Big Black was a noise rock band founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that was active between 1982 and 1987. They were headed by singer, lyricist, guitarist, and co-songwriter Steve Albini. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Arch, the main entrance to the Evanston campus of Northwestern University Evanston (elevation 600 ft. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lightning Bolt Live at the Southgate House 2005. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which began life in 1979 in East Lansing, Michigan as a magazine put out by Tesco Vee. ... Blast First is a noted sublabel of one time indie Mute Records. ... Homestead Records Logo Homestead Records is a New York City based sublabel of Dutch East India Trading. ... Ruthless Records was the name of a Chicago punk label. ... Steve Albini (born July 22, 1962, Pasadena, California) is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. ... Dave Riley was born in Detroit and subsequently worked as an assistant audio engineer for George Clintons stable of Parliament-Funkadelic bands. ... Santiago Durango (b. ... Jeff Pezzati is an important figure in Chicago punk rock. ... Patrick M. Byrne is CEO of internet retailer Overstock. ... Lightning Bolt Live at the Southgate House 2005. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... See also: 1982 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1982 Record labels established in 1982 list of years in music // January 15 - K.C. and the Sunshine Bands Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1987 Record labels established in 1987 // January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... Steve Albini (born July 22, 1962, Pasadena, California) is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. ...

They sought and found little mainstream success, but the group's piledriver drum machines and brutal, slashing electric guitars were widely influential, especially for industrial rock. Albini's snide, malevolent singing and provocative lyrics garnered much attention. A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electromagnetic pickup (music)s to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... Industrial rock is a musical genre which is a fusion of post-industrial music and rock music. ...

They have been classified as noise rock, and were a formative influence on industrial rock, but the band members have always described the band as solidly punk rock; in the notes for Pigpile, a live recording of their final London performance, Albini explicitly describes Big Black as punk. Lightning Bolt Live at the Southgate House 2005. ... Industrial rock is a musical genre which is a fusion of post-industrial music and rock music. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

History

Albini made a name for himself for his controversial "Tired of Ugly Fat?" column in the Chicago zine Matter, as well as irregular contributions to Forced Exposure. At the time, the band consisted of Albini and his drum machine, a Roland TR-606. (All of Big Black's recordings credit "Roland" as if "he" were a member of the band.) Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... A zine—an abbreviation of the word fanzine, and originating from the word magazine[1][2]—is most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. ... Forced Exposure was an independent music magazine (zine) published sporadically out of Massachusetts in the mid-to-late 1980s, edited and produced by Byron Coley and Jimmy Johnson. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... The Roland TR-606 Drumatix is a programmable analog synthesis drum machine built by the Roland Corporation from 1981 to 1983. ...

The Lungs EP, the first effort to appear under the Big Black name, was recorded by Albini in his dorm room at Northwestern University. Intended primarily to recruit members to fill out the band, Lungs was released by Ruthless Records. The record is infamous for the variety of inserts, which included a lyric sheet in most copies, plus extras like condoms, dollar bills, stickers, concert tickets, photographs, silverware, razor blades, bloody bandages, and squirt guns. Heavily influenced by Public Image Limited and Killing Joke, Albini describes the amateurish Lungs as one of his few artistic regrets. Lungs is the first EP by Chicago band Big Black. ... For other uses, see Northwestern. ... Ruthless Records was the name of a Chicago punk label. ... A condom is a device, usually made of latex, or more recently polyurethane, that is used during sexual intercourse. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Starch-polyester disposable cutlery Cutlery refers to any hand utensil used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food. ... Occams Razor or Hanlons razor A razor is a an edge tool (primarily, used in shaving). ... A water pistol A squirt gun (or water pistol) is a type of toy designed to shoot water. ... Public Image Ltd (PiL) is a band formed in 1978 by John Lydon, formerly and later Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. ... This article is about the musical group. ...

Jeff Pezzati and Santiago Durango performing with Big Black in 2006

In 1983 Jeff Pezzati and Santiago Durango, both of Naked Raygun, joined the band on bass and guitar, respectively. They recorded two EPs together, switching to Homestead Records, and soon after Pezzati left the band. He was replaced by Dave Riley. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1509x896, 90 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Big Black Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1509x896, 90 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Big Black Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Jeff Pezzati is an important figure in Chicago punk rock. ... Santiago Durango (b. ... Naked Raygun was a very influential Chicago-based punk band of the 1980s and early 1990s. ... Homestead Records Logo Homestead Records is a New York City based sublabel of Dutch East India Trading. ... Dave Riley was born in Detroit and subsequently worked as an assistant audio engineer for George Clintons stable of Parliament-Funkadelic bands. ...

Steve Albini performing with Big Black in 2006

Riley was a longtime funk fan and had worked at a Detroit recording studio frequented by Sly Stone and George Clinton. His bass guitar work with Big Black was, to a degree, influenced by funk -- not to suggest that he played like Bootsy Collins or Larry Graham, but he did bring a sinuous quality to the music. Even before Riley joined, there was evidence of an interest in funk: Big Black had already covered James Brown's "The Payback". Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (926x600, 40 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Big Black Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (926x600, 40 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Big Black Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart, 15 March 1943, in Denton, Texas) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and... George Clinton (born July 22, 1940) is an American musician and the principal architect of P-Funk. ... William Bootsy Collins (born October 26, 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a pioneering funk bassist, singer, and songwriter. ... Larry Graham on the cover of his 1981 LP Just Be My Lady. ... For other persons named James Brown, see James Brown (disambiguation). ... The Payback (sometimes known as just Payback) is a funk song by James Brown, the title track from his 1974 album of the same name. ...

The band made a name for itself nationally with its first album Atomizer, which featured more controversial lyrics by Albini, and strong contributions by Durango and Riley to the songs and arrangement -- a working scheme the band had settled on because it took advantage of each member's strengths. Some listeners did not understand that their songs were either social commentary or sarcastic jokes (often both), and assumed that the band was sexist and racist. Albini responded to these accusations by making his lyrics even more offensive than before. Albini has stated that irritating "squares" was no challenge, but he took specific glee in offending "hipsters". Atomizer is a 1986 album by the No Wave punk group Big Black. ... Sexism is discrimination between people based on their Sex rather than their individual merits. ... 1. ... The term square, in referring to a person, originally meant someone who was honest, traditional, and loyal. ... A hipster is a person who is strongly associated with a subculture that considers itself hip. ...

Albini drew much lyrical inspiration from misadventures and escapades he observed during his teen years in rural Missoula, Montana: for example, "Cables" was inspired by acquaintances who would visit a slaughterhouse to watch cattle get killed. Missoula, Montana viewed from the top of Mount Sentinel in 1999. ... For the Batman villain, see Abattoir (comics). ...

In 1987 the band switched labels again, this time to the cult Chicago-based indie label Touch and Go Records, when the band became disenchanted with Homestead Records after the label illegally released promotional-only copies of some of limited-edition recordings. Big Black then released the Headache EP, which bore a sticker reading, "Not as good as Atomizer, so don't get your hopes up, cheese!" This was not a gimmick; the band truly thought Headache was inferior, and wanted to warn fans. Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which began life in 1979 in East Lansing, Michigan as a magazine put out by Tesco Vee. ...

Shortly after, Durango announced that he was leaving the band to attend law school. Never expecting to make a career out of Big Black, the band realized this would be a good time to stop, not wanting to turn into the Rolling Stones. They broke up, and then released one final album, Songs About Fucking. This article is about the rock band. ... Songs About Fucking is an album by Big Black. ...

After Big Black

Steve Albini went on to become a successful recording engineer (he dislikes the term "producer") for bands like Pixies, Nirvana, The Jesus Lizard, The Auteurs, Slint, P.J. Harvey, and many others, in addition to playing in Rapeman and Shellac. The Pixies[1] are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1985. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... The Jesus Lizard was a rock music group formed in 1989 in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Auteurs were a vehicle for the songwriting talents of Luke Haines (guitar, piano and vocals). ... Slint was a rock band consisting of Brian McMahan (guitar and vocals), David Pajo (guitar), Britt Walford (drums), Todd Brashear (bass on Spiderland) and Ethan Buckler (bass on Tweez). ... Polly Jean Harvey, born October 9, 1969 in Weymouth, Dorset is a British singer and songwriter. ... Rapeman was an American rock music group founded in 1987 and disbanded in 1990. ... Shellac (sometimes referred to as Shellac of North America) is an American rock music group comprised of Steve Albini (guitar and vocals), Bob Weston (bass guitar and vocals) and Todd Trainer (drums and vocals). ...

Dave Riley is recovering from a stroke suffered in 1993 and has since released a CD and a book. [1] [2] For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Santiago Durango released two EPs as Arsenal on Touch and Go, and is still a practicing lawyer. In his first case he helped recover Cynthia Plaster Caster's bronze casts of the genitalia of various rock and roll artists, including that of Jimi Hendrix. He handled some litigation for Touch and Go, and is currently^{[when? — see talk page]} an appellate defender.[3] Cynthia Plaster Caster, nee Cynthia Albritton (born in 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is an artist and self-described recovering groupie who creates plaster casts of famous persons penises and breasts. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ...

Touch and Go acquired the rights to the Big Black back catalog, and reissued these (by this time) hard-to-acquire classics.

Big Black have been posthumously successful, with Q Magazine's August 2007 issue naming Songs About Fucking as the fifth loudest album of all time, just ahead of the Who's Live at Leeds and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Q is a music and entertainment magazinepublished monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Songs About Fucking is an album by Big Black. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... Live at Leeds (1970) is The Whos first live album, and indeed is their only live album that was released while the band was still recording and performing regularly. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the second full-length album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on April 19, 1988 (see 1988 in music) on Def Jam Recordings. ...

Reunion

Big Black briefly reunited to play a few songs at Touch and Go Records 25th anniversary celebration on 9 September 2006. The line up was Steve Albini, Santiago Durango and Jeff Pezzati. They played "Cables," "Dead Billy," "Pigeon Kill," and "Racer X," in that order.

"I know what you're all thinking... 'what was all the fuss about?'" Albini said onstage that night. He later said that the reunion would not have happened but for the Touch & Go anniversary, and said the record label is "the most important thing to happen in music in my lifetime." Pezzati and Durango nodded in assent.

Big Black's career is chronicled in Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups. Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 is a book by Michael Azerrad (ISBN 0-316-78753-1). ... Underground rock is a term sometimes used to describe forms of rock and roll music which have little or no mainstream appeal, visibility or commercial presence. ...

Discography

Studio Albums

• Atomizer (Homestead, 1986)
• Songs About Fucking (Touch and Go, 1987)

Atomizer is a 1986 album by the No Wave punk group Big Black. ... Homestead Records Logo Homestead Records is a New York City based sublabel of Dutch East India Trading. ... Songs About Fucking is an album by Big Black. ... Touch and Go Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, USA, which began life in 1979 in East Lansing, Michigan as a magazine put out by Tesco Vee. ...

Live Albums

• Sound of Impact (Blast First, 1987)
• Pigpile (Touch and Go, 1992)

Sound of Impact is an official live bootleg by the noise rock band Big Black. ... Blast First is a noted sublabel of one time indie Mute Records. ... Pig Pile in a live album by hardcore punk group Big Black. ...

Compilations

• The Hammer Party (Homestead, 1986)
• The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape (Touch and Go, 1987)

The Hammer Party is a 1986 CD release of Big Blacks first three EPs (made between 1982 and 1984). ... The Rich Mans Eight Track Tape is an album by noise rock band Big Black. ...

EPs

• Lungs (Ruthless, 1982)
• Bulldozer (Ruthless, 1983)
• Racer-X (Homestead, 1984)
• Big Money (Promotional EP) (Homestead, 1986)
• Headache (Touch and Go, 1987)

Lungs is the first EP by Chicago band Big Black. ... Ruthless Records was the name of a Chicago punk label. ... Bulldozer is the second EP by Chicago noise-rock band Big Black, released in 1983. ... The Second Heat line-up. ... Headache is a 1987 EP by Chicago noise-rock band Big Black. ...

7" Singles

• Rema Rema (Forced Exposure magazine giveaway, 1985)
• Il Duce (Homestead, 1986)
• Heartbeat (Touch and Go, 1987)
• He's a Whore/The Model (Touch and Go, 1987)

Rema Rema was a musical duo, consisting of Gary Asquith and Marco Pirroni. ... 1987 single by Chicago noise-rock band Big Black. ... Back cover Both songs on this release are covers, the first track by Cheap Trick and the second by Kraftwerk. ...

Videos

• Pigpile (Touch and Go, 1992)

External links

• Big Black fan site with discography, interviews, links.
• another Big Black fan site.
• Action Park, a comprehensive information site for Albini-related projects.
• Touch and Go website offers several Big Black songs for download
• Electrical Audio Steve Albini's two-studio complex located in Chicago, Illinois.