Zones were a Scottish

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

and new wave band founded in late 1977, following the demise of PVC2 (formerly the bubbleglam and soft rock band

Slik Slik were a Scottish pop group of the mid-1970s, most notable for their UK number 1 hit " Forever and Ever" in 1976. Initially glam rock, the band later changed their style to soft rock/bubblegum. It was the first band with whom singer and g ...

Career

PVC2 consisted of

Midge Ure James Ure (born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s ...

(future

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...

frontman) on guitar and vocals, Russell Webb on bass,

Billy McIsaac Billy McIsaac (born William McIsaac, 12 July 1949 in Rothesay, Scotland) is a musician, who played mainly keyboards since his early days with different pop bands. Biography Previously, he worked as a telephone engineer and played with a band ca ...

on keyboards and

Kenny Hyslop Kenneth John Hyslop (born 14 February 1951 in Helensburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish drummer. He joined the band Salvation with Midge Ure, which later became Slik and, after Ure's departure, some of the remaining members formed the Zones. He als ...

on drums. In late 1977, Ure left PVC2 to join

Rich Kids Rich Kids were a short-lived new wave band from London, founded in 1977 by Glen Matlock following his departure from the Sex Pistols. The band also included future Ultravox member Midge Ure and Rusty Egan, who both later founded Visage toge ...

with

Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only alb ...

. Then, Webb, Hyslop and McIsaac called in Alex Harvey's cousin

Willie Gardner Willie Gardner is a Scottish musician, who formed part of various pop and rock bands in the 1970s and 1980s, playing guitar. He was a cousin of Alex Harvey. His earliest known band was The Hot Valves, formed in 1976. The band was influenced b ...

to replace Ure on guitar and vocals, and Zones was formed. In February 1978, Zones released a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

Stuck with You "Stuck with You" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, written by guitarist Chris Hayes and lead singer Huey Lewis. Released in 1986, it was the first single from the band's fourth album, ''Fore!''. The song spent three weeks ...

", which attracted the attention of

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

, leading to the band recording a session for his show. It also drew the attention of

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

, who signed them and would release the rest of their discography. Their next single, "Sign of the Times", released in July. Zones also toured with

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

and recorded a further session for John Peel. On 1 June 1979, Zones released ''

Under Influence ''Under Influence'' was the only album of new wave band Zones, released by Arista Records on June 1, 1979. The album contained multi-genred songs, being very far from the early punkier stuff, like in the case of 7" single "Stuck with You". Jim ...

'', an album of

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of 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 sensibilities and non-roc ...

power pop. Shortly afterwards, they released a 7" single called "Mourning Star", whose eponymous song (a shorter version of the album song) was backed with "Under Influence" (which did not appear on the album, despite the name being the same). They also had a song that was featured in the movie ''That Summer!'' entitled "New Life." Shortly afterwards, the band decided to split up, as the album did not reach expectations. Gardner joined Endgames, with

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United St ...

' original drummer Brian McGee. McIsaac and Hyslop continued with a project called Science, a band considered as a continuation of Zones, but only McIsaac was the supposedly remaining member. Webb and Hyslop joined

Skids __NOTOC__ Skid or Skids may refer to: * Skid, a type of pallet * Skid (aerodynamics), an outward side-slip in an aircraft turn * Skid (automobile), an automobile handling condition where one or more tires are slipping relative to the road * Skid, ...

. In 1990, McIsaac moved to study piano performance college at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in Glasgow, and later formed a self-titled wedding band, which he played in until retiring in 2012. Webb collaborated with Skids' singer Richard Jobson (Skids singer) until 1988, and Hyslop, after collaborating with Skids album, ''

Joy The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness. Dictionary definitions Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...

'', moved to Simple Minds (1981–1982) and later Set the Tone (1982–1983).

Discography

;Albums *1979 – ''

'' (

, 1 June 1979) (released in four various album covers.) *1979 – ''

That Summer! ''That Summer!'' is a 1979 British drama film directed by Harley Cokeliss and starring Ray Winstone, Tony London, Emily Moore and Julie Shipley. It was Ray Winstone's theatrical film debut, playing the character Steve Brodie. Plot It is the sto ...

'' soundtrack (Various artists compilation) (Arista Records) (song: "New Life") ;Singles *1978 – "

" b/w "No Angel" (

Zoom Records Ray Lindstrom is an American entrepreneur known as the father of the infomercial industry. He has been referred to as "Mr. Infomercial," creating more than 100 businesses and selling through television-only spots during the 1980s. Lindstrom al ...

, 17 February 1978) *1978 – "Sign of the Times" b/w "Away from It All" (Arista Records, July 1978) *1979 – "Looking to the Future" b/w "Do It All Again" (Arista Records, 24 May 1979) *1979 – "Mourning Star" b/w "Under Influence" (Arista Records, 20 July 1979) *1980 – "Look Don't Touch" b/w "Scalectrik" (Rialto Records, June 1980) (As "Science.") *1981 – "Tokyo" b/w "Tokyo (instrumental)" (Rialto Records, January 1981) (As "Science.")

References

{{Authority control Scottish new wave musical groups Musical groups from Glasgow Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups disestablished in 1979 Arista Records artists Scottish power pop groups Scottish punk rock groups Scottish post-punk music groups

Career

Discography

See also

References