René Berg
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| René Berg | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 24, 1956 |
| Died | July 28, 2003 (aged 47) Kent, England |
| Genre(s) | Rock Hard rock Glam Rock Power Pop |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1977 - 2003 |
| Label(s) | Miles Ahead Ammunition Communique Records |
| Associated acts | Idle Flowers Soho Vultures René Berg Band Hanoi Rocks The Killers Herman Brood Band |
| Website | Sleaze Grinder Rock Detector 1 Rock Detector 2 www.myspace.com/renebergtribute |
René Berg (February 24, 1956 - July 28, 2003) was an English musician, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter who recorded and performed in a number of bands starting in the late 70's until his death in 2003. His notable bands included Idle Flowers, Soho Vultures, René Berg Band, along with appearances in Hanoi Rocks, Herman Brood Band, and The Killers. He was born in Kent, England.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Late 70s-1985
René Berg started out his musical endeavors playing with notorious Dutch junkie rock n' roller Herman Brood in the late 70's before starting the Idle Flowers in September 1981 back in London, England. The band opened up for Hanoi Rocks on 20th January 1983 at the 'Klub Foot',Clarendon and René also guested on guitar with Hanoi Rocks sometime in that year,and joined Hanoi Rocks on stage at Birmingham Mermaid on the 27th May for the encore. The Idle Flowers recorded many demos for an intended debut LP entitled The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes (which became the title of René's 1992 solo album) but the recordings remain unreleased. The only official Idle Flowers release was the excellent Plimsouls-esque All I Want Is You / Fizz Music single back in 1984 on the Miles Ahead label recorded at the famed Abbey Road Studios.
[edit] 1985
In March 1985, Berg was asked by Michael Monroe and Nasty Suicide to join Hanoi Rocks as the band's new bassist for the departed Sami Yaffa. Berg was an old friend of the band and had played occasionally with Andy McCoy. The new Hanoi Rocks lineup (which also included one time Clash drummer Terry Chimes filling in after Razzle's tragic death) only lasted a few months before falling apart. However René did record bass on the Rock & Roll Divorce (1985) live album and the final Hanoi Rocks 1985 demos. His self penned song "Fast Car" included on his 1992 solo album as well as Hanoi Rocks posthumous Lean On Me (1992) collection was recorded by Hanoi Rocks. The rest of the 1985 demos remain unreleased.
[edit] 1986-1990
Shortly after the demise of Hanoi Rocks in May 1985, a month later the Idle Flowers broke up in June 1985 after almost a four year stint together. Berg kept a low profile before ending up singing lead vocals in 1986 on the Suicide Twins (Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide's side acoustic band) Sweet Pretending.
In 1986 René grouped with Jim Penfold from The Hollwood Killers and started The Killers who recorded four unreleased demos, appeared on London Weekend TV, and did many shows before disbanding in early 1987. Also in 1987 he played on the Gang Bang Band's 12" EP recorded with Nasty Suicide from Hanoi Rocks, Bernie Torme, and members of the Quireboys, Babysitters, and Wolfsbane.
1987 proved a very productive year for Berg who fronted his second band (after the Idle Flowers) called West End Central which quickly evolved into the Soho Vultures with Nasty Suicide (Hanoi Rocks) on guitar. Tommy Fox soon replaced Dougie (Idle Flowers) on bass and The Soho Vultures recorded six great glammy power pop songs in 1987 that to this day tragically remain unreleased.
The Soho Vultures songs recorded were Head Over Heels, Can't Get To Sleep, The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes, Happy, Too Late and the classic London Town. Too Late featured Nasty Suicide on lead vocals while the other songs featured René Berg's outstanding vocals. The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes, Happy, and Too Late were to be rerecorded for the band's debut Ammunition single that never came to be. Fortunately, Head Over Heels, Can't Get To Sleep, and The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes were all recorded for René's 1992 solo album.
Other Soho Vultures songs played live included the old Idle Flowers songs Down The Avenue, Feel Your Love, Glad I'm Not American, Rob The Bank, The Letter, and Alright Alright as well as a cover of Hanoi Rocks Boiler. The Soho Vultures played frequently in London at the Marquee and Dingwall's, toured Finland in September of that year appearing on radio shows, a Finnish TV music programme entitled Rock Stop, and even made a rarely seen video for the song Head Over Heels before calling it a day in late 1987.
[edit] 1991-2003
After the Soho Vultures disbanded René remained quiet for a few years until he scored a bigger record deal and recorded his only solo album The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes released in 1992 on Communique Records. When he arrived back on the scene he was revitalized by the album release, (his first in eight years since the Idle Flowers single and album) and promoted and played many live dates between 1992-1993 some with his old bandmate Nasty Suicide guesting on guitar. The album featured guitarist Bernie Torme (Ozzy Osbourne Band, Gillan), Paul Gray (Damned, UFO) and Rat Scabies (Damned) on drums. A planned tour of Europe and Japan to promote the album was scheduled but was later cancelled. In 1993 René contributed to Nasty Suicide's Cool Talk Injection (1994) album singing lead vocals on the Alvin Gibbs penned song The Trap That Venus Laid and backing vocals on two other songs. René was contracted to do two more albums for Communique Records (which would have mosty likely included London Town and other Idle Flowers / Soho Vultures songs) which never materialized. He never entirely quit playing music. René always recorded private demos with friends (some dating from the late 70's) that remain unreleased.
René Berg died on July 28, 2003 estranged from those who knew him. The cause of death was not an overdose (he never was entirely addicted to heroin and supposely could use or not use it when he chose) but a culmination of depression and all the years of hard living and drinking taking their toll.
One of René's personal proudest moments was appearing onstage in New York, playing side by side with Chuck Berry. Still his legacy lives on - The Darkness' 2003 hit I Believe In A Thing Called Love is very close in arrangement to Berg's Rob The Bank. [1]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Idle Flowers
- All I Want Is You b/w Fizz Music Single 7" (Mile Ahead Records, 1984)
- Studio Demos (Unreleased, 1981-1984)
Songs
- "London Town"
- "Happy"
- "The Letter"
- "Down the Avenue"
- "Feel Your Love"
- "Glad I'm Not American"
- "Lorraine"
- "Pleasures"
- "Girl on the Bus"
[edit] West End Central
- Live Recording 4/8/87, London, Dingwall's (Unreleased)
[edit] Soho Vultures
- Studio Demos (Unreleased, 1987)
Songs
- London Town
- Happy
- Too Late
- Head Over Heels
- Can't Get To Sleep
- The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes
- Live Recording 7/10/1987, London, Dingwall's (Unreleased)
Songs
- Alright Alright (exclusive to this live recording)
[edit] René Berg Band
- The Leather, The Loneliness And Your Dark Eyes Album CD (Communique Records, 1992)
Songs
- Secrets
- Head Over Heels
- Can't Get to Sleep
- If I Had Wings
- Get Up Get Out
- Just Wanted to Dance With You
- Fast Car
- Ideal Woman
- Rob the Bank
- The Leather, The Loneliness and Your Dark Eyes
- Live Recordings 5/30/1992,London,Marquee Club,5/22/1993, London, George Robey and 11/14/1993, London, Underworld (Unreleased)
Songs
- Everybody Gets The Blues (exclusive to these live recordings)
[edit] René Berg Appearances
Herman Brood Band
- appears on guitar
- Rock & Roll Divorce Live Album LP (Lick Records, 1985)
- Lean On Me Album LP/CD (Lick Records, 1992) (Recorded 1985)
- Studio Demos (Unreleased, 1985)
- appears on bass
"songs"
- Party
- Running back to your Lover
- Lips of Love
- Playing with myself
- Silver Missiles And Nightingales Album LP/CD (Yahoo Records, 1986)
- appears on additional lead vocals on "Sweet Pretending"
- Studio Demos (Unreleased, 1986)
Songs
- Cry
- Shatter The Heart
- Cactus Tongues
- Lonely
- appears on guitar and vocals
Gangbang Band
- S/T EP 12" (1987)
- appears on bass and vocals
Cheap And Nasty
- Cool Talk Injection Album LP/CD (Pony Canyon International, 1994)
- appears on backing vocals on "The Trap That Venus Laid" (Alvin Gibbs), "Healing Touch", and "End Of Time"
[edit] Band Members
Idle Flowers (1981 - 1985)
- René Berg - Lead Vocals / Guitars
- Smash - Drums
- Froze - Bass
- Dougie - Bass
- Will Power (Jim Hyatt) - Drums
- Anthony Thistlethwaite (Waterboys) - Saxophone (on "All I Want Is You" 1984 Single only)
West End Central (1987)
- René Berg - Lead Vocals / Guitars
- Nasty Suicide (Hanoi Rocks) - Guitars / Vocals
- Smash - Drums
- Dave Tregunna (Sham 69, Lords Of The New Church) - Bass
- Dougie - Bass
- Tommy Fox - Bass
Soho Vultures (1987)
- René Berg - Lead Vocals / Guitars
- Nasty Suicide (Hanoi Rocks) - Guitars / Vocals
- Smash - Drums
- Tommy Fox - Bass
René Berg Band (1992 - 1993)
- René Berg - Lead Vocals / Guitars
- Bernie Torme (Ozzy Osbourne Band, GILLAN, Torme, Electric Gypsies, Desperado) - Guitars
- Rat Scabies (Damned) - Drums
- Paul Gray (Eddie and the Hot Rods, Damned, U.F.O.) - Bass
- Darrel Bath (U.K. Subs, Crybabys, Dogs D'Amour) - Backing Vocals
- Les Riggs - Backing Vocals (Cheap And Nasty)
[edit] Influences
Berg's influences included Rolling Stones, Faces, Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Hanoi Rocks, and Hollywood Killers, among others.
[edit] Sources and External links
- Sleaze Grinder Website
"Flash Metal René Berg". Retrieved December 16, 2006.
- Rock Detector Website
"René Berg". Retrieved December 16, 2006.
"Soho Vultures". Retrieved December 16, 2006.
