For the self-titled album by the same band, see Elastica (album). For the theory relating to large-scale deformations of elastic structures, see Elastica theory.
Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music.[2] The band's members changed several times, with Frischmann and Welch being the only members who remained in Elastica from its formation to its dissolution.
Elastica quickly rose to prominence after the release of their debut single "Stutter" in November 1993, and the band's next three singles charted in the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. Their debut album Elastica (1995) was an immediate success and broke records for the fastest-selling debut album in the UK; the album also found success in the United States and produced the band's highest-charting US Hot 100 hit, "Connection". However, the band would later find itself in controversy over accusations of plagiarism, which were settled out-of-court.
Development on a follow-up album languished due to interpersonal disputes, line-up changes and Frischmann's heroin addiction during the late 1990s. In 2000, Elastica released their second album, The Menace, which was less well received critically or commercially. After struggling to come up with new material for a third album, the band amicably broke up in October 2001.[3]
History
In mid-1992, ex-Suede band members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch decided to form a group. By autumn of that year, bassist Annie Holland and guitarist Donna Matthews were added. After initially gigging under names such as "Onk", they settled on the name "Elastica" in October 1992. They released their first single, "Stutter", in October 1993, which benefited from the promotional efforts of BBC Radio 1 DJ and Deceptive Records label boss Steve Lamacq, who discovered the band earlier that year. In 1994, they released two UK Top 20 singles, "Line Up" and "Connection", and performed on numerous radio shows. Frischmann's relationship with Blur frontman Damon Albarn made tabloid headlines.[4]
The band became subject to controversy when several publishers sued them for plagiarism claiming that many of their melodies were taken from compositions by the art punk band Wire (whom they counted as one of their main influences), and the Stranglers, who had shared the same London rehearsal studios with Elastica in 1994.[7] Notably, Wire's "I Am the Fly" has a chorus similar to Elastica's "Line Up" and the intro synthesizer part in Elastica's "Connection" (later also repeated on guitar) is lifted from the guitar riff in Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba" and transposed a semitone, while "Waking Up" bore a marked resemblance to the Stranglers' song "No More Heroes". The disputes were resolved by out-of-court settlements.[4][5]
One of the members of The Stranglers, JJ Burnel, later said, "Yes, it sounds like us, but so what? Of course there's plagiarism, but unless you live in a vacuum there's always going to be. It's the first thing our publishers have done for us in 20 years, but if it had been up to me, I wouldn't have bothered."[8] Another member of The Stranglers, Jet Black, even thanked Elastica in Melody Maker for bringing attention to his old band.[9]
The mid-1990s saw Elastica release music in the USA. "Stutter" and "Connection" received airplay on modern rock radio and both charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at numbers 67 and 53 respectively; their debut album also charted and was later certified gold. After performing at the 1995 Glastonbury Festival, the band joined the Lollapalooza tour continuing an almost solid year of constant gigs where they toured North America four times.[5] Citing exhaustion, Annie Holland quit the band in early August 1995 and was replaced for the remainder of the tour by session bassist Abby Travis. Holland was not permanently replaced until the arrival of Sheila Chipperfield in the spring of 1996. Around this time, keyboardist David Bush (ex-the Fall) was added to the line-up.[4]
After playing more shows and demoing new material in the first half of 1996, Elastica entered the studio in the later part of the year to begin work on their second album. By late 1998 Matthews had left the band. She was replaced by guitarist Paul Jones (of the band Linoleum) and keyboardist Mew. Around this time, Chipperfield was replaced by the returning Annie Holland.[4]
As a tribute to the "lost years" of the band, a self-titled six-track EP appeared in August 1999, collecting a variety of recordings from a multitude of aborted sessions. This EP marked the first new material from the band in over four years. After re-recording most of these songs in mid-1999, along with new compositions, the band played their first set of shows in years. In November 1999, Elastica parted ways with their international distributor Geffen after their US distributor DGC was merged into Geffen/Interscope amidst a label shakeup,[10] and the band subsequently signed with Atlantic Records.[11] Their second proper album, The Menace, was released in April 2000; it was significantly less critically and commercially successful than the band's debut album. In February 2001, Deceptive Records closed down due to financial struggles and Atlantic Records dropped the band soon after due to poor sales, leaving the band without any record label.[12][13] In October 2001, following fruitless sessions for an intended third Elastica album, the band announced their amicable break-up, owing to exhaustion from touring and disappointing sales of The Menace.[14] The band's farewell single, "The Bitch Don't Work", was released by Wichita Recordings in November 2001.[15]
On 21 January 2017, the band's official Facebook page posted photos featuring three-quarters of the original line-up – Matthews, Holland and Welch – during a visit to Abbey Road Studios in London. They were working on a remaster of their debut Elastica with Mastering engineer Sean McGee. Frischmann also worked on the remaster.[23] The record was reissued in April on Record Store Day.[24]
Republica are an English alternative rock band formed in 1994. They reached the height of their popularity from 1996 to 1999. The band went on hiatus in 2001 and reunited in 2008.
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Elastica is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Elastica. It was released in March 1995 through Deceptive Records in the UK and DCG/Geffen Records internationally. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This is the only album to feature the original line-up, and guitarist Donna Matthews.
Justine Elinor Frischmann is an English artist and retired musician. After forming Suede, she co-founded the Britpop band Elastica before retiring from the music industry and pursuing a career as an artist.
Alisha's Attic were an English pop duo of the 1990s and early 2000s. The two members were sisters Shelly and Karen Poole, born in Barking and Chadwell Heath respectively. Their father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.
"Stutter" is the debut single by the Britpop group Elastica and was written by lead singer Justine Frischmann. It was originally released as a single in the UK in November 1993 and in the US in September 1994. The song was later included on the band's 1995 self-titled debut album. The single, which received positive reviews from critics, charted in the US and Canada.
Andrew Roachford is a British singer-songwriter and the main force behind the band Roachford, who scored their first success in 1989 with the hits "Cuddly Toy" and "Family Man". He has also had a successful solo career.
Justin Steven Welch is an English musician, best known as the drummer in Elastica, Suede, and later the drummer in Lush. Welch is currently the drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Donna Lorraine Matthews is a Welsh musician who was the lead guitarist of the Britpop band Elastica.
Annabel "Annie" Holland is a British musician. She is best known as the bass guitarist and co-founder of the Britpop band Elastica.
English group Bananarama have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, 16 compilation albums, two extended plays, 51 singles and four video albums.
The Menace is the second and final studio album by English rock band Elastica, released in the UK via Deceptive Records on 3 April 2000, and internationally on 22 August 2000 through Atlantic Records.
English electronic music group the Prodigy has released seven studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, one mix album, three extended plays, twenty-one singles, and twenty-two music videos. Hailed as pioneers of genres such as rave, techno, and big beat, the group have sold over 20 million albums worldwide. As of 9 November 2018 their UK album sales stood at 4,707,982.
The Radio One Sessions is a compilation of BBC Radio One sessions recorded by Britpop group Elastica. The album is notable for the appearance of several songs not included on any other Elastica release.
When released in 1999, Elastica's 6 Track EP was the first new material issued by the band since the B-Sides from the Car Song single from 1996. According to bandleader Justine Frischmann the EP represented more of a document of what the band was up to during the interim rather than a return to form: "The material has been chosen to allow people to hear rarities and demos which reflect all stages of the bands recording between 1996 and 1999. The EP is certainly not intended to be some big comeback record." Indeed, several of the songs would later find themselves on their second album The Menace (2000) although in more polished form.
The discography of the English alternative rock band Suede consists of nine studio albums, four compilation albums, five video albums and over twenty singles. Suede were formed in 1989 by singer Brett Anderson, bassist Mat Osman and guitarist Justine Frischmann. Guitarist Bernard Butler later joined after the group responded to an ad in the Melody Maker. The group played as a four-piece with a drum machine until drummer Simon Gilbert joined. Frischmann left before the group released any material.
"Waking Up" is a song by Britpop group Elastica. It was released as a single in February 1995 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It preceded the release of their self-titled debut album, which came out the following month.
"Car Song" is a song by the Britpop group Elastica. It was originally released in 1995 on the band's self-titled debut album. It was released as a single in North America and Australia in January 1996 but was never issued in the UK.
"Line Up" is a song by English rock band Elastica, released on 31 January 1994 as the second single from their eponymous debut album. It spent three weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 20 on 12 February 1994.
Top 100 peaks, except "Stutter": "Official Charts > Elastica". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2019. N.B. This site displays 'compressed' chart peaks (exclusion rules applied) for positions 76–100. This site does not display positions 76–100 between 13 April 1991 and 30 January 1994 inclusive.
Top 100 peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdfed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p.91.
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