Big Audio Dynamite
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Unreferenced Template:Infobox band Big Audio Dynamite was the band formed by Mick Jones after The Clash split up.
Big Audio Dynamite (BAD, for short) was founded in 1984 with film director Don Letts (The Punk Rock Movie, various Clash videos, and later the Clash documentary Westway to the World).
Contents |
Big Audio Dynamite
The first BAD album, This Is Big Audio Dynamite, was released a year later. The single "E=MC2" was popular in dance clubs at the time. 1986's No. 10, Upping St. reunited Jones for one album with former Clash-mate Joe Strummer who co-produced the album and co-wrote a number of songs, but that reacquaintance soon ended. BAD supported U2 on their 1987 world tour, then followed with 1988's Tighten Up, Vol. '88 and 1989 Megatop Phoenix.
Big Audio Dynamite II
After a complete reworking of the lineup that left Jones as the sole remaining original member he changed their name to Big Audio Dynamite II. The band featured Mick on guitar and lead vocals, Nick Hawkins on guitar, Gary Stonadge on bass, and Chris Kavanagh on drums, the latter three also singing backup. This new line-up, featuring two guitarists, was more "Clash-like" and, possibly as a result, often played heavier, more alternative rock-influenced music. In 1991 they released the critically acclaimed, limited edition mini-album Kool-Aid - a prelude to The Globe, which produced the band's most commercially successful single, "Rush" which hit #1 on the US modern rock charts.
The band later recruited Andre Shapps on keyboards, who co-produced all three BAD II albums, and Michael "DJ Zonka" Custance as DJ. Both of which appeared on the band's 1994 album Higher Power, which was released under the shortened name "Big Audio," which fans often called them. The album wasn't received as well as The Globe or the previous BAD albums by fans or critics and there was a joke going around amongst fans about the removal of "Dynamite" from the band's name (they claimed the group had "lost their ka-boom").
After signing with Gary Kurfirst's Radioactive Records in 1995, and releasing a less auccessful album, F-Punk, BAD found its proposed next album Entering a New Ride, in limbo -- the record company apparently refused to release it. Coincidentally, the new line-up featured the inclusion of vocalist Rankin' Roger (The Beat, General Public). In 1998, the band launched a new web site, primarily as a means to distribute songs from the Entering a New Ride album to the group's fans.
Jones has shuffled the line up of the group several times, and even renamed them Big Audio Dynamite II (in 1991) and Big Audio (1994), but critics argue that the band never really captured the cutting-edge promise of their debut album, with the possible exception of the 1989 release.
As of 2005, Jones is working on a project with Tony James (ex-member of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik) called Carbon/Silicon.
Members
Big Audio Dynamite (1984 - 1990)
- Mick Jones - guitars & vocals
- Don Letts - sound effects & vocals
- Dan Donovan - keyboards
- Greg Roberts - drums & background vocals
- Leo Williams - bass
Big Audio Dynamite II/Big Audio (1990 - 1998)
- Mick Jones - guitars & vocals
- Darryl Fulstow - bass (1995 - 1998)
- Nick Hawkins - guitar
- Chris Kavanagh - drums (1990 - 1995)
- Andre Shapps - keyboards
- Gary Stonadge - bass (1990 - 1995)
- Bob Wond - drums (1995 - 1998)
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | UK | US | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | This is Big Audio Dynamite | 27 | 103 | as "Big Audio Dynamite" |
| 1986 | No. 10 Upping St. | 11 | 135 | as "Big Audio Dynamite" |
| 1988 | Tighten Up, Vol. 88 | 33 | 102 | as "Big Audio Dynamite" |
| 1989 | Megatop Phoenix | 26 | 85 | as "Big Audio Dynamite" |
| 1990 | Kool-Aid | - | - | as "Big Audio Dynamite II" |
| 1991 | The Globe | - | 76 | as "Big Audio Dynamite II", Gold Certified |
| 1991 | Ally Pally Paradiso | - | - | The "Live Official Bootleg", as "Big Audio Dynamite II" |
| 1993 | The Lost Treasures of Big Audio Dynamite I & II | - | - | double album compilation of rare 12" cuts and b-sides |
| 1994 | Higher Power | - | - | as "Big Audio" |
| 1995 | Planet B.A.D. | - | - | general "best of" compilation for all B.A.D. variants |
| 1995 | F-Punk | - | - | as "Big Audio Dynamite" |
| 1997 | Entering a New Ride | - | - | unreleased |
| 1999 | Super Hits | - | - | general "best of" compilation for all B.A.D. variants |
Chart singles
| Year | Song | UK singles | US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "E=MC2" | 11 | - | - | This Is Big Audio Dynamite |
| 1986 | "Medicine Show" | 29 | - | - | This Is Big Audio Dynamite |
| 1988 | "Just Play Music!" | - | - | 1 | Tighten Up, Vol. 88 |
| 1988 | "Other 99" | - | - | 13 | Tighten Up, Vol. 88 |
| 1989 | "James Brown" | - | - | 2 | Megatop Phoenix |
| 1989 | "Contact" | - | - | 6 | Megatop Phoenix |
| 1991 | "Rush" | - | 32 | 1 | The Globe |
| 1991 | "The Globe" | - | 72 | 3 | The Globe |
| 1994 | "Looking For a Song" | - | - | 24 | Higher Power |