Compulsion (band)
Encyclopedia
Compulsion was an Irish
punk
band. They formed in the 1990 by Josephmary (singer) and Sid Rainey
(bassist) as Thee Amazing Colossal Men. They signed a recording contract
with Virgin Records
, but after winning a lawsuit against their record label
, they became 'Compulsion' in 1992. Joined by guitarist Garret Lee and drummer Jan-Willem Alkema, they moved to North London
and signed to One Little Indian. They released several EP
s and two album
s. The first, Comforter, was labelled by the NME
as part of the "New Wave of New Wave
", while the second, The Future is Medium, saw them sport identical black outfits and orange hairdos.
The group split in 1996, after which Lee formed Jacknife Lee
, and later produced Snow Patrol
and U2
. Alkema joined China Drum
and later Driven to Collision. Rainey is now a writer and has created and produced an animated children's TV series called Underground Ernie
for the BBC
. Josephmary now lives in Ireland.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band. They formed in the 1990 by Josephmary (singer) and Sid Rainey
Sid Rainey
Sid Rainey is an Irish musician and television producer.-Compulsion:Rainey first came to prominence as the bass player for Irish punk band Compulsion in 1990.-Television production:...
(bassist) as Thee Amazing Colossal Men. They signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, but after winning a lawsuit against their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, they became 'Compulsion' in 1992. Joined by guitarist Garret Lee and drummer Jan-Willem Alkema, they moved to North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and signed to One Little Indian. They released several EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s and two album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. The first, Comforter, was labelled by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as part of the "New Wave of New Wave
New wave of new wave
The New Wave of New Wave was a term coined by music journalists to describe a sub-genre of the British alternative rock scene in the early 90s, in which bands displayed punk, post-punk and New Wave influences, particlularly from bands such as The Clash, Blondie, Wire, and The Stranglers. The band...
", while the second, The Future is Medium, saw them sport identical black outfits and orange hairdos.
The group split in 1996, after which Lee formed Jacknife Lee
Jacknife Lee
Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including The Cars, U2, R.E.M., Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, AFI, The Hives, Weezer, Vega4 and Editors.-Biography:...
, and later produced Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. Alkema joined China Drum
China Drum
China Drum were an English punk rock band from Ovingham in Northumberland active from 1989–2001, playing their final years under the name The Drum.-History:...
and later Driven to Collision. Rainey is now a writer and has created and produced an animated children's TV series called Underground Ernie
Underground Ernie
Underground Ernie is a Computer-animated children's television series produced by Joella Productions in the UK and shown by the BBC on both CBeebies and BBC Two...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Josephmary now lives in Ireland.
Studio albums
- Comforter (1994) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#59 - The Future is MediumThe Future Is Medium-Track listing:# "All We Heard Was A Dull Thud"# "Question Time For The Proles"# "Juvenile Scene Detective"# "It's Great"# "They're Breeding The Grey Things Again"# "Fast Song"# "Western Culture Collector"# "Happy Monster"# "Belly Laugh"...
(1996)
Singles
- "Mall Monarchy (1994)
- "Basketcase (1994) (called "Delivery" in the US release)
- "Eating (fan club only release, 1994)
- "Question Time for the Proles" (1996)
- "Juvenile Scene Detective" (1996)
Compilations
- Hi-Fi Compilation (Compilation, 1995)
- I Like Compulsion and Compulsion Likes Me (Compilation, 2002)