| The Sound | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1978–1987 |
| Labels | Korova Warner Bros. / WEA Statik Renascent |
| Associated acts | The Outsiders |
| Members | |
| Adrian Borland Graham Bailey (AKA Graham Green) Max Mayers Michael Dudley |
|
| Past members | |
| Bi Marshall (to late 1980) | |
The Sound were an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 and dissolved in 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders.[1] They shared record labels with groups such as Echo & the Bunnymen[2] and The Chameleons,[3] and shared stages with Echo & the Bunnymen, the Comsat Angels, the Au Pairs, Modern Eon, Felt, Medium Medium, U2, Public Image Ltd., Eyeless In Gaza, The Stranglers, China Crisis, Thompson Twins, and Aztec Camera.[4]
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Founded from the remnants of The Outsiders, the original lineup of The Sound consisted of Adrian Borland (vocals, guitar), Graham Bailey (bass), Mike Dudley (drums) and Benita "Bi" Marshall (keyboards, saxophone, clarinet). In 1979, the band signed a contract with Korova Records, a small label under Warner Brothers, to produce three albums. They debuted with Jeopardy, which received favourable reviews.[5]
The second album, From the Lions Mouth, saw the replacement of keyboard player Marshall with Colvin "Max" Mayers, and more accolades from the critics, but neither record caused the band to break beyond a cult status.[5] Korova pressured Borland and his mates to come up with a more commercially successful third album. In an act of rebellion, the band responded with All Fall Down, an album that took them even further away from that direction.[5] Drummer Mike Dudley told it this way: "We thought [the label wasn't] giving us the support that we were due and that if they really wanted a commercial album, they had got to put plenty of money behind it, which with both Jeopardy and From the Lions Mouth they hadn't really done....So when they turned around and said 'The solution is for you to write more commercial songs,' we thought, 'Fuck you,' and went ahead and produced All Fall Down."[6]
During the early 1980s, The Sound toured throughout Europe, covering the UK and much of the continent. Like their contemporaries, the Comsat Angels (whom they toured with in 1981), they enjoyed perhaps their greatest success in the Netherlands, developing a substantial following there.[7] The Sound recorded several Peel sessions and performed the single "Sense Of Purpose" on the TV show Old Grey Whistle Test (circa 1981).[8] In 1983 and 1984, they made two short tours of the US.[4]
After All Fall Down, The Sound parted company with Korova and sought out another record company. In 1984, they signed with Statik, an independent label. The following year, they released an EP, Shock of Daylight, and an album Heads and Hearts. The touring continued, in spite of the fact the band still struggled to gain a wider audience. By 1985, Borland began to exhibit symptoms of mental illness, perhaps made worse by the frustrations of his career.[6]
Not long after the release of a live album in 1986, In the Hothouse, Statik went into bankruptcy.[6] The band produced one more album, Thunder Up, on the small Belgian label Play It Again Sam. While touring in Spain in 1987, they had to cancel several appearances when Borland had a complete breakdown. Dudley recalled bringing an incoherent Borland home on a plane.[6] The band decided to split up in early 1988.[5]
Graham Bailey moved to New Orleans, where he lived for 16 years, returning to the UK in 2007.[5] Max Mayers died in 1993, from an AIDS-related condition.[5] Mike Dudley retired from the music industry, living and working in South London.[5]
Following the collapse of The Sound, Borland maintained a solo career for approximately a decade, and helmed the bands White Rose Transmission and Honolulu Mountain Daffodils (in which he gave himself the alias Joachim Pimento).[9] Never able to conquer depression, Borland committed suicide on April 26, 1999, throwing himself in the path of an express train at Wimbledon station.[5]
Many have said that The Sound were not given the recognition they deserved. From the Sun Records Music Store: "The Sound were tragically overlooked in their time and have remained unjustly neglected since."[10] From Trouser Press: "It's hard to understand why this London quartet never found commercial success. At their best, the Sound's excellent neo-pop bears favorable comparison to the Psychedelic Furs and Echo & the Bunnymen." And from Jack Rabid of Big Takeover magazine: "The Sound? Just one of the finest bands of the 1980s."[11]
Shortly before Adrian Borland's death, The Sound's back catalog was remastered and reissued by Renascent Records, a label which was originally founded to perform solely that task.[7] (Thunder Up is the band's only studio album to not see reissue by Renascent.) In June 2006, members of notable British bands held a concert called "The Sound of Adrian Borland;" various guest singers who had been close friends with Borland (such as Mark Burgess of The Chameleons) filled in on vocals.[12]
There is a biography of Adrian Borland, entitled (The Book of) Happy Memories.[13] In 2001, a tribute album titled In Passing – A Tribute to Adrian Borland and The Sound was released.[14] Another tribute album is forthcoming, titled There Must Be a Hole In Your Memory.[15]
