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Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) were an English
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band formed in 1987 by singer
Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "
Fruitbat
Leslie George Carter, known as Fruitbat (born 12 December 1958) is an English musician who was a member of Carter USM.
Career
Carter played in a number of bands during the late 1970s, before meeting Jim Bob (James Neil Morrison) at The Orchest ...
" Carter.
They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing
samples, sequenced
basses and
drum machines with
rock 'n' roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
s and off-beat wordplay-loaded lyrics. They reached the height of their fame in 1992. Over the following years the band took on new members, reaching a six-piece, but struggled to regain their earlier popularity. They initially split up in 1998 after releasing seven albums.
History
Starting out: 1987–1990
Based in
Lambeth
Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...
in
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...
, England, Carter and Morrison originally played in an indie band called
Jamie Wednesday
Jamie Wednesday were a British 1980s jangle pop band, formed in Streatham, South London in 1984,Strong, Martin C.: "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, that released eight songs on two records between 1985 and 1986. Pre ...
, which released two singles – "Vote For Love" and "We Three Kings of Orient Aren't". Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine was formed on Thursday 6 August 1987, when Carter and Morrison were the only band members to turn up for a charity gig at the
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England.
Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further develop ...
, and went on stage to perform as a duo with backing tapes. The debut single "A Sheltered Life" was released later in 1988 on the Big Cat
label
A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...
, but it was not until the second single "
Sheriff Fatman
"Sheriff Fatman" is a single by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, released in 1989, and featuring on the album '' 101 Damnations''. The track is probably their best-known original composition. The lyrics rail against slum landlords and their in ...
" was released in 1989 that the band began to receive recognition.
The song was followed by the album ''
101 Damnations'' – a critical account of life south of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
, full of black humour, cynicism, wordplay and puns.
The album reached number 29 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
.
The band's gigs became well known for a wall of white stage lights that threw off enormous heat and contributed to the sweaty,
stage-diving crowd scenes that became part of the band's image. Such scenes are depicted in the video ''In Bed With Carter'', filmed at the
Brixton Academy
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...
.
Rough Trade: 1991
In 1991 – having signed to
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...
– Carter USM released the album ''
30 Something'' which, thanks to non-stop touring, entered the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
at number eight.
One of the singles released from the album, "Bloodsport For All", an attack on racism and bullying in the army, was released at the start of the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
and consequently banned by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
Spurred on by infamy, Jim Bob and Fruitbat toured
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(with
EMF) and made a second-on-the-bill appearance at the
Reading Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
. The band also made its first ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' appearance with the single "After the Watershed (Early Learning The Hard Way)", a song about child abuse that would become more famous for its subsequent legal battle with
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
' publisher over the use of the lyrics "Goodbye
Ruby Tuesday" in the chorus.
The band also hit the headlines when Fruitbat rugby tackled the children's TV presenter
Phillip Schofield
Phillip Bryan Schofield (born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2002–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holl ...
in front of millions of television viewers at the
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party was a British awards ceremony which ran from 1979 (as the Smash Hits Readers' Poll) to 2005. Each award winner was voted by readers of the '' Smash Hits'' magazine. It ended with the closure of the magazine in F ...
in 1991.
Chrysalis Records: 1992–1995
The demise of Rough Trade records necessitated a change of label, and Carter made the switch to
Chrysalis Records to work on their third album.
That album, ''
1992 – The Love Album'', went straight to number one in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
, propelling the band to pop stardom. Also, in 1992, the band headlined the
Glastonbury Festival where
Fruitbat
Leslie George Carter, known as Fruitbat (born 12 December 1958) is an English musician who was a member of Carter USM.
Career
Carter played in a number of bands during the late 1970s, before meeting Jim Bob (James Neil Morrison) at The Orchest ...
, annoyed at the shortening of their headline set due to other bands overrunning insulted
Michael Eavis
Athelstan Joseph Michael Eavis (born 17 October 1935) is an English dairy farmer and the co-creator of the Glastonbury Festival, which takes place at his farm in Pilton, Somerset.
Personal life
Eavis was born in Pilton, Somerset and grew u ...
and was subsequently banned from the festival forever. The band was unhappy, however, and this came across in the anger and cynicism of their next record, ''
Post Historic Monsters
Post Historic Monsters is the fourth album by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. It reached 5 on the UK Charts becoming the band's second highest album after ''1992 - The Love Album'' which reached No. 1. The album featured two singles ...
''.
In 1994, Carter's friend Wez, from former support band Resque, joined the band on
drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
s and the newly inspired trio played America, Japan and Europe, including a major concert in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
which was recorded and later released on video.
The recording was also given away as a free
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
with Carter's fifth studio LP, ''
Worry Bomb'' – a
punk-pop
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
album with upbeat material such as "Let's Get Tattoos" and slow
acoustic songs such as "My Defeatist Attitude".
Cooking Vinyl: 1996–1998
In 1996, Carter left Chrysalis Records and joined
Cooking Vinyl. With Salv from the band
S*M*A*S*H
Smash (normally typeset as S*M*A*S*H) are an English punk rock trio, who enjoyed brief notoriety in the early 1990s in the UK. S*M*A*S*H was formed by Ed Borrie (vocals, guitar), Salvatore Alessi (credited as Salv) (bass), and Rob Hague (drum ...
on bass, Wez's brother Steve on guitar, and teenager
Ben Lambert
Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right.
Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ...
on
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, Carter became a six-piece band.
After signing to Cooking Vinyl they released a mini-album, ''
A World Without Dave
A World Without Dave is an EP by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. It was the group's only Extended play, EP release of original material and was their first release after signing for Cooking Vinyl in 1997.
''A World Without Dave'' was release ...
'',
and started their longest ever UK tour. The band then went back to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and the U.S. They decided to split shortly after their 10th anniversary, and their final studio album, ''
I Blame The Government'', was released in January 1998. Two further albums, ''Live!'' and ''BBC Sessions'', were released in the same year, in June and October respectively.
Post-USM projects: 1999 – present
Les Carter currently lives in
Folkestone
Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...
and plays with the band
Abdoujaparov
Abdoujaparov are a punk band formed on 19 October 1998 by ex-Carter USM guitarist Les Carter (aka Fruitbat). Abdoujaparov's musical foundation is in 1977 punk rock.
Eight EPs, two singles and four albums have been released so far. A compilati ...
and was announced on 27 November 2014 as the new guitarist for
Ferocious Dog
Ferocious Dog are an English folk punk band from Warsop, Nottinghamshire, England. The band has headlined tours of the UK and Europe, performed in Dubai, festivals such as Bearded Theory, Alchemy, Deerstock, Farmer Phil's Festival, Splendour a ...
. He plays bass with
Keith TOTP
Keith Top of the Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band is a London-based indie rock band led by singer-songwriter Keith Top of the Pops (born Keith Mahony).
The band was formed at an Art Brut gig in New York City in 2006, aft ...
. He is also a former presenter on the
Brentwood radio station
Phoenix FM
Phoenix FM is a community radio station serving the areas of Brentwood and Billericay, England on 98.0FM and online, covering an area of over 140,000 people.
History
The station was formed in 1996 and has been broadcasting full-time on FM since ...
, having presented a regular weekly show between 2001 and 2011. James Morrison's projects included the band
Jim's Super Stereoworld
James Robert Morrison, known as Jim Bob, is a British musician and author. He was the singer of indie punk band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine.
Biography
Jim Bob played in various bands during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Jami ...
before moving on to solo albums including ''
Angelstrike!
James Robert Morrison, known as Jim Bob, is a British musician and author. He was the singer of indie punk band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine.
Biography
Jim Bob played in various bands during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Jami ...
'' He has also written four books: ''Goodnight, Jim Bob'', detailing his experiences on the road with Carter USM; and three novels – ''Storage Stories'', ''Driving Jarvis Ham'', ''The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Age 81'', and ''Frank Derrick's Holiday of a Lifetime''. He also appeared in ''Gutted – A Revengers Musical'' that debuted at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
released ''Anytime Anyplace Anywhere'', a "best of" record featuring tracks from the band's birth until their switch to Cooking Vinyl. This reportedly annoyed the band as they were not consulted or even made aware of the release of the record. In 2004 two new Carter CDs were released: a live album of BBC concerts from the early 1990s, and ''Brixton Mortars'', a
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
of tracks from their final two studio albums. In 2006, Carter released a new compilation of unreleased tracks and rarities called ''
The Good, The Bad, The Average And Unique''. Echoing the earlier ''
Starry Eyed And Bollock Naked'', the sleeve features a
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
– this time a bright green new model convertible. Autumn 2007 saw the release of a band-authorised best of compilation album spanning their entire career on EMI, under the title, ''
You Fat Bastard
''You Fat Bastard'' is a 2 CD anthology by British electronic rock artists Carter USM
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Mor ...
''. The title came from a chant performed by the crowd at gigs. It originated from MC (and lighting man) Jon "Fat" Beast's topless on-stage band introductions. Jon "Fat" Beast died on 27 July 2014.
Reunions
In 2001 and 2002, Jim Bob and Fruitbat toured as Who's The Daddy Now? The pair's two bands, Jim's Super Stereoworld and Abdoujaparov, would play a set each, after which the pair combined to perform a number of Carter USM songs. On 4 March 2007, almost ten years after the band last performed, Carter USM's original two-man line-up played a set of four songs as part of a gig to celebrate the life of
Darren 'Wiz' Brown, former
frontman of the
Mega City Four
Mega City Four were an English indie rock band formed in Farnborough, Hampshire, who obtained popularity throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.
Mega City Four consisted of guitarist and vocalist Wiz, his brother and rhythm guitarist Danny Brown, ...
, who had died in December 2006. The band had been booked to play acoustically but surprised the audience by playing a traditional electric set at the last moment.
Due to the success of this performance, Carter reunited for two 'farewell' gigs later that year. The first show took place on 2 November 2007 at London's
Brixton Academy
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...
with support from
Sultans of Ping. Another concert was later arranged, which took place at
Glasgow Barrowlands
The Barrowland Ballroom (also known as Barrowlands) is a dance hall and music venue in Glasgow, Scotland.
History
The original building opened in 1934 in a mercantile area east of Glasgow's city centre, built by Maggie McIver, the "Barras Quee ...
on 20 October 2007. This was recorded for the "Back in Bed With Carter" DVD that contained the whole concert, along with an interview and rehearsal footage. Support at The Barrowlands came from
The Frank and Walters
The Frank and Walters are an alternative pop band from Cork city in Ireland. The band was founded in 1989 and named in honour of two eccentric Cork characters.
Members
The original band line-up included Paul Linehan (vocalist and bassist), his ...
and
Chris T-T
Chris T-T (born Christopher Thorpe-Tracey, 16 September 1974) is a retired English singer-songwriter based in Brighton. In a 20-year career he released 10 studio albums, two live collections and a number of collaborations. He is also a speaker, ...
. The reunion celebrated twenty years since the band's foundation and ten years since their split. The gigs were performed as the original two-piece of Fruitbat and Jim Bob.
To coincide with the reunion EMI released a two-CD anthology, ''You Fat Bastard'', compiled by Jim Bob and Fruitbat. The songs were digitally remastered at Abbey Road studios. This was released in conjunction with the majority of their back catalogue (albums and promo videos) being made available digitally for the first time by EMI.
On 6 February 2008, Jim Bob and Fruitbat hinted at the possibility of further Carter USM gigs when they sent an
email
Electronic mail (email or e-mail) is a method of exchanging messages ("mail") between people using electronic devices. Email was thus conceived as the electronic ( digital) version of, or counterpart to, mail, at a time when "mail" meant ...
to members of the band's mailing list. Two dates were then announced for Birmingham Academy and Brixton Academy for 21 and 22 November 2008. Support came from EMF at both gigs. Two further sell out gigs followed in London in November 2009, titled "
The Drum Machine Years
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style o ...
". Further concerts followed in November 2011, with the band playing Manchester Academy on Friday 18 November and London O2 Academy Brixton on Saturday 19 November.
In February 2012, more reunion concerts were announced, in Leeds O2 Academy on 9 November and London O2 Academy Brixton on Saturday 10 November. EMI also announced re-mastered versions of the albums ''30 Something'' and ''1992 – The Love Album'' to coincide with these concerts. Carter announced in February 2014 that they would play another one-off gig at the
Brixton Academy
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...
on 22 November that year, billed as the final ever Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine live show – The Last Tango in Brixton. Due to popular demand, a further date was added at Shepherd's Bush Empire on 21 November.
Discography
Studio albums
Other albums
Singles
References
External links
Official Carter USM website– Maintained by
Fruitbat
Leslie George Carter, known as Fruitbat (born 12 December 1958) is an English musician who was a member of Carter USM.
Career
Carter played in a number of bands during the late 1970s, before meeting Jim Bob (James Neil Morrison) at The Orchest ...
*
Carter USM's AMG entryAn essay on Carter from FreakytriggerAn interview with Fruitbat about the 2008 shows from Culturedeluxe
{{Authority control
English alternative rock groups
English indie rock groups
Alternative dance musical groups
English punk rock groups
Chrysalis Records artists
Rough Trade Records artists
Musical groups established in 1987
Musical groups disestablished in 1998
Musical groups from London
Musical groups from the Royal Borough of Greenwich