Severed Heads

Last updated

Severed Heads
Severed Heads, Your Heineken stage 1.jpg
Severed Heads performing at Primavera Sound, 2019
Background information
Also known asMr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign (1979)
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres
Years active1979 (1979)–2008 (2008), 2010 (2010)–2011 (2011), 2013, 2015 (2015)–2019 (2019)
Labels
SpinoffsCoklacoma
Members
Past members
Website tomellard.com

Severed Heads were an Australian electronic music group founded in 1979 as Mr and Mrs No Smoking Sign. The original members were Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright, who were soon joined by Tom Ellard. Fielding and Wright had both left the band by mid-1981 with Ellard remaining the sole consistent member for the rest of the band's existence. Throughout the next decade, several musicians joined Severed Heads' ranks, including Garry Bradbury, Simon Knuckey, Stephen Jones and Paul Deering.

Contents

In 1984 the band released "Dead Eyes Opened" as a single, which was remixed in 1994 and re-released, reaching No. 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart. [1] Two of their singles, "Greater Reward" (1988) and "All Saints Day" (1989), reached the top 30 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. [2] Ellard disbanded the group in 2007 and continued with other projects. Subsequent Severed Heads reunions have occurred: in 2010 for a 30th-anniversary concert, in 2011 in support of Gary Numan's tour of Australia, again in 2011 at BimFEST in Antwerp, in 2013 with a gig at the Adelaide Festival of Arts and in September 2015 with a tour of the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. In November 2016, Severed Heads played at the State Library of Victoria as part of Melbourne Music Week and in November 2017 they headlined a one-off double act along with Snog at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria. Severed Heads announced that they would again disband following headlining shows in September 2019.

History

Early years and independent releases (1979–1982)

In 1979, Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright formed an experimental electronic duo, Mr. & Mrs. No Smoking Sign, in Sydney. [3] By the end of that year, Tom Ellard joined the group. [3] The group issued cassette albums, including Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign Go Cruising fer Burgers! [3] In December 2006, Ellard explained the name change: "[W]e were called Mr. & Mrs. No Smoking Sign, because that was really ugly. Then, we wanted to fool people that we were Industrial and it worked. Severed Heads was a really dumb name, so that’s what stuck. Forever. I hate it by the way." [4]

The group's early music was characterised by the use of tape loops, noisy arrangements of synthesisers and other dissonant sound sources in the general category of industrial music. Wright departed late in 1979, leaving the duo of Ellard and Fielding to put together the band's early studio offerings, including the A-side of a split album, Ear Bitten/No Vowels, No Bowels , with the B-side by Rhythmyx Chymx. [3] [5] Fielding departed the band during the recording of 1981's Clean , leaving much of the work to be completed solely by Ellard. [3] [5]

Severed Heads began incorporating various popular music tropes, such as a consistent 4/4 rhythm, strong melodic lines, resolving chord arrangements and Ellard's thin but gently eerie vocals and elliptical, poetic lyrics. This move was underscored by the incorporation of mimetic devices, such as drum machines and bass synthesisers. The result was a striking hybrid of avant-garde industrial and pop. The group moved their live shows from "experimental venues and art spaces to rock clubs", [5] and they issued the Blubberknife and 80's Cheesecake albums in 1982 after expanding to include synthesiser player Garry Bradbury and guitarist Simon Knuckey. [3] [6] Following the release of these albums, Severed Heads were also joined by video expert and musician Stephen Jones.

Major label years and mainstream success (1983–1998)

1983 saw British label Ink Records issue Since the Accident , which was later released by Nettwerk records in North America and Volition Records in Australia. AllMusic's John Bush described the album as not "quite a crossover effort" with the lead single, "Dead Eyes Opened", being "surprisingly melodic synth-pop." [7] The band's recording deals led to a world tour, which became a multimedia event with the addition of video synthesisers performed by Jones. After the tour, Severed Heads returned to Australia in August 1984. [8] However, this period saw more personnel change for the band. Bradbury had departed during the recording of Since the Accident in 1983 (leaving most of the recording to Ellard) and Knuckey departed soon before the 1984 world tour, so the lineup that went on tour consisted of Ellard, Jones and the newly recruited Paul Deering.

In 1985, Severed Heads issued City Slab Horror , again on Ink Records for the European market. [3] For this album, Bradbury returned as guest musician and contributed to vocals and songwriting. Clashes with Ellard caused Deering to leave the band in order to continue working with Bradbury. In October that year, Jon Casimir of the Canberra Times described the group as "Australia's most innovative electronic band", which had an "obsession with the ugly and horrific" with music "reminiscent of Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle." [9] Local label Volition compiled international tracks for the local-only album Stretcher in November 1985. [3] In August the following year, the band followed with Come Visit the Big Bigot . [3] During that year, Ellard and Jones took Severed Heads on a European and North American tour. [3] Bad Mood Guy was issued by Volition in October 1987. [3] The Canberra Times' Kathryn Whitfield felt the group had "gone way beyond experimental" to provide "a commercially viable product" while Ellard reflected "we have just worked carefully and solidly in an area that we think is good." [10]

Severed Heads peaked at No. 19 in the United States on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in 1988 with the 12-inch single "Greater Reward", which later appeared on the album Rotund for Success , issued in October 1989. [3] [11] The album included several remixes by Sydney-based producer Robert Racic, who produced tracks for the band through the late 1980s and early 1990s and contributed to their sound. [3] Another single to make the Billboard chart was "All Saints Day" in 1989, which reached No. 25. [11]

In 1989, Nettwerk and Volition re-released Since the Accident and City Slab Horror, each with tracks from Blubberknife, for the first time on CD. The releases were cut from the original masters resulting in superior quality compared to the original Ink Records releases which Ellard later remarked were "cut from a tape of a tape." [12]

In 1992, one year after the release of Cuisine (With Piscatorial) , Jones left the band, leaving Ellard as the group's sole official member. Nettwerk did not renew its contract with the band, leaving Severed Heads adrift in the marketplace. Ellard sought out another label for his next release, Gigapus , in 1994, which was released on Volition in Australia and Decibel Records in the US. Around this time, the band had a major Australian hit with a remixed version of "Dead Eyes Opened", which samples Edgar Lustgarten reading from Death on the Crumbles. Both Volition and Decibel soon folded, and once again, Severed Heads were unaligned with the traditional music industry, and they did not fully own the rights to their music. This changed in 1998 when Sony Music released claims to Volition material.

Later years and subsequent releases (1999–2007)

With his music back in his hands, Ellard began developing an independent music system, entirely Internet-based, at sevcom.com. During the early 2000s, Ellard developed several innovative products, such as the Sevcom Music Server, a subscription-based ambient music distribution system.

Ellard has worked on a side project, Coklacoma, that released a few albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By 2004, he was heavily involved with developing video but increasingly felt that the Severed Heads label was a thing of the past, and in 2008 opted to jettison the name. Ellard also worked extensively during the 1990s with other Sydney-based electronic musicians and groups such as Paul Mac (of Itch-E and Scratch-E) and Boxcar, former alumni of the now-defunct Volition label, as well as with the Lab.

Dissolutions and reunions (2008–2019)

In early 2008, Ellard announced that Severed Heads were now defunct and that no further creative output would be released under the name. However, the band was reformed by Ellard and new member and longtime friend Stewart Lawler for a 30th-anniversary show on 14 January 2010 as part of the annual Sydney Festival, and in May 2011 the group supported Gary Numan in a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Numan's album The Pleasure Principle . In a May 2011 interview, Tom Ellard explained: "Some people thought it was a bit rude of me to just shut it down without a proper farewell tour and so we decided we would drag it out just one more time and say our toodly-doodly’s." [13] On 22 October 2011, Severed Heads played what was intended to be their final performance in Australia [14] at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. At BimFEST 2011 in Antwerp, [15] they performed what was billed as their "absolutely final" performance as Severed Heads. [16] However, Ellard and Lawler performed what was again intended to be a final gig at the Queen's Theatre during the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 2013, a concert that was recorded by Australian Broadcasting Corporation. [17]

Since 2014, several older Severed Heads albums have been released on vinyl via Medical Records and Dark Entries, such as Since the Accident and City Slab Horror . 2016 saw the release of the Beautiful Arabic Surface 10" acetate dub plate, which contained the first newly recorded Severed Heads tracks since their announced hiatus in 2008. The single was released through Bughlt Records in a limited edition of 45 copies.

Renewed interest in the band resulted in a seven-date American tour in September 2015, their first performances in the United States in over 20 years. [18] Following these tour dates, the project remained active with new recordings, further reissues and live performances.

Severed Heads again split up after a string of headlining shows in the US in September 2019. On the band's Bandcamp page selling the Living Museum live compilation, they stated: "The 2019 shows were the last bye bye for Severed Heads in Australia, Europe and the USA, and we thank all the people who came out to see us off. We look forward to 2020 and new nilamox* STUFF." [19]

Influence

Vancouver-based industrial band Skinny Puppy was influenced by early Severed Heads material. A relationship was formed between the bands which led to Severed Heads being signed to Nettwerk Records and a joint 1986 North American tour. Tom Ellard was known to have participated in some of the band's "brap" sessions, leading to production and performance credits on the Skinny Puppy songs "Assimilate" and "Chainsaw" (on Bites and the Chainsaw single, respectively.) [12]


Personnel

Members

Timeline

Severed Heads

Lineups

1979
(Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign)
19791979-19811981-1982
  • Richard Fielding - synthesisers
  • Andrew Wright - synthesisers
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Richard Fielding - synthesisers
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
198219821982-19831983-1984
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Garry Bradbury - synthesisers, electronic percussion, vocals
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Garry Bradbury - synthesisers, electronic percussion, vocals
  • Simon Knuckey - guitars
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Garry Bradbury - synthesisers, electronic percussion, vocals
  • Simon Knuckey - guitars
  • Stephen Jones - synthesisers, video synthesisers
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Simon Knuckey - guitars
  • Stephen Jones - synthesisers, video synthesisers
1984-19851985-19921992-20082008-2010
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Stephen Jones - synthesisers, video synthesisers
  • Paul Deering - synthesisers
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Stephen Jones - synthesisers, video synthesisers
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion

Disbanded

2010-20112011-201320132013-2015
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Stewart Lawler - synthesisers

Disbanded

  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Stewart Lawler - synthesisers

Disbanded

2015–2019
  • Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion
  • Stewart Lawler - synthesisers

Discography

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2005 The Illustrated Family Doctor Best Original Cast or Show Album Won [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nettwerk</span> Canadian record label

Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing.

Thomas Temple Ellard is an Australian electronic musician best known as the founding member of the electronic and industrial music group Severed Heads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volition Records</span> Australia-based record label

Volition Records was a Sydney, Australia-based record label specialising in electronic music styles such as house, techno, synthpop, and trance. It was founded by Andrew Penhallow and was active 1988-1997.

Boxcar were an Australian electronic dance pop group formed in Brisbane in 1986. Their founding mainstay was David Smith on vocals, guitar and keyboards. Three of their singles appeared on the Billboard dance chart top 20, "Freemason ", "Insect" and "Gas Stop ". They released two albums on Volition Records/Sony Music Australia, Vertigo (1990) and Algorhythm (1994), before disbanding in 1997. They briefly reformed in 2010 and in 2014.

Robert Racic was an Australian DJ and record producer. He was influential within the local electronic and house music circles, but was less well known internationally. Racic produced several top 10 Billboard dance hits including Volition Records' artists Severed Heads' "Greater Reward" and Boxcar's "Freemason", "Insect" and "Gas Stop". He died in 1996, aged 32, of a brain virus, JC virus, which caused progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

This is a discography of releases from the Australian experimental band Severed Heads. Since their creation in 1979, the group has released 23 studio albums, 1 split album, 14 compilation albums, 1 soundtrack, 3 extended plays, 14 singles, and 8 home video releases. The group's 1984 single "Dead Eyes Opened" peaked at number 16 on the Australian ARIA Charts when remixed and re-issued in 1994, and singles from their 1989 album Rotund for Success, "Greater Reward" and "All Saints Day", both charted on Billboard's Top Dance Tracks charts at numbers 19 and 25, respectively.

Venetians were an Australian synthpop act formed in 1982 by English-born Rik Swinn on lead vocals, who enlisted Matthew Hughes on keyboards ; Tim Powles on drums ; Dave Skeet on guitar, bass guitar, synthesiser and vocals; and Peter Watson on guitar, bass guitar, synthesiser and vocals. They issued three studio albums, Step Off the Edge, Calling in the Lions and Amazing World (1988). They had top 30 hit singles in Australia with "So Much for Love", "Inspiration" and "Bitter Tears". Swinn disbanded the group in 1989.

Louis Rohan Tillett was an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, keyboardist and saxophonist. Tillett was the front man in Australian bands The Wet Taxis, Paris Green and The Aspersion Caste. He also worked as a backing musician with Catfish, Laughing Clowns, New Christs and Tex Perkins. As a solo artist, he issued seven albums, Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (1987), A Cast of Aspersions (1990), Letters to a Dream (1992), Cry Against the Faith (1998), Learning to Die (2001), The Hanged Man (2005) and Soliloquy (2006). He often worked with Charlie Owen, releasing two albums, The Ugly Truth (1994) and Midnight Rain. The latter album won the Rolling Stone Critics Award for Best Album of 1996.

Scattered Order are an Australian post punk band, which started as an experimental rock trio. They were formed in 1979 by founding mainstay Mitch Jones on vocals, guitar and bass guitar and Michael Tee on guitar and synths. Their line up changed often through the 1980s and 1990s. In late 1983 Drusilla Johnson joined on synthesiser and vocals – Johnson and Jones later married. The band went on hiatus from 2000–2011, reforming with a line-up featuring Jones, Tee and Shane Fahey from Makers of the Dead Travel Fast.

Garry Bradbury was a British-born Australian electronic musician active in Sydney's experimental music scene from 1979 to 2022.

<i>Since the Accident</i> 1983 studio album by Severed Heads

Since the Accident is the fourth studio album released by Australian electronic dance music group Severed Heads, first released in 1983. Released through Ink Records, it was the first major label release by the group. The album's lead single "Dead Eyes Opened" received critical and commercial success, peaking at #16 on the ARIA Charts. Throughout the years following the album's initial release in 1983, the recording has been reissued many times on multiple different formats through a variety of record labels.

<i>Blubberknife</i> 1982 studio album by Severed Heads

Blubberknife is the third studio album released by the Australian experimental group Severed Heads, originally as a C90 cassette tape. The first approximately 200 copies were packaged inside cassette cases that were spray-painted silver, stuffed with loose cassette tape and had parts from the insides of television sets glued to the front of the case. Five copies were specially packaged inside fully operational calculators. It's the first album by the group to feature contributions by Stephen Jones, and it is also the first recording by the group to catch the attention of UK label Ink Records, who helped release Since the Accident a year later and reissued Blubberknife in a standard cassette case with new artwork in 1984. As with most of their discography, Blubberknife has been reissued several times.

Single Gun Theory was an Australian electronic dance music band formed in 1986. Founding mainstay members were Jacqui Hunt on lead vocals; Kath Power on vocal melodies and synthesiser; and Peter Rivett-Carnac on guitar, synthesiser and sampling. They released three studio albums, Exorcise This Wasteland (1987), Millions, Like Stars in My Hands, The Daggers in My Heart Wage War (1991) and Flow, River of My Soul (1994) for Canadian label Nettwerk and Australia's Volition Records. The band’s music combined elements of downtempo electronic music with introspective, ethereal vocals and samples of dialogue. It also released a soundtrack album for Samantha Lang's film The Monkey's Mask in 2000.

<i>City Slab Horror</i> 1985 studio album by Severed Heads

City Slab Horror is the fifth studio album by the Australian experimental pop music group Severed Heads. First released in 1985 through Ink Records, it is the second major label album the group has ever released, following the 1983 album Since the Accident. The track "Goodbye Tonsils" was released as a single to promote the album, which met favorable reviews from some critics and no reviews at all from the vast majority of the remaining critics.

<i>Come Visit the Big Bigot</i> 1986 studio album by Severed Heads

Come Visit the Big Bigot is the sixth full length studio album by Australian experimental group Severed Heads, released in 1986. The tracks "Twenty Deadly Diseases" and "Propellor" were both released as singles to help promote the album. The title is a reference to the Big Merino statue in New South Wales; the 1998 Sevcom CD-R release has a photo of it on the cover.

<i>Rotund for Success</i> 1989 studio album by Severed Heads

Rotund for Success is a studio album by the Australian electronic music group Severed Heads, released in 1989. Three singles were released from the album: "Greater Reward", "All Saints Day" and "Big Car", the first two reaching the top 30 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. Much like the rest of the band's discography, the album has been issued many times in several formats through a variety of labels.

<i>Cuisine (With Piscatorial)</i> 1991 studio album by Severed Heads

Cuisine (With Piscatorial) is the ninth studio album released by Australian electronic music group Severed Heads, issued in 1991. The album's lead single, "Twister", was released a year later.

<i>Haul Ass</i> 1998 studio album by Severed Heads

Haul Ass is the eleventh studio album by Australian electronic music group Severed Heads. After Tom Ellard's relationship soured with Nettwerk and Volition Records, he decided to release Haul Ass independently through his then newly formed Sevcom imprint, making Haul Ass the first independently released Severed Heads album since 1982's Blubberknife. The album was burned on CD-R discs, while the artwork for the jewel cases were home printed with the use of a computer printer. Two editions were made, the "standard edition", which had prominently red and grey artwork, and the "special edition", which included two extra tracks not included on the standard edition. The special edition was limited to only 1000 copies. Tom Ellard has described the album as "dark". The entire album was recorded with software called Session 8, the precursor of Pro Tools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Eyes Opened</span> 1984 single by Severed Heads

"Dead Eyes Opened" is a song by the experimental Australian group Severed Heads, originally released on their 1983 album Since the Accident. Upon its initial release as a 12-inch record single in 1984, the track received critical success. A remixed version released in October 1994 achieved commercial success in Australia, peaking at #16 on the ARIA Charts.

<i>80s Cheesecake</i> 1982 studio album by Tom Ellard

80's Cheesecake is a solo album produced and written by Tom Ellard of Severed Heads. It was released in 1982 as a C60 cassette tape through his own Terse Tapes label. According to Ellard, the album, along with his previous one, Snappy Carrion (1982), were recorded out of interest in making pop music. It is a precursor of Severed Heads' shift in sound, from their early industrialised sound to the more accessible electronic styles of their later recordings. Tracks from this cassette appeared on the Severed Heads' compilation album Clifford Darling, Please Don't Live in the Past (1985).

References

  1. "ARIA Singles Chart: Dead Eyes Opened (song)". australian-charts.com.
  2. "Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs: Severed Heads". Billboard.com. Billboard Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Severed Heads'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN   1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 5 June 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  4. Jones, Todd E (December 2006). "Severed Heads (Tom Ellard) Interview". Endorphin Bath, Todd E. Jones. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Deming, Mark. "Severed Heads | Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  6. "Blubberknife – Severed Heads". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  7. Bush, John. "Since the Accident – Severed Heads". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  8. Kelson, Marcus (3 August 1984). "Under Current: Ex Concerts Young Docteurs / Machinations / Icehouse". Woroni (Canberra, ACT : 1950 - 2007) . National Library of Australia. p. 5. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  9. Casimir, Jon (3 October 1985). "The Good Times: The Best of the Underground with an Esoteric Following – Mixing White Noise with a Beat". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) . National Library of Australia. p. 6 Supplement. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  10. Whitfield, Kathryn (5 November 1987). "Off with His Head!". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) . National Library of Australia. p. 39. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Severed Heads | Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  12. 1 2 Slave, D.S.; Bonner, Staci (1990). "Severed Heads". Alternative Press. Cleveland, OH: Alternative Press International Publications. 5 (30): 62–63.
  13. Tom Ellard (Severed Heads) interview: 2011, 9 May 2011, Guestlisted blog
  14. Joan Sutherland Centre, Promotional material
  15. BimFEST 2011 program
  16. Ellard blog regarding his final gig
  17. Watch Tom Ellard and Severed Heads Live at Adelaide Festival
  18. Severed Heads touring in September, including 1st NYC show in 25 years + Chicago's Cold Waves fest w/ Godflesh & more, 21 April 2015, Brooklyn Vegan
  19. "Living Museum, by Severed Heads". Severed Heads. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  20. ARIA Award previous winners. "History Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 July 2022.