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Alan Gill | |
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| Origin | Thingwall, Wirral Peninsula, England |
| Genres | Punk rock, synthpop, post-punk, new wave, psychedelia |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | Mid-1970s–present |
Alan David Gill [1] is an English vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, who formed part of the synthpop band Dalek I Love You and the post-punk/neo-psychedelic band the Teardrop Explodes.
Living in Thingwall, Wirral, [2] he formed alongside Keith Hartley, Karl Simms and twins drummer Cadwalader a band called Mr. McKenzie. Their first gig at St Hughes hall in Birkenhead with David Balfe joining later.
In November 1976, with the onset of punk rock, the band changed their name to Radio Blank, with Stephen Brick joining on drums. The band played punk and R&B songs as well as covers like "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks and "Peaches" by the Stranglers, but Gill and Balfe changed their musical views, dissolving the band to go in a far more experimental direction.
Gill and Balfe next founded the experimental band Dalek I Love You in December 1977, along with David Hughes and Chris Teepee.
Gill was also an influential member of the Teardrop Explodes, playing lead guitar and co-writing their biggest hit "Reward" with frontman Julian Cope, which reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart. Gill performed on their 1980 gold-selling album Kilimanjaro . He was an influence on Cope, as documented in the latter's 1994 autobiography Head On, in which Cope described Gill as his "guru", turning him from "tense to loose to slack in three months". Gill introduced Cope to LSD before leaving the band to concentrate on Dalek I Love You.
After Dalek I Love You released their final album, Gill turned to film scoring, most notably for the 1985 film Letter to Brezhnev in which he worked with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1985, Gill also formed the cassette-only Bop-a-dub label, which released the Dalek I Love You album Naïve. In 1991, Gill scored the film Blonde Fist . Also that year, Gill acted as engineer for legendary British folk musician Davey Graham. Part of Graham's album Playing in Traffic was recorded at Gill's studio in Raby Mere, Wirral. Around this time Gill became disillusioned with the hard-edged music business and retreated from the music scene completely, notably not picking up a guitar for 15 years.
Gill's band inspired the title of Dalek I Love You , a radio drama which premiered on the British digital radio station BBC Radio 7 on 11 February 2006. The story centred on a man obsessed with Doctor Who who falls in love at a science fiction convention. The band also inspired the title of Dalek I Loved You, an autobiography by the journalist Nick Griffiths about his life as a Doctor Who fan, published in 2007.
In 2009, a Dalek I Love You track, "The World", was featured on the soundtrack to the film Awaydays . Gill's guitar, painted by himself in a tribal style, is played by main protagonist Elvis in one scene. In 2010, Gill, along with Balfe and Gary Dwyer (minus Cope), picked up a Mojo "inspiration" award for the Teardrop Explodes at the MOJO Awards in London. Afterward, Gill immersed himself in music again and embarked on a new band project called the Most High, [3] with Simon Walthew (bass), Ikem Washner (drums) and Phil Channell (keyboards and flute).
Big in Japan were a punk band that emerged from Liverpool, England in the late 1970s. They are better known for the later successes of their band members than for their own music.
Julian David Cope is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band The Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side projects such as Queen Elizabeth, Brain Donor and Black Sheep.
The Crucial Three were a short-lived band that existed for approximately six weeks in early 1977. They are nevertheless notable on account of the individual success of all three founding members: Julian Cope formed The Teardrop Explodes and has enjoyed a long and successful solo career as an author, photographer and singer, Ian McCulloch formed the very successful Echo & the Bunnymen, while guitarist Pete Wylie formed Wah! Heat and enjoyed major chart success with "The Story of the Blues". In those early days, McCulloch sang, Cope played bass, and Wylie played guitar. A drummer, Stephen Spence, also joined at some point in their brief life.
Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in Merseyside, England. The village is situated approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) to the south west of Birkenhead and 3 km (1.9 mi) north east of Heswall. Historically part of Cheshire, the area is within the Pensby and Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West.
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. The group also launched the career of group frontman Julian Cope as well as that of keyboard player and co-manager David Balfe. Other members included early Smiths producer Troy Tate.
Dalek I Love You were a synthpop group from the Wirral, England. At various points in their existence, the band was also known as Dalek I. Record executives at Phonogram shortened the band's name without telling them for the "Freedom Fighters" single.
Compass Kumpas was the first album from Dalek I Love You, shortened to Dalek I for this album and accompanying singles. It was released on May 24, 1980, by Back Door/Phonogram records.
David Balfe is a musician and record company executive, most notable for playing keyboards with the Teardrop Explodes, founding the Zoo and Food independent record labels, signing Blur and for being the subject of their first number one hit, "Country House".
Kilimanjaro is the debut album by the neo-psychedelic Liverpool band The Teardrop Explodes, released on 10 October 1980. It contains versions of the band's early singles – "Sleeping Gas", "Bouncing Babies", "Treason" and "When I Dream" – as well as their biggest hit, "Reward". The album also includes the song "Books" – originally a song by Julian Cope's previous band, The Crucial Three, it was also recorded by Echo & the Bunnymen. In 2000, Q magazine placed Kilimanjaro at number 95 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.
Zoo Records was a British independent record label formed by Bill Drummond and David Balfe in 1978. Zoo was launched to release the work of the perennially struggling Liverpool band Big in Japan. The label also released two singles by Lori and the Chameleons, a Balfe and Drummond band which they formed after Big in Japan folded. Zoo Records went on to release early work from The Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen. The label also released the first single, "Iggy Pop's Jacket", by the Liverpool band Those Naughty Lumps.
Wilder is the second album by neo-psychedelic Liverpool band The Teardrop Explodes, and the final completed album released by the group.
Korova was a British record label, named after the fictitious Korova Milk Bar that was featured in the film A Clockwork Orange, 'korova' also being the Russian word for 'cow'. The imprint was founded in London, England in 1979 as a division of Warner Communications' WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) record company. Korova's first album release was Echo & the Bunnymen's debut album Crocodiles, with Zoo Records' Bill Drummond and David Balfe closely involved in the project.
Troy Tate is an English musician and record producer who was a member of several bands including The Teardrop Explodes and Fashion as well as working as a solo artist, for which he is best known for the single "Love Is ..."
David Alan Hughes is an English keyboardist who played in different new wave bands, and later became successful making music for films.
Radio Blank was an English short-lived R&B and punk band formed on the Wirral Peninsula, in November 1976, by Alan Gill (guitar), Keith Hartley (vocals), David Balfe (bass) and Steven Brick (drums).
Everybody Wants to Shag... The Teardrop Explodes was the third and final studio album by neo-psychedelic Liverpool band The Teardrop Explodes. When the band reconvened to record their third album, they were reduced to the trio of Cope, Dwyer and a reinstated Balfe.
Godot was a synthpop band formed in England in November 1980, by Merseyside musicians Dave Hughes on instruments, and Keith Hartley on vocals and instruments.
Chris Shaw, also known as Chris Teepee, is an English musician from Upton on the Wirral. Shaw is a drummer, synthesizer player and guitarist who has played with various Wirral and Liverpool bands during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
"Reward" is a song by English band the Teardrop Explodes. It was released as a single in early 1981 and was the band's biggest hit, peaking at No. 6 in the UK and No. 11 in Ireland. The song was not initially included in the original 1980 UK and European releases of their debut album Kilimanjaro, but was included in the 1980 U.S. release together with the track "Suffocate". "Reward" was however added to later pressings of the album from 1981.
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