Rikki and the Last Days of Earth
Encyclopedia
Rikki and the Last Days of Earth (formerly Rikki and the Last Days on Earth) were a British musical group and one of the early punk
groups. They are chronicled in Henrik Poulsen's book 77: The Year of Punk and New Wave
. Billboard (magazine)
credits them with paving the way for '80s romantic acts.
Although the band seemed to be working-class (a stereotypical characteristic for a punk musician), they had middle-class (or upper class) upbringing. Sylvan lived in Kensington
and went to public school, Prince lived with his parents in Weybridge
, Weiss went to public school and Inge-Innes Lillingstone lived in Thorpe Hall
, near Tamworth
, being the son of a Lieutenant Commander and attended Eton School.
The band official live concert debut was at "The Man In The Moon", in Chelsea, on May 28, 1977.
A semi-unofficial released single called City Of The Damned was recorded at TPA
studios, being one of the first singles, along Oundle RocSoc, which was released in May 1977. By the late English summer of 1977, the band signed DJM Records
, and there they re-recorded City Of The Damned, whose new version was released as single in November.
In January 1978, the band released the single Loaded (backed with the Rolling Stones' song cover, Street Fighting Man
). Later, in May, Twilight Jack was released as single, but failed to chart. Shortly afterwords, they released their 4 Minute Warning album, which according to one critic was "roundly ignored". While the band were recording a second album at the CBS
studio in London, they were dropped out by DJM and split up shortly after. Their records generally received bad reviews in the British press.
Later, Sylvan went to mix Gary Numan
's albums Replicas
, with Numan's previous band Tubeway Army
, and The Pleasure Principle
. Later, he was soloist, releasing his "The Silent Hours" album, and then formed a band called 3AM with ex Neos
Steve Wilkin on guitar and Derek Quinton on drums. Van Der Veene began to be a journalist, interviewing New Wave icons. Prince went to work with Random Hold
and his ex-bandmate Sylvan in the 1980s.
They were managed by Frank Case
.
(except the second disc above).
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...
groups. They are chronicled in Henrik Poulsen's book 77: The Year of Punk and New Wave
77: The Year of Punk and New Wave
77: The Year of Punk and New Wave is a book by Henrik Poulsen that catalogues every punk rock band to have made a recording in the United Kingdom during the punk era. The book has about 200 entries starting with Acme Sewage Company and ending with the Zeros.-External links:*...
. Billboard (magazine)
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
credits them with paving the way for '80s romantic acts.
History
The band was formed in November 1976 by Rikki Sylvan (whose real name was Nicholas Condron) (vocals) and Valac Van Der Veene (guitars), and shortly afterwords, Nik Weiss (keyboards), Andy Prince (also called Andy Prinz) (bass) and a drummer called Nigel Bartle completed the line-up. In May 1977, Nigel was replaced by Hugh Inge-Innes Lillingston.Although the band seemed to be working-class (a stereotypical characteristic for a punk musician), they had middle-class (or upper class) upbringing. Sylvan lived in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
and went to public school, Prince lived with his parents in Weybridge
Weybridge
Weybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England. It is bounded to the north by the River Thames at the mouth of the River Wey, from which it gets its name...
, Weiss went to public school and Inge-Innes Lillingstone lived in Thorpe Hall
Thorpe Hall
Thorpe Hall at Longthorpe in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire is a Grade I listed building, built by Peter Mills between 1653 and 1656, for the Lord Chief Justice, Oliver St John. The house is unusual in being one of the very few mansions built during the Commonwealth period...
, near Tamworth
Tamworth
Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...
, being the son of a Lieutenant Commander and attended Eton School.
The band official live concert debut was at "The Man In The Moon", in Chelsea, on May 28, 1977.
A semi-unofficial released single called City Of The Damned was recorded at TPA
TPA
TPA may refer to:* Third-Party Audit, an Audit performed by a specialized & independent Organization* TaxPayers' Alliance, a British free-market lobby group* Tempe Preparatory Academy, a preparatory secondary school in Arizona, USA...
studios, being one of the first singles, along Oundle RocSoc, which was released in May 1977. By the late English summer of 1977, the band signed DJM Records
DJM Records
DJM Records was the record label set up in the 1970s by British music publisher, Dick James, distributed by Pye Records in the UK and various other companies around the world, including the USA...
, and there they re-recorded City Of The Damned, whose new version was released as single in November.
In January 1978, the band released the single Loaded (backed with the Rolling Stones' song cover, Street Fighting Man
Street Fighting Man
"Street Fighting Man" is a song by English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones featured on their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. Called the band's "most political song", Rolling Stone ranked the song #295 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Inspiration:Originally titled and recorded...
). Later, in May, Twilight Jack was released as single, but failed to chart. Shortly afterwords, they released their 4 Minute Warning album, which according to one critic was "roundly ignored". While the band were recording a second album at the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
studio in London, they were dropped out by DJM and split up shortly after. Their records generally received bad reviews in the British press.
Later, Sylvan went to mix Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
's albums Replicas
Replicas (album)
Replicas is an album by Tubeway Army, released in 1979. It was the second and final Tubeway Army LP, following a self-titled debut the previous year...
, with Numan's previous band Tubeway Army
Tubeway Army
Tubeway Army were a London-based punk rock and new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. They were the first band of the post-punk era to have a synthesizer-based hit, with their single Are 'Friends' Electric? and its parent album Replicas both topping the UK Album Chart in mid-1979.-Line-up:The...
, and The Pleasure Principle
The Pleasure Principle (Gary Numan album)
The Pleasure Principle is the third studio album, and debut album under his own name, by electronic music pioneer Gary Numan, released in 1979...
. Later, he was soloist, releasing his "The Silent Hours" album, and then formed a band called 3AM with ex Neos
Neo (UK band)
Neo was an early New Wave band which was part of the Engish musical scene originated by punk in the 1970s. The group was formed by the American-born singer Ian North, who was the frontman and the only continuous member from the band formation in 1977 to the end in 1979.-Early days: Radio:In 1976,...
Steve Wilkin on guitar and Derek Quinton on drums. Van Der Veene began to be a journalist, interviewing New Wave icons. Prince went to work with Random Hold
Random Hold
Random Hold was a British rock band from 1977 to 1980.-History:The first line-up featured David Ferguson and David Rhodes , plus Simon Ainley , Bill MacCormick and David Leach...
and his ex-bandmate Sylvan in the 1980s.
They were managed by Frank Case
Frank Case
Frank Case was an American hotelier and author. He owned and managed the Algonquin Hotel during the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table and wrote a number of books about his experiences with the hotel and the Round Tablers....
.
Legacy
According to Allmusic "when the history of the new wave finally started to get written, Rikki and the Last Days of Earth were conspicuous by their absence. No one remembered; nobody cared. Yet without them, a lot of what is now taken for granted about the early '80s might never have occurred."Discography
All released by DJM RecordsDJM Records
DJM Records was the record label set up in the 1970s by British music publisher, Dick James, distributed by Pye Records in the UK and various other companies around the world, including the USA...
(except the second disc above).
- Oundle RocSoc (May 1977) (single)
- City Of The Damned (early/mid 1977) (single)
- City Of The Damned/Victimised (November 1977) (single)
- Loaded/Street Fighting Man (January 1978) (single)
- 4 Minute Warning (May 1978) (album)
- Twighlight Jack/No Wave (May 1978) (single)
- Tokyo (September 1978) (single)
External links
- punk77.co.uk - discography
- titsymina - discography