name	Bros
background	group_or_band
origin	Camberley, Surrey, England
genre	Pop, Dance-pop
years active	1986–1992
label	CBS
past members	Matt GossLuke GossCraig Logan
notable instruments	}}

Bros (abbreviation of the word "brothers", and were a British band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers Matt Goss and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan. Formed in 1986, they were managed by former Pet Shop Boys manager Tom Watkins.

History

Their first single, "I Owe You Nothing", was released in 1987 on CBS Records and entered the UK charts at number 88; this was down to no promotional work being carried out to advertise the band. The second, "When Will I Be Famous" became their breakthrough hit by reaching number two in the UK TOP 40 chart.

Their first album, ''Push'' was released in 1988 and went 4× Platinum in the UK.

The group achieved a total of 11 top 40 singles and 3 Top 20 albums in the United Kingdom, making them one of the biggest acts in British music between 1988 and 1991. They reached number one when "I Owe You Nothing" was reissued in 1988. They continued having hits throughout the late 1980s, including "Cat Among the Pigeons" and "Too Much", both which made UK #2 during 1988 and 1989.

During the late 1980s Bros were massive in the emerging homosexual scene in London. Matt visited a diehard fan after he won a competition during 1988 in a small village outside Liverpool. Matt was also voted Mr Gay UK in 1988 an again in 1990. Logan left the band in early 1989, and the Goss brothers continued touring as a duo. A second album, ''The Time'' was released in 1989 followed by ''Changing Faces'' in 1991 before the band split in 1992.

Matt Goss began a solo career during the 1990s, enjoying chart success with his single "If You Were Here Tonight", as well as becoming an actor. Luke Goss moved to the US and became a film actor, starring in blockbuster hits such as ''Blade II'' and ''Hellboy II: The Golden Army''. Craig Logan entered into music management as well as songwriting and forged a successful career.

Reformation

On 1 July 2008, BBC Radio 1 DJ Carl Sharrock announced that Matt Goss had spoken to the other members of the band and in principle they had agreed to reform. However, on 14 September 2010, Matt Goss stated that the band would not be reforming in the near future, stating that the moment had passed.

Discography

Singles

Year

Title

Chart Positions

Album

UK

US

Germany

Netherlands

Australia

Austria

Switzerland

Sweden

France

Ireland

"I Owe You Nothing"

"Drop the Boy"

"I Owe You Nothing" (re-issue)

"I Quit"

"Cat Among the Pigeons" / "Silent Night"

"Too Much"

"Chocolate Box"

"Sister"

1990

"Madly In Love"

"Are You Mine?"

"Try"

Albums

1988 ''Push'' (UK #2, SUI #3, AUS #4, NOR #6, GER #6, AUT #14, SWE #29)

1989 ''The Time'' (UK #4, GER #34, SWE #42, AUS #34)

1991 ''Changing Faces'' (UK #18)

2004 ''The Best of Bros'' (UK #128)

2011 ''I Owe You Nothing - The Best of Bros''

Video albums

1988 ''The Big Push Tour Live'' (VHS)

1989 ''Push Over'' (VHS)

2004 ''The Big Picture'' (DVD)

References

External links

Bros discography at Discogs.

Matt Goss Official Website.

Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English pop music groups Category:British boy bands

da:Bros de:Bros fr:Bros it:Bros nl:Bros (band) ja:ブロス pl:Bros sv:Bros

name	The Allman Brothers Band
landscape	yes
background	group_or_band
years active	1969–19761978–19821989–present
origin	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
genre	Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock, country rock, jam rock, hard rock
label	Capricorn, PolyGram, Arista, Epic, Sanctuary
associated acts	Gov't Mule, The Dead, The Derek Trucks Band, Derek and the Dominos, Hour Glass, Great Southern, Sea Level
current members	Gregg AllmanButch TrucksJai Johanny "Jaimoe" JohansonWarren HaynesMarc QuiñonesOteil BurbridgeDerek Trucks
past members	Dickey BettsBerry OakleyDuane AllmanChuck LeavellLamar WilliamsDavid GoldfliesDan TolerDavid "Frankie" TolerMike LawlerAllen WoodyJohnny NeelJack PearsonJimmy Herring
website	AllmanBrothersBand.com }}

The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, organ, songwriting), who were supported by Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals, songwriting), Berry Oakley (bass guitar), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson (drums). While the band has been called the principal architects of Southern rock, they also incorporate elements of blues, jazz, and country music, and their live shows have jam band-style improvisation and instrumental songs.

The band achieved its artistic and commercial breakthrough in 1971 with the release of ''At Fillmore East'', featuring extended renditions of their songs "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post" and often considered one of the best live albums ever made. George Kimball of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine hailed them as "the best damn rock and roll band this country has produced in the past five years." A few months later, group leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. The group survived that and the death of bassist Oakley in another motorcycle accident a year later; with replacement members Chuck Leavell and Lamar Williams, the Allman Brothers Band achieved its peak commercial success in 1973 with the album ''Brothers and Sisters'' and the hit single "Ramblin' Man". Internal turmoil overtook the band soon after; the group dissolved in 1976, reformed briefly at the end of the decade with additional personnel changes, and dissolved again in 1982.

In 1989, the group reformed with some new members and has been recording and touring since. A series of personnel changes in the late 1990s was capped by the departure of Betts. The group found stability during the 2000s with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, the nephew of their drummer, serving as its guitarists, and became renowned for their month-long string of shows in New York City each spring. The band has been awarded eleven gold and five platinum albums between 1971 and 2005 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked them 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.

Band history

Beginnings

The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida on March 26, 1969, and consisted of Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jai Johanny Johanson. Brothers Duane and Gregg Allman grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida, and had been playing music publicly since the early 1960s. They formed a garage band called the Escorts in 1963, which evolved into the Allman Joys in 1965. From there the brothers formed Hour Glass and moved to Los Angeles. The Hour Glass released two failed albums on Liberty Records in 1967 and 1968. They were all released from the contract except Gregg, who Liberty thought might have some commercial potential. Gregg and Duane had previously met Butch Trucks and his band The 31st of February while touring as the Allman Joys, and decided to record an album with them in September 1968, shortly after the breakup of Hour Glass. This album was eventually released as ''Duane & Greg Allman'' on the Bold Records label in 1972. Duane Allman played on Wilson Pickett's hit version of "Hey Jude" and became the primary session guitarist for FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, recording with Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Percy Sledge, and others. Allman started jamming with Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks and Berry Oakley in Jacksonville. Eddie Hinton, with whom Duane Allman had played in Muscle Shoals, was considered to play guitar, but Hinton refused in order to join the Muscle Shoals studio band. Duane brought in Jaimoe, a drummer he had played with in the past. Gregg was in Los Angeles, fulfilling the Hour Glass contract with Liberty Records. He was summoned back to Jacksonville. The Allman Brothers Band played numerous shows in the South before releasing their debut album, ''The Allman Brothers Band'' in 1969 to critical acclaim. It featured future jam standards "Whipping Post" and a 12/8 time slide guitar ''tour de force'' "Dreams". A cult following began to build.

''Idlewild South'' was released in 1970 to critical success and improved sales. Produced by Tom Dowd it featured the upbeat "Revival" and the moody-but-resolute "Midnight Rider". After completing the ''Idlewild South'' sessions Duane Allman joined Eric Clapton and his ad hoc Derek and the Dominos to record the classic ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''.

1971 saw the release of a live album, ''At Fillmore East'', recorded on Friday and Saturday March 12 and March 13 of that year at the legendary rock venue the Fillmore East. The album was another huge hit. ''Rolling Stone'' listed ''At Fillmore East'' as number 49 on of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It showcased the band's mix of jazz, classical music, hard rock, and blues, with arrangements propelled by Duane's and Betts' dual lead guitars, Oakley's long, melodic "third guitar" bass runs, the rhythm section's pervasively percussive yet dynamically flexible foundation, and Gregg Allman's gritty Ray Charles-like vocals and piano/organ play which all completed the band's wall of sound. The rendition of Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" was a straight-ahead opener, the powerful "Whipping Post" (with its famous 11/4 bass opening) became the standard for an epic jam that never lost interest, while the ethereal-to-furious "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" invited comparisons to John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

The Allman Brothers were the last act to play the Fillmore East before it closed in June 1971. The final shows achieved legendary status, partly due to bands literally playing all night; in 2005 Gregg Allman would relate how the jamming musicians lost track of time, not realizing it was dawn until the side doors of the Fillmore were opened and the morning light poured in.

The band continued to tour; decades later, a special-order recording of one of their final concerts in this lineup, ''S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71'', would be released. It reveals that Duane Allman's slide guitar playing on "Dreams" and other songs was touching the farthest reaches of both that instrument and his imagination.

Loss and triumph

Duane Allman died not long after the ''Fillmore East'' album was certified gold, killed in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971 in Macon, Georgia, when he collided with the rear of a flatbed truck that had turned in front of him. The group decided to carry on. The album continued to gain FM radio airplay, with stations even playing 13-minute and 23-minute selections.

Dickey Betts filled Duane's former role in completing the last album Duane participated in, ''Eat a Peach'', released in February 1972. The album was often softer ("Blue Sky", "Little Martha") and wistful in tone ("Melissa", "Ain't Wastin' Time No More"), capped by the 34-minute "Mountain Jam" reverie taken from the Fillmore East concerts. Writer Greil Marcus described parts of ''Eat a Peach'' as an "after-the-rain celebration... ageless, seamless... front-porch music stolen from the utopia of shared southern memory."

The group played some concerts as a five-man band, then decided to add Chuck Leavell, a pianist, to gain another lead instrument but without, however, directly replacing Duane. This new configuration debuted on November 2, 1972, on ABC's ''In Concert'' late-night television program.

Days later, on November 11, 1972, Berry Oakley died from head injuries he received in another motorcycle accident near Napier Avenue and Inverness Street, only three blocks from the site of Duane's accident the previous year. The common retelling that it was at exactly the same site as Duane's death is incorrect, as is the legend that the ''Eat a Peach'' album is named for what was being carried by the truck involved in Allman's accident.

Oakley was replaced by Lamar Williams at the end of 1972, in time to finish the next album, ''Brothers and Sisters'', released in August 1973.

Dickey Betts was becoming the group's unofficial leader. ''Brothers and Sisters'' included the group's best known hits, "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica", both written by Betts; the former reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a single, while the latter was a seven-minute instrumental hit.

The Allman Brothers Band had become one of the top concert draws in the country. Probably their most celebrated performance of the era took place on July 28, 1973 at the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen outside Watkins Glen, New York, in a joint appearance with The Grateful Dead and The Band. An estimated 600,000 people made it to the racetrack where this massive outdoor festival took place.

In the wake of the Allman Brothers Band's success, many other Southern rock groups rose to prominence, including the Marshall Tucker Band (who played as the Allman Brothers Band's opening act for many shows on their 1973 tour) and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Another peak of the Allmans' success came on New Year's Eve, 1973, when promoter Bill Graham arranged for a nationwide radio broadcast of their concert from San Francisco's Cow Palace. New arrangements of familiar tunes such as "You Don't Love Me" went out over the airwaves, as the show stretched out over three sets, with Boz Scaggs sitting in, along with Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann (Allmans and Grateful Dead members guested at each other's shows multiple times in the early 1970s).

Turmoil and dissolution

Personality conflicts started to tear the band apart, however. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts both began solo careers, while Allman married Cher, separated quickly, reconciled, and eventually separated again, all in a storm of publicity; drug abuse took its toll on the entire band. Musically, Betts and Leavell were pulling in opposite directions, with Allman trying to mediate.

The tension resulted in the uneven ''Win, Lose or Draw'' (1975), with some members not participating on all tracks or doing so only from afar. The few stand-out tracks included a stop-start take on Muddy Waters' "Can't Lose What You Never Had", Betts' instrumental "High Falls", and Allman's Jackson Browne-influenced title song.

The band managed to limp along until 1976, when Gregg Allman was arrested on federal drug charges and agreed to testify against a friend and tour manager and bodyguard for the band, John "Scooter" Herring. Leavell, Johanson, and Williams formed Sea Level, while Betts worked on his solo career. All four swore that they would never work with Allman again.

Meanwhile, Capricorn Records released a compilation album, ''The Road Goes On Forever'', and a poorly received live album, ''Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas''. Neither sold very well.

The group reformed in 1978 and released the strong ''Enlightened Rogues'' (1979). It featured new members Dan Toler (guitar) and David Goldflies (bass), who replaced Leavell and Williams, both of whom concentrated on Sea Level instead. "Crazy Love" was a minor hit single, and the instrumental "Pegasus" got some airplay, but overall The Allman Brothers Band was no longer as popular as before, and financial woes plagued both the group and Capricorn Records, which collapsed in 1979. PolyGram took over the catalogue, and the Allman Brothers Band signed to Arista Records. The group released a pair of critically slammed albums, firing Jaimoe in the process, and then disbanded once again in early 1982.

Allman quickly formed the Gregg Allman Band with the Toler brothers Dan and David ("Frankie") (drums) in 1982 and began touring small venues and clubs. Betts, Leavell, Trucks and Goldflies formed the band Betts Hall Leavell Trucks (BHLT). Neither garnered attention from any record labels. BHLT would dissolve two years later.

The Allman Brothers Band reunited in 1986 for a pair of benefit concerts for promoter Bill Graham in New York and Macon. Allman, Betts, Trucks, Jaimoe, Leavell, and Dan Toler performed together but no subsequent reunion plans for the band were made. The following year, the Gregg Allman Band and the Dickey Betts Band co-headlined a theatre and club tour. After each band played a set of music, Betts, Allman and the Tolers performed a closing set of Allman Brothers music together.

In 1987, Epic Records signed both Allman and Betts to separate solo contracts. The Gregg Allman Band had a surprise FM hit single with the title track to the 1987 album ''I'm No Angel''. ''Just Before the Bullets Fly'' quickly followed from Allman in 1988. The Dickey Betts Band, including Haynes, was also formed during this time and released the album ''Pattern Disruptive'' in 1988. This series of collaboration among bandmembers and interest from a major label during the late 1980s laid the groundwork for the next era of Allman Brothers Band activity and success.

Revival

In 1989 The Allman Brothers reunited and returned to popular consciousness of the American public, spurred by Gregg's recent FM radio success, the release of archival material by PolyGram, and the start of regular appearances on the American summer outdoor amphitheatre circuit. Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Johnny Neel (keyboards and harmonica), and Allen Woody (bass guitar) joined originals Allman, Betts, Jaimoe and Trucks. Leavell opted to go on tour again with the Rolling Stones, with whom he has been a touring member since 1982.

After the 20th Anniversary tour, the band signed to Epic Records and released ''Seven Turns'' (1990), which got excellent reviews. This was followed by Neel's departure and a series of moderately-selling, but critically well-received albums including ''Shades Of Two Worlds'' (1991) and ''Where It All Begins'' (1994, certified Gold by the RIAA 1998), both featuring new percussionist Marc Quiñones. Warren Haynes and Allen Woody formed their own side project Gov't Mule in 1994. In 1995, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1996 they won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Jessica". When Haynes and Woody decided to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997, Haynes was replaced on guitar by Jack Pearson, while Woody was replaced on bass by Oteil Burbridge. Derek Trucks, nephew of original Brother Butch Trucks, replaced Pearson in 1999.

In 2000, the band forced Dickey Betts out for "personal and professional reasons." For this tour, he was replaced by Jimmy Herring. Betts then filed a lawsuit against the other three original members and the summer separation turned into a permanent divorce. Also in 2000, former bassist Allen Woody was found dead on August 26. The band did release the live CD ''Peakin' at the Beacon'' that year which chronicled the now-annual March tradition of a many-night stand at the Beacon Theater in New York City. The band has sold out the 2900-seat Upper West Side Manhattan theatre 188 times since 1989. The tradition is known as the "Beacon Run" among fans, who travel from across the United States, Canada and Western Europe to see these annual March and April shows.

2000's onward

Warren Haynes began appearing with the Allmans again in 2000 and rejoined full-time in 2001, while also maintaining his active schedule with Gov't Mule. (Haynes also toured during this time and later in the decade with former members of the Grateful Dead). Haynes' return marked a new period of stability and productivity for the band after nearly four years of lineup shifts. The Haynes-produced ''Hittin' the Note'' was released in 2003 to popular and critical acclaim, as was the ''Live At the Beacon Theatre'' DVD film (2003, certified Platinum 2004). The live CD ''One Way Out'' (2004) also chronicled the Beacon concerts.

The Allman Brothers garnered back to back Grammy Award nominations in 2003 and 2004 in the category of Best Rock Instrumental for performances of "Instrumental Illness" from ''Hittin' The Note'' and ''One Way Out''. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine named Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, Dickey Betts, and Derek Trucks to their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, with Allman coming in at #2 and Trucks being the youngest guitarist on their list.

The Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks lineup continued the band's connection with younger music fans via concert pairings with popular jam bands The String Cheese Incident, moe, and Dave Matthews Band among others. The Allman Brothers Band continue to be a major attraction at the Bonnaroo Music Festival since 2003. Since 2005, the Allmans have staged their own two day Wanee Music Festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. The Allmans, Gov't Mule and The Derek Trucks Band perform on different stages along with younger roots artists including the North Mississippi Allstars, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Devon Allman's Honeytribe, Nickel Creek, Mofro and others.

Allman Brothers songs have been used in various advertising campaigns and television programs, with the most well-known use being that of "Jessica" used in both the 1977 and 2002 formats of the BBC television series ''Top Gear''. "Jessica" was also used in the film Field of Dreams. It was also the opening song of a famous radio show in the State of Bavaria, Germany during the 70s known as "Club 16" (http://peterhammer.de/sound4/br/club16outro.html with an example while the show ends. )

The band cancelled their Beacon run for 2008 due to Gregg Allman recovering from hepatitis C treatments, but they were back on the road that summer for the amphitheater circuit. On November 20, 2008, The Allman Brothers Band received the Legend Of Live Award at the 2008 Billboard Touring Awards ceremony in New York. The award recognized "a touring professional who has had a significant and lasting impact on the concert industry." At the ceremony, Gregg Allman talked about his brother Duane, saying: "It happens to be today would have been his 62nd birthday and I'm sure he's looking down on this and is really proud of us. We'll keep coming back until we can't come back no more."

The Allman Brothers Band celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2009. That year's Beacon run also marked the 20th anniversary of their appearances in that venue; and the band focused on paying tribute to Duane, inviting guest appearances from those who had played with him. The 15-night stand was considered to be the best Beacon run of all, highlighted by two nights of the first-ever stage appearance of Eric Clapton with the band and performances of numbers from ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''. Guests on other nights included members of the Grateful Dead, Phish, Levon Helm and his band, and represented genres from bluesman Buddy Guy to jazz great Lenny White to rap-rock-country eccentric Kid Rock. On March 26, three days after the actual anniversary of the band's 1969 forming, what's been known as the "Legendary Jacksonville Jam", the band featured no guests but performed their first two albums in their entirety.

In March 2010, The Allman Brothers Band's New York run changed venues from the Beacon Theater to the far uptown United Palace Theatre, but in March 2011, the Allman Brothers returned to the Beacon Theater, playing their 200th show there on March 26.

Awards and recognition

Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, 1996, "Jessica"

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1995

''Rolling Stone'' Magazine's "Greatest...of All Time" lists:

100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2004): #52

500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): #49 for ''At Fillmore East''

* 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (2003):

* #2 Duane Allman

* #23 Warren Haynes

* #58 Dickey Betts

* #81 Derek Trucks

Discography

''The Allman Brothers Band'' (1969)

''Idlewild South'' (1970)

''At Fillmore East'' (1971)

''Eat a Peach'' (1972)

''Brothers and Sisters'' (1973)

''Win, Lose or Draw'' (1975)

''Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas'' (1976)

''Enlightened Rogues'' (1979)

''Reach for the Sky'' (1980)

''Brothers of the Road'' (1981)

''Seven Turns'' (1990)

''Shades of Two Worlds'' (1991)

''An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set'' (1992)

''Where It All Begins'' (1994)

''An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set'' (1995)

''Peakin' at the Beacon'' (2000)

''Hittin' the Note'' (2003)

''One Way Out'' (2004)

Lineups

Original members in bold.

800px|left|Pictorial representation of the band's timeline.

See also

''Almost Famous''

List of rock instrumentals

Gregg Allman Band

Sea Level

Gov't Mule

The Derek Trucks Band

The Allman Brothers Band Museum (the "Big House")

References

Further reading

''The Allman Brothers Band: Dreams'' liner notes

Freeman, Scott. ''Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band'', Little, Brown & Co. 1995.

Reynolds, Dean. ''The Complete Allman Brothers Band Discography'', 2000.

Leavell, Chuck with J. Marshall Craig. ''Between Rock and a Home Place'', Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2004.

Perkins, Willie. ''No Saints, No Saviors'', Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2005.

Poe, Randy. ''Skydog: The Duane Allman Story'', Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 2006.

Reid, Jan. ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos'' (Rock of Ages). New York: Rodale, Inc., 2006.

External links

Official web site

Founding Member Dickey Betts' Website

Flying Frog Records - Butch Trucks' jamband label

Chuck Leavell's website - former keyboardist

David Goldflies' website - former bassist

The Allman Brothers Band at the New Georgia Encyclopedia

The Allman Brothers Band Legends of Southern Rock at Swampland.com

The Allman Brothers Band at RollingStone.com

2009 Concert Photo Gallery

Category:Rock music groups from Florida Category:Jam bands Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Musical groups from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Arista Records artists Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Southern rock musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1969 Category:Musical sextets Category:Musical septets Category:Epic Records artists

cs:The Allman Brothers Band da:The Allman Brothers Band de:The Allman Brothers Band es:The Allman Brothers Band fr:The Allman Brothers Band gl:The Allman Brothers Band it:The Allman Brothers Band he:להקת ×”×?×—×™×? ×?ול×?ן lt:The Allman Brothers Band hu:The Allman Brothers Band nl:The Allman Brothers Band ja:オールãƒ?ン・ブラザーズ・ãƒ?ンド no:The Allman Brothers Band pl:The Allman Brothers Band pt:The Allman Brothers Band ro:The Allman Brothers Band ru:The Allman Brothers Band simple:Allman Brothers Band sr:Ð?лман брадерÑ? бенд fi:The Allman Brothers Band sv:Allman Brothers Band uk:The Allman Brothers Band

name	The Chemical Brothers
landscape	yes
background	group_or_band
alias	The 237 Turbo Nutters, The Dust Brothers, Chemical Ed & Chemical Tom
origin	London, United Kingdom
genre	Big beat, alternative dance, progressive house, breakbeat, trip hop
years active	1991–present
label	Junior Boy's Own, Astralwerks, Freestyle Dust, Virgin Records, Ultra Records
website	TheChemicalBrothers.com
current members	Tom RowlandsEd Simons
past members	}}

The Chemical Brothers are a Grammy award-winning British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in London in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat electronic dance genre to the forefront of pop culture.

History

Background (1984–1991)

Ed Simons was born in Herne Hill, South London, England, on 9 June 1970 to a barrister mother and a father who was not around much when Simons was growing up. Simons’ two main interests when he was young were aeroplanes and musicals. Simons attended two South London public schools, Alleyn's School and Dulwich College. During his school years, he developed a fondness for rare groove and Hip hop music, having frequented a club called The Mud Club from the age of 14. By the time he left school, his two main musical interests were two Manchester bands, New Order and The Smiths. After finishing school with 11 O levels and three A-levels, he continued on to study History, especially Late Medieval History, at the University of Manchester.

Tom Rowlands, a childhood classmate of Simons', was born on 11 January 1971 in Kingston upon Thames, London. When Rowlands was very young, his family relocated to Henley-on-Thames. He later attended Reading Blue Coat School in Berkshire, during which time he became obsessed with Scotland, developing a fondness for the bagpipes in particular. In his early teens, his interest in music broadened to other genres. Initially, some of his favourites included the ''Oh What a Lovely War'' soundtrack, ''2-Tone'', the nascent Goth genre (Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim) and the electro sounds of artists such as Kraftwerk, New Order, Cabaret Voltaire and Heaven 17. He described the first Public Enemy album as the record that probably changed his life, and commented that "Miuzi Weighs a Ton" was one of the most amazing tracks he had ever heard. Rowlands also started collecting hip hop records by artists like Eric B and Schoolly D. Rowlands left school with similar accomplishments to Simons', achieving nine O levels and three A levels. For university, he followed Simons to Manchester primarily to immerse himself in its music scene in general and the Haçienda in particular.

Rowlands was also in a band called Ariel prior to meeting up with Simons. Ariel was formed in London by Rowlands and his friends Brendan Melck and Matt Berry. Their first single was "Sea of Beats". This was essentially a white label, before Philip Brown set up Echo Logik Records, their first promo was Bokadilo (ELR1201), Other songs, released on 12" included "Mustn't Grumble" (ELR1203) and their most well-known, "Rollercoaster" (ELR1202). After a year on Echo Logik they signed to the record label deConstruction. They insisted that they get a female singer and they recruited former Xpansions frontwoman Sally Ann Marsh, and after some disappointing songs like "Let It Slide" (Rowlands would later describe it as "a stinker") the band fell apart. One of the last things Ariel did was the song "T Baby" which was remixed by the pair.

Rowlands and Simons then started to DJ at a club called "Naked Under Leather", in the back of a pub, in 1992 under the alias of "The 237 Turbo Nutters" (named after the number of their house on Dickenson Road in Manchester and a reference to their Blackburn raving days). The pair would play hip hop, techno and house.

The Dust Brothers (1992–1994)

Rowlands and Simons called themselves The Dust Brothers, after the US production duo famous for their work with the Beastie Boys. After a while, they began to run out of suitable instrumental hip hop tracks to use, so they started to make their own. Using a Hitachi hi-fi system, a computer, a sampler and a keyboard, they recorded "Song To The Siren", which sampled This Mortal Coil. "Song To The Siren" was released on their own record label, called "Diamond Records" (after Ed's nickname). In October 1992, they pressed 500 white-label copies and took them to various dance record shops around London, but none would play it, saying that it was too slow (The track played at 111 BPM). They sent a copy to London DJ Andrew Weatherall, who made it a permanent fixture in his DJ sets. Weatherall also signed the band to his Junior Boy's Own label. In May 1993, Junior Boy's Own released 'Song To The Siren'.

Around June 1993, the Dust Brothers did their first remixes. The first was "Packet Of Peace" for Justin Robertson's Lionrock outfit, followed by tracks for Leftfield, Republica and The Sandals. Late in 1993, The Dust Brothers completed work on their ''Fourteenth Century Sky'' EP, released in January 1994. It contained the ground-breaking "Chemical Beats", which epitomized the duo's genre-defining big beat sound, later taken up by Fatboy Slim and many more. The EP also contained "One Too Many Mornings", which for the first time showed the less intense, more chilled-out side of The Dust Brothers. Both "One Too Many Mornings" and "Chemical Beats" would later appear on their debut album. ''Fourteenth Century Sky'' was followed later in 1993 by the ''My Mercury Mouth EP''. "Chemical Beats" was also part of the soundtrack for the first edition of the Wipeout games series, having been featured in ''Wipeout'' for the PlayStation in 1995.

In October 1994, The Dust Brothers became resident DJs at the small, but hugely influential Heavenly Sunday Social Club at the Albany pub in London's Great Portland Street. The likes of Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, James Dean Bradfield and Tim Burgess were regular visitors. The Dust Brothers were subsequently asked to remix tracks by Manic Street Preachers and The Charlatans, plus Primal Scream's "Jailbird" and The Prodigy's "Voodoo People". These two remixes received television exposure, being playlisted by MTV Europe's "The Party Zone" in 1995. Early in 1994, The Dust Brothers were approached in the club one Sunday by Noel Gallagher, from Oasis, who at the time were becoming one of the most prominent guitar bands in Britain. Gallagher told the duo that he had a Balearic inspired track which he had written, which he would like the Dust Brothers to remix. However, over time, Gallagher changed his mind, and in the end the Brothers did not remix it. The track was "Wonderwall".

In March 1995, The Dust Brothers began their first international tour, which included the United States – where they played with Orbital and Underworld – then a series of European festivals. Also around this time, the original Dust Brothers threatened legal action over the use of their name, and so Rowlands and Simons had to decide on a new name quickly. They decided to then call themselves "The Chemical Brothers" after "Chemical Beats" (Simons' grandmother had suggested they call themselves "The Grit Brothers").

In June 1995, they released their fourth single, the first under their new identity. "Leave Home" was released on Junior Boy's Own, as a preview of the imminent debut album and became the band's first chart hit, peaking at No. 17. It stayed at number 17 for 8 weeks, the most weeks a record has stayed at the same place in the charts (apart from Number 1's).

''Exit Planet Dust'' (1995–1996)

In July 1995, The Chemical Brothers released their debut album ''Exit Planet Dust'' (the title inspired by their name change) on Freestyle Dust/Junior Boy's Own. It entered the UK charts at #9 and featured guest vocalist Beth Orton on the song "Alive Alone". It eventually went on to sell over a million copies worldwide, and was used on the soundtrack of the science fiction TV series pilot Virtuality. Shortly after its release, The Chemical Brothers signed to Virgin Records, to which they took their own offshoot label, Freestyle Dust. For their next single, in September 1995, they again used a guest vocalist, for the release of "Life Is Sweet", featuring their friend Tim Burgess, singer with The Charlatans. It reached #25 in the singles charts. The single was also ''Select'' Magazine's Single Of The Month for October. The release included a Daft Punk remix of "Life Is Sweet".

In August 1995, the Chemical Brothers DJ'ed for Oasis at a Sheffield gig. The gig began to backfire when it became apparent that Liam Gallagher didn't seem to like any of the tracks they were spinning. The closest that they could come to pleasing him was the Happy Mondays' "Wrote For Luck". Gallagher proceeded to kick the Chemical Brothers off the turntables and procured a friend from The Verve to continue to DJ. He subsequently favoured psychedelic material to the displeasure of the crowd.

Around this period, The Stone Roses asked the Chemical Brothers to remix "Begging You", from their ''Second Coming'' album. After beginning work on a remix which they viewed as having potential, the Stone Roses changed their minds and the project was cancelled.

In October 1995, the duo returned to the Heavenly Sunday Social for a second and final run of DJ dates. They then became residents at the Heavenly Social on Saturdays at Turnmills. In November, The Chemical Brothers played the Astoria Theatre in London. At this time the Chems usually used a fusion of "Chemical Beats" and The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" as their encore. During the encore, however, Keith Flint from The Prodigy jumped up on stage to dance, wearing a t-shirt sporting the slogan "Occupation: mad bastard". A few from the crowd subsequently joined in. This resulted in a power cable being kicked loose, bringing the show to a temporary close. The Chemical Brothers confessed to not being too bothered; "because he's Keith from the Prodigy, and he can do whatever the fucking hell he likes" Rowlands said later. Just before Christmas, 1995, they played their biggest gig to date, with The Prodigy, at the Brixton Academy.

In January 1996, ''Exit Planet Dust'' went gold. The Chemical Brothers released their first new material in six months on Virgin, the "Loops Of Fury" EP. The four-track release was limited to 20,000 copies, but is now available for digital download. It entered the UK charts at #13. NME described the lead track as "splashing waves of synths across hard-hitting beats". The EP also contained a Dave Clarke remix of "Chemical Beats", and two other new tracks "Get Up On It Like This" and "(The Best Part Of) Breaking Up".

In February 1996, Select Magazine published a list of the 100 best albums of the 1990s thus far. ''Exit Planet Dust'' was listed at Number 39. In August 1996, The Chemical Brothers supported Oasis at Knebworth, where 125,000 people attended each of the two shows.

During the 1995 Glastonbury Festival, Rowlands and Simons had another conversation with Noel Gallagher. Gallagher told them how much he liked ''Exit Planet Dust'', and asked if he could sing on a future track, similar to the way Tim Burgess had worked on "Life Is Sweet". They didn't think much of the offer at the time, given how busy Gallagher would be with the release of Oasis' ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'', plus the complexities of dealing with each others' record companies. However, the duo later worked on a track which they thought would benefit from having a vocal on it. They sent Gallagher a tape of what they had done so far. He worked on it overnight, and left a message with them early the next morning that he was ready to record it. The track was called "Setting Sun" and was finally released in October 1996. It entered the UK charts at the top, giving the duo their first ever Number One single. "Setting Sun" was backed by a longer instrumental version, and also a new track "Buzz Tracks", which was not much more than a DJ tool. The three remaining Beatles' lawyers later wrote to the Chemical Brothers, mistakenly claiming that they had sampled "Tomorrow Never Knows". Virgin Records hired a musicologist to prove that they did not sample the classic 1960s psychedelic song.

Meanwhile, in 1996, ''Live at the Social Volume 1'' was released by Heavenly Records, which became The Chemical Brothers' first mix CD (excluding ''Xmas Dust Up'', a free album that came in a 1994 issue of NME). It was also the duo's first live album, and their only live album (excluding the EP ''Live 05'').

''Dig Your Own Hole'' (1997–1998)

In March 1997, the Brothers released the second track from their forthcoming album, to give the world a further taste of what to expect. "Block Rockin' Beats" went straight to #1 in the UK, possibly thanks, this time, to its Schoolly D vocal sample and re-working of the bassline from 23 Skidoo's single "Coup". The NME named it Single Of The Week and said "It throbs like your head might if you had just done a length underwater in a swimming pool full of amyl." It later won them a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In the US at this time, "Setting Sun" was sitting at Number 80 in the Billboard Top 100, after selling around 80,000 copies, an uncommon achievement for a European "dance" act. Sales from ''Exit Planet Dust'' were also around 150,000.

On 7 April 1997 the Chemical Brothers released their second album, ''Dig Your Own Hole''. It was recorded at the band's own south London studio, with the title taken from graffiti on the wall outside. The album was well received, ''Mixmag'' rating it 10/10 and calling it "mad enough to be thrilling, slick enough for not even remotely trendy coffee tables".

During the summer of 1997, the Brothers toured extensively, particularly in the States. They also became residents at Tokyo's Liquid Rooms. In August, the Chemical Brothers achieved rapprochement with the US Dust Brothers, and asked them to remix the forthcoming single "Elektrobank". They themselves also became highly sought-after for remixes for other artists. Metallica asked the Brothers several times to remix "Enter Sandman", but were repeatedly turned down. In September, the next single from ''Dig Your Own Hole'', "Elektrobank" was released. In November, the pair played at Dublin's Point Theatre, with support from Carl Cox. They also began a US tour in Detroit.

At the end of the year, ''Dig Your Own Hole'''s final track, the nine minute-long "The Private Psychedelic Reel" gave rise to a limited-edition mini-EP of the same name. The b-side consisted of a live version of "Setting Sun", recorded at the Lowlands Festival, Netherlands on 24 August 1997. Also in December, following four sold-out US shows, The Chemical Brothers toured the UK, finishing with a sold-out gig at London's Brixton Academy.

In 1998, they concentrated more on DJ'ing, although some remixes did see the light of day, including "I Think I'm In Love" from Spiritualized. Both a vocal remix and an instrumental remix were included in the single release. Each came in at over seven-and-a-half minutes. Another remix completed by the Brothers was "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp", from Mercury Rev. This was another extension in the association between the two bands, since Mercury Rev's Jonathon Donahue contributed to "The Private Psychedelic Reel" on ''Dig Your Own Hole''.

In September 1998, a second mix album, ''Brothers Gonna Work It Out'', was released. It contains some of their own tracks and remixes, as well as songs from artists who have influenced their sound, such as Renegade Soundwave, Meat Beat Manifesto, Carlos "After Dark" Berrios, and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales.

In May 1999, The Chemical Brothers played three UK dates in Manchester, Sheffield and Brighton, their first since December 1997. Also that month, they released their first new original material in two years, a track called "Hey Boy, Hey Girl". This was more house influenced than hip-hop. In interviews at the time, Rowlands and Simons indicated that the track was inspired by nights out at Sheffield club "Gatecrasher". The track was also one of their more commercially accessible tracks and went to number 3 in the UK charts.

''Surrender'' (1999)

The third album ''Surrender'' was released in June 1999. It featured vocals from Noel Gallagher, Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. As "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" had suggested, the album was more house-oriented than the previous two. On one of the album's stand out tracks, "Out Of Control", New Order's Bernard Sumner supported by Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie provided vocals. It reached Number 1 in the UK album charts, and was widely praised in the print media. The Michel Gondry-directed music video for "Let Forever Be", which utilized ground-breaking video and film effects in its depiction of a young woman's nightmares, also received a lot of attention.

Later that summer, The Brothers headlined the Glastonbury dance tent on the Friday night, followed by a UK tour which ended in December and included Homelands Scotland on 4 September. In November, "Out Of Control", featuring Sumner and Gillespie on vocals, was released as a single. The release also contained the Sasha remix. The final single from ''Surrender'', in February 2000, was the five track "Music: Response" EP, containing the title track and two remixes, plus Electronic Battle Weapon 4 named "Freak of the Week", and a track called "Enjoyed", which was essentially a remix of "Out Of Control" by the Brothers themselves.

A CD copy of ''Surrender'' was placed in the third ''Blue Peter'' time capsule, buried in January 2000. That same month, they appeared on Primal Scream's album ''Xtrmntr'' at track 11 with a remix.

''Come with Us'' (2000–2003)

In June 2000, Tom and Ed played the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival pulling in the largest audience ever seen in the Festival's history. In August 2000 they played to a large crowd at the main stage at Creamfields festival, Ireland. In December 2000, The Chemical Brothers aired one of their new tracks, "It Began in Afrika" at their New York DJ gigs, supporting U2.

In 2001, they were quite active with releases and live performances. Early in the year, they began working on a fourth album, provisionally titled "Chemical Four". The first track which fans got a taste of was "It Began In Afrika", as previously played in their DJ set in New York. The track would make its live debut in California in April 2001, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Another new track also got its public debut at Coachella, "Galaxy Bounce". As had become customary for their releases and experiments, "It Began In Afrika" was first pressed as a promo, as part of the "Electronic Battle Weapon" series. It received much airplay on dance music radio shows in the UK, and became more and more popular in clubs over the course of the summer. It also became one of the "anthems" in Ibiza as the summer progressed. It was given a full commercial single release in September, reaching #8 in the UK singles chart, even though no promotional video was made for the track.

Rowlands and Simons also remixed a track from Fatboy Slim's ''Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars'', entitled "Song For Shelter." This remix was released as a single on 3 September 2001 (one week before "It Began in Afrika") as the CD2 single for "Song for Shelter / Ya Mama". It reached #30 in the UK Singles Charts (sales were combined with the CD1 single).

The Chemical Brothers finished work on another album, ''Come with Us'', in October 2001. It featured collaborations with Richard Ashcroft ("The Test"), of The Verve, and long-time collaborator Beth Orton ("The State We're In"). The album was released in January 2002, preceded by a single, "Star Guitar", a melodic, Balearic Beat number, with a promotional video by Michel Gondry that featured passing scenery synchronized to the beat viewed through a train window. What would be the second track on the album, "It Began in Afrika", was released 10 September 2001 to be circulated around the clubbing scene where it was a popular hit. "Star Guitar" was also released as a DVD single, the pair's first.

The album, ''Come with Us'', was less well received than their previous albums, but nonetheless went straight in at #1 in the UK album charts in the first week of its release, selling 100,000 copies. In April, the title track from the album was released as a single with remixes by Fatboy Slim as part of a double-A sided release with "The Test".

During the summer of 2002, The Chemical Brothers traveled the festival circuit to promote the album. Later in 2002, they released two EPs, one specifically aimed at Japan and the other the US (entitled ''AmericanEP''). Both contained remixes, live versions and B-sides. Additionally, the band produced New Order's final non-album single "Here to Stay" and remixed the song as well.

One of their other major songs from this album was "Galaxy Bounce", which was popular and featured as the main title music for the Xbox game ''Project Gotham Racing'', it was also included on the soundtrack for the movie adaptation of Tomb Raider. "Star Guitar" was featured as a song on the PSP's Lumines II.

Two other songs, "Come with Us (Introduction)" and "Star Guitar (Title Screen)", were featured on a ''PS2'' racing game title ''WRC II: Extreme''. Both songs are instrumental.

The Song ''My Elastic Eye'' from the "Come With Us" album was played in the 2004 movie The Butterfly Effect'''' starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart.

Late 2002 and early 2003, saw Rowlands and Simons back in the studio, working on new material, including "The Golden Path", a collaboration with Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips. This was released in September 2003, at the same time as a "best of" album, entitled ''Singles 93-03'' marking ten years of The Chemical Brothers' releases. ''Singles 93-03'' included most, but not all, of their singles. A second new track, in addition to "The Golden Path", was included on the album, called "Get Yourself High". ''Singles 93-03'' was also released on DVD, whose extra features included selected live performances and interviews with Rowlands, Simons and many of their collaborators from throughout the period. "Get Yourself High", which featured Canadian rapper k-os on vocals, was released as a single in November 2003.

In late 2003 and 2004, The Chemical Brothers continued to work in the studio, on new material and a remix of "Slow" by Kylie Minogue. After being released on rare white label vinyl, it was subsequently given a commercial release in March on CD (on her next single "Red Blooded Woman") and on exclusive 12" vinyl picture disc (containing two other Kylie remixes). In Summer 2004 they returned to the festival circuit, including appearances at the Glastonbury Festival, Tokyo, Scotland and Ireland. They also visited South America for the second time (being the first time in 1999), arriving at Chile, Argentina and Brazil. It was during these sets that they played new material, including "Acid Children", which proved to be one of the most popular new tracks.

In September 2004 The Chemical Brothers released the "seventh Electronic Battle Weapon". "Electronic Battle Weapon 7" was being released as a one-sided promo-only 12", containing "Acid Children". A marked departure from the Chemical Brothers' previous musical endeavours, it featured a screeching 303 bassline and a distinctive vocal sample; a pitch-altered vocal sample proclaiming "You Are All My Children Now!", which is lifted from an old horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge. It was coupled with the projection of a sinister clown mouthing these same words at their live gigs.

The Electronic Battle Weapon series of promo releases have typically been newly recorded Chemical Brothers tracks, released on promo to allow DJs to test them in a club environment, and to gauge their popularity.

''Push the Button'' (2004–2006)

In 2004, The Chemical Brothers began work on ''Push the Button'', their fifth studio album, which features collaborations with Tim Burgess, Kele Okereke and Anwar Superstar, amongst others. The album was released on 24 January 2005.

"Galvanize", which features Q-Tip on vocals, was the first single to be taken from ''Push the Button'', and premiered exclusively on iTunes. The single was released on 17 January 2005, and entered the UK chart at #3. The second single "Believe" (featuring Kele Okereke from Bloc Party) failed to crack top 10, but still made it into the top 20, peaking at #18. "The Boxer", featuring Tim Burgess, became the duo's first single to fail to crack the top 40.

The album and single "Galvanize" won a Grammy in the Grammy Awards of 2006. One of the songs in this album, "The Big Jump" appears in the video game ''Burnout Revenge'', as well as ''Project Gotham Racing 3''. The track "Surface To Air" features a pulsing chord progression and bassline reminiscent of the intro to The Strokes song "The Modern Age".

An unofficial, remixed version of the album entitled "Flip the Switch" was released as a free download, along with the "Believe EP", six further remixes of "Believe".

In September 2006, the Chemical Brothers were revealed as the first musicians to be involved in Tate Tracks. Tate Modern invited various groups and songwriters to choose a work that inspired them from the gallery's collection of modern art and then write a track about it. The Chemical Brothers' submission, ''Rock Drill'', was inspired by the Jacob Epstein sculpture ''Torso in Metal from The Rock Drill'', and can be heard on headphones in front of the work in the gallery. From October 2006, it also became available to hear online at the Tate Tracks website.

''We Are the Night'' (2007–2009)

The Chemicals welcomed June 2006 with an announcement on their official forum stating that the duo had been working on fresh material, specifically an album, codenamed 'Chemical 6'. Simons also told everyone that the band would be playing select venues in the Summer 2007 season, specifying Rome, and also fabric in London. Simons is also quoted as saying that the duo are 'hoping to put a battle weapon out for the summer,', retrieved possibly referring to the 'Electronic Battle Weapon' series, which are somewhat experimental tracks the band occasionally release on white label.

Electronic Battle Weapon 8 & 9 were debuted on Pete Tong's BBC Radio 1 show on 8 December 2006. The double sided vinyl was finally released just before The Chemical Brother's much anticipated New Year's Eve gig at the famous Turnmills in London. The vinyl had a limited edition release worldwide and has been received well by fans, DJs and critics alike. Electronic Battle Weapon 8 at about six and a half minutes is very distinct from the 'big acid' style that the earlier battle weapons adhered to. It is characterised by 'thundering dirty drums' with a rising synth line, and to many it is perceived as being one of the most euphoric tracks that the Chemicals have released. A version of this track features on the ''We Are The Night'' album and is entitled 'Saturate'. Electronic Battle Weapon 9 is typical Chemicals dancefloor track with their trademark vocoder vocals coupled with sirens and a basic 'tribal' melody.

At the same Turnmills gig, the Brothers also played a previously unreleased song at midnight to welcome 2007 which went down well with the crowd. This track eventually emerged as Burst Generator, found on the album ''We Are The Night''. Many are left wondering if the latest in the Electronic Battle Weapon series were simply one off genius pieces or signal a new direction they could take with the new album, perhaps swaying from their genre defining 'big beat' psychedelic albums of the past. The song was also the band's 100th released song.

On 21 March 2007, The Chemical Brothers officially announced their forthcoming album on MySpace. The new album entitled ''We Are the Night'', was released on 2 July 2007 in the United Kingdom and 17 July 2007 in the United States. The Chemicals cited a delay in the production of artwork for this delay. EMI subsequently released an online 'old-skool' The Chemical Brothers computer game as an apology. The track listing was released to the fans on the official mailing list on 10 April. The new album is heavily collaborated with the likes of Klaxons (on "All Rights Reversed"), Midlake (on "The Pills Won't Help You Now"), Ali Love (on "Do It Again") and Willy Mason (on "Battle Scars").

On 12 April 2007, Pete Tong again had the privilege of giving the world the very first preview of a Chemicals track. This time it was the first single "Do It Again" off their new album, aired on his BBC Radio 1 "In New Music We Trust" show. . The track is widely regarded as dance floor friendly, dominated by pop vocals and a minimalistic production approach. The track is regarded as a 'grower' after gaining mixed reviews after the first listen on Pete Tong's show, with its simplistic catchy vocals and electro beat. The official release of the single was 4 June (digital download) and 14 June (12", 7" and CD). The album went on general release in the UK on 2 July.

In September 2007, The Chemical Brothers played a free live gig in Trafalgar Square as part of the Becks Fusions event. All who attended were provided with 3D glasses to view the on-screen visual effects.

In 2008, The Chemical Brothers' music will also be featured in a movie adaption of Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.

The Chemical Brothers supplied a new track for the Heroes Soundtrack titled "Keep My Composure".

''Further'' and motion picture soundtracks (2010–present)

On 30 March 2010, the band announced on their website that their seventh studio album will be titled ''Further'' and will be released 22 June, adding that it will be "the band's first to be released with corresponding films made specifically to match each of the 8 audio tracks." The films have been made with long-time visuals collaborators Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall. The album has been described as their most "psychedelic and melodic to date". Before the release of the album, the band played four shows in May at the London Roundhouse where they played the album and its accompanying films in its entirety. The films will feature on a special edition DVD and on the iTunes LP edition.

Most reviews have been positive with BBC Music declaring that '...Synths are brutally manhandled and pushed to their limits across the eight tracks' with Ian Wade summarising that 'It’s better to continuously explode than fade away, or something. Really rather wonderful indeed...' The Irish Times also reported that 'This is a very impressive collection that is carried along with a stirring sense of velocity and momentum'. However, praise hasn't been unanimous for the LP, with the American rock magazine Spin giving it a rating of three out of five stars.

At the New York Comic Con, on 10 October 2010, English film director Joe Wright announced that the Chemical Brothers would be scoring the soundtrack to his upcoming film, ''Hanna''. Joe Wright, who had worked with the Chemical Brothers in the past as a member of the visual company Vegetable Vision, expressed his feelings on the score, stating that he was "very excited to finally... work with a more modern beat. There's a lot of bass, it's very loud." The soundtrack was released exclusively on iTunes on 15 March 2011. It will be released on CD on 4 July 2011.

Two weeks after the announcement regarding ''Hanna'', rumors began circulating that the Chemical Brothers had recorded part of the score for the movie ''Black Swan'', after a post in Ed Simon's twitter account. A second post on the Chemical Brothers own twitter account seemed to confirm this. On 22 November 2010, a ''Black Swan'' music video was released along with the movie trailer. This music video featured a different version of the track "Don't Think" and announced that the movie would feature new music from the Chemical Brothers, along with a handful of other artists. The next day, the names of the eight tracks not composed by Clint Mansell – ''Black Swan'''s main composer – were released, listing the Chemical Brothers as contributing three new songs for the movie. On 29 November, an exclusive video was posted on rollingstone.com, containing more footage of the alternate version of "Don't Think". Mansell's work was released the next day. No announcement has been made yet on whether the original tracks not by Mansell would be given a release or not.

Live

The Chemical Brothers are credited as being one of the few truly arena-sized electronic acts. Their live acts comprise large screens displaying psychedelic images, strobe lights and lasers that project over the crowd. There has been speculation over how much of their live gigs are pre-recorded, although they insist (on their official website FAQ) that they have a mere outline of track order and the rest is mixed live. This would seem to be confirmed by concertgoers who have seen gigs on consecutive nights and have posted notable differences between the sets played.

The Brothers have also played at many major festivals, from Glastonbury to the Reading, the HFStival, and Leeds festival. They currently hold the record for most gigs performed in a year at the Brixton Academy. The brothers have infamously, despite their high status in the mainstream, never appeared on Top of the Pops, with the use of music videos to replace the performance, sometimes accompanied by a video apologising for their absence. In 1999, a live US tour video of "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" was shown, even though the song was not in the top 40 at the time, and also released other singles before then at the time.

In addition to performing their own music they also hold regular DJ nights where they mix other artist's tracks (in the style of ''Brothers Gonna Work It Out'').

As with their recorded albums, the Chemical Brothers are well known for their incorporation of guest vocalists into their live performances. Notable appearances in recent gigs have included Bernard Sumner of New Order, who sang on the original "Out of Control", Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, and Tim Burgess.

The duo also played at the launch event for the Wii video game console.

On the night of 1 September 2007, the Chemical Brothers played at the main stage of the Electric Picnic to a crowd of around 20,000. The Chemical Brothers appeared in Los Angeles on 29 September 2007, headlining the 13th Annual Nocturnal Wonderland Festival.

The duo was one of the head-liners for Roskilde Festival 2008 in Denmark. The festival is held from the 3rd-6 July and is the biggest festival in Northern Europe.

The Chemical Brothers played at London's Olympia Grand Hall on 30 August 2008. This was the first time any major band has played at Olympia's Grand Hall in over 10 years.

On 18 April 2009, the Chemical Brothers performed a DJ Set at the Coachella Festival, at which they premiered two previously unnamed new tracks. The tracks were the bonus track "Don't Think", and "Escape Velocity", both of which were later included on the album ''Further''.

On 8 February 2010, they confirmed their presence at Sónar Festival in Barcelona in June 2010. They also announced they would be performing another two nights at the London Roundhouse in Camden, on 20 and 21 May. Due to phenomenal demand, as tickets sold out within two minutes, they added a further two nights; 22 and 23 May.

On 3 September 2010, they performed at North Coast Music Festival in Chicago. The following day they performed at Electric Zoo festival in New York City.

4–14 March 2011, they headlined the Future Music Festival in 5 cities across Australia.

On 27 March 2011, they headlined Ultra Music Festival in Miami, FL and closed out the Main Stage for the weekend. They also were the closing performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Friday 15 April 2011. The Chemical Brothers will headline the UK dance festival Creamfields in Cheshire on 27 August 2011.

The band also played at the 'Other Stage' at Glastonbury Festival 2011 as that stage's lead headliners.

Logo

The typeface used to write the typical "The Chemical Brothers" logo is derived from Sho, designed by Karlgeorg Hoefer in 1992. The Chemical Brothers' original logo differs only in a few details from orthodox Sho, e.g. in the letters a and b. Mergenthaler Linotype Company holds the licence for this typeface.

Discography

Studio albums

''Exit Planet Dust'' (1995)

''Dig Your Own Hole'' (1997)

''Surrender'' (1999)

''Come with Us'' (2002)

''Push the Button'' (2005)

''We Are the Night'' (2007)

''Further'' (2010)

Soundtrack albums

''Hanna'' (2011)

Main compilation albums

''Brothers Gonna Work It Out'' (1998)

''Singles 93-03'' (2003)

''Brotherhood'' (2008)

See also

Daft Punk

Fatboy Slim

Orbital

The Prodigy

References

External links

YouTube Remix Channel (Taiwan)

Category:British electronic music groups Category:British techno music groups Category:English dance music groups Category:English house music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1991 Category:1991 establishments in England Category:Club DJs Category:Remixers Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Astralwerks artists Category:Musical groups from Manchester Category:Celebrity duos Category:Breakbeat musicians Category:Electronic music duos Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:People educated at Alleyn's School

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