Boney M. are a German vocal group that specialize in disco and funk, created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1976 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with differing personnel.
Genesis are an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, in 1967. The band's longest-existing and most commercially successful line-up consisted of keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. In the 1970s, during which the band also included singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett, Genesis were among the pioneers of progressive rock.
Blondie is an American rock band founded in 1974 in New York City by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York City. Its first two albums contained strong elements of punk and new wave, and although highly successful in the UK and Australia, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the U.S. until the release of Parallel Lines in 1978. Over the next four years, the band released several hit singles including "Dreaming", "One Way or Another", "Heart of Glass", "Call Me", "Atomic", "The Tide Is High", and "Rapture". The band became noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles, also incorporating elements of disco, pop, reggae, funk and early rap music.
Tears for Fears are a British pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wave synthesizer bands of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.
Killing Joke are an English rock band from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, formed in 1978 by Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitar) and Youth (bass).
Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the early and mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States, and around the world. In 1993, they changed their name to Babble, to reflect their change in music from pop to dub-influenced chill-out. They continued as Babble until 1996, at which point the group permanently broke up.
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their debut album The Modern Dance in 1978 and followed with several more LPs before disbanding in 1982. Thomas reformed the group in 1987, continuing to record and tour.
Doves are an English indie rock band, formed in Manchester in 1998. The band is composed of twin brothers Jez and Andy Williams, and Jimi Goodwin. Additionally, the band employs Martin Rebelski, as a touring and session musician on keyboards. The band released five studio albums between 2000 and 2020, three of which reached #1 on the UK album charts. A compilation album, The Places Between: The Best of Doves, was released in April 2010.
Wang Chung are an English new wave band, formed in London in 1980 by Nick Feldman, Jack Hues and Darren Costin. The name Wang Chung is Chinese, meaning "yellow bell" in English, and is the first note in the Chinese classical music scale. The band found their greatest success in the US, with five top 40 hits there, all charting between 1983 and 1987, including "Dance Hall Days", "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" and "Let's Go!".
Colin Edward Michael Blunstone is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the rock band the Zombies, which released four singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the United States during the 1960s: "She's Not There", "Tell Her No", "She's Coming Home" and "Time of the Season". Blunstone began his solo career in 1969, releasing three singles under a pseudonym of Neil MacArthur. Since then, he has released ten studio albums under his real name. He appears on several albums with the Alan Parsons Project and sang "Old and Wise".
After the Fire were a British rock band that evolved from playing progressive rock to new wave over ten years, while having one hit in the United States and another hit in the United Kingdom.
The discography of the British punk rock band the Clash consists of six studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums and 31 singles.
"Fire" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on the band's 1981 album, October, and it was released in July 1981 as the album's first single.
Signs of Change is a progressive rock album by After the Fire. Released 1978, after attempting to get a record contract, the band got this made themselves at a time when this was all but unheard of. What was more of interest as that it sold out its initial 2000 copy run within two weeks with little or no media publicity. The band went on to change musical direction, leaving behind most of the progressive stylistic markers and redefining themselves as new wave. With a contract from Epic they went on to more success throughout the 1980s.
Der Kommissar – The CBS Recordings is a primarily new wave music compilation album by After the Fire. Released 2005, it is essentially a reissue of the band's three album output for CBS. It is also the first time the entire collection has made it to CD, and benefits from bonus tracks associated with each of the original album recordings.
Deborah Ann Harry is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached No. 1 on the US charts between 1979 and 1981.
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and vocalist Keith Flint, dancer and occasional live keyboardist Leeroy Thornhill, dancer Sharky, and MC and vocalist Maxim. They are pioneers of the breakbeat-influenced genre big beat, and describe their style as electronic punk.
Der Kommissar is a compilation album released by the band After the Fire in 1982, featuring the new title track, an English-language cover of a minor Falco hit from earlier that year. With the exception of "Der Kommissar", the singles featured on this compilation were originally from After the Fire's three studio albums recorded for the CBS label: Laser Love, 80-F, and Batteries Not Included. In the US, the album was released simply as ATF by Epic Records on LP and audio cassette with a different track list. It had been released in 2001 on CD by Collectables Records again with a different track list. The U.K. and European CD release follows the original track list. "Der Kommissar" became the band's biggest stateside hit, cracking the top 10.
Laser Love is the second album released by UK band After the Fire. Released in 1979, the album showcased more of a new wave approach, including much shorter songs than had been featured on the band's more progressive rock-oriented debut album, Signs of Change. The band's biggest hit in the UK, "One Rule For You" is featured on this album.
"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele to the Shadows while on tour, and liking the song, the group released their own version which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks in mid-1960. The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin developed the song's distinctive echo and vibrato sound. After hearing the Shadows' version, Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released a cover of the song in November 1960 which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
