Ian Burden
Encyclopedia
Ian Charles Burden was a keyboard player
with the English
synthpop
band
, The Human League
, from 1981 up to 1989.
Formerly of Sheffield band Graph, Burden was employed as a session
keyboard player for the Human League's October 1980 tour, covering for Martyn Ware
and Ian Craig Marsh
's keyboards after their departure. In March 1981 he returned to the band full time, and would co-write
much of their early 1980s material. He left the band in 1987.
Burden recorded
a solo
album
, Loot, in 1990.
In 1995 Burden released a CD through Inertia Records entitled A Swim in the Ocean. This was a collaboration with Human League session player and contributor Russell Dennett. The band called themselves Deep Down Crazy, and consisted of Dan Boulton on vocals, Chris Broadhead on drums, Russell Dennett on guitar/keyboards/vocals and Burden on bass/keyboards. The recording took place at The Stockyard in Leicestershire
.
Burden played bass guitar on the 2006 debut eponymous release for The Tenth Stage, a Melbourne-based band, and also on their second album, Grand Guignol. The bass guitar (a Telecaster) used on these recordings was the same one he used to record "(Keep Feeling) Fascination
" (although in the video he is playing a Fender Precision Bass), "Mirror Man", "The Lebanon
", and "I Love You Too Much".
Burden also contributed bass guitar to Parralox's "State Of Decay" album, released in Germany in 2009
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
with the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
synthpop
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
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
, from 1981 up to 1989.
Formerly of Sheffield band Graph, Burden was employed as a session
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
keyboard player for the Human League's October 1980 tour, covering for Martyn Ware
Martyn Ware
Martyn "Teddy Bear" Ware is a British musician and music producer. He is the chairman of a local football team: PPA. As a founder member of both The Human League and Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Being Boiled" and "Temptation"...
and Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh
Ian Craig Marsh is a former English musician. He was a founding member of the electronic band The Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form B.E.F...
's keyboards after their departure. In March 1981 he returned to the band full time, and would co-write
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
much of their early 1980s material. He left the band in 1987.
Burden recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
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...
, Loot, in 1990.
In 1995 Burden released a CD through Inertia Records entitled A Swim in the Ocean. This was a collaboration with Human League session player and contributor Russell Dennett. The band called themselves Deep Down Crazy, and consisted of Dan Boulton on vocals, Chris Broadhead on drums, Russell Dennett on guitar/keyboards/vocals and Burden on bass/keyboards. The recording took place at The Stockyard in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
Burden played bass guitar on the 2006 debut eponymous release for The Tenth Stage, a Melbourne-based band, and also on their second album, Grand Guignol. The bass guitar (a Telecaster) used on these recordings was the same one he used to record "(Keep Feeling) Fascination
(Keep Feeling) Fascination
" Fascination" is a dance song performed by British synthpop group The Human League. It was composed by Jo Callis and Philip Oakey....
" (although in the video he is playing a Fender Precision Bass), "Mirror Man", "The Lebanon
The Lebanon (song)
"The Lebanon" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984. Originally an album track on Hysteria, it was released as a single in the UK and the U.S...
", and "I Love You Too Much".
Burden also contributed bass guitar to Parralox's "State Of Decay" album, released in Germany in 2009