Essential Bop
Encyclopedia
Essential Bop were a Bristol based Post-Punk/Art band formed in early 1978 by Dave Robinson (who had played bass with Champion Jack Dupree
and Joe Cocker
), with an initial line-up of Steve Bush (singer, originally in The Biros), Mike Fewings (guitar, from The Cortinas
and Colortapes), Simon Tyler (keyboards, from Dragon Sandwich), Nick Tufnell (drums) and Seng-gye Tombs Curtis (‘visualist’). According to Steve Bush they were originally going to be called Essence of Bop, but instead opted for Essential Bop.
Their first release was the track ‘Chronicle’ on the seminal 1979 Bristol Compilation LP/CD Avon Calling
. This was followed by line-up changes and in 1980 the ‘Eloquent Sounds’ EP on their own Monopause
label. This resulted in NME
journalist Paul Morley
interviewing Steve Bush and writing that Essential Bop would be one of the bands that would make it in the 1980s.
Further line-up changes in 1981 saw them emerge as a guitarless four piece band with 2 tracks on Bristol Recorder 3 and their second release on Monopause of the single ‘Croaked’/’Butler (in running shorts)’. The single received some notice in the New York independent charts and resulted in an US east coast tour in the summer of 1981, however the band split after their return.
A third single ‘Monkey Glands’ was never released, but did appear on both of the band's albums. Their second compilation CD ‘Chronicles’ included the track 'Mau Mau' which was recorded in 1981 by Art Objects
/The Blue Aeroplanes and included on their Cassette/CD ‘Weird Shit’. Gerard Langley of The Blue Aeroplanes
has a long history of producing, performing and writing with Steve Bush, ever since their initial group The Biros. Langley on the cover notes of the Avon Calling
CD referred to Essential Bop as ‘closet Doors fans with a grudge’.
In 1984 Steve Bush and Simon Tyler reformed the band in London with Mike Fewings on bass and Martin Kiernan on drums, and subsequently released their debut LP on TSAR, ‘The Flick Was Boss’. The album included tracks from a variety of sources and line-ups, covering the years 1979, 1980, 1981 and 2 new songs from 1984. The band folded for good in 1985.
Bristol Archive Records released a second compilation album in 2008 called ‘Chronicles’, which included both studio and live tracks. The Avon Calling 2
CD from 2010 also included the track ‘Audition Room’ by the band.
and The Art Objects as a duo, alternatively known as A Pair Of Blue Eyes or Bush & Clarke, under which latter name they released the Allergies album . Bush also produced a solo album Blossom Freak (Green Goat 2001), and in 2008 released the album Row of Ashes (Green Goat) with Fran Fey. The pair are presently recording another album, due for release in the spring of 2012.
Champion Jack Dupree
William Thomas Dupree, best known as Champion Jack Dupree, was an American blues pianist. His birth date is disputed, given as July 4, July 10, and July 23, in the years 1908, 1909, or 1910. He died on January 21, 1992.-Biography:...
and Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
), with an initial line-up of Steve Bush (singer, originally in The Biros), Mike Fewings (guitar, from The Cortinas
The Cortinas (punk band)
The Cortinas were a 1970s Bristol-based punk rock band. Guitarist Nick Sheppard went on to play with The Clash. In 2001, the band’s debut single, "Fascist Dictator" , was included in a leading British music magazine’s list of the best punk-rock singles of all-time.-Biography:Named after a car, the...
and Colortapes), Simon Tyler (keyboards, from Dragon Sandwich), Nick Tufnell (drums) and Seng-gye Tombs Curtis (‘visualist’). According to Steve Bush they were originally going to be called Essence of Bop, but instead opted for Essential Bop.
Their first release was the track ‘Chronicle’ on the seminal 1979 Bristol Compilation LP/CD Avon Calling
Avon Calling
Avon Calling is an album of tracks featuring bands from Bristol, UK, on local record label Heartbeat Records, and was originally released in 1979...
. This was followed by line-up changes and in 1980 the ‘Eloquent Sounds’ EP on their own Monopause
Bristol record labels
The city of Bristol, in England, has since the mid 1970’s had a particularly fertile music culture, resulting in not only a great many influential musicians and bands, but also its own sound; Bristol Sound or Trip Hop. Along with the music scene, a number of local record labels also developed, some...
label. This resulted in 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...
journalist Paul Morley
Paul Morley
Paul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
interviewing Steve Bush and writing that Essential Bop would be one of the bands that would make it in the 1980s.
Further line-up changes in 1981 saw them emerge as a guitarless four piece band with 2 tracks on Bristol Recorder 3 and their second release on Monopause of the single ‘Croaked’/’Butler (in running shorts)’. The single received some notice in the New York independent charts and resulted in an US east coast tour in the summer of 1981, however the band split after their return.
A third single ‘Monkey Glands’ was never released, but did appear on both of the band's albums. Their second compilation CD ‘Chronicles’ included the track 'Mau Mau' which was recorded in 1981 by Art Objects
Art Objects (band)
Art Objects were a Bristol-based postpunk band who later evolved into the Blue Aeroplanes. Between 1978 and 1981 they released two singles and one album.Lineup:Gerard Langley: voiceJonathan J...
/The Blue Aeroplanes and included on their Cassette/CD ‘Weird Shit’. Gerard Langley of The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes
The Blue Aeroplanes are an English rock band from Bristol, the mainstays of which: Gerard Langley, brother John Langley and dancer Wojtek Dmochowski originate from the earlier New Wave “Art band” Art Objects .-History:...
has a long history of producing, performing and writing with Steve Bush, ever since their initial group The Biros. Langley on the cover notes of the Avon Calling
Avon Calling
Avon Calling is an album of tracks featuring bands from Bristol, UK, on local record label Heartbeat Records, and was originally released in 1979...
CD referred to Essential Bop as ‘closet Doors fans with a grudge’.
In 1984 Steve Bush and Simon Tyler reformed the band in London with Mike Fewings on bass and Martin Kiernan on drums, and subsequently released their debut LP on TSAR, ‘The Flick Was Boss’. The album included tracks from a variety of sources and line-ups, covering the years 1979, 1980, 1981 and 2 new songs from 1984. The band folded for good in 1985.
Bristol Archive Records released a second compilation album in 2008 called ‘Chronicles’, which included both studio and live tracks. The Avon Calling 2
Avon Calling
Avon Calling is an album of tracks featuring bands from Bristol, UK, on local record label Heartbeat Records, and was originally released in 1979...
CD from 2010 also included the track ‘Audition Room’ by the band.
Steve Bush
Steve Bush later went on to collaborate with Christian Clarke of Various ArtistsFried Egg Records
Fried Egg Records was a record label set up in 1979 by Andy Leighton, administrator of the Bristol based Crystal Theatre. Its first release was by the Theatres anarchic “house band” Shoes For Industry...
and The Art Objects as a duo, alternatively known as A Pair Of Blue Eyes or Bush & Clarke, under which latter name they released the Allergies album . Bush also produced a solo album Blossom Freak (Green Goat 2001), and in 2008 released the album Row of Ashes (Green Goat) with Fran Fey. The pair are presently recording another album, due for release in the spring of 2012.
See also
- List of Bands from Bristol
- Culture of BristolCulture of BristolBristol is a city in South West England. As the largest city in the region it is a centre for the arts and sport. The region has a distinct West Country dialect.-Events:...
- Heartbeat Records
- Avon CallingAvon CallingAvon Calling is an album of tracks featuring bands from Bristol, UK, on local record label Heartbeat Records, and was originally released in 1979...