The Business (band)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Business | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Lewisham, London, England |
| Genre(s) | Punk rock, Oi! |
| Years active | 1979-1988, 1992-Present |
| Label(s) | Syndicate, Secret, Dojo, Link, Taang!, Epitaph, Captain Oi!, Bad Dog |
| Members | |
| Micky Fitz Tosh Trots Bundie |
|
| Former members | |
| Steve Kent Martin Smith Nick Cunningham Steve Whale Mark Brennan John Fisher Micky Fairbairn Lol Proctor Graham Ball Kev Boyce Micky Fairbairn |
|
The Business are an English Oi!/punk rock band formed in 1979 in Lewisham, South London. Their album Suburban Rebels became influential in the Oi! movement. Their biggest hit song in recent times, "England 5 - Germany 1", (based on the result of a World Cup Qualifying match in 2001), became a football anthem for England.
Contents |
[edit] History
The band was formed in 1979 by school friends Steve Kent (guitar), Micky Fitz (vocals), Nick Cunningham (drums) and Martin Smith (bass).[1] They played their first gig in front of friends in February 1980, and after taking on Lol Pryor as manager, began performing more often. The band's first release was the song "Out in the Cold" on the A Sudden Surge of Sound compilation album.[1] They played their first Oi! concert in 1981, supporting The 4-Skins, and they became closely associated with the Oi! scene from then on.[1] While the Oi! movement was wrongly labelled as far right and racist (despite the fact that several Oi! bands played at Rock Against Racism concerts), The Business took a stance against political extremism with their Oi Against Racism and Political Extremism ...But Still Against The System tour.[2]
In November 1981, they released their debut single, "Harry May", which spent over three months in the UK Indie Chart, reaching #13. The initial line-up split up in late 1981, with Kent, Cunningham, and Smith forming Q-Bow, but Fitz carried on with Pryor, recruiting Graham Ball on guitar, Mark Brennan and Steve Whale from The Blackout, and John Fisher on drums.[1] The new line-up made their live debut in January 1982, after which Ball and Fisher departed, leaving the band as a four-piece, with Kev Boyce of The Blackout on drums.[1] The new line-up recorded the Smash the Discos EP, which was a #3 indie hit, and after a short tour, they recorded their debut album, which was to be called Loud, Proud, and Punk. The master tapes for the album went missing after disagreements between the band's label and the studio, forcing them to re-record the album, which was released as Suburban Rebels in May 1983.[1] The album was remixed by their label, Secret, without them knowing, and Secret's financial difficulties limited promotion of the album. Frustrated by this, the band split up, with The Business members forming shortlived bands Chapter and Sabre Dance.[1]
Pryor issued a retrospective album consisting of demos and live tracks on his Syndicate label, the success of which prompted the band to reform and record a what was to be marketed as a live album, Loud, Proud, and Punk. It was actually recorded in a studio, with crowd noise dubbed in later.[1] Pryor renamed his record label Wonderful World and issued several Business albums in late 1985, with the Drinking and Driving tour following. The name of the tour caused controversy, with tabloid journalists accusing the band of condoning drink-driving, although the title was tongue-in-cheek.[1]
In late 1986, Brennan and Pryor founded Link Records, and with Brennan becoming increasingly busy running the label, the band split up again. In 1992, Fitz began performing The Business songs with The Elite, and he reformed the band to play a benefit concert for Bobby Moore, who had recently died of cancer. Fitz and Kent have continued with the band since. Brennan later started a new record label, Captain Oi! Records.
[edit] Discography
Chart placings shown are from the UK Indie Chart.[3]
[edit] Studio albums
- Suburban Rebels (1983) Secret
- 1980-81 - Official Bootleg (1983) Syndicate #17
- Loud, Proud & Punk) (1984) Syndicate #22
- Saturday's Heroes (1985) Harry May
- Welcome To The Real World (1988) Link
- In and Out of Business (1990) Link (mail-order only, reissued on CD 1998 by Mog)
- Keep The Faith (1994) Century Media
- The Truth, The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth (1997) Burning Heart
- No Mercy For You (2001) Burning Heart
- Under The Influence (2003) Rhythm Vicar
- Hardcore Hooligan (2003)
[edit] Singles/EPs
- "Harry May" (1981) Secret #13
- Smash the Discos EP (1982) Secret #3
- "Out of Business" (1983) Secret (withdrawn)
- "Get Out of My House" (1985) Wonderful World
- "Drinking and Driving" (1985) Diamond #27
- "Do a Runner" (1988) Link
- "Anywhere But Here" (1994)
- "Death II Dance" (1996) Taang!
- "Hell 2 Pay" (2002)
- Mean Girl EP (2008)
[edit] Compilations/Live albums
- The Official Bootleg (1985) Wonderful World (split with Loud)
- Singalongabusiness (1986) Dojo
- 1979-1989 (1992) Blackout
- The Best of The Business: 28 Classic Oi Anthems... (1992) Street Link
- Suburban Rebels/welcome to the Real World (1994) Loma
- The Complete Business Singles Collection (1995) Anagram
- Harry May: The Singles (1996) Taang!
- Loud, Proud and Oi! (1996)
- The Business Live (1998) Pinhead
- Mob Mentality (2000) Taang! (split with Dropkick Murphys)
- Smash the Discos/Loud, Proud and Punk (Live) (2001)
- Oi, It's Our Business: The Best of The Business (2001)
- Blue Stereo Music
[edit] Compilation appearances
- A Sudden Surge of Sound LP (VU Records, 1980)
- Carry on Oi! LP (Secret Records, 1981)
- Oi! Oi! that's yer lot! LP(Secret Records, 1982)
- Burning Ambitions: A History Of Punk 2 X LP (Cherry Red, 1983)
- Son of Oi! LP (Syndicate Records. 1984)
- Oi! The Resurrection LP (Link Records, 1986)
- Oi! Chartbusters Volume 1 LP(Link Records, 1987)
- UK/DK: The Soundtrack To The Film (Soundtrack) (Score)
- World Still Won't Listen: Tribute To The Smiths
- 100% British Punk (Box Set)
- United Kingdom Of Punk 3: The Hardcore Years
- Oi! This Is England (Box Set)
- Punk, Proud & Nasty
- Lords Of Oi! (Box Set)
- Punk-O-Rama Volume 6 released on Epitaph Records
- 100% British Oi! Oi!
- Give 'Em The Boot
- Burning Ambition: History Of Punk Vol. 2
- Anarchy From The UK, Volume One
- Oi! Greatest Hits Vol. 1
- Punk City Rockers (Box Set)
- Kill Your Radio
- Voice Of The Streets
- Eurotrip soundtrack
- Trouble on the Terraces
- the secret life of PUNK'S
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Glasper, Ian (2004) Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 1-901447-24-3
- ^ Marshall, George (1991). Spirit of '69 - A Skinhead Bible. Dunoon, Scotland: S.T. Publishing. ISBN 1-898927-10-3
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
[edit] External links
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