Tones on Tail was a British

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

band formed in 1982, originally as a musical

side project In popular music, a side project is a project undertaken by one or more people already known for their involvement in another band. It can also be an artist or a band temporarily switching to a different style. Usually these projects emphasize ...

Daniel Ash Daniel Ash (born 31 July 1957) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He became prominent in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the iconic goth rock band Bauhaus, which spawned two related bands led by Ash: Tones on Tail and Love a ...

of the gothic rock group

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

. Their music was described by one critic as "doom-and-dance-pop."

History

While still a member of Bauhaus, Ash formed Tones on Tail early in 1982, originally as a duo with Glenn Campling, an art school friend and flatmate who had also been a

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

for Bauhaus. The band's name was a reference to the way calibration tones were recorded on the "tail" of reel-to-reel tape. The pair issued their debut eponymous EP on

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name "Axis" (after the Hendrix album) by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD a ...

in March 1982, followed by the single "There's Only One!", released by

Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet Records is a British independent record label. Beggars Banquet started as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. History In 1977, spurred by the prevailing ...

on 24 September. Ash sang and played guitar, Campling played bass, and both played percussion and keyboards. After the break-up of Bauhaus in 1983, Ash and Campling were joined by Bauhaus's drummer Kevin Haskins and the band became a full-time concern for all three members. Their first release as a trio was the '' Burning Skies'' EP, issued by

Situation Two Situation Two (a.k.a. Situation 2) was a British independent record label founded in 1981 by Peter Kent as an offshoot of the Beggars Banquet label. At the time, Beggars Banquet releases were often distributed by WEA; to appeal to the indie ...

on 6 May 1983. Their sole studio album, '' Pop'', was released by Beggars Banquet on 6 April 1984 in the UK; featuring the singles "Performance" (released 9 March) and "Lions" (released 11 May). The album was also issued in North America in altered form as ''The Album Pop''. " Go!", the popular B-side of "Lions", was issued on its own as a single in Canada, licensed by

Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a record company with United Kingdom origins. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Uni ...

. During October 1984, the group embarked on a short 12-date tour of the US; in concert, the band sported all white outfits. The final Tones on Tail single, "Christian Says", was issued on 9 November 1984. The band disbanded in late 1984, and Ash and Haskins quickly formed Love and Rockets with former Bauhaus bassist David J. The 1998 compilation '' Everything!'' compiled every Tones on Tail track in remastered form, plus a radio interview with Ash and Haskins.

Reception

Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, critic Ned Raggett said: "With their former band's generally gloomier shadows left behind, what Ash and Haskins draw from their time with Bauhaus is that group's melange of styles—their most underappreciated strength". Richard Williams of ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...

'' said "Tones on Tail carries on with the traditional Bauhaus taste for the

macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...

, but charts new courses of twisting the pop thing." James Muretich of ''

The Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The Ca ...

'' wrote "From the ashes of Bauhaus has arisen a British trio that is turning into one of the most impressive and macabre dance bands around."

Discography

; Studio albums * '' Pop'' (1984,

) ; EPs * ''Tones on Tail'' (1982,

) * '' Burning Skies'' (1983,

) * ''Something!'' (1998, Beggars Banquet Records) ; Singles * "There's Only One!" (1982, Beggars Banquet Records) * "Burning Skies" (1983, Situation 2) #11 UK Indie * "Performance" (1984, Beggars Banquet Records) * "Lions" (1984, Beggars Banquet Records) * " Go!" (1984,

) * "Christian Says" (1984, Beggars Banquet Records) ; Compilation albums * ''Tones on Tail'' (1985, Situation Two) * ''Night Music'' (1987, Beggars Banquet Records) * ''Tones on Tail'' (1990,

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

/Beggars Banquet Records) * '' Everything!'' (1998, Beggars Banquet Records) * ''Weird Pop'' (2011, Beggars Banquet Records)

References

External links

* * * http://www.tonesontail.net {{Authority control Bauhaus (band) English post-punk music groups English gothic rock groups Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups disestablished in 1984 1982 establishments in England Beggars Banquet Records artists 4AD artists Situation Two artists