Alan Gill
Encyclopedia
Alan Gill is a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, who formed part of the synthpop
band Dalek I Love You
and the Neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes
.
, Wirral
, he formed alongside Keith Hartley, a band called Mr. McKenzie, with David Balfe
joining later.
In November 1976, with the onset of punk rock, the band changed their name to Radio Blank
, with Stephen Brick joining on drums. The band played punk and R&B songs and also covers like "You've Really Got Me" and The Stranglers
' Peaches but Gill and Balfe changed their musical views, dissolving the band to go in a far more experimental direction.
, in December 1977, alongside David Hughes
and Chris Teepee.
playing lead guitar and co-writing their biggest hit "Reward" with Julian Cope
which charted at no.6 in the UK Singles Chart
. Gill performed on their 1980 gold selling album Kilimanjaro and famously had a big influence on Julian Cope
, as documented in Cope's 1994 autobiography 'Head On', in which Cope describes Gill as his 'Guru' turning him from 'tense to loose to slack in 3 months.' Gill famously introduced Cope to LSD
before leaving the band to concentrate on Dalek I Love You
.
released their final album, Gill turned to film scoring, most notably for the 1985 film Letter to Brezhnev
in which he collaborated with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1985, Gill also formed the Bopadub label which released cassette compilations, one of which was the Dalek I Love You
album Naïve. In 1991, Gill scored the film Blonde Fist
. Also in this year, Gill acted as engineer for legendary British folk musician Davey Graham
. Part of Graham's album 'Playing In Traffic' was recorded at Gill's cottage in Raby Mere
, Wirral
. Around this time Gill became disillusioned with the hard-edged music business retreating from the music scene completely, notably not picking up a guitar up for 15 years, where upon he found a deep inner spirituality.
, a radio drama
which premiered on the British digital radio station BBC Radio 7 on 11 February 2006. The story centred on a man obsessed with Doctor Who
who falls in love at a science fiction convention.
The band also inspired the title of Dalek I Loved You, an autobiography by the journalist Nick Griffiths about his life as a Doctor Who fan, published in 2007
track "The World" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Awaydays
. As an interesing aside, Gill's guitar, painted by himself in a tribal style, is played by main protagonist Elvis in one scene. In 2010, Alan Gill, along with David Balfe
and Gary Dwyer minus Julian Cope
, picked up a Mojo "inspiration" award at The MOJO Awards
in London for The Teardrop Explodes
.
Gill has now immersed himself in music again and has embarked on a new band project called The Most High with main musicians, bassist Simon Walthew, drummer Ikem Washner and Phil Channell, keyboards and flute.
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
band Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
and the Neo-psychedelic band The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, the group also launched the career of group frontman...
.
Early career
Living in ThingwallThingwall
Thingwall is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. The village is situated to the south west of Birkenhead and north east of Heswall. It is part of the Pensby & Thingwall Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral and is situated within the parliamentary constituency of Wirral West...
, Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, he formed alongside Keith Hartley, a band called Mr. McKenzie, with David Balfe
David Balfe
David Balfe is most notable for playing keyboards with The Teardrop Explodes, founding the Zoo and Food record labels, signing Blur and for being the subject of their number one hit - "Country House".-Biography:...
joining later.
In November 1976, with the onset of punk rock, the band changed their name to Radio Blank
Radio Blank
Radio Blank was a short-lived R&B and punk band formed on the Wirral Peninsula, in November 1976, by Alan Gill , Keith Hartley , David Balfe and Steven Brick ....
, with Stephen Brick joining on drums. The band played punk and R&B songs and also covers like "You've Really Got Me" and The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
' Peaches but Gill and Balfe changed their musical views, dissolving the band to go in a far more experimental direction.
Dalek I Love You
The experimental band Gill and Balfe founded was Dalek I Love YouDalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
, in December 1977, alongside David Hughes
David Hughes (musician)
David Alan Hughes is an English keyboardist who played in different New Wave bands, and later became successful making music for films.-New Wave years:...
and Chris Teepee.
The Teardrop Explodes
Gill was also an influential member of The Teardrop ExplodesThe Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, the group also launched the career of group frontman...
playing lead guitar and co-writing their biggest hit "Reward" with Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
which charted at no.6 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Gill performed on their 1980 gold selling album Kilimanjaro and famously had a big influence on Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
, as documented in Cope's 1994 autobiography 'Head On', in which Cope describes Gill as his 'Guru' turning him from 'tense to loose to slack in 3 months.' Gill famously introduced Cope to LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
before leaving the band to concentrate on Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
.
Film Score Composing and other works
After Dalek I Love YouDalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
released their final album, Gill turned to film scoring, most notably for the 1985 film Letter to Brezhnev
Letter to Brezhnev
Letter to Brezhnev is a 1985 British comedy film about working class life in contemporary Liverpool. It was written by Frank Clarke and directed by Chris Bernard. It starred Alfred Molina, Peter Firth, Tracy Lea, Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke amongst others...
in which he collaborated with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1985, Gill also formed the Bopadub label which released cassette compilations, one of which was the Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
album Naïve. In 1991, Gill scored the film Blonde Fist
Blonde Fist
Blonde Fist , is a 1991 film starring Margi Clarke as the protagonist Ronnie O'Dowd, who finds female boxing as an alternative to her domestic problems....
. Also in this year, Gill acted as engineer for legendary British folk musician Davey Graham
Davey Graham
David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham, originally spelled Davy Graham, , was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival...
. Part of Graham's album 'Playing In Traffic' was recorded at Gill's cottage in Raby Mere
Raby Mere
Raby Mere is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is nearly contiguous with the town of Bromborough to the east and is known for its mere, a lake that has been used for leisure purposes for many years...
, Wirral
Wirral
Wirral may refer to:* Wirral Peninsula, a peninsula in the northwest of England, between the rivers Dee and Mersey* Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, occupying the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula...
. Around this time Gill became disillusioned with the hard-edged music business retreating from the music scene completely, notably not picking up a guitar up for 15 years, where upon he found a deep inner spirituality.
Popular culture
Gill's band inspired the title of Dalek I Love YouDalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
, a radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
which premiered on the British digital radio station BBC Radio 7 on 11 February 2006. The story centred on a man obsessed with Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
who falls in love at a science fiction convention.
The band also inspired the title of Dalek I Loved You, an autobiography by the journalist Nick Griffiths about his life as a Doctor Who fan, published in 2007
Recent Years
In 2009 a Dalek I Love YouDalek I Love You
Dalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
track "The World" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Awaydays
Awaydays
Awaydays is a 2009 British film directed by Pat Holden and stars Stephen Graham. It is based on the novel of the same name by Kevin Sampson, originally published eleven years previously in 1998....
. As an interesing aside, Gill's guitar, painted by himself in a tribal style, is played by main protagonist Elvis in one scene. In 2010, Alan Gill, along with David Balfe
David Balfe
David Balfe is most notable for playing keyboards with The Teardrop Explodes, founding the Zoo and Food record labels, signing Blur and for being the subject of their number one hit - "Country House".-Biography:...
and Gary Dwyer minus Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
, picked up a Mojo "inspiration" award at The MOJO Awards
MOJO Awards
The MOJO Awards is an awards ceremony that began in 2004 by Mojo, a popular music magazine published monthly by Bauer in the United Kingdom...
in London for The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes
The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single "Reward" the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, the group also launched the career of group frontman...
.
Gill has now immersed himself in music again and has embarked on a new band project called The Most High with main musicians, bassist Simon Walthew, drummer Ikem Washner and Phil Channell, keyboards and flute.
External links
- Alan Gill at the IMDbInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...