Album history
The working title Disastrous Relationships,Disillusionment,Depression &Death serves for a concise description of the turbulent circumstances under which Voice of the Beehive composed Sex &Misery. In the months following the release of their second album,Melissa Brooke Belland and Tracey Bryn,along with bandmates Martin Brett and Mike Jones,grew increasingly frustrated with London Records' inability and refusal to promote and market their music. The label's intrusive management practices and interference with various elements of production also contributed to mounting tension and conflict in its dealings with the group. Additionally,Bryn and Belland were both going through painful breakups of their respective long-term relationships and coping with the death of several close friends around this time. Even though the process of crafting a new album had tentatively been initiated,the group resolved to negotiate a release from their contract and seek out a record deal elsewhere.
Drummer Daniel Woodgate had departed the band in 1992,to return to his former position with Madness and,while trying to find a new label,Brett and Jones also went their separate ways,leaving Belland and Bryn as Voice of the Beehive's only remaining members. The pair eventually signed a contract with East West Records and,assisted by producer Peter-John Vettese,resumed work on the album. Having recently endured so much loss and hardship,Bryn and Belland wanted to reinvent their image;consequently,Sex &Misery marked a departure in certain respects from their established musical style. With the album already long since completed,the first single,"Angel Come Down",was released in the UK on August 1,1995 in order to gauge response to Voice of the Beehive's new sound. However,East West did not secure adequate publicity or circulation to reach beyond the group's fanbase,so when the song inevitably failed to gain traction,the label determined that the album was not viable and pulled it from the release slate.
Once again confounded by a record label's lack of support and loss of interest,Belland and Bryn relocated from London to their native Los Angeles in pursuit of other opportunities. East West finally did decide to release Sex &Misery in the UK a couple of months later on February 12,1996,where it received scant notice. Another Warner Music subsidiary,Discovery Records,picked up the album and released it in the US on April 16 of that same year. The single "Scary Kisses," which was closer to the group's original sound,caught on at a few prominent Top 40 radio stations and became a modest hit,but Discovery neglected to capitalise on its success,neither releasing a corresponding music video nor booking Voice of the Beehive on high-profile gigs or a concert tour. As a direct result,Sex &Misery quickly lost its momentum,and soon thereafter the label opted to end its contract with the group.
Warning is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 3, 2000, by Reprise Records. Building upon its predecessor Nimrod (1997), it eschewed the band's trademark punk rock sound and incorporated acoustic elements and pop and folk styles. Lyrically, the album contains more optimistic and inspirational themes in comparison to the band's earlier releases. Warning was also Green Day's first album since Kerplunk (1991) that was not produced by Rob Cavallo, although he did have a hand in its production and was credited as executive producer.
Milk & Kisses is the eighth and final studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, issued on 15 April 1996 in the UK by Fontana Records and on 14 May 1996 in the US by Capitol Records. It proved to be their last; a meeting two years later to record a new album ended with the breakup of the band.
Everything but the Girl are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer, songwriter, composer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer, producer and singer Ben Watt. The group's early works have been categorized as sophisti-pop with jazz influences before undergoing an electronic turn following the worldwide success of the 1994 hit single "Missing", remixed by Todd Terry.
Marcella Levy, known professionally as Marcy Levy and Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut studio album Marcella in 1982. She joined Shakespears Sister in 1988 with ex-Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey. Their first two studio albums, Sacred Heart (1989), and Hormonally Yours (1992), both reached the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. Detroit sang the lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay", which spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1992. Detroit left the band in 1993 and had a UK top 20 hit with "I Believe" in 1994. She formed the Marcy Levy Band in 2002, and finished third in the 2010 ITV series Popstar to Operastar.
The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Their million-selling signature tunes included "26 Miles ", "Big Man", "Lazy Summer Night", and "Down by the Station".
Tina Patricia Cousins is an English singer, songwriter and former model. She has had five singles in the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others, including "Mysterious Times" with Sash!, which reached number 2 in the UK in 1998. She has also achieved popularity in several other countries, including four top 30 hits in Sweden, six top 30 hits in Australia and seven top 20 hits in Finland. Her other hit singles include "Pray" (1998), "Killin' Time" (1999), "Forever" (1999), "Just Around the Hill" with Sash! (2000) and "Wonderful Life" (2005).
Voice of the Beehive were an Anglo-American alternative pop rock band formed in London in 1986.
Daniel Mark "Woody" Woodgate is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Woodgate came to prominence in the late 1970s as the drummer for the English ska band Madness and went on to become a member of the Anglo-American alternative rock band Voice of the Beehive in the late 1980s. Woodgate began his solo career in 2015, while still a member of Madness, releasing the album In Your Mind.
Linda Ann Fredericks, better known as Linda Lewis, was an English singer, songwriter and musician. She is best known for the singles "Rock-a-Doodle-Doo" (1973) and her version of Betty Everett's "The Shoop Shoop Song" (1975). Her discography includes solo albums, Lark (1972), Not a Little Girl Anymore (1975), Woman Overboard (1977), and the later Second Nature (1995), which became successful in countries such as Japan. Lewis also provided backing vocals for other artists, including David Bowie, Al Kooper, Cat Stevens, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Rick Wakeman, Rod Stewart, Peter Bardens, Hummingbird, Joan Armatrading and Jamiroquai.
Shaun Michael Lopez is an American music producer, composer, and musician.
Let It Bee is the debut album by alternative rock band Voice of the Beehive. Released in 1988 on London Records, the album earned positive reviews from music critics and was a success on U.S. college radio stations. In the UK, the album reached No. 13 on the albums chart in its debut week ending 2 July 1988. The album peaked at No. 53 in Australia on the ARIA albums chart, and No. 40 in New Zealand.
Honey Lingers is the second album by Anglo-American alternative rock band Voice of the Beehive. Released in 1991 on London Records, the album earned positive reviews from music critics and was a success on U.S. college radio stations. The album peaked at No. 17 in the UK upon its debut on 24 August 1991, and No. 68 in Australia in July 1992.
Best Of is a compilation album from alternative rock band Voice of the Beehive. Released in the UK only, it was the second Voice of the Beehive hits collection. This compilation featured singles and tracks from the band's first two albums Let It Bee and Honey Lingers.
Jolyon Keith Dixon is an English guitarist and a member of Rachel Fuller's band. He played guitar on The Who's 2006 album Endless Wire.
Melissa Lauren Young, known professionally as Kid Sister, is an American rapper and singer based in Chicago. She is known for her single "Pro Nails", which features Kanye West, and for her covert work as a member of the British music collective Sault.
"Kissing You" is a song by British singer Des'ree. It was written by the singer with Timothy Atack for Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. The song was included on the film's soundtrack album and Des'ree's third studio album, Supernatural (1998). A pop ballad set in the key of A minor, the record uses a simple instrumentation consisting only of piano and string instruments. "Kissing You" featured in Romeo + Juliet when the title characters meet at a ball. The song was well received by critics for its emotional melody and toned-down production. First released as a single in Australia on 24 February 1997, it appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart and the UK Singles Chart. A music video accompanied the single, which included scenes from Romeo + Juliet. This song is also used in Season 2, Episode 2 of ‘’The Summer I Turned Pretty’’.
Lincoln Mayorga was an American pianist, arranger, conductor and composer who worked in rock and roll, pop, jazz and classical music.
Paul Lancaster Wiltshire is an Australian entrepreneur, record producer and songwriter.
Gently is a studio album by American singer and actress Liza Minnelli. Released in 1996, it is her first album under the Angel Records/EMI label.
"Don't Call Me Baby" is a song by English-American alternative pop rock band Voice of the Beehive. The song was written by lead singer Tracey Bryn with guitarist and keyboardist Mike Jones and was released as the fourth single from the band's debut album, Let It Bee (1988), on May 2, 1988. Backed with "Jump This Way" outside the US, it became a hit, peaking at No. 15 in the United Kingdom, No. 48 in Australia, and No. 25 in New Zealand. The song was included on the band's compilation albums A Portrait and The Best of Voice of the Beehive.
