Neon | |
---|---|
Origin | Bath, England |
Genres | New wave |
Years active | 1979–1981 |
Labels | |
Spinoffs | |
Past members | Pete Byrne Rob Fisher Curt Smith Roland Orzabal Manny Elias Neil Taylor |
Neon were an English new wave band active in the early 1980s. All members went on to have successful careers in other bands, notably Naked Eyes and Tears for Fears. [1]
The band were formed in 1979 in Bath, Somerset [2] by Pete Byrne and Rob Fisher. They were then joined by Neil Taylor and Manny Elias, and then Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal as session musicians. The band's first single, "Making Waves"/"Me I See in You", was released in October 1980 on Byrne and Fisher's own label, 3D Music, followed by "Communication Without Sound"/"Remote Control" in July 1981 on Carrere UK. The band broke up in December 1981. [2]
After the split, Byrne and Fisher formed Naked Eyes [3] and found success with "Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Promises, Promises". After Naked Eyes, Byrne moved to California and did session work for other artists, while Fisher did sessions in London and later formed the duo Climie Fisher, who had hits with "Love Changes (Everything)" and "Rise to the Occasion". Fisher died on 25 August 1999 from cancer.
Smith and Orzabal formed Tears for Fears [3] and achieved great success throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, with both Elias and Taylor also playing with the band. Taylor has also been the guitarist for many other artists, including Robbie Williams and Chris de Burgh.
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. 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 early 1980s, and attained international chart success.
Elemental is the fourth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 7 June 1993 by Mercury Records. It includes the hit single "Break It Down Again". The album peaked at No. 5 in the UK and No. 45 in the US; it also reached the top 10 in France and Italy, the top 20 in Canada and the top 30 in several European countries. It has been certified Silver in the UK, and Gold in the US, Canada and France. It is the band's first album to be recorded following the departure of Curt Smith, and being the first album to be recorded solely by Roland Orzabal as official member, with the helping by additional musicians.
Naked Eyes are an English new wave band that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. The band had four US top 40 singles.
Songs from the Big Chair is the second studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram Records. The album peaked at number two in the UK and at number one in the US, becoming a multi-platinum seller and the band's most successful album to date. Songs from the Big Chair spawned the commercially successful singles "Mothers Talk", "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Head over Heels", and "I Believe".
The Hurting is the debut studio album by British new wave band Tears for Fears, released on 7 March 1983. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart in its second week of release, and was certified Gold by the BPI within three weeks of release. It reached Platinum status in January 1985. The album also entered the Top 40 in several other countries including Canada, Germany and Australia.
Curt Smith is an English-American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and co-founding member of the pop rock band Tears for Fears along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Smith plays bass guitar, has co-written several of the band's songs, and sings lead vocals on the hits "Mad World", "Pale Shelter", "Change", "The Way You Are", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", and "Advice for the Young at Heart".
Roland Orzabal is an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and author. He is best known as a co-founder of Tears for Fears, of which he is the main songwriter and joint vocalist. Orzabal has been the only constant member of the band, having appeared on every Tears for Fears studio album. He has also achieved success as a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel.
Burning Bridges is the debut studio album by English new wave band Naked Eyes, released on 16 March 1983 by EMI and EMI America Records. The album was released in the United States and Canada as Naked Eyes with two tracks demoted to B-sides. The track "Always Something There to Remind Me" was released as a single and reached No. 59 on the UK Singles Chart and US #8 in July 1983 before "Promises, Promises" reached US #11 and "When The Lights Go Out" US #37. The album was released for the first time on CD in 2012 by Cherry Red Records.
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears. It was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes and produced by Hughes. The song was first released on 22 March 1985 by Phonogram, Mercury, and Vertigo Records as the third single from the band's second album, Songs from the Big Chair (1985). "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a new wave and synth-pop song with lyrics that detail the desire humans have for control and power and centre on themes of corruption.
Manny Elias is an Indian-born British drummer and record producer, notable for being the original drummer with Tears for Fears during the 1980s.
Raoul and the Kings of Spain is the fifth studio album by British pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 10 October 1995 by Epic Records. Like the band's previous album, Elemental (1993), it is essentially a solo effort by Roland Orzabal — neither album being made with the involvement of Curt Smith, who had left the band by that time.
Graduate were an English new wave and mod revival musical group formed in 1978, in Bath, England. They were only mildly successful, and broke up by 1981. They are today best known as being the initial recording vehicle for future Tears for Fears members Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, who found international fame in the 1980s and 1990s.
"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written in the 1960s by songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted for Lou Johnson whose version reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1964.
"Pale Shelter" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.
Rob Fisher was an English keyboardist and songwriter from Cheltenham, England, who achieved chart success as a member of the new wave band Naked Eyes and, later, Climie Fisher. He attended Lord Wandsworth College in Hampshire, where he was a member of a band called Cirrus with Nick Ryall and Ray Coop (bass).
Peter James Byrne is an English recording artist, and lead singer for the pop/new wave duo Naked Eyes, during the earlier years of the 1980s. He is well known for his 1983 cover version of "Always Something There to Remind Me". He achieved further hits also writing his own songs, including "Promises Promises" which also made it to the higher reaches of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 record chart.
"Promises, Promises" was the second hit single for the British new wave group Naked Eyes in 1983. The song went on to become a top-20 hit in the US that October, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, albeit after it was re-recorded with some lyrics different from the original UK single. It was their follow up to their earlier hit "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which was a top-ten hit in the U.S. in mid-1983. Madonna performs background vocals on the Jellybean 7" and 12" mixes of the song. These versions weren't released until 2001 in the compilation album Everything and More.
Neil Taylor is an English guitarist, best known for his long-time affiliation with Robbie Williams and for formerly being a member of Tears for Fears.
Shout: The Very Best of Tears for Fears is a 2001 compilation album released by the British band Tears for Fears. The album contains the greatest hits of the band from their first album, The Hurting, to the much later Elemental. The liner notes contain various photographs which were researched by Jason Pastori and coordinated by Ryan Null.