The Names (band)
| The Names | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Passengers |
| Origin | Brussels, Belgium |
| Genres | Post-punk |
| Years active | 1978–c.1984, 2007–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | Jazz |
| Website |
thenames |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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The Names are a post-punk band from Brussels (Belgium), formed in 1978 around bassist, vocalist and songwriter Michel Sordinia.
History
The early lineup of the band featured Sordinia, guitarist Marc Deprez, and drummer/keyboard player Christophe Den Tandt, with Robert Frankson and singer Isabelle Hanrez also briefly being members.[1][2] After local gigs as The Passengers, they changed their name in time for their debut single, "Spectators of Life", released by WEA in 1979 to test the market for home-grown new wave music.
The band were keen to sign to a British label, and connected with Factory Records at a Joy Division gig at the Plan K venue in Brussels.[2] The Names recorded "Nightshift" in Manchester in August 1980, with producer Martin Hannett, now with drummer Luc Capelle in the band.[1] The single was representative of their overall sound: dark, controlled modern rock in the mould of Magazine, Comsat Angels and Joy Division/early New Order. It peaked at number 35 on the UK Indie Chart.[3] In February 1982 the band recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show.[4]
The Names enjoyed a long and rewarding relationship with mercurial producer Hannett, who also oversaw their next single "Calcutta" (Factory Benelux, 1981) and debut album Swimming (Les Disques du Crepuscule, 1982; reissued several times since).[2] A motorcycle accident for Capelle saw Michel Silverstein step in as a replacement while he recovered.[2]
The group played live mostly in the Benelux countries and France, including the ambitious Les Disques du Crepuscule multimedia package Dialogue North-South in February 1982. The group had also been booked to appear in Manchester in July 1980 as support to A Certain Ratio at the Beach Club. When The Names were delayed, New Order stepped in for their first live performance after the end of Joy Division.
A final Names single, "The Astronaut", appeared in 1982,[1] again produced by Hannett, who had by then parted from Factory Records amidst some acrimony. However the post-punk era was ending, and the band split.[1]
In 1995 the original core trio of Sordinia, Deprez and Den Tandt reunited under the name Jazz, recording one self-released album, Nightvision.[2]
In December 2007 The Names reunited for A Factory Night (once again) at the Plan K. In April 2009 they released a new album, Monsters Next Door, on the Str8line label.[5] Christophe Den Tandt left the band in December 2009 and was replaced by Christophe Boulenger. Since then, The Names have appeared live in Italy and France.
Discography
Albums
- Swimming (LP, Les Disques du Crépuscule TWI-065, 1982)[6]
- Discovery (4:19) / Floating World (2:52) / The Fire (3:39) / Life by the Sea (4:50) / White Shadow (5:08) // (This Is) Harmony (5:41) / Shanghai Gesture (5:11) / Leave Her to Heaven (4:48) / Light (4:20)
- Swimming + Singles (CD, Factory Benelux FBN-9-CD, 1991)[7]
- this version reissued 2000 on LTM Recordings LTMCD-2324[8]
- Monsters Next Door (CD, Str8line S8L-TN01/7, April 2009)[9]
- I Am a Stranger Here Myself (3:09) / Flesh Wounds (5:27) / I Liked You Better When You Were Dead (5:33) / Friendly Fire (7:58) / Welcome to Your Real Life (4:23) / Halloween in June (3:08) / Zeroes (5:27) / Never Change (4:54) / Traces (3:39) / Arcadia (5:19) / Dreamless (4:39) / In Time (5:39)
- Swimming (CD, Factory Benelux FBN-9-CD, 2013)[10]
- Discovery / Floating World / The Fire / Life by the Sea / White Shadow / Harmony / Shanghaï Gesture / Leave Her to Heaven / Light / Calcutta / Postcards / Nightshift / Discovery (Peel Session) / Life by the Sea (Peel Session) / (This Is) Harmony (Peel Session) / Shanghaï Gesture (Peel Session)
- Swimming (2×LP, Factory Benelux FBN-9, 2013)[11]
- Discovery / Floating World / The Fire / Life by the Sea / White Shadow / Nocturne // Harmony / Shanghaï Gesture / Leave Her to Heaven / Light /// Music For Someone / Calcutta / Nightshift / The Astronaut / Spectators of Life // Discovery (Peel Session) / Life by the Sea (Peel Session) / (This Is) Harmony (Peel Session) / Shanghaï Gesture (Peel Session)
- Compilations
- Postcard Views (cassette, LTM Recordings, November 1985)[12]
- Spectators of Life (CD, LTM Recordings LTMCD-2320, 2001)[13]
- Spectators of Life (3:01) / White Life (3:03) / The Drive (1:58) /Nothing to Fear (5:32) / Foreign Rendezvous (4:27) / Actually (4:02) / Memories (3:55) / Nightshift (3:20) / Mirrors (3:04) / Questions and Answers (3:12) / I Wish I Could Speak Your Language (4:52) / Other Enquiries (3:19) / Burn (4:06) / Tokyo Twilight (3:46) / Shining Hours (4:52) / Revenge (4:35) / Virtual (5:06) / I'm In Love With a German Film Star (4:47) / Ballade a Tervuren (2:09)
- In Time (CD, Factory Benelux FBN 114 CD, 2014) [14]
- Flesh Wounds / Halloween In June (feat Isabelle Antena) / I Am The Rain / This Teflon Skin / The Tether Ends Here / Wild World / Swimming / Zeroes / Friendly Fire / The Fall / In Time
Singles, EPs
- Spectators of Life (2:55) // White Life (3:00) / The Drive (1:55) (7"/12", WEA/Celluloid, 1979)[15]
- Night Shift / I Wish I Could Speak Your Language (7", Factory FAC-29, January 1981)[16]
- Calcutta (3:02) / Postcards (3:43) (7", Factory Benelux FBN-9, 1982)[17]
- Soul Kitchen (4:25) / Revenge (4:37) (7"/12", Crammed Discs CRAM-5457/CRAM-54512, 1981)[18]
- released as By Chance
- The Astronaut // Shining Hours / Revenge (12", Les Disques du Crépuscule TWI-111, 1982)[19]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, pp. 434-5
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Kellman, Andy "The Names Biohgraphy", Allmusic. Retrieved 25 March 2013
- ↑ Lazell, Barry (1998) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-95172-069-4, p. 157
- ↑ Garner, Ken (1993) In Session Tonight, BBC Books, ISBN 0-563-36452-1, p. 275
- ↑ Kalonji, Tshinza (2009) "The Names, The Breath Of Life et une ribambelle de souvenirs", L'Essentiel, 4 October 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2013
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Swimming/release/897174
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Swimming-Singles/release/536280
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Swimming-Singles/release/883388
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Monsters-Next-Door/release/1747138
- ↑ http://news.cerysmaticfactory.info/2012/11/the-names-swimming-fbn-9-cd.html
- ↑ http://news.cerysmaticfactory.info/2012/11/the-names-swimming-double-vinyl-fbn-9.html
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Postcard-Views/release/2343794
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Spectators-Of-Life/release/1174085
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-In-Time/release/5420983
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Spectators-Of-Life/master/11042
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Night-Shift/release/388003
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-Calcutta-Postcards/master/11046
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/By-Chance-Soul-Kitchen-Revenge/release/697119
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Names-The-Astronaut/release/193205
External links
- Official website
- The Names biography (LTM)
- The Names discography (LTM)