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Dover (band)
Encyclopedia
Dover is a well-known Spanish
pop-rock band from Madrid
that sings in English
in most of their songs. Its current lineup is:
, in a small rehearsal at Boadilla del Monte
, in the early 90s when Cristina Llanos, then 17, decided to form a rock band encouraged by the irradiated alternative scene from Seattle. The group's name was formed from a brand name of a clothing store that her mother owned in Majadahonda
. Joining the project was her sister, 10 years her senior, Amparo. In 1994, drummer Jesús Antúnez and bassist Álvaro Gómez joined the band. One of the demo tapes of the group went to the program radio
Disco Grande de RNE Radio 3
. The band then signed a one-year contract with the small independent label Everlasting-Caroline. Their debut album Sister of 1995 lacked Promotion and sold poorly, by the lack of promotion in addition to the inexperienced label however, the Spanish Music fanzine
Mondo Sonoro included the album among the national Top 10 of the year. Despite the limited success in terms of album sales, this helped Dover manage to gain a foothold in the music scene in Madrid and even recorded their first music video "Come With Me" by John Bouillon, but this song was not released as a single properly, though it was the most demanded for at concerts by fans.
and America
. They released their official first single from the album, "Serenade", a song that, thanks to its strong chorus and catchy melody, manages to become their first number one in Spain. Juan Bouillon again direct their next music video. The song "Loli Jackson" is featured by Daniel Calparaso on his movie "blind", and a video for the song is recorded.
label owned by EMI Music. In 1998 they quickly created their own label Loli Jackson Records. With their newly created label Dover soon published several independent groups. The following year they released their third album Late at night
, recorded in Seattle with Barret Jones. It was released on 28 June of that year with great expectations created by its first single "DJ" that quickly became number one in Spain; something totally new for a Rock Band. With the greatest hits album promoted as the song "DJ", or "CherryLee" which was popularized in an advertisement of then-recent Peugeot 206
. This success soon propelled them to their first international tour that took them to Germany, England, Holland, Mexico, the United States among others. In February 2000 the album was already triple platinum with 300,000 thousand copies sold in Spain alone.
In 2000, received an award from MTV Europe
for Best Spanish Artist. In 2001, Chrysalis reissued their first album Sister including the unreleased song 'Noche Tras Noche'. In May of that year they soon entered 'Grandmasters studies Recorder' to record their new album, again accompanied by Barrett Jones. Titled "I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in the City of Angels." Their first single, released on September 3 of the year, was 'King George'. The album itself was released on September 17, 2001 and in just ten days sold 125,000 copies.
In 2003, the musical crisis forces them to close their record company and sign with EMI Music. On 27 October of that year, their fifth album The Flame
, was quickly released. This time the album was co-produced by Rick Will and recorded entirely in Spain. Sales are not in their favor this time and they barely reach 60,000 copies.
In May 2005, bassist Álvaro Díez is expelled from the group and replaced by Samuel Titos, former guitarist and vocalist of 'Sperm'. In late 2005 they become the first group to support the NGO Oxfam
.
, produced by Daniel Alcover. Dover's style changes radically, introducing electronic arrangements in their music.
The first single from this album, "Let Me Out", received a Premio Ondas for Best Song in 2006. Also, the single reached number 1 on the Spanish charts Los 40 Principales
for 4 weeks. Furthermore Let Me Out soon became number one on the Spanish iTunes Music Store. The second single from the album was "Do Ya", which featured on the computer game FIFA 08
. A third single was also released from the album, "Keep on Moving". Each single was accompanied by a music video.
In November 2007 they released their first double disc compilation of Dover, entitled "2
", which contains many of the successful singles and tracks released by Dover, including a new song called Soldier
. The same year they toured with La Oreja de Van Gogh
.
In late 2008 Dover made a tour through Germany and Europe up to February 2009 in the promotion of the album "2." In March 2009 they subsequently signed a contract with Sony-BMG. In several interviews they announced that their forthcoming seventh album would come out in 2010, according to press releases issued by the record label Sony drive would be available in late October 2010.
, an African language and English and, according to their Facebook page, the single is inspired by a Malian immigrant they met.
The reason that the lyrics are in English, according to the group, because their rock influences have always been primarily English bands and do not feel comfortable using Spanish lyrics for their songs.
Both sisters insist they receive strong influences from The Beatles and grunge, especially Nirvana. Presumably these influences are evident in the music. Thus, referring to Paul McCartney in King George (I need a McCartney song); in 27 Years, where they make reference to a famous song of his: Band on the Run
, and in their latest album, Follow The City Lights
, one of the songs which is called 'Dear McCartney'. In addition, in their song 'The Weak Hour of the Rooster', a verse quotes the last sentence of the suicide note of Kurt Cobain, the leader of Nirvana, just before committing suicide: "It's better to burn out Than to fade away".
For their album, Follow The City Lights, Dover have claimed that their influences have been artists like Madonna or Peaches.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
pop-rock band from Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
that sings in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in most of their songs. Its current lineup is:
- Amparo Llanos, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and band leader - Cristina Llanos, singer and guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Jesús Antúnez, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Samuel Titos, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Beginnings and "Sister"
Dover came outside MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, in a small rehearsal at Boadilla del Monte
Boadilla del Monte
Boadilla del Monte is a town in Spain. It is located in the center of the Community of Madrid. It had a population of 41,807 in 2008.-External links:* * *...
, in the early 90s when Cristina Llanos, then 17, decided to form a rock band encouraged by the irradiated alternative scene from Seattle. The group's name was formed from a brand name of a clothing store that her mother owned in Majadahonda
Majadahonda
Majadahonda is a municipality in Spain, situated 16 km northwest of Madrid, in the Community of Madrid. In 2009 the population was 66,585 inhabitants .It lies alongside the motorway A6 Madrid-A Coruña....
. Joining the project was her sister, 10 years her senior, Amparo. In 1994, drummer Jesús Antúnez and bassist Álvaro Gómez joined the band. One of the demo tapes of the group went to the program radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
Disco Grande de RNE Radio 3
Radio Nacional de España
is Spain's national public radio service. Since 1973 it has formed, together with , a part of , the corporation responsible for managing national public-service broadcasting in Spain.-Origins of RNE:...
. The band then signed a one-year contract with the small independent label Everlasting-Caroline. Their debut album Sister of 1995 lacked Promotion and sold poorly, by the lack of promotion in addition to the inexperienced label however, the Spanish Music fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Mondo Sonoro included the album among the national Top 10 of the year. Despite the limited success in terms of album sales, this helped Dover manage to gain a foothold in the music scene in Madrid and even recorded their first music video "Come With Me" by John Bouillon, but this song was not released as a single properly, though it was the most demanded for at concerts by fans.
Breakthrough, "Devil Came to Me"
The contract with Caroline was only a year and, to finalise this, they signed with the independent label Subterfuge Records. Their first involvement with the label was to have a demo version of Loli Jackson in the multi-band compilation album "Stereoparty 2". This success motivated the track record to produce their second album and so enter the Infinity Studios in Madrid in 1997 to record the album Devil Came to Me on a tight budget of 80,000 pesetas and in just 20 days. The album is released on April 21, 1997, a fragment of the album's title track (specifically the chorus with the phrase ".. I lied for you, I lied for you .") was included in a popular television commercial by Radical Fruit Company which gave them great fame and the band was launched to national fame. During the promotion of this album, in 1997, the bassist was replaced by Álvaro Díez, who had been part of the band in its infancy. The album sold over 500,000 copies and gained them fans abroad in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They released their official first single from the album, "Serenade", a song that, thanks to its strong chorus and catchy melody, manages to become their first number one in Spain. Juan Bouillon again direct their next music video. The song "Loli Jackson" is featured by Daniel Calparaso on his movie "blind", and a video for the song is recorded.
"Late at Night" "I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in the City of Angels" and "The Flame"
The relationship with Subterfuge Records deteriorated and they signed with Chrysalis RecordsChrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
label owned by EMI Music. In 1998 they quickly created their own label Loli Jackson Records. With their newly created label Dover soon published several independent groups. The following year they released their third album Late at night
Late at Night
Late at Night is the thirteenth studio album by Billy Preston, released in 1979.-Track listing:#"Give It Up, Hot" – 5:59#"Late At Night" – 4:49...
, recorded in Seattle with Barret Jones. It was released on 28 June of that year with great expectations created by its first single "DJ" that quickly became number one in Spain; something totally new for a Rock Band. With the greatest hits album promoted as the song "DJ", or "CherryLee" which was popularized in an advertisement of then-recent Peugeot 206
Peugeot 206
The Peugeot 206 is a supermini car, manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot from 1998 to 2010.Even though the 206 has finished production in most markets as of 2010, in Europe since 2009, it is available the 206+, with a back and especially a front design that resembles the Peugeot 207.-The...
. This success soon propelled them to their first international tour that took them to Germany, England, Holland, Mexico, the United States among others. In February 2000 the album was already triple platinum with 300,000 thousand copies sold in Spain alone.
In 2000, received an award from MTV Europe
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
for Best Spanish Artist. In 2001, Chrysalis reissued their first album Sister including the unreleased song 'Noche Tras Noche'. In May of that year they soon entered 'Grandmasters studies Recorder' to record their new album, again accompanied by Barrett Jones. Titled "I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in the City of Angels." Their first single, released on September 3 of the year, was 'King George'. The album itself was released on September 17, 2001 and in just ten days sold 125,000 copies.
In 2003, the musical crisis forces them to close their record company and sign with EMI Music. On 27 October of that year, their fifth album The Flame
The Flame (Dover album)
The Flame is the fifth album of the Spanish band Dover, and went on sale on 27 October 2003. Recorded in PKO Studios, Madrid, with producer Rick Will and mastered by Stephen Marcussen .- Track listing :# "The Flame"...
, was quickly released. This time the album was co-produced by Rick Will and recorded entirely in Spain. Sales are not in their favor this time and they barely reach 60,000 copies.
In May 2005, bassist Álvaro Díez is expelled from the group and replaced by Samuel Titos, former guitarist and vocalist of 'Sperm'. In late 2005 they become the first group to support the NGO Oxfam
Oxfam
Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries worldwide to find lasting solutions to poverty and related injustice around the world. In all Oxfam’s actions, the ultimate goal is to enable people to exercise their rights and manage their own lives...
.
Pop Reinvention, "Follow the City Lights"
For months, the group begins to compose what would be their new album. Dover announced that it would be a change that would leave everyone pleasantly surprised. And so in October 2006 they released a new album called Follow the city lightsFollow the City Lights
Follow The City Lights is the sixth album from Spanish band Dover. The band took a turn in their career to edit this album with an electronic character....
, produced by Daniel Alcover. Dover's style changes radically, introducing electronic arrangements in their music.
The first single from this album, "Let Me Out", received a Premio Ondas for Best Song in 2006. Also, the single reached number 1 on the Spanish charts Los 40 Principales
Los 40 Principales
Los 40 Principales is the main musical radio station in Spain with more than 4,000,000 listeners. The station was founded in 1966 and in 2006 the station celebrated its 40th anniversary...
for 4 weeks. Furthermore Let Me Out soon became number one on the Spanish iTunes Music Store. The second single from the album was "Do Ya", which featured on the computer game FIFA 08
FIFA 08
FIFA 08 is the 2008 installment of EA Sports' series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and in October 2007 in North...
. A third single was also released from the album, "Keep on Moving". Each single was accompanied by a music video.
In November 2007 they released their first double disc compilation of Dover, entitled "2
2 (Dover album)
2 is Dover's seventh album, released in 2007. It is a double CD greatest hits compilation from the band including singles: "Serenade", "Devil Came To Me" and "Loli Jackson" and featuring many singles and favourites from their past albums....
", which contains many of the successful singles and tracks released by Dover, including a new song called Soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
. The same year they toured with La Oreja de Van Gogh
La Oreja de Van Gogh
La Oreja de Van Gogh is a Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated Spanish pop band from Donostia-San Sebastian. The name of the band refers to the famous post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh who cut off the lobe of his own ear...
.
In late 2008 Dover made a tour through Germany and Europe up to February 2009 in the promotion of the album "2." In March 2009 they subsequently signed a contract with Sony-BMG. In several interviews they announced that their forthcoming seventh album would come out in 2010, according to press releases issued by the record label Sony drive would be available in late October 2010.
Ika Kenee, 2010
On July 31 Dover released the first single from their upcoming album onto YouTube, entitled 'Dannaya'. It is sung in BambaraBambara language
Bambara, more correctly known as Bamanankan , its designation in the language itself , is a language spoken in Mali by as many as six million people...
, an African language and English and, according to their Facebook page, the single is inspired by a Malian immigrant they met.
Band Influences
Despite Dover being a Spanish band most of their songs are written in English. The two sisters of the band create the music, Amparo composing and Cristina writing the lyrics.The reason that the lyrics are in English, according to the group, because their rock influences have always been primarily English bands and do not feel comfortable using Spanish lyrics for their songs.
Both sisters insist they receive strong influences from The Beatles and grunge, especially Nirvana. Presumably these influences are evident in the music. Thus, referring to Paul McCartney in King George (I need a McCartney song); in 27 Years, where they make reference to a famous song of his: Band on the Run
Band on the Run
Band on the Run is an album by Paul McCartney & Wings, released in 1973. It was Wings' third album. It became Wings' most successful album and remains the most celebrated of McCartney's post-Beatles albums...
, and in their latest album, Follow The City Lights
Follow the City Lights
Follow The City Lights is the sixth album from Spanish band Dover. The band took a turn in their career to edit this album with an electronic character....
, one of the songs which is called 'Dear McCartney'. In addition, in their song 'The Weak Hour of the Rooster', a verse quotes the last sentence of the suicide note of Kurt Cobain, the leader of Nirvana, just before committing suicide: "It's better to burn out Than to fade away".
For their album, Follow The City Lights, Dover have claimed that their influences have been artists like Madonna or Peaches.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart pos. | Sales/Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPA | |||
| 1995 | Sister
|
||
| 1997 | Devil Came to Me
|
1 | Worldwide sales: 500,000 Cert. 5x Platinum |
| 1999 | Late at Night
|
1 | Worldwide sales: 300,000 Cert. 3x Platinum |
| 2001 | I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in the City of Angels
|
1 | Worldwide sales: 215,000 Cert. 2x Platinum |
| 2003 | The Flame The Flame (Dover album) The Flame is the fifth album of the Spanish band Dover, and went on sale on 27 October 2003. Recorded in PKO Studios, Madrid, with producer Rick Will and mastered by Stephen Marcussen .- Track listing :# "The Flame"... |
12 | Worldwide sales: 50,000 Cert. Gold |
| 2006 | Follow the City Lights Follow the City Lights Follow The City Lights is the sixth album from Spanish band Dover. The band took a turn in their career to edit this album with an electronic character.... |
4 | Worldwide sales: 180,000 Cert. 2xPlatinum |
| 2010 | I Ka Kené I Ka Kené I Ka Kené is the seventh album by the Madrid based group, Dover.The songs were composed between March 2009 and May 2010. The album itself was recorded and produced by Dover in Reno Studios in Madrid between June 7 and July 9, 2010... |
14 | Worldwide sales: 15,000 |
Compilations albums
| Year | Title | Chart pos. | Sales/Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPA | |||
| 2007 | 2 2 (Dover album) 2 is Dover's seventh album, released in 2007. It is a double CD greatest hits compilation from the band including singles: "Serenade", "Devil Came To Me" and "Loli Jackson" and featuring many singles and favourites from their past albums....
|
30 | Sales Spain: +25.000 |
Singles
| Album | Singles |
|---|---|
| Devil Came to Me |
|
| Late at Night |
|
| I Was Dead for 7 Weeks in The City of Angels |
|
| It's Good to Be Me |
|
| The Flame The Flame (Dover album) The Flame is the fifth album of the Spanish band Dover, and went on sale on 27 October 2003. Recorded in PKO Studios, Madrid, with producer Rick Will and mastered by Stephen Marcussen .- Track listing :# "The Flame"... |
|
| Follow The City Lights Follow the City Lights Follow The City Lights is the sixth album from Spanish band Dover. The band took a turn in their career to edit this album with an electronic character.... |
|
| 2 2 (Dover album) 2 is Dover's seventh album, released in 2007. It is a double CD greatest hits compilation from the band including singles: "Serenade", "Devil Came To Me" and "Loli Jackson" and featuring many singles and favourites from their past albums.... |
|
| I Ka Kené I Ka Kené I Ka Kené is the seventh album by the Madrid based group, Dover.The songs were composed between March 2009 and May 2010. The album itself was recorded and produced by Dover in Reno Studios in Madrid between June 7 and July 9, 2010... |
|
External links
- http://www.facebook.com/Dover Band's Facebook page.