Head were an English
rock band
A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
of the late 1980s.
History
After making three albums and a few singles the
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
-based combo faded away.
Nick Sheppard
Nick Sheppard is a British guitarist. He played lead guitar for The Clash from 1983 until the band's breakup in 1986.
Life and career
Sheppard was educated at Bristol Grammar School, one of Bristol's leading public schools, and was in the same ...
previously played in
The Cortinas
The Cortinas were a Bristol-based punk rock band, originally active between 1976 and 1978. Guitarist Nick Sheppard went on to play with the Clash. In 2001, the band's debut single, "Fascist Dictator" (originally released in June 1977), was ...
and
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
.
Gareth Sager
Gareth Sager (born 10 August 1960 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a British guitarist, keyboardist, musician, composer and songwriter, and is a founding member of The Pop Group, Rip Rig + Panic (with Neneh Cherry), Float Up CP and Head (band), Head ...
previously played in
The Pop Group
The Pop Group are an English rock band formed in Bristol in 1977 by vocalist Mark Stewart, guitarist John Waddington, bassist Simon Underwood, guitarist/saxophonist Gareth Sager, and drummer Bruce Smith. Their work in the late 1970s crossed d ...
, and in
Rip Rig + Panic
Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace.
...
with
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk roc ...
.
Although they never achieved major sales they are now belatedly acknowledged as a forerunner of today's
trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...
scene.
The title of the second album is a reference to ''
Tales of Ordinary Madness
''Tales of Ordinary Madness'' ( it, Storie di ordinaria follia, french: Contes de la folie ordinaire) is a 1981 film by Italian director Marco Ferreri. It was shot in English in the United States, featuring Ben Gazzara and Ornella Muti in the lea ...
'', a film based on the work of poet
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...
.
Discography
*''A Snog on the Rocks'' (1987)
*''Tales of Ordinary Madness'' (1988)
*''Intoxicator'' (1989)
Members
*Rich "Clevedon Pier" Beale - lead vocals
*
Gareth "Hank Sinclair" Sager - guitar, keyboards, most songwriting
[
* Nick "Chopper Harris", "Candy Horsebreath" Sheppard - guitar][
*Paul "Cheese Jackson" Francis - bass
*John Slight - bass (Virgin Records)
*Jamie "Plastic Bag" Hill - drums][
*Mark "SMT" Taylor - bass][
]
See also
*Culture of Bristol
Bristol is a city in South West England. As the largest city in the region it is a centre for the arts and sport. The region has a distinct West Country dialect.
Events
In summer the grounds of Ashton Court to the west of the city play host t ...
*List of bands from Bristol
This is a list of notable music groups, musicians and singers from, and associated with, the English city of Bristol and its surrounding areas (including North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, Western Wiltshire, and South Gloucestershire) ...
*Bristol Sound
The Bristol underground scene was a cultural movement in Bristol beginning in the early 1980s. The scene was born out of a lack of mainstream clubs catering for the emergence of hip hop music, with street and underground parties a mainstay. Cre ...
References
English rock music groups
Musical groups from Bristol
Culture in Bristol
{{UK-rock-band-stub