Electric Love Muffin

Last updated

Electric Love Muffin was a Philadelphia-based hard rocking quartet of the late 1980s that spiked the melodic thrash-pop of The Replacements, Soul Asylum and other indie bands of the period with touches of country/western, classic rock and progressive rock.

History

Electric Love Muffin quickly became a club and college radio favorite in Philadelphia and beyond. The band released two full albums, Playdoh Meathook (1987) and Rassafranna (1989), plus an EP, Second Third Time Around (1990). [1] While the band's original songs won raves from critics, imaginative covers of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and the '60s chestnut "Venus" (then best known for Bananarama's version) were highlights of the live set.

A combination of bad management and bad timing--Nirvana, building on some of the same musical antecedents, would become superstars just 18 months after the Muffin disbanded in spring 1990—kept Electric Love Muffin from the acclaim their fans believed was their due. Even so, their music and live performances remain the stuff of legend, [2] and occasional reunions over the subsequent decade and a half after their breakup thrilled Philadelphia club audiences. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Light Orchestra</span> English rock band

The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical arrangements and futuristic iconography. After Wood's departure in 1972, Lynne became the band's sole leader, arranging and producing every album while writing nearly all of their original material. For their initial tenure, Lynne, Bevan and keyboardist Richard Tandy were the group's only consistent members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Lynne</span> British musician

Jeffrey Lynne is an English singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of ELO, including "Evil Woman", "Livin' Thing", "Telephone Line", "Mr. Blue Sky", "Don't Bring Me Down", and "Hold On Tight".

X (American band) American punk rock band

X is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles. The original members are vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D. J. Bonebrake. The band released seven studio albums from 1980 to 1993. After a period of inactivity during the mid-to-late 1990s, X reunited in the early 2000s, and currently tours, as of 2022.

Bad Brains American rock band

Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk, heavy metal, hip hop, and soul. Rolling Stone magazine called them "the mother of all black hard-rock bands", and they have been cited as a seminal influence to numerous subgenres of heavy metal, including thrash/speed metal, alternative metal, funk metal and rap/nu metal. Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.

The Cult British rock band

The Cult are an English rock band formed in 1983 in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead singer Ian Astbury's previous band Southern Death Cult. They gained a dedicated following in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s as a post-punk/gothic rock band, with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking into the mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s establishing themselves as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love Removal Machine". Since its initial formation in 1983, the band have had various line-ups; the longest-serving members are Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, who are also the band's two songwriters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall & Oates</span> American pop rock duo

Daryl Hall and John Oates are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two write most of the songs they perform, separately or in collaboration. They achieved their greatest fame from the mid-1970s to the late-1980s with a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The B-52's</span> American rock band

The B-52s are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band also added various members for albums and live performances.

Paul Rodgers British-Canadian singer

Paul Rodgers is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and collaborated with the remaining active members of Queen under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers. A poll in Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 55 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2011 Rodgers received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Astbury</span> British singer

Ian Robert Astbury is an English singer, best known as a founding member, lead vocalist and frontman of the rock band the Cult. During various hiatuses from the Cult, Astbury has fronted the short-lived Holy Barbarians in 1996, and later from 2002–2007 served as the lead singer of Riders on the Storm, a Doors tribute band that also featured Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger from the original Doors. He replaced Rob Tyner during an MC5 reunion in 2003, as well as appearing on several one-off guest vocal performances on other artist's songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Jett</span> American rock musician

Joan Jett is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and performing with the Runaways, which recorded and released the hit song "Cherry Bomb". With The Blackhearts, Jett is known for her rendition of the song "I Love Rock 'n Roll" which was number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1982. Jett's other notable songs include "Bad Reputation", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and her covers of "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me " and "Dirty Deeds".

The Gun Club American rock band

The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. Created and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce, they were notable as one of the first bands in the punk rock subculture to incorporate influences from blues, rockabilly, and country music. The Gun Club has been called a "tribal psychobilly blues" band, as well as initiators of the punk blues sound and cowpunk - "He (Pierce) took Robert Johnson and pre-war acoustic blues and 'punkified' it. Up until then bands were drawing on Iggy & The Stooges and the New York Dolls but he took it back so much further for inspiration."

The Hooters American rock band

The Hooters are an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The band combines elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music to create its sound.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Australian rock band

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, guitarist George Vjestica, keyboardist/percussionist Toby Dammit and drummers Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos. Described as "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and onward", they have released seventeen studio albums and completed numerous international tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinderella (band)</span> American glam metal band

Cinderella was an American rock band formed in 1983 in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum studio albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation and popularity. Cinderella initially had a heavy metal and glam metal sound throughout the late 1980s before shifting into a more blues rock-based sound during the early to mid 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla (band)</span> American rock band

Tesla is an American rock band from Sacramento, California. In late 1981, bassist Brian Wheat and guitarist Frank Hannon formed a band named City Kidd, which evolved into Tesla. By 1984, vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarist Tommy Skeoch, and drummer Troy Luccketta had joined the band, forming their classic lineup that appeared on all of the albums and live shows during their initial run. The band adopted the Tesla moniker shortly before recording their first album, as another band with a similar name already existed.

C. J. Ramone American musician

Christopher Joseph Ward, better known as C. J. Ramone, is an American musician best known for working as the bassist, backing and occasional lead vocalist of the punk rock group the Ramones from 1989 to 1996. He is one of the four surviving members of the Ramones, along with three of their drummers, Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone, and Elvis Ramone.

Love in an Elevator 1989 single by Aerosmith

"Love in an Elevator" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith, written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. It was released in August 1989 as the lead single from their third album with Geffen Records, Pump, released in September. It peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The RIAA certified it gold.

Conway Savage Australian musician (1960–2018)

Conway Victor Savage was an Australian rock musician.

Album of the Year Tour 1997–98 concert tour by Faith No More

The Album of the Year Tour was a concert tour by San Francisco band Faith No More, in support of their 1997 release Album of the Year. It was Faith No More's final tour before their original breakup in April 1998. Only 32 of the dates were in their native North America, due to the band's greater popularity overseas at the time.

References

  1. Kot, Greg (June 8, 1989). "Electric Love Muffin Rassafranna (Restless)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  2. Quirk, Tim (October 21, 2016). "'Down Easy,' Electric Love Muffin". Five Star Songs. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. Sweeney, Joey (October 23, 2002). "That Dirty Lowdown". Philadelphia Weekly . Retrieved September 9, 2017.