The "Walking Man" logo designed by Peter Saville for the cover of Leisure Noise

Gay Dad were one of the last UK Brit rock bands to be launched in the late 1990s. They generated massive media interest and had moderate chart success, but they failed to sustain their popularity and broke up in 2002. The original line-up consisted of Cliff Jones (guitarist/vocalist), James Riseboro (keyboardist), Nigel Hoyle (bassist), Charley Stone (guitarist) and Nicholas "Baz" Crowe (drummer). Image File history File links Gaydad. ... Image File history File links Gaydad. ... Britpop is a british musical movement from the middle 90s, characterised with the appearance of bands who borrowed many influences from 60s and 70s while creating big and catchy hooks, as well as the glamour of earlier pop stardom and the sense that they were creating the soundtrack to the... In music, a band is a company of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of or improvising a musical arrangement on different musical instruments. ... Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ... A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Ercole de Roberti: Concert, c. ... A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. ... A bassist is a musician who plays a double bass or electric bass (also referred to as bass guitar). ... A drummer at practice A drummer is a musician who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ...

Musical career

Early history

Gay Dad was first formed in 1994 by former Mojo and The Face journalist Cliff Jones, his schoolfriend Baz Crowe, and Nigel Hoyle. Their first demo was recorded with legendary Rolling Stones record producer, Andrew Loog Oldham but proved unsuccessful, and they did not make their live debut until 1995. Early gigs were often a shambles, and by 1996 Jones, who had developed a fascination with psychedelia and glam-rock, began to rethink the band's approach. Mojo is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. ... Influential British magazine The Face was started in May 1980 by Nick Logan out of his publishing house Wagadon. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... A U.S. Postage Stamp commemorating one hundred years of sound recording. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... Andrew Loog Oldham (born 1944) is a British rock and roll producer, impresario and author. ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 2005 A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. ... Psychedelia is a term describing a category of music, visual art, fashion, and culture that is associated originally with the high 1960s, hippies, and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, California. ... Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), was a style of rock and roll music popularised in the early 1970s. ...

Joined by new keyboardist James Riseboro , they recorded several new tracks at Raezor Studio, Wandsworth, including a song called "To Earth With Love". Although it was only intended to win them some live dates, the demo attracted keen record company interest and the band signed to London Records in December 1997. With (female) guitarist Charley Stone they toured the UK in early 1998 before starting recording sessions at The Dairy studio in Brixton with producers/sound engineers Gary Langan (ex-Art of Noise) and Chris Hughes (ex-Adam And The Ants). Wandsworth is a largely middleclass area by the River Thames in south-west London. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (commonly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... The record industry (or recording industry) is the industry that manufactures and distributes mechanical recordings of music. ... London Records is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 through the 1980s. ... Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth. ... Audio engineering is the branch of engineering dealing with the production of sound through mechanical means. ... Gary Langan (born May 11, 1955) is an audio engineer and record producer. ... The Art of Noise was a pop group formed in 1983 by producer Trevor Horn, music journalist Paul Morley, and session musicians/studio hands Anne Dudley, J.J. Jeczalik, and Gary Langan. ... Chris Hughes is a British record producer and musician probably best known for his work with Tears for Fears, Adam and the Ants, Howard Jones and Propaganda. ... Adam & the Ants were a rock and roll group during the late 1970s and early 1980s. ...

The band's controversial name and their eye-catching blue and white "Walking Man" logo designed by fashionable graphic artist, Peter Saville generated a huge amount of interest from the media,[1] and Gay Dad were hailed as the "saviours" of British rock. Graphic design is the applied art of arranging image and text to communicate a message. ... Peter Saville (born 1955 in Manchester, England[1]) is a graphic designer based in London. ... Rock is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by electric guitars, a bass guitar, and drums. ...

Chart history

Their debut single "To Earth With Love" entered the UK Singles Chart at #10 in January 1999. Their debut album Leisure Noise, co-produced by Tony Visconti and Mark Frith, was released on 21 September, 1999. Despite initial good reviews it only made #14, although American sales topped 25,000. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... A debut album is the first released record album by an artist or a band. ... Tony Visconti in the 1970s Tony Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is a record producer, and sometimes a musician or singer, who has had a long and illustrious career working with some of the best known popular music artists from the late 1960s onwards, including the Moody Blues, as well...

The second single "Joy!" reached #22 in the UK, but the third single from the album, "Oh Jim", only made #47. Disappointing reviews for some of their live shows started a general media backlash. Frontman Jones was criticised for his pretentious statements, and the band’s whole authenticity was questioned due to his connections with the music press. After a moderately successful tour of America, Stone left the band and was temporarily replaced by bass player Andy Bell (who had previously been guitarist with Ride and later joined Oasis). They started to work on a second album but keyboard player Riseboro also left the band due to musical differences. The band parted with London Records the following November. Frontman (also front man) is a term referring to the lead singer or band leader of a music group. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Andrew Piran Bell (Born 11 August 1970, in Cardiff, Wales) is a British musician formerly of Ride, a 1980s and 90s British shoegazing band, and Hurricane #1. ... Ride is a 1980s and 90s British shoegazing band. ... Oasis are an English rock band, formed in Manchester in 1991. ...

Jones, Hoyle and Crowe signed a new record deal with smaller indie label B-Unique and began work on a new album Transmission. In 2001 the leading single, "Now Always and Forever" was released and fell just short of the Top 40. An extensive UK tour was followed by another single "Harder, Faster" which also failed to chart significantly. The third single "Transmission" was released just before the album came out in late 2001. Although critically acclaimed, it had disappointing sales and failed to make any commercial impact. B-Unique is a record label based in London, UK. They are an independent record label. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ...

Interesting to note, Gay Dad played a one-off show in Houston, Texas in the summer of 2001. It was at this show that Cliff shared a bill with an up and coming Austin band, Young Heart Attack. Smitten with the energy and drive of the band, Cliff struck up a friendship with them and played a key role in getting the band signed in England. A new song "Young Heart Attack" later appeared as a b side to one of the singles off the "Transmission" LP. Young Heart Attack are a high energy Rock n Roll band from Austin, Texas which formed in 2001. ...

Band split

Rumours of a split started circulating in 2002, and Jones finally announced the break up of the band on the eve of the U.S. release of Transmission, citing the excessive press hype the band had received and the pressures resulting from it, as well as negative reactions to the band’s controversial name. "We got shot out of the cannon," said Jones, "Then things started to get out of control, and as rapidly as we went up, we came down again."

Jones claimed that one negative reaction came from Capitol Records, which had planned to release the album in America. "Someone in radio promotion said he'd resign if he had to work a band called Gay Dad". Instead, Transmission was put out by indie label Thirsty Ear. Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... Thirsty Ear Recordings is an American independent record label. ...

Later that year Gay Dad's second single, "Joy" was used in a Mitsubishi car advertisement. Mitsubishi Logo The Mitsubishi Group ), Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies, all refer to a large grouping of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ...

Jones continued on partly as 'gun for hire', working with the likes of Sharleen Spiteri (of the Scottish group Texas) and Robbie Williams. Nigel Hoyle began his solo project, and eventually ended up working with Freelance Hellraiser. The two recorded a track for the Ian Brown remix album. Hoyle then found himself working with Crispin Hunt (of the defunkt Longpigs) in a new outfit, Grammercy. Spiteri signing her autograph. ... Robbie Williams (born Robert Peter Williams on February 13, 1974) is an English singer-songwriter. ... The Freelance Hellraiser (née Roy Kerr) is one of the most respected creators of the UK bootleg scene. ... The Longpigs were one of the more memorable bands who rose to fame on the fringe of Britpop in the 1990s, comprising Crispin Hunt (vocals), Richard Hawley (guitar), Simon Stafford (bass) and former Cabaret Voltaire member Dee Boyle (drums). ...

Discography

Album

• Leisure Noise (1999) - #14
• Transmission (2001)

Single

• 1999"To Earth With Love" - #10
• 1999"Joy!" - #22
• 1999"Oh Jim" - #47
• 2001"Now, Always And Forever" - #41
• 2001"Harder, Faster" - did not chart
• 2001"Transmission" - #58

External links

• Official Gay Dad web site
• Gay Dad on MySpace
• Gay Dad on All Music Guide
• Single review, 18th January 1999
• Article in The Guardian, May 28, 1999
• Article in SOS magazine, July 1999