Tones on Tail | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Northampton, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1982–1984, 2024 |
| Labels | 4AD,Situation 2,Beggars Banquet |
| Members | Daniel Ash Diva Dompé Kevin Haskins |
| Past members | Glenn Campling |
Tones on Tail were a Britishpost-punk band formed in 1982, originally as a musicalside project ofDaniel Ash of thegothic rock groupBauhaus. Their music was described by one critic as "doom-and-dance-pop."[1]
While still a member of Bauhaus, Ash formed Tones on Tail early in 1982, originally as a duo with Glenn Campling, an art school friend and flatmate who had also been aroadie for Bauhaus. The band's name was a reference to the way calibration tones were recorded on the "tail" ofreel-to-reel tape.
The pair issued their debut eponymous EP on4AD in March 1982, followed by the single "There's Only One!", released byBeggars Banquet Records on 24 September. Ash sang and played guitar, Campling played bass, and both played percussion and keyboards. After the break-up of Bauhaus in 1983, Ash and Campling were joined by Bauhaus's drummerKevin Haskins and the band became a full-time concern for all three members. Their first release as a trio was theBurning Skies EP, issued bySituation Two on 6 May 1983.
Their sole studio album,Pop, was released by Beggars Banquet on 6 April 1984 in the UK, featuring the singles "Performance" (released 9 March) and "Lions" (released 11 May). The album was also issued in North America in altered form asThe Album Pop. "Go!", the popularB-side of "Lions", was issued on its own as a single in Canada, licensed byVertigo Records. Throughout October of that year, the group embarked on a short 12-date tour of the US; in concert, the band sported all white outfits.[2][3] The final Tones on Tail single, "Christian Says", was issued on 9 November. They disbanded later that year, and Ash and Haskins quickly formedLove and Rockets with former Bauhaus bassistDavid J.[4][5]
The 1998 compilationEverything! compiled every Tones on Tail track in remastered form, plus a radio interview with Ash and Haskins.
In 2017, Ash and Haskins, along with Haskins' daughter Diva Dompé on bass, formed the band Poptone, performing songs by Bauhaus, Love and Rockets and Tones on Tail in concert.[2] On 11 May 2024, Tones on Tail performed their first official set since 1984 at theCruel World Festival, with Dompé filling in for Campling.[6]
Richard Williams ofThe Michigan Daily said, "Tones on Tail carries on with the traditional Bauhaus taste for themacabre, but charts new courses of twisting the pop thing."[7] James Muretich ofThe Calgary Herald wrote, "From the ashes of Bauhaus has arisen a British trio that is turning into one of the most impressive and macabre dance bands around."[8] Writing retrospectively forAllMusic, critic Ned Raggett said, "With their former band's generally gloomier shadows left behind, what Ash and Haskins draw from their time with Bauhaus is that group's melange of styles—their most underappreciated strength".[9]
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
Compilation albums
There also are hints of Tones on Tail, his doom-and-dance-pop side project.
Somewhere around 1982 things began to go wrong with (Bauhaus), and before one could say "gothic," or even "goth," guitarist Daniel Ash and drummer Kevin Haskins were out on their own with Tones on Tail. This new band lasted until 1985, when Bauhaus bassist David J came back into the fold and the group was "reunited" as the famed Love and Rockets.
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