Tang Dynasty (band)
Encyclopedia
Tang Dynasty is a Chinese ethnic-art rock and prog-metal
band that is often credited as being the first heavy metal band in China
.
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Tang Dynasty soon became the icon of Chinese hard rock music, and their guitarist
Liu Yijun
(刘义军), also known as "Lao Wu", became the first rock guitar hero in China. Bassist
Zhang Ju, died in 1995 while riding his motorcycle
from fellow rock bassist friend Chen Jin's home, when an accident occurred involving a collision with a truck on the Zizhuqiao freeway overpass in western Beijing. This dealt a heavy blow to the band. Liu Yijun left the band in 1996 and was replaced by original founding member Kaiser Kuo
, a Chinese-American who formed the band with Ding Wu and Zhang Ju in 1989.
In 1991, the band released its metal rock version of The Internationale in Chinese
.
The band's 1998 release "Epic" was their second album, 7 years after their debut record. Epic did maintain a level of artfully composed series of new prog-metal rock songs that helped bring success to their debut album, but may otherwise be described as a little bit more of a straight-ahead rock album with somewhat less ethnic orientation. The album received lukewarm reviews. Nevertheless, the album was still popular enough to elicit waves of unauthorized copies in the pirated market. In June 1999, Kaiser Kuo again parted company with Tang Dynasty and later formed another well-recognized Chinese metal-rock band, Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu). Kuo was replaced for a period by former Iron Kite front man Yu Yang, and then by young guitar virtuoso Chen Lei, who joined the band in late 2000. In 2002, Lao Wu rejoined the group and Tang Dynasty is at its present five-man band form, featuring contrasting styles of Chen Lei and Lao Wu both exchanging and interplaying guitar work, and fattening-up their overall live sound with Ding Wu's occasional coloring in their sound palette with a third guitar. In January 2009, Lao Wu announced his second departure of the band due to "personal reasons" and "in cooperation with the idea of music with the band"; he is now working with an Austrian neo-classical rock artist on an album stated to be out by 2010. Ding is currently filling the spot of the second guitarist. As of February 2010, Ding Wu has announced that the band is preparing for the fourth release due out later in the year
Tang Dynasty released their third album "Langman Qishi" in mid-2008, featuring "Feng Shan Ji" as the album's lead track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGUtUmQeTus
Tang Dynasty are featured in the documentary by Sam Dunn
, Global Metal
.
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band that is often credited as being the first heavy metal band in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
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Biography
Tang Dynasty rose to fame with their first major album "A Dream Return to Tang Dynasty" (1991/2). The album officially sold about 2,000,000 authentic copies throughout Asia and abroad, not counting the multitudes more of pirated copies. Their sound is part progressive rock and artistic metal and part traditional Chinese vocal techniques with lyrical poetry and musical arrangements meant to hearken back to the glorious days of ancient Chinese civilization; in particular, the art and cultural epitome of Chinese history as popularly represented by the era of the Tang DynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
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Tang Dynasty soon became the icon of Chinese hard rock music, and their guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Liu Yijun
Liu Yijun
Liu Yijun |Tang Dynasty]].Liu was born in Tianjin, China, the younger of two children, with an older sister who also pursued a career in performance arts. The guitar was his second instrument; his first was the Guqin. In 1976, his family moved away from Tianjin in hope to raise enough for him to go...
(刘义军), also known as "Lao Wu", became the first rock guitar hero in China. Bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Zhang Ju, died in 1995 while riding his motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
from fellow rock bassist friend Chen Jin's home, when an accident occurred involving a collision with a truck on the Zizhuqiao freeway overpass in western Beijing. This dealt a heavy blow to the band. Liu Yijun left the band in 1996 and was replaced by original founding member Kaiser Kuo
Kaiser Kuo
Kaiser Kuo is a Chinese American freelance writer and rock musician living in Beijing. He is a former member of the rock band Tang Dynasty and has further enlivened contemporary Chinese music culture with the formation of another ethnically-oriented heavy metal rock group, Spring and Autumn...
, a Chinese-American who formed the band with Ding Wu and Zhang Ju in 1989.
In 1991, the band released its metal rock version of The Internationale in Chinese
The Internationale in Chinese
The Internationale in Chinese is literally the International Song. It has several different sets of lyrics.-Qu Qiubai's version:The most common and official Chinese version is the de facto anthem of the Communist Party of China. It was translated on 15 June 1923 from the Russian version by Qu...
.
The band's 1998 release "Epic" was their second album, 7 years after their debut record. Epic did maintain a level of artfully composed series of new prog-metal rock songs that helped bring success to their debut album, but may otherwise be described as a little bit more of a straight-ahead rock album with somewhat less ethnic orientation. The album received lukewarm reviews. Nevertheless, the album was still popular enough to elicit waves of unauthorized copies in the pirated market. In June 1999, Kaiser Kuo again parted company with Tang Dynasty and later formed another well-recognized Chinese metal-rock band, Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu). Kuo was replaced for a period by former Iron Kite front man Yu Yang, and then by young guitar virtuoso Chen Lei, who joined the band in late 2000. In 2002, Lao Wu rejoined the group and Tang Dynasty is at its present five-man band form, featuring contrasting styles of Chen Lei and Lao Wu both exchanging and interplaying guitar work, and fattening-up their overall live sound with Ding Wu's occasional coloring in their sound palette with a third guitar. In January 2009, Lao Wu announced his second departure of the band due to "personal reasons" and "in cooperation with the idea of music with the band"; he is now working with an Austrian neo-classical rock artist on an album stated to be out by 2010. Ding is currently filling the spot of the second guitarist. As of February 2010, Ding Wu has announced that the band is preparing for the fourth release due out later in the year
Tang Dynasty released their third album "Langman Qishi" in mid-2008, featuring "Feng Shan Ji" as the album's lead track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGUtUmQeTus
Tang Dynasty are featured in the documentary by Sam Dunn
Sam Dunn
Sam Dunn is a Canadian anthropologist and film-maker whose work focuses on the culture of heavy metal. Together with Scot McFadyen, Dunn owns Toronto-based production company Banger Films, Inc.-Metal: A Headbanger's Journey:...
, Global Metal
Global Metal
Global Metal is a 2008 documentary film directed by Scot McFadyen and Canadian anthropologist Sam Dunn. It is a followup to their successful 2005 documentary, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey. The film's international premiere took place at the Bergen International Film Festival on October 17th 2007...
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Studio albums
- A Dream Return To Tang Dynasty (1992)
- Epic (1998)
- Knight of Romantic (2008)
See also
- Cui JianCui JianCui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" , he is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs...
- Dou WeiDou WeiDou Wei is a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Dou Wei is a multi-instrumentalist and produces music across many genres. He first came to prominence as a member of the heavy rock group Black Panther . His album Dark Dreams draws influences from The Cure and Bauhaus, was a landmark...
- OverloadOverload (Chinese rock band)Overload is the first thrash metal band of Chinese rock. Gao Qi , the former guitarist and songwriter of the band The Breathing , set up his own band Overload with guitarist Han Hongbin , Li Yanliang , bassist Wang Xueke and drummer Zhao Muyang , who were said to be the most talented heavy rock...
- Zhang ChuZhang ChuZhang Chu is a Chinese musician who was born in Xi'an, Shaanxi.Lauded by many as "the most lonesome singer-poet", Zhang Chu has remained a prominent figure on Chinese rock scene despite not releasing a new album since 1997...
- Folk metalFolk metalFolk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
External links
- Culture Express variety show hosted by Ji Xiaojun, featuring Tang Dynasty in studio for upcoming new record
- Tang Dynasty page from Rock in China site
- "Kaiser Kuo, Tang Dynasty, Spring and Autumn", from China Beat radio program