![Val Haller](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Val_Haller.jpg)
Val Haller (born Adrian Osborne) (1952 – 16 December 2012) was a British musician. Primarily a bass guitarist, he was also a vocalist, keyboardist, and composer. Haller played with
Wayne County & the Electric Chairs
Wayne County & the Electric Chairs were part of the first wave of punk bands from the 1970s. The band was headed by Georgia-born singer Jayne County and became known for their campy, foul-mouthed ballads, glam punk inspired songs and image which ...
,
The Flying Lizards
The Flying Lizards were an experimental English new wave band, formed in 1976. They are best known for their eccentric cover version of Barrett Strong's "Money", featuring Deborah Evans-Stickland on lead vocals, which reached the UK and US re ...
,
The Lords of the New Church
The Lords of the New Church were an English/American supergroup with a line-up originally consisting of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators (ex- the Dead Boys), guitarist Brian James (ex- the Da ...
,
Paint and
Savage Republic
Savage Republic (originally named Africa Corps) is an American, Los Angeles-based post-punk band, formed in the early 1980s. The group reformed in 2002 and remains active with a different lineup.
They are known for lengthy songs with an emphasis ...
. He was half of the duo Autumnfair.
Career
Haller grew up in the west of England. An orphan, he was raised by a minister and his wife.
Haller's first venture into the music industry was promoting a
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...
concert in
Chippenham in July 1972. He had the foresight to book the band for a low fee while they were relatively unknown. It was a great success.
In 1975, Haller moved to London and formed the Rockets, recruiting guitarist Andy Colquhoun later of the
Pink Fairies
Pink Fairies are an English rock band initially active in the London (Ladbroke Grove) underground and psychedelic scene of the early 1970s. They promoted free music, drug use, and anarchy, and often performed impromptu gigs and other stunts, ...
.
Haller was a founding member of
Wayne County & the Electric Chairs
Wayne County & the Electric Chairs were part of the first wave of punk bands from the 1970s. The band was headed by Georgia-born singer Jayne County and became known for their campy, foul-mouthed ballads, glam punk inspired songs and image which ...
, the only constant member throughout the band's history. As part of the burgeoning
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
scene bands were subject to
gobbing and the band was forced to take a brief hiatus after Haller developed
hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes ( jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal ...
as the result of a direct hit into his mouth.
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs released an EP ''Electric Chairs 1977'', plus a single on
Illegal Records
Illegal Records was an independent record label, founded in 1977 by Miles Copeland III with his younger brother Stewart Copeland and the manager of The Police, Paul Mulligan. The label released The Police's debut single, " Fall Out".
Copeland ...
. This was followed by "
Fuck Off
Fuck off may also refer to:
* ''Fuck Off'', an art exhibition that ran alongside the Shanghai Biennial Festival in 2000
* "Fuck Off", a 1977 song by Wayne County & the Electric Chairs
* "Fuck Off", the preliminary title of "Le Freak", a 1978 so ...
" / "on The Crest", recorded as a single for
Safari Records
Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...
and supported with a European tour. In 1978 the band released their first, self-titled album, as well as an EP, ''Blatantly Offensive. The band performed the song "Paranoia Paradise" in the movie ''
Jubilee
A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...
'', produced by
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman (31 January 1942 – 19 February 1994) was an English artist, film maker, costume designer, stage designer, writer, gardener and gay rights activist.
Biography
Jarman was born at the Royal Victoria Nursing Home ...
. Prior to the band's third album, Haller bought a synthesizer and began learning to play it. In subsequent rehearsal sessions with the group he would often play synthesizer or
Farfisa
Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professio ...
organ instead of bass. After the band's third album, County departed, returning to the States.
The Electric Chairs continued as a three-piece, Haller (bass, keyboards, vocals),
Henri Padovani
Henry (or Henri) Padovani (born 13 October 1952) is a French musician (from the Mediterranean French isle of Corsica), noted for being the original guitarist of English rock band The Police. He was a member of the band from January 1977 to Augu ...
(guitars, vocals) and
John "JJ" Johnson (drums, percussion). A single, "So Many Ways" (on which Haller took lead vocals) / "J'attends Les Marines", was released in late 1979. The record, produced by
David Cunningham, took a more electronic and atmospheric direction.
[ However the band could not sustain themselves commercially, and fell out with management and label. The three former Electric Chairs then formed a new group, the Mystere Five's, with vocalist/guitarist Chris Reeves and non-musician Marc "Frenchy" Gloder. A single, "No Message" / "Shake Some Action", launched Gloder's label Flicknife Records. A second single, "Never Say Thank You" / "Heart Rules The Head" soon followed. Both were well received but by 1980 the band moved on to other projects. Haller contributed synthesizer to the Flying Padovanis debut single "Western Pasta" / "Vas Plus Haut", released in 1981 and formed Paint with vocalist Jonathan Hughston.
Paint never took off and Haller was soon recruited by ]The Lords of the New Church
The Lords of the New Church were an English/American supergroup with a line-up originally consisting of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators (ex- the Dead Boys), guitarist Brian James (ex- the Da ...
to play keyboards on a tour. On his return he joined Johnson in The Flying Lizards
The Flying Lizards were an experimental English new wave band, formed in 1976. They are best known for their eccentric cover version of Barrett Strong's "Money", featuring Deborah Evans-Stickland on lead vocals, which reached the UK and US re ...
, playing bass on two songs on the 1981 ''Fourth Wall'' album, "In My Lifetime" and "A Train".
Haller relocated to Los Angeles in 1983, working as a motorcycle messenger to get by. Within a couple of years he hooked up with Thom Fuhrmann of Savage Republic
Savage Republic (originally named Africa Corps) is an American, Los Angeles-based post-punk band, formed in the early 1980s. The group reformed in 2002 and remains active with a different lineup.
They are known for lengthy songs with an emphasis ...
to form the duo Autumnfair, who were accompanied by a revolving line up of Savage Republic associates. The band finished playing in 1989, however a 10" EP ''Glaciers And Gods'' was released in 1991. In 2002, an Autumnfair retrospective CD ''Autumnfair – 1986 - 1989'' was released.
In 2007, Haller joined a reformed Savage Republic. An EP ''Siam'' was released, followed by an album ''1938'' and the band toured widely including the North East United States, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland and Greece.
In March 2010, Fuhrmann stated that AutumnFair would return to the studio to record.
Death
Haller died December 16th 2012, in Claremont, California.
Discography
(Wayne County and the) Electric Chairs
*''The Electric Chairs'' EP Illegal Records
Illegal Records was an independent record label, founded in 1977 by Miles Copeland III with his younger brother Stewart Copeland and the manager of The Police, Paul Mulligan. The label released The Police's debut single, " Fall Out".
Copeland ...
1977
*" (If You Don't Wanna Fuck Me, Baby) Fuck Off!!" / "On The Crest" Single Sweet FA 1977
*''The Electric Chairs'' LP Safari Records
Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...
1978
*''Blatantly Offensive'' EP, Safari Records
Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...
1978
*"So Many Ways" / "J'attends Les Marines" 45 Safari Records
Safari Records was a British independent record label based in London, England, and operating between 1977 and 1985. Safari Records was formed early in 1977 by Tony Edwards (former co-manager of Deep Purple), Andreas Budde (the son of German musi ...
1979
Mystere 5's
* "No Message" / "Shake Some Action" Single Flicknife Records 1979
* "Never Say Thank You" / "Heart Rules The Head" Single Flicknife Records 1979
Flying Padovani's
*"Western Pasta" / "Vas Plus Haut" Single Demon Records 1981
Flying Lizards
*''Fourth Wall'' LP Virgin 1981
Autumnfair
*''Glaciers And Gods'' 10" EP Independent Project Records 1990
*''1986 - 1989'' CD Mobilization Records 2002
References
External links
Val Haller
at Allmusic
Discography
at discogs.com
Autumnfair
at Allmusic
* video of Electric Chairs, France, 20 October 1977
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haller, Val
1952 births
2012 suicides
English rock bass guitarists
Male bass guitarists
English male singers
Suicides in California