Manitoba's Wild Kingdom

Last updated
Manitoba's Wild Kingdom
Origin New York, United States
Genres Punk rock, hard rock, heavy metal
Years active1986–1991, 2008
Past members Richard Manitoba
Andy Shernoff
Daniel Rey
Ross Friedman
J.P. Patterson
Scott Kempner
Website Official Website of Manitoba's Wild Kingdom

Manitoba's Wild Kingdom were an American heavy metal and punk rock band based in New York City. They were formed in 1986, and most recently performed in 2008.

Contents

The band included members of the New York punk band The Dictators and was one of the few musical groups Sandy Pearlman ever signed to his short-lived record label, Popular Metaphysics.

History

In late 1986, former members of The Dictators, vocalist Richard Manitoba, bassist and songwriter Andy Shernoff, and guitarist Daniel Rey (Rabinowitz), producer for The Ramones, organized to form the band Wild Kingdom. The Dictators had disbanded in late 1978. The three released a cover version of the song, "New York, New York" on the 1988 soundtrack to the film, Mondo New York . [1]

They signed with Sandy Pearlman (best known for his work with Blue Öyster Cult), who had also produced albums for The Dictators, on his Pearlman's new label, Popular Metaphysics, which was formerly the San Francisco punk label, 415 Records. Soon after they began recording, Rey left the band [1] and was replaced in 1989 by guitarist Ross "The Boss" Friedman, also formerly of The Dictators. [2] The band began billing itself as Manitoba's Wild Kingdom in 1989 after Rey's departure, in shows around the New York City and New Jersey region. [3] Drummer J.P. (Thunderbolt) Patterson, who would later become a member of The Dictators, and guitarist Ron Hanley also joined Manitoba's Wild Kingdom.

Pearlman released the band's debut album, ...And You?, in 1990, on Popular Metaphysics, co-branded with MCA. [4] The album is 25 minutes long, contains ten songs, and was released in Germany, the UK, and the US on CD, LP, and cassette. All the songs were written by bass player Andy Shernoff who also produced the album. The cover of the album was controversial, in that it depicted an image from a Nazi recruiting poster from World War II. The Dictators had experienced similar provocation around their first album, Go Girl Crazy!, which contained the songs, "Master Race Rock" and "Back to Africa." Perhaps ironic was the fact that most bandmembers, of both bands, were and are Jewish. The album itself was well received. Rolling Stone calling it "the first great punk rock album of the '90s", and All Music Guide's Geoff Ginsberg called the album "amazing", and also said of it, "Twenty-five minutes of blazing, cleanly recorded punk/metal, the disc is close to perfect, if a bit short.". [3] They filmed a video for the song "The Party Starts Now!!", featuring the future Mrs. Kelsey Grammer, Camille Donatacci, [5] that received regular airplay on MTV and rose to No. 8 on its Video Countdown in the summer of 1990. The song "New York, New York" would also appear on the soundtrack album for the film Mondo New York .

The band did a club tour that year and then in 1991, rhythm guitarist Scott Kempner, formerly of both The Dictators original lineup and the Del Lords, joined the band, whereupon they became The Dictators again. [3] They reunited for their most recent performance having been at the 2008 Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, with a lineup that featured Manitoba, Shernoff, Friedman and Patterson. [6]

Their album ...And You? was re-released in 2009 on LP and CD on American Beat Records in the US. The Dictators still play songs from Manitoba's Wild Kingdom's album, and frequently open their shows with either "New York, New York" or "The Party Starts Now!!" Daniel Rey currently plays with The Martinets. [7]

Former members

Discography

All tracks are written by Andy Shernoff

...And You? (MCA Records, 1990)
No.TitleLength
1."The Party Starts Now!!"2:09
2."Haircut And Attitude"3:10
3."New York, New York"3:04
4."D.W.I."2:30
5."I Want You, Tonight!"2:38
6."Fired Up"2:50
7."The Perfect High"2:40
8."Had It Coming"2:17
9."Prototype"2:52
10."Speedball"2:12
Total length:26:28

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Ramone</span> American punk rock singer (1951–2001)

Jeffrey Ross Hyman, known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, along Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His image, voice, and tenure with the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.

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

Television was an American rock band from New York City, most notably active in the 1970s. The group's most prominent lineup consisted of Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd (guitar), Billy Ficca (drums), and Fred Smith (bass). An early fixture of CBGB and the 1970s New York rock scene, the band is considered influential in the development of punk and alternative rock.

The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross the Boss</span> American guitarist

Ross Friedman, also known as Ross the Boss, is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of both the punk band the Dictators and the heavy metal band Manowar.

Samuel Clarke "Sandy" Pearlman was an American music producer, artist manager, music journalist and critic, professor, poet, songwriter, and record company executive. He was best known for founding, writing for, producing, or co-producing many LPs by Blue Öyster Cult, as well as producing notable albums by The Clash, The Dictators, Pavlov's Dog, and Dream Syndicate; he was also the founding Vice President of eMusic.com. He was the Schulich Distinguished Professor Chair at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal, and from August 2014 held a Marshall McLuhan Centenary Fellowship at the Coach House Institute (CHI) of the University of Toronto Faculty of Information as part of the CHI's McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology.

<i>Brain Drain</i> (album) 1989 studio album by the Ramones

Brain Drain is the eleventh studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released on May 23, 1989. It is the last Ramones release to feature bassist/songwriter/vocalist Dee Dee Ramone, the first to feature Marky Ramone since his initial firing from the band after 1983's Subterranean Jungle and the band's last studio album on Sire Records. This was also the last Ramones album to be produced by Daniel Rey, until 1995's ¡Adios Amigos!. The album ends with their unlikely seasonal song "Merry Christmas ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Bouchard</span> American drummer

Albert Bouchard is an American musician. He is a founding member and the original drummer of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult and current drummer of The Dictators. He is the older brother of former Blue Öyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Manitoba</span> American singer and radio personality (born 1954)

Richard Blum, known by his stage name Handsome DickManitoba, is an American punk rock musician and radio personality. He was the singer of New York City-based band The Dictators from 1974 to 2008. With The Dictators, Manitoba sang on the albums The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (1975), Manifest Destiny (1977), Bloodbrothers (1978) and D.F.F.D. (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Shernoff</span> American rock musician

Andy Shernoff is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of The Dictators, one of the original New York punk bands, in which he wrote nearly all of the songs, played bass guitar and keyboards, and sang backing vocals and occasional leads. He has been involved with a variety of other musical projects, most notably the heavily Dictators-populated Manitoba's Wild Kingdom and Joey Ramone's first studio album, Don't Worry About Me. He additionally co-wrote four Ramones songs with Joey.

Fabienne Shine is a French musician. She was raised in Paris.

Daniel Rey is an American musician, record producer and songwriter from New York City, best known for his work with the punk rock band Ramones.

<i>The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!</i> 1975 studio album by The Dictators

The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! is the debut album by American punk rock band The Dictators. It was released in March 1975 and is considered one of the first examples of punk rock.

Scott "Top Ten" Kempner was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos.

<i>Manifest Destiny</i> (The Dictators album) 1977 studio album by the Dictators

Manifest Destiny is the second album by the Dictators and their first after switching to the Asylum label.

Adrenalin O.D. was an American hardcore punk band from New Jersey that existed from 1981 to 1990. They were best known for playing fast-paced music accompanied with humorous lyrics.

Popular Metaphysics was a record label created by Sandy Pearlman in Studio C of the Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco in 1989. The label was short lived, but it signed a few solid acts and released their records on the MCA label, including Love Club (1990), Manitoba's Wild Kingdom(1990), and World Entertainment War (1991).

<i>Bloodbrothers</i> (album) 1978 studio album by the Dictators

Bloodbrothers is the third album by the Dictators, and their second after switching to the Asylum label. "Faster and Louder" features an uncredited guest appearance from Bruce Springsteen.

The Cyclones were a rock and roll band that helped pioneer the new wave music scene that erupted in the New York City area during the late 70s, early 80s. A female fronted trio, they began as a rockabilly cover band, became an original group in 78/79 which lasted until 1984. Original members included Dan Reich on drums and Walter Sczesny on bass. The group came into its own with addition of singer/guitarist/songwriter Donna Esposito. After a few transitions on bass guitar, the band's stable lineup was complete in late 79/ early 1980 with the addition of Marc Seligman.

<i>...Ya Know?</i> 2012 studio album by Joey Ramone

...Ya Know? is the second and final solo album by Joey Ramone. It was released posthumously on May 22, 2012, by BMG. The album features producers Ed Stasium, Jean Beauvoir, Daniel Rey, Joey's brother Mickey Leigh and Joe Blaney. Musicians include Joan Jett, Steven Van Zandt, Richie Ramone, Holly Beth Vincent, Genya Ravan, members of Cheap Trick and the Dictators and Mickey Leigh.

<i>Lovers Who Wander</i> (The Del-Lords album) 1990 studio album by The Del-Lords

Lovers Who Wander is the fourth studio album by the Del-Lords, released in 1990 through Enigma Records. The band supported the album with a North American tour. The album title comes from a Dion song.

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Manitoba's Wild Kingdom Biography". Manitobaswildkingdom.com. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  2. ↑ "Last FM: Manitoba's Wild Kingdom". Last.fm. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  3. 1 2 3 Ginsberg, Geoff. "All Music Guide: Manitoba's Wild Kingdom Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  4. ↑ "Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, And You?". Discogs . Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  5. ↑ "Poptower: Camille Grammer Biography". Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  6. ↑ "Official Manitoba's Wild Kingdom Info". Manitobaswildkingdom.com. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  7. ↑ "MySpace page for The Martinets". Myspace.com. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.