to produce any chart-topping singles.
In the end, some of The Boomtown Rats’ members went on to form other bands and Geldof became a household name by being an outspoken advocate for various humanitarian and charitable activities.
Juanita Appleby
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Dire Straits
Dire Straits formed in 1977 and originally featured Mark Knopfler on guitar and vocals, his brother David on rhythm guitar, Pick Withers on drums and John Illsley on bass. Their style of music was rather at odds with the punk rock that was popular in the late seventies. However, the band achieved greater success and more longevity than most of their punk counterparts.
The band signed with Phonogram Records in 1977 after getting ‘Sultans of Swing’ - a track from their first EP - played on BBC Radio London. The following year, they were in a recording studio with their producer, Spencer Davis Group legend Muff Winwood, creating their eponymous first album. An A&R rep at Warner Brothers, New York spotted their potential and Dire Straits were soon invited to be the opening band on the 1978 Talking Heads tour. They released their debut album during the same year to worldwide success and acclaim.
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As the band moved into the eighties, the Dire Straits sound evolved into something more complex and experimental. The 1980 album ‘Making Movies’ featured their smash hit ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and live favourite ‘Tunnel of Love’, which is also name-checked in the fourth novel in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker series ‘So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish’. This new intricate style continued with the band’s next album ‘Love Over Gold’ which spawned the hits ‘Private Investigations’ and ‘Industrial Disease’.
Dire Straits embarked on a world tour in 1983 which was followed in 1984 by the release of the live double album ‘Alchemy’. The band had already sold over a million albums worldwide, but nothing could have prepared them for the success of their next album ‘Brothers in Arms’ in 1985. The band achieved many firsts that year: the album was the first CD release to sell over a million copies, the title track became the first to be released as a CD single and the hit single ‘Money for Nothing’ (featuring Sting on backing vocals) was the first music video to be played on MTV when it launched in the UK. The album outsold copies of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in the UK to become the best-selling album of 1985. As well as a hugely successful world tour in 85-86, Dire Straits performed at Live Aid inbetween their 13-night residency at London Wembley Arena.
Mark Knopfler went on to pursue solo projects in the years after ‘Brothers in Arms’ although the band reformed in 1991 and released a new album ‘On Every Street’. They embarked on another worldwide tour until October 1992. The band dissolved in 1995 but performed for a few charity events and John Illsley’s wedding in later years. Knopfler has dismissed any talk of a reunion, having declined Illsley’s offer to reform the band.
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THE POLICE
The Police was a three-piece British pop band who came into prominence in the wake of the punk rock phenomenon. The trio formed in 1977, consisting of Sting (bass and lead vocals), Stewart Copeland (drummer) and Henri Padovani (guitarist). This line-up issued the band’s first single, "Fall Out" in May 1977. Following this Andy Summers joined the band, who now toured as a four piece. Summers told Padovani that he wanted to experiment with 'new sounds, so Padovani quit the band (He probably regrets his hastiness.)
For The Police, their first album, "Outlandos d'Amour" was difficult working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. Copeland's older brother, Miles, heard "Roxanne" and immediately got them a record deal with A&M Records. The single was re-released in 1979, and it was then that The Police achieved widespread fame in England. In October 1979, the group released their second album "Regatta de Blanc", giving way to reggae-influenced hit "Walking on the Moon".
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In March of 1980, The Police decided to embark on their first World Tour, and soon became a world famous act. Pressured by their record company for a new record, The Police quickly released their third album, "Zenyatta Mondatta" in 1980. The album gave the group a U.K. No. 1 with "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", (what?), which charted successfully across the world. As Sting would later put it, this was the last album they worked on 'as a band.'
Their fourth album, "Ghost in the Machine", released in 1981, featured a thicker sound and vocal textures, holding the hit singles, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Spirits In The Material World".
They released their last, and classic, album, "Synchronicity", in 1983. Notable songs from that album include "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". Shortly after, each band member gradually began his own solo career. A short-lived attempt to reunite in 1986 produced a re-recording of their song "Don't Stand So Close to Me". On 10th March 2003, The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Police have reformed recently however after touring and earning shed loads of money say they will not tour again.
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