Ghost Dance (band)
Encyclopedia
Ghost Dance were a British
gothic rock
and post-punk
band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx
(ex-The Sisters of Mercy
guitarist) and Anne-Marie Hurst
(ex-Skeletal Family
vocalist) as both were leaving their respective bands. The band were originally signed to Nick Jones' record label
, Karbon Records, then were later signed to the major label Chrysalis Records
, before splitting up in 1989.
, "River of No Return", featuring a cover
of Roxy Music
's song "Both Ends Burning". By Marx's own admission, the sound quality was poor. Nevertheless, the single was released in early 1986.
' song. It was backed with a cover of Golden Earring
's hit single "Radar Love
". The 12" version of the single had a silver sleeve instead of the pale blue of the 7" single, as well as a bonus track on the A-side
, a cover of Suzi Quatro
's "Can The Can
".
Steve Smith from Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
had been helping the band live and occasionally in the studio, and on this single, contributed by adding backing vocals and extra guitars. After recording this single, he played some more gigs, until his final one in Wolverhampton, when he left the band to concentrate on his own project, Riprize.
The drums on this single were programmed by Etch, rather than Marx.
All the tracks on the 12" version are in the key of D minor, hence the subtitle to the single "Suite In D Minor". The single's producer, Richard Mazda
, also played harmonica on the "Cheaper Blues Version".
, A Word to the Wise. They had recruited drummer John Grant, with Daniel Mass from ex-Merciful Release
band Salvation providing backing vocals on the A-side track "When I Call". This track was recorded in Amazon Studios, proving to be the most financially demanding track the band had recorded. Nevertheless, it was one of the first tracks the band had written.
The second A-side track was "Fools Gold" (written by Etch, one of the few tracks in Ghost Dance's discography not written by Marx), and the two B-sides were "Cruel Light" and "Holding On".
Despite the success of "A Word to the Wise", the band had reached the end of their time with Karbon Records. The final release on Karbon was Gathering Dust, a compilation album
of all the singles they had released to date.
After leaving Karbon, their tour manager Simon "Sparky" Parker became their manager, and succeeded in securing Ghost Dance a recording contract
with Chrysalis Records
.
in June 1989. The various issues of the singles included a live "Gathering Dust Medley" for the B-side. This was a live recording of "The Grip of Love" / "Last Train" / "Celebrate". A promotional German release of this single was released as 'Introducing Ghost Dance'. The band released their debut album, Stop the World (some copies coming with a bonus live 12" single), despite the tensions in the band growing. The label had wanted a re-recording of the early song "Celebrate", to be a new single, despite the label ignoring the fact that there had been a version of "Celebrate" on the B-side of the previous single.
The single's reception was "disastrous", and despite demoing new songs, such as "Rock It" and "Adrift Without You" with new manager Chris Cooke, the band slowly disintegrated, playing their final concert in Amsterdam, on 4 December 1989.
Marx was in contact with Andrew Eldritch
in 1995, and wrote several tracks for a studio collaboration, but never heard from Eldritch again. In 2005, Marx released the tracks as the solo album 1995 and Nowhere. He has also released his own debut album Pretty Black Dots and attempted to reissue Gathering Dust as a remastered CD-R, but it was soon withdrawn.
Copies of Ghost Dance releases are no longer available. Stop the World occasionally appears on eBay, with the comparably scarcer CD issue often selling for over £40.
The official Ghost Dance website contains several mp3s of unreleased and rare songs, with extra tracks for forum members.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
and post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band. formed in 1985 by Gary Marx
Gary Marx
Gary Marx is a founding member of British rock band The Sisters of Mercy and its lead-guitarist and songwriter from 1979 to 1985....
(ex-The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
guitarist) and Anne-Marie Hurst
Anne-Marie Hurst
Anne-Marie Hurst was the lead vocalist for the groups The Elements, Skeletal Family, and Ghost Dance. She was the lead vocalist of Elements until 1982. In December 1982, she helped form Skeletal Family...
(ex-Skeletal Family
Skeletal Family
Skeletal Family were an English gothic rock band which formed in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England in December 1982. The band formed from the remaining membership of an earlier group, called The Elements, and took their name from the title of the song "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family"...
vocalist) as both were leaving their respective bands. The band were originally signed to Nick Jones' 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,...
, Karbon Records, then were later signed to the major label Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis 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...
, before splitting up in 1989.
Members
- Gary MarxGary MarxGary Marx is a founding member of British rock band The Sisters of Mercy and its lead-guitarist and songwriter from 1979 to 1985....
(guitars 1985-1989) - Anne-Marie HurstAnne-Marie HurstAnne-Marie Hurst was the lead vocalist for the groups The Elements, Skeletal Family, and Ghost Dance. She was the lead vocalist of Elements until 1982. In December 1982, she helped form Skeletal Family...
(vocals 1985-1989) - Steve Smith (guitars 1985-1986)
- Richard Steel (guitars 1986-1989)
- Paul Etchells a.k.a. Etch (bass 1985-1989)
- Pandora (drums 1986)
- John Grant (drums 1986-1989)
"River of No Return"
Bassist Paul Etchells was hired, and with a drum machine nicknamed 'Pandora', the band set about releasing their debut 12" singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "River of No Return", featuring a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
's song "Both Ends Burning". By Marx's own admission, the sound quality was poor. Nevertheless, the single was released in early 1986.
"Heart Full of Soul"
The second single to be released was "Heart Full of Soul", a cover of The YardbirdsThe Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
' song. It was backed with a cover of Golden Earring
Golden Earring
Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...
's hit single "Radar Love
Radar Love
"Radar Love" is a song by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring. Music critic Bill Lamb rates this among his "top 10 driving songs" due to its lyrics about driving all night and its pulse-quickening, up-tempo beat. The single version of "Radar Love" reached #13 in the US...
". The 12" version of the single had a silver sleeve instead of the pale blue of the 7" single, as well as a bonus track on the A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, a cover of Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
's "Can The Can
Can the Can
"Can the Can" was a popular single by Suzi Quatro and the name of her debut album in Australia ....
".
Steve Smith from Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry are a rock band that were formed in Leeds, England in early 1981.- History :The band was formed by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown...
had been helping the band live and occasionally in the studio, and on this single, contributed by adding backing vocals and extra guitars. After recording this single, he played some more gigs, until his final one in Wolverhampton, when he left the band to concentrate on his own project, Riprize.
The drums on this single were programmed by Etch, rather than Marx.
"The Grip of Love"
"The Grip of Love" was the third single by Ghost Dance to be released in 1986. With the departure of Steve Smith, new guitarist Richard Steel played on this single. The 7" single A-side was "The Grip of Love (Bombay Mix)", and the B-side was "Where Spirits Fly". The 12" single omitted "Where Spirits Fly", and added "Last Train" to the A-side, and "A Deeper Blue" and "The Grip of Love (A Cheaper Blues Version)" to the B-side.All the tracks on the 12" version are in the key of D minor, hence the subtitle to the single "Suite In D Minor". The single's producer, Richard Mazda
Richard Mazda
Richard Mazda is a record producer, writer and musician. In later life he also became an actor and director.-Music career:Mazda was one of the co-founders of Poole punk/mod band Tours, singing and playing lead guitar. They signed to Virgin Records in 1979 after selling large quantities of their...
, also played harmonica on the "Cheaper Blues Version".
Leaving Karbon
In 1987, Ghost Dance released their final Karbon EPExtended 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...
, A Word to the Wise. They had recruited drummer John Grant, with Daniel Mass from ex-Merciful Release
Merciful Release
Merciful Release is a record label started by Andrew Eldritch, frontman with Leeds outfit The Sisters of Mercy. As Eldritch states in an early interview, he wanted to hear himself on the radio. He and Gary Marx played and recorded on the Sisters Of Mercy's initial single "Damage Done" and pressed...
band Salvation providing backing vocals on the A-side track "When I Call". This track was recorded in Amazon Studios, proving to be the most financially demanding track the band had recorded. Nevertheless, it was one of the first tracks the band had written.
The second A-side track was "Fools Gold" (written by Etch, one of the few tracks in Ghost Dance's discography not written by Marx), and the two B-sides were "Cruel Light" and "Holding On".
Despite the success of "A Word to the Wise", the band had reached the end of their time with Karbon Records. The final release on Karbon was Gathering Dust, a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of all the singles they had released to date.
After leaving Karbon, their tour manager Simon "Sparky" Parker became their manager, and succeeded in securing Ghost Dance 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 Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis 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...
.
Chrysalis Records
The first release on Chrysalis was the single "Down to the Wire", which peaked at #66 in the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
in June 1989. The various issues of the singles included a live "Gathering Dust Medley" for the B-side. This was a live recording of "The Grip of Love" / "Last Train" / "Celebrate". A promotional German release of this single was released as 'Introducing Ghost Dance'. The band released their debut album, Stop the World (some copies coming with a bonus live 12" single), despite the tensions in the band growing. The label had wanted a re-recording of the early song "Celebrate", to be a new single, despite the label ignoring the fact that there had been a version of "Celebrate" on the B-side of the previous single.
The single's reception was "disastrous", and despite demoing new songs, such as "Rock It" and "Adrift Without You" with new manager Chris Cooke, the band slowly disintegrated, playing their final concert in Amsterdam, on 4 December 1989.
1990-present
As of 2009, Hurst had returned to music, potentially playing old Ghost Dance songs.Marx was in contact with Andrew Eldritch
Andrew Eldritch
Andrew Eldritch is the English frontman, singer, songwriter and only remaining original member of The Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk scene, transformed into a gothic rock band and, in later years, flirted with pop and hard rock.Eldritch also programs the tracks...
in 1995, and wrote several tracks for a studio collaboration, but never heard from Eldritch again. In 2005, Marx released the tracks as the solo album 1995 and Nowhere. He has also released his own debut album Pretty Black Dots and attempted to reissue Gathering Dust as a remastered CD-R, but it was soon withdrawn.
Copies of Ghost Dance releases are no longer available. Stop the World occasionally appears on eBay, with the comparably scarcer CD issue often selling for over £40.
The official Ghost Dance website contains several mp3s of unreleased and rare songs, with extra tracks for forum members.
Discography
| Year | Title | Formats | Notes |
| 1986 1986 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place... |
"River of No Return" | 12" | compiled on Gathering Dust |
| 1986 | "Heart Full of Soul" | 7", 12" | compiled on Gathering Dust |
| 1986 | "The Grip of Love" | 7", 12" | compiled on Gathering Dust |
| 1987 | "A Word to the Wise" | 12" | |
| 1988 | "Gathering Dust" | LP, CR-r | compilation of first three Karbon singles |
| 1989 | "Down to the Wire" | 7", 12", CD | title track on Stop the World |
| 1989 | "Introducing Ghost Dance" | 12" | German promotional single |
| 1989 | Stop the World | LP, CD | Some LPs come with bonus live 12" single. Live tracks included on CD issue. |
| 1989 | "Celebrate" | 7", 12", 12" Picture Disc, CD | title track on Stop the World |