Frank Tovey (September 8, 1956 – April 3, 2002), better known as Fad Gadget, was an influential British avant-garde electronic musician, an exponent of New Wave and early industrial music. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1404 × 1402 pixel, file size: 677 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scan from editors collection This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either... Fireside Favourites is a biting, cynical and depressing album, that makes use of some classic 80s analogue synthesizers. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... , Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of rock music that originated during the late 1970s. ... Industrial rock is a musical genre which is a fusion of industrial music and rock music. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mute Records is a record label formed in 1978 by Daniel Miller primarily to release his own single, T.V.O.D./Warm Leatherette, under the moniker The Normal. ... is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... It has been suggested that Electronica be merged into this article or section. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... It has been suggested that Chicago Industrial be merged into this article or section. ...

Career

Tovey studied performance art at Leeds Metropolitan University. He signed as Fad Gadget to Daniel Miller's Mute Records, which was soon home to similar but more commercial synthpop act Depeche Mode. He was the first artist to sign to Mute. This article is about Performance art. ... Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds Metropolitan University is a university with campuses in Leeds and Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. ... The Normal is the recording artist name used by English film editor Daniel Miller, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records. ... Mute Records is a record label formed in 1978 by Daniel Miller primarily to release his own single, T.V.O.D./Warm Leatherette, under the moniker The Normal. ... Depeche Mode are a band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex, England. ...

As Fad Gadget, his music was characterized by a distinctive use of synthesizers in conjunction with sounds of found objects, including drills and electric razors. His bleak, sarcastic, and darkly humorous lyrics were often layered in meaning, and discussed subjects such as machinery, building construction, human sexuality, and physical violence. His singing style, a droning monotone, influenced later gothic and industrial rock movements.^{[citation needed]} The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ... A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. ... A drill is a tool with a rotating drill bit used for drilling holes in various materials. ... Collection of Modern Safety Razors - Gillette Fusion Power, Gillette M3Power, Mach3 Turbo Champion, Schick Quattro Chrome, Schick Quattro Power, Gillette Mach3, Gillette Sensor, Schick Xtreme3, Schick Xtreme SubZero, and Schick Xtreme3 Disposables A razor is an edge tool primarily used in shaving. ... Monotone refers to a sound, for example speech or music, that has a single unvaried tone. ... Gothic rock (sometimes called goth rock or simply goth) is a genre of rock music that originated during the late 1970s. ... Industrial rock is a musical genre which is a fusion of industrial music and rock music. ...

Fad Gadget was known for confrontational live performances which included Tovey covering himself in tar and feathers, leaping into the audience, and playing instruments with his head. Sounds magazine described him as "...the bumbling but talented Dr Who of electro-pop".^[1] Tarring and feathering is a physical punishment, at least as old as the Crusades, used to enforce formal justice in feudal Europe and informal justice in Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a type of mob vengeance (compare... This article is about compression waves. ... The Doctor Who 2005 television series logo. ...

Tovey recorded several LPs of more experimental work under his real name. His child can be heard on some songs, and "Love Parasite" is about a baby.^{[citation needed]} An LP Long playing (LP), either 10 or 12-inch diameter, 33 rpm (actually 33. ...

After touring in 1993, Tovey withdrew from the music business^{[citation needed]} until 2001, when he resurrected his old pseudonym to support his former colleagues, Depeche Mode, on their Exciter tour. He continued to perform until his death. Exciter is Depeche Modes tenth full-length album, which was released on May 14, 2001 in the UK and May 15 in the US. It uses more digital music technology compared to their other albums. ... The Exciter Tour was Depeche Modes 2001 world tour, featuring concerts spanning over 20 countries and featuring some of their greatest hits, usually the more recent tracks up to 2001. ...

Personal life

Tovey suffered from heart problems for most of his life, and died of a heart attack on April 3, 2002 at the age of 45. He left a wife and at least one child. is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Discography

Albums

As Fad Gadget

• Fireside Favourites (1980)
• Incontinent (1981)
• Under the Flag (1982)
• Gag (1984)
• The Best of Fad Gadget (2001)

Fireside Favourites is a biting, cynical and depressing album, that makes use of some classic 80s analogue synthesizers. ... LP STUMM3 Released Mon 01 Sep 1980 on Mute Records Inspirational electronic album. ... Experimental electronic album, written by Frank Tovey for the most part concerning his fear for the future of the world, in light of having just becoming a father. ... Gag is an album released in 1984 by British musician Fad Gadget. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

As Frank Tovey

• Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing (1984) (with Boyd Rice)
• Snakes and Ladders (1986)
• The Fad Gadget Singles (1986)
• Civilian (1988)
• Tyranny & the Hired Hand (1989)
• Grand Union (1991)
• Worried Men in Second Hand Suits (1992)
• Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey (2006)

Boyd Rice and Frank Tovey collaborated on an album called East Listening for the Hard of Hearing, which is composed on 12 tracks labeled extractions 1-12. ... Boyd Rice (born 1956) is an American experimental sound artist, occultist, archivist, actor, photographer, prankster and writer best known for his pioneering industrial noise music under the name NON. // Rice started creating experimental noise recordings in 1975, drawing on his interest in tape machines and bubblegum pop sung by female... Snakes and Ladders is a studio album from Frank Tovey. ... Released in 1986, this is the definitive collection of Fad Gadget singles (4m was the B side to Life on the Line). ... In times of armed conflict a civilian is any person who is not a combatant. ... Grand Union was released in 1991. ...

Singles

As Fad Gadget

• "Back to Nature" (1979)
• "Ricky's Hand" (1980)
• "Fireside Favourite" (1980)
• "Make Room" (1981)
• "Saturday Night Special" (1982)
• "King of the Flies" (1982)
• "Life on the Line" (1982)
• "For Whom the Bells Toll" (1982)
• "I Discover Love" (1983)
• "Collapsing New People" (1983) - with Einstürzende Neubauten
• "One Man's Meat" (1984)
• "Fireside Favourite 2001" (2001)
• "Collapsing New People 2003" (2003)

Rickys Hand is a song by Fad Gadget, released as a single in 1980. ... Einstürzende Neubauten is an experimental music band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. ...

As Mkultra

• "Immobilise" (1986)

As Frank Tovey

• "Luxury" (1985)
• "Luddite Joe" (1986)
• "Bridge St. Shuffle" (1988)
• "Sam Hall" (1989)
• "The Liberty Tree" (1991)
• "All That Is Mine" (1992)

Notes

External links

• Official Fad Gadget Site
• Frank Tovey Fan Site