Big Pig

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
Big Pig
Origin London
Genre(s) Rock
Pop
Years active 1985–1990
Label(s) Mushroom Records
Former members
Nick Disbray
Sherine Abeyratne
Oleh Witer
Tony Antoniades
Tim Rosewarne
Adrian Scaglione
Neil Baker

Big Pig were a seven-piece Australian pop/rock band that existed from 1985-1991.

Formed in London in 1985 by Australian drummer Oleh Witer with singer Nick Disbray, the pair returned to Melbourne later that year and recruited the new line-up that would make the hit records.

In May 1986, after self financing an independent E.P.and with only five live shows under its belt, every major record and publishing company in the country offered lucrative contracts to the group. Mushroom Records became the band's label and their first album BONK was recorded in Melbourne in 1987 and mixed in London later that year. The album went gold, then platinum in Australia with three top-twenty singles ("Hungry Town", "Breakaway" and "Big Hotel").

In the U.S. "Breakaway" reached #60 on the Billboard magazine top 100 pop charts and was used in the opening sequence of the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure[1].

The group's song 'Money God' was well known in the United Kingdom as the theme tune for the BBC DEF II Rough Guides show with Magenta Devine, whilst many tracks from the first album BONK were used towards the end of the Miami Vice TV series in the 1980s. The songs "Hungry Town" and "Boy Wonder" both featured in the 1988 Yahoo Serious movie Young Einstein, while their 1988 Australian Top 10 hit "Breakaway" recently enjoyed a revival in the dance charts with a new 2007 version by US House Diva Inaya Day.

Notable for their dominant use of drums, harmonica and vocals, along with the absence of guitars, the band established a unique place in music. Sounding quite unlike anything else, their signature look was black waterproof aprons, similar to those worn by Blacksmiths, which gave their stage presence a distinctly industrial feel. Big Pig disbanded in 1991 after the release of their second album,YOU LUCKY PEOPLE.

Contents

[edit] Members

  • Nick Disbray (lead vocals, percussion)
  • Sherine Abeyratne (lead vocals, percussion)
  • Oleh Witer (vocals, drums)
  • Tony Antoniades (vocals, harmonica)
  • Tim Rosewarne (vocals, keyboard)
  • Adrian Scaglione (drums)
  • Neil Baker (drums)
  • Duncan Beamont (drums)

[edit] Discography

[edit] EPs and LPs

  • Big Pig (1986: Mini-LP) - ARIA Award 1987 for Best Cover Art
  • BONK (1988: CD/LP/Cassette)
    1. "Iron Lung"
    2. "Hungry Town"
    3. "Tin Drum"
    4. "Breakaway"
    5. "Boy Wonder"
    6. "Big Hotel"
    7. "Nation"
    8. "Charlie"
    9. "Fine Thing"
    10. "Money God"
    11. "Devil's Song"
  • You Lucky People (1990: CD/LP/Cassette)
    1. Justifier
    2. Taste
    3. King Of Nothing
    4. Question
    5. Suitcase
    6. Lost Reason
    7. Payment
    8. Take Control
    9. Hanging Tree
    10. Bound
    11. Legacy
    12. Book Of Dreams

[edit] Singles

  • "Hungry Town"
  • "Boy Wonder"
  • "Breakaway"
  • "Big Hotel"
  • "Iron Lung"

[edit] VHSs

  • BONK (1988: VHS)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtracks
Languages