As a quartet, New Order subsequently re-recorded “Ceremony”, which was released as a twelve-inch single in September 1981.
The band faced several challenges in writing their second album, October . On an American leg of the Boy Tour, Bono’s briefcase containing in-progress lyrics and musical ideas was lost backstage during a March 1981 performance at a nightclub in Portland, Oregon . The band had limited time to write…
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The band had by then caught the attention of AC/DC producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange , who agreed to work on their second album, High ‘n’ Dry , released on 6 July 1981.
The band’s debut album, Duran Duran , was released on the EMI label in June 1981. The first single, ” Planet Earth “, had reached the United Kingdom’s top 20 at number 12 in February. A follow-up, ” Careless Memories “, released in April, stalled at number 37. The third…
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In May 1981, PiL appeared in New York at The Ritz , playing from behind a projection screen. Lydon, Levene and Jeanette Lee were joined by a new drummer, 60-year-old jazz player Sam Ulano, who had been recruited for the gig from a bar, having apparently never heard the band…
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Between touring commitments, the band released their third single in May 1981, ” The Loved One “, which was a cover of a 1966 song by Australian group the Loved Ones .
In April 1981, R.E.M. recorded their first single, ” Radio Free Europe “, at producer Mitch Easter ‘s Drive-In Studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina , after a recommendation by Peter Holsapple . Initially distributing it as a four-track demo tape to clubs, record labels and magazines, the single was released…
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released in February 1981. It reached number 57 in the UK charts.
The band was formed as Still Life in 1981 in Jamestown, New York , by Dennis Drew (keyboards), Steven Gustafson (bass), Chet Cardinale (drums), Robert Buck (guitar), and Buck’s ex-wife Terri Newhouse (vocals). Gustafson invited Natalie Merchant , who was 17 at the time, to do some vocals. John Lombardo…
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Following his high school graduation in 1981, Steve Perry left his hometown of Binghamton, New York , for Eugene, Oregon , to pursue track and field and a chemistry degree at the University of Oregon . A punk rock devotee since adolescence, Perry soon became engrossed in Eugene’s underground music…
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