Rational Youth

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Rational Youth was a Canadian New Wave band, originally formed in 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, by synthesizer wizards Tracy Howe and Bill Vorn, both of whom idolized the German synthpop pioneers Kraftwerk.

Among the band's notable singles were "Saturdays in Silesia" and "Dancing on the Berlin Wall," from their debut album, Cold War Night Life (1982); and "In Your Eyes" and "Holiday in Bangkok," from Heredity (1985) (both tracks appeared previously on a Rational Youth mini-album from 1983).

In 1999, Rational Youth, with a new lineup of original frontman Howe and new keyboard players Jean-Claude Cutz and Dave Rout, released its first album after fourteen years, To the Goddess Electricity.

Rational Youth toured throughout Scandinavia over the next two years, and played its final concert on November 3, 2001, at the Tinitus Festival in Stockholm, Sweden.

[edit] Personnel

• Tracy Howe - vocals, synthesizer, guitar (1981-2002)
• Bill Vorn (real name Yves Bilodeau) - synthesizer, vocoder (1981-1982; 1996-1997)
• Mario Spezza - synthesizer (1981)
• Kevin Komoda - synthesizer (1982-83)
• Denis Duran - bass (1983)
• Angel Calvo - drums, percussion (1983)
• Rick Joudrey - bass (1985-86)
• Owen Tennyson - drums (1985-86)
• Kevin Breit - guitars (1985-86)
• Peter McGee - guitars, keyboards (1984-86)
• Dave Rout - synthesizer (1997-1999)
• Jean-Claude Cutz - synthesizer (1997-2001)
• Dee Long - guitars, keyboards, fairlight cmi programming
• Ken Sinnaeve - bass
• David Quinton - drums and percussion
• Gary Boigon - alto and tenor saxophones
• Joel Zifkin - violin

[edit] Discography

• "I Want to See the Light/Coboloid Race" (12", 1981)
• "Cite Phosphore" (7", 1982)
• Cold War Night Life (album, 1982; CD release 1997)
• "City of Night" (12", 1982)
• "Saturdays in Silesia" (7"/12", 1982)
• "In Your Eyes" (7"/12", 1983)
• Rational Youth (EP, 1983)
• "Dancing on the Berlin Wall" (Dutch 12", 1984; unauthorised extended edit)
• Heredity (album, 1985; never released on CD)
• "No More and No Less" (7"/12", 1985)
• "Call Me" (7"/12", 1985)
• "Bang On" (7"/12", 1985)
• "Malade" (7", 1985)
• Total Rational! (unauthorised Dutch compilation CD, 1994)
• All Our Saturdays (1981-1986) (compilation CD, 1996)
• 3 Remixes For The New Cold War (EP, 1998)
• "Everything Is Vapour/Money And Blood" (CD single, 1999)
• To the Goddess Electricity (album, 1999)
• Early Singles (CD box, 2000)
• The 20th Anniversary Collection (compilation CD, 2001)

[edit] External links

• Rational Youth's Official Web site
• Website of former member Dave Rout's current band datafreq with some Rational Youth info