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Formed: 1988 08
iSound Site: www.isound.com/jesus_jones
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| In 1986 under the name "Camouflage", Mike and Al, moved from Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, to Walthamstow, London, where a constant round of gigs and demos met with little response. It was at this time they had their first contact with Food Records. They changed their name |
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| Next Big Thing
by Jesus Jones
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Label: EMI
1997-01-01
Media: Audio CD
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Tracklisting:
1. The Next Big Thing
2. Right Here Right Now
3. Who? Where? Why?
4. Idiot Stare
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In 1986 under the name "Camouflage", Mike and Al, moved from Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, to Walthamstow, London, where a constant round of gigs and demos met with little response. It was at this time they had their first contact with Food Records. They changed their name to "Big Colour"and the trio recruited Jerry through an advert in New Musical Express for a "young,experienced and handsome musician" and came up with the name "Jesus Jones" on a beach in Spain.
A few gigs were played with the samples being played by tape, before Iain was recruited as their keyboard player. Iain, an avid skateboarder, like Mike at the time, was able to arrange a discount from "Slam City Skates" where he was the manager, and they got their clothes largely from there. Ex-JJ drummer Gen regularly badgered record companies with demos, and it was the tape of "Info Freako"/"Broken Bones"/"Whats Going On?"(costing 125 pounds) that got them a record deal in Dec. 88 with Food Records. "Info Freako" was released in this demo form, and the "Whats Going On?" demo can be found on the CD single for "Never Enough".
"Info Freako" [one of my favourite all-time tracks - ed] was met with much critical acclaim, but little chart success - No.42 in the UK. Subsequent 1989 releases faired little better - "Never Enough" - No.42, "Bring it on Down" No.46 and "I Don't Want that Kind of Love" - outside the top 50. The video for "I Don't Want That Kind of Love" cost £25 to make at Londons' Trocadero. These singles (apart from "I Don't Want That Kind of Love" which can be found on the Food Xmas E.P) can be found on their debut album from Sept 1989, "Liquidizer". Their first TV appearances occurred around February on satelite TV and on (ahem) "Cannon and Ball". They also play Reading Festival and Germanys' Lorelei Festival During this year.
At the start of 1990, JJ go to Romania and are one fo the first few bands from the West to play real rock music to the newly free of Suppression. They go down a storm. It was only after the release of "Real Real Real" in 1990 that JJ burst into the Top 20(UK No.18, USA No.3) and subsequent singles "Right Here Right Now" (UK No. 28 twice, USA No.2), "International Bright Young Thing" (UK No.7) and "Who,Where,Why?" No.21 helped establish them as one of the best young bands around. The album from which these singles were taken, "Doubt" sold 1.2 million copies worldwide, and was a UK No.1. They have success as mention in America and become very popular in Japan, and play in front of 72,000 people at Wembley while supporting INXS. They garner MTV's best new artist award too.
The guys have a pretty quiet 1992 - they play in front of a quarter of a million people in "Rock in Rio" and the "Slough Music Festival" see's their only UK date of the year - headlining a festival in front of 12,000 people. After a delay of a few years, JJ returned with a new single at the end of 93 called "The Devil You Know". Much harsher, and more techno than the poppiness of "Doubt" it did very well in the UK to chart at a high of No.8. The album "Perverse" followed, charting at No.6, with somewhat disappointing chart positions for the subsequent singles of "Right Decision"(No.36) and "Zeroes and Ones"(No.30).
1996 saw them previewing new material in a small largely unpublicised British tour - people from Australia, Canada, USA and er..Scotland (thats me) attend. After difficulties writing and producing their fourth album, its finally scheduled for release in some countries including the UK and Canada on August 11th, 1997. Its called "Already". The first single from the album was "Next Big Thing" which despite a press boycott got to No.49, and a second single "Chemical #1" is scheduled for release in the UK on July 28th. An all action video has been filmed in Namibia for it.
Between the third and fourth albums, lead singer Mike Edwards was engaged in various other projects, including writing and producing for ex-porn star Traci Lords, remixing, mountain biking
in Tibet, writing a chapter for the book "Love is a Drug", DJing and presenting a series on music and technology for BBC Radio 3. He regularly appears on the internet mailing list for the band, and has heavy participation in the official site.
Bio written by: cmap |
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