Sad Lovers & Giants
Encyclopedia
Sad Lovers & Giants are a rock
band from Watford
, England
who formed in 1980. Their sound blends post-punk
, atmospheric keyboards and psychedelia and the band has been described as "a pastoral Pink Floyd".
(now part of the trance trio Above & Beyond
) (guitar), Cliff Silver (bass), Ian Gibson (bass), David Wood (keyboards and saxophone), Juliet Sainsbury (keyboards), Nigel Pollard (drums & percussion) and Will Hicks (keyboards).
The original lineup produced two studio albums, Epic Garden Music (1982) and Feeding the Flame
(1983), before splitting in 1983. During this initial period they recorded a John Peel Session for the BBC, and a live concert for the Dutch Radio Hilversum station in 1983, which was subsequently released as the album Total Sound in 1986. Live performances included headline dates at UK colleges and clubs with occasional trips to Europe, although they did support The Sound
at a major London venue on the day Epic Garden Music entered the UK independent charts.
European interest in the band began to grow, and with the release of second album Feeding the Flame, they toured Germany and Holland, gaining a dedicated fanbase. Tensions within the band caused a split, with Garel-Funk and Pollard leaving to form The Snake Corps
.
Not much was heard for a while; their label Midnight Music released a "mopping up" album entitled In the Breeze in 1984, which included one of their previously unreleased signature tunes, "Three Lines".
They returned in 1986 with an updated line-up (Tony McGuiness on guitar, Juliet Sainsbury on keyboards and Ian Gibson on bass), and new album entitled The Mirror Test.
As interest abroad grew, the band performed extensively in Holland, Spain and France, headlined at the old Marquee club in London's Soho, and with the release of their fourth album, Headland, were a featured band in Melody Maker
.
They released a further album Treehouse Poetry before Midnight Music went bust and the band split once again, coming together occasionally for gigs supporting And Also The Trees
at the Marquee Club and London's Electric Ballroom. E-mail from Eternity, a 'best of' compilation, was released by the record label Cherry Red
in 1996 after the company picked up the Midnight catalogue.
In 2002, the band released an album called Melting in the Fullness of Time. They played two dates in Italy
a year later.
Another reformed lineup (Allard, McGuiness, Pollard, Gibson) played several gigs in Italy in April 2009, coinciding with Cherry Red's rereleases of Feeding the Flame and Epic Garden Music. Current keyboardist Will Hicks joined later in 2009.
During 2010, the band played a handful of successful live dates in Athens, Greece, and Barcelona, Spain, reissued The Mirror Test, and recorded a new 7" double single, "Himalaya"/"Happiness Is Fragile."
2011 finds Sad Lovers & Giants writing and recording new material for a future album. Their first live date of the year takes place in March 2011 in Berlin, Germany.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
, England
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...
who formed in 1980. Their sound blends 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...
, atmospheric keyboards and psychedelia and the band has been described as "a pastoral Pink Floyd".
Career
The band's members have included Garçe (Simon) Allard (vocals), Tristan Garel-Funk (guitar), Tony McGuinnessTony McGuinness
Anthony "Tony" McGuinness is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Footscray and Adelaide in the Australian Football League. His estranged wife is Nine News presenter Georgina McGuinness.- SANFL career :...
(now part of the trance trio Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond (band)
Above & Beyond are a British trance music group formed in 2000 and consists of the members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Finnish Paavo Siljamäki. They have their own record label Anjunabeats, which releases trance and progressive music, and they also host their own weekly radio show Trance...
) (guitar), Cliff Silver (bass), Ian Gibson (bass), David Wood (keyboards and saxophone), Juliet Sainsbury (keyboards), Nigel Pollard (drums & percussion) and Will Hicks (keyboards).
The original lineup produced two studio albums, Epic Garden Music (1982) and Feeding the Flame
Feeding the Flame
Feeding the Flame is a 1983 album by the English Post-Punk group Sad Lovers & Giants.-Track listing:All tracks by Sad Lovers & Giants# "Imagination" – 6:24 *# "Cow Boys" – 5:35 *# "3 Lines" – 3:14 *# "Big Tracks Little Tracks" – 3:31...
(1983), before splitting in 1983. During this initial period they recorded a John Peel Session for the BBC, and a live concert for the Dutch Radio Hilversum station in 1983, which was subsequently released as the album Total Sound in 1986. Live performances included headline dates at UK colleges and clubs with occasional trips to Europe, although they did support The Sound
The Sound
The Sound were an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 and dissolved in 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders...
at a major London venue on the day Epic Garden Music entered the UK independent charts.
European interest in the band began to grow, and with the release of second album Feeding the Flame, they toured Germany and Holland, gaining a dedicated fanbase. Tensions within the band caused a split, with Garel-Funk and Pollard leaving to form The Snake Corps
The Snake Corps
The Snake Corps were an indie music group based in London, England during the 1980s and 1990s.Formed in 1984, from the ashes of the broken-up Sad Lovers & Giants, Tristan Garel-Funk and Nigel Pollard conceived the band, but Pollard left prior to recording the first album...
.
Not much was heard for a while; their label Midnight Music released a "mopping up" album entitled In the Breeze in 1984, which included one of their previously unreleased signature tunes, "Three Lines".
They returned in 1986 with an updated line-up (Tony McGuiness on guitar, Juliet Sainsbury on keyboards and Ian Gibson on bass), and new album entitled The Mirror Test.
As interest abroad grew, the band performed extensively in Holland, Spain and France, headlined at the old Marquee club in London's Soho, and with the release of their fourth album, Headland, were a featured band in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
.
They released a further album Treehouse Poetry before Midnight Music went bust and the band split once again, coming together occasionally for gigs supporting And Also The Trees
And also the trees
And Also The Trees are an English rock band, formed in 1979 in the United Kingdom. They are most notable for their poetic lyrics and evocative music which is strongly influenced by their native English countryside.-History :...
at the Marquee Club and London's Electric Ballroom. E-mail from Eternity, a 'best of' compilation, was released by the record label Cherry Red
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
in 1996 after the company picked up the Midnight catalogue.
In 2002, the band released an album called Melting in the Fullness of Time. They played two dates in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
a year later.
Another reformed lineup (Allard, McGuiness, Pollard, Gibson) played several gigs in Italy in April 2009, coinciding with Cherry Red's rereleases of Feeding the Flame and Epic Garden Music. Current keyboardist Will Hicks joined later in 2009.
During 2010, the band played a handful of successful live dates in Athens, Greece, and Barcelona, Spain, reissued The Mirror Test, and recorded a new 7" double single, "Himalaya"/"Happiness Is Fragile."
2011 finds Sad Lovers & Giants writing and recording new material for a future album. Their first live date of the year takes place in March 2011 in Berlin, Germany.
Albums
- 1982: Epic Garden Music CHIME 00.01 (Midnight Music) - UK Indie #21
- 1983: Feeding the FlameFeeding the FlameFeeding the Flame is a 1983 album by the English Post-Punk group Sad Lovers & Giants.-Track listing:All tracks by Sad Lovers & Giants# "Imagination" – 6:24 *# "Cow Boys" – 5:35 *# "3 Lines" – 3:14 *# "Big Tracks Little Tracks" – 3:31...
CHIME 00.03 (Midnight Music) - 1984: In the Breeze CHIME 00.07 (Midnight Music)
- 1986: Total Sound CHIME 00.22 (Midnight Music)
- 1987: The Mirror Test CHIME 00.30 (Midnight Music)
- 1988: Les Années Vertes CHIME 00.40 (anthology - Midnight Music)
- 1990: Headland CHIME 01.10 (Midnight Music)
- 1991: Treehouse Poetry CHIME 01.20 (Midnight Music)
- 1996: E-mail from Eternity (The Best of Sad Lovers & Giants) CDMGRAM 104 (Anagram Records, distributed by Cherry Red)
- 2000: La Dolce Vita (Sad Lovers & Giants Live in Lausanne) VKR001CD (Voight-Kampff Records)
- 2001: Headland and Treehouse Poetry VKR002CD (Voight-Kampff Records)
- 2002: Melting in the Fullness of Time VKR003CD (Voight-Kampff Records)
12" Singles
- "Man of Straw" (DONG 5) ("Man of Straw," "Cow Boys (Version)," "Close to the Sea")
- "Seven Kinds of Sin" (DONG 31) ("Seven Kinds of Sin," "The Outsider," "Ours to Kill")
- "White Russians" (DONG 34) ("White Russians," "A Map of My World," "Life Under Glass")
- "Cow Boys" (DONG 36)
- "Sleep"/"A Reflected Dream" (DONG 40) *with The Essence
- "Clocks Go Backwards" (DONG 59)
7" Singles
- Clé LM 003 (Last Movement) ("Imagination," "When I See You," "Landslide")
- "Colourless Dream" LM 005 (Last Movement) ("Colourless Dream," "Things We Never Did") - initial copies were pressed with the labels backwards
- "Lost in a Moment" DING 1 (Midnight Music) ("Lost in a Moment," "The Tightrope Touch") - UK Indie #48
- "Man of Straw" DING 5 (Midnight Music) ("Man of Straw," "Cow Boys") - UK Indie #31
- "Himalaya"/"Happiness Is Fragile"