Ed Ball (musician)

Ed Ball

Edward Ball in concert, 2007.
Background information
Born (1959-11-23) 23 November 1959
Origin Chelsea, London, England
Genres Post-punk, indie pop, dance
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Years active 1977–present
Labels Creation Records
Associated acts Television Personalities
'O' Level
Teenage Filmstars
The Times
Love Corporation
Conspiracy of Noise
Website Edward Ball

Edward "Ed" Ball (born 23 November 1959)[1] is a songwriter, singer, guitarist and keyboard player from London, who has recorded both solo and as a member of the Television Personalities, 'O' Level, Teenage Filmstars, The Times, and Conspiracy of Noise. He also served as an executive at Creation Records. He was born and brought up in Chelsea, London.[2]

Biography

Television Personalities

In 1977, singer/songwriter Ball and fellow London Oratory school-friend Dan Treacy formed the Television Personalities.[1] Ball also formed 'O' Level with John Bennett, Gerard Bennett, and Dick Scully, releasing two singles in 1978.[1] In 1979, he recorded as the Teenage Filmstars, along with fellow members of the Television Personalities, releasing three singles between 1979 and 1980.[1] Ball and Treacy (Foster left the band prior to the recording of any material under the Television Personalities name) released And Don't the Kids Just Love It (1980) for Rough Trade Records. Following a brief parting with Rough Trade, they launched their own label Whaam! records with Mummy Your Not Watching Me (1981), They Could Have Been Bigger Than the Beatles (1982) and And Don't the Kids Just Love It. The Whaam! record label was later renamed Dreamworld following a legal dispute with George Michael[3] Ball, meanwhile, had formed a more permanent outlet for his music in 1981 with The Times, releasing the Pop Goes Art! album in 1982, and leaving the TV Personalities the same year, although he later returned in 2004, appearing on the album My Dark Places (Domino Records, 2005) and on parts of the albums And They All Lived Happily Ever After (Damaged Goods, 2004) and Are We Nearly There Yet? (Overground, 2007).

The Times

On leaving the Television Personalities, Ball concentrated on The Times, a band with an ever-changing line-up in which he remained the only constant member. Following Pop Goes Art!, from 1982 to 1986 the band released four further albums / mini-albums on Ball's own Artpop label.[1] In 1986 Ball dissolved The Times to become an executive at Creation Records; however, in 1988 he began to release new material under the Times name, starting with the album Beat Torture. Three albums were also released by Ball under the name of the Teenage Filmstars (although the other members of the original Teenage Filmstars were not involved in any way), Star (1992), Rocket Charms (1993) and Buy Our Record Support Our Sickness (1995).

In 2005, Ball reactivated his Artpop! label through Cherry Red, debuting with Here's To Old England!, a three-decade anthology of his work as The Times, Teenage Filmstars and 'O' Level. This was followed by comprehensive reissues of This Is London (2006) and I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (2006). The series continues late May 2007 with O' Level 1977 – 1980 compilation, A Day in the Life of Gilbert & George and The Times' first recorded album, GO! With The Times!.

Solo career

Ball's first solo release credited as such was the L'Orange Mechanik album in 1989, featuring music inspired by the poems of Edgar Allan Poe. As a side-project to The Times, Ball began releasing dance music records as the Love Corporation in 1990. Between 1990 and 1997, he released four albums under this name on Creation.[1] He also collaborated with Richard Green as Sand on the 1991 album The Dynamic Curve, and with Phil Vane of Extreme Noise Terror as Conspiracy of Noise on the 1993 album Chicks with Dicks and Splatter Flicks.[1] In 1995 Creation Records issued a two-disc compilation of Ball's material, Welcome to the Wonderful World of Ed Ball, covering all his material other than that released with the Television Personalities. Two albums of solo material were released to coincide with it, If a Man Ever Loved a Woman (1995) and Catholic Guilt (1997), followed by Why Do I Need A Gun I'm Chelsea (1999). For the first time on any of his projects, Ball received proper promotion for Catholic Guilt, which reaped two UK Top 75 chart singles, "The Mill Hill Self Hate Club" and "Love Is Blue".[4] Following the collapse of Creation in 1999 Ball was not signed to any other label and disappeared from the public gaze,[5] to concentrate on experimental film documentaries about Simon Fisher Turner and London.[6] In 2004 Ball rejoined the Television Personalities,[7] and continues to play occasional shows under the name of The Times. He also works with singer/songwriter Misty Woods, although this collaboration has yet to result in any released recordings.

Discography

with Television Personalities

Albums

Singles, EPs

with O-Level

see 'O' Level Discography

with Teenage Filmstars

see Teenage Filmstars Discography

with The Times

see The Times Discography

as Love Corporation

Albums

Singles

with Sand

with Conspiracy of Noise

Solo

Studio albums

"It's Kinda Lonely Where I Am" (acoustic) / "Firehorse" / "If A Man Ever Loved A Woman" / "She's Just High Maintenance, Baby" / "The Arizona Loner" / "You Only Miss Me When I'm Bleeding" / "The Ballad of a Lonely Man" / "A Ton of Blues" / "You're An Idiot Babe" / "It's Kinda Lonely Where I Am"
"The Mill Hill Self Hate Club" / "Love Is Blue" / "Docklands Blues" / "Controversial Girlfriend" / "The Hampstead Therapist" / "Tilt" / "Trailblaze" / "Never Live To Love Again" / "This Is The Story of My Love" / "This Is Real"
"The Other Side of Love Is Guilt" / "For The Souls of Dead Horses" / "Never Live To Love Again" / "Bled A River Over You" / "So Sad But True" / "Docklands Blues" / "Ma Blues" / "Another Member of the Mill Hill Self Hate Club" / "If A Man Ever Loved A Woman" / "12 Noon 28.8.93" / "When You Lose Your Lover Learn To Lose" / "Love Is Blue"* / "I'm Going Out of Your Mind" / "Blues For Brian Wilson" / "Wrapped Up in Lonesome Blues" / "An Act of Faith" / "Mill Hill Self Hate Club"*
* From Mark Radcliffe BBC Radio One Session

Compilations

Singles & EPs

"If A Man Ever Loved A Woman" / "Firehorse Blues" / "12 Noon 28.8.93" / "United States of Loneliness"
"It's Kinda Lonely Where I Am" / "Docklands Blues" / "Another Member of the Mill Hill Self Hate Club" / "Bled A River Over You"
"The Mill Hill Self Hate Club" / "Wrapped Up in Lonesome Blues" / "I'm Going Out of Your Mind" / "An Act of Faith"
"Trailblaze" / "The Other Side of Love Is Guilt" / "Blues For Brian Wilson"
"Love Is Blue" / "When You Lose Your Lover Learn To Lose" / "Mill Hill Self Hate Club"* / "Love Is Blue"*
* Mark Radcliffe session
"The Mill Hill Self Hate Club" / "For The Souls of Dead Horses" / "Ma Blues" / "Never Live To Love Again"
A: Ed Ball – "Never Live to Love Again" / AA: 18 Wheeler – "Ballad of Paul Verlaine"

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 9-11
  2. ↑ "Edward Ball Answers Our Questions of Doom!". Poptones. 6 October 2005. Archived from the original on 29 September 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  3. ↑ Robbins, Ira. "Television Personalities". Trouser Press. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  4. ↑ "Edward Ball", Chart Stats, retrieved 24 October 2010
  5. ↑ Mason, Stewart. "Edward Ball". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  6. ↑ "ArTpOp! Films". ArTpop! Films on YouTube. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
  7. ↑ "History of the Television Personalities". A Day in Heaven. Retrieved 29 March 2007.


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