The Adventures
Encyclopedia
The Adventures are a Northern Irish
Rock
group
, formed in Belfast
in 1984.
The band later moved to London
where they signed to Chrysalis Records
and released their first single in 1984. Following their debut album release a year later the group moved to Elektra Records
and scored their biggest hit, "Broken Land". The song was written
by guitarist
Pat Gribben and reached number 20 in the UK Singles Chart
, and was also the most played song on BBC Radio 1
in 1988.
The band were actively recording and touring from 1984 up until 1993, and despite the backing of Simon Fuller
, The Adventures never achieved a significant commercial breakthrough. In recent years, the band have reformed to play low key live gigs and festivals in Belfast, although no further studio recordings have been made.
. The band experienced limited success and disbanded in the early 1980s. Sharpe and Gribben then formed The Adventures in early 1984 with Gribben's wife, Eileen, Gerard Murphy, Tony Ayre and Paul Crowder. They signed to Chrysalis Records
and were taken on by upcoming manager, Simon Fuller, who saw them achieve much publicity and promotion in the music press. Despite this promising start, their debut single, "Another Silent Day", released in the summer of 1984, failed to chart highly. Further singles were released, all of which were minor hits in the UK Charts, but no major breakthrough was achieved. Their debut album, Theodore and Friends
, was released in 1985 while the group were on a world tour supporting Tears for Fears
. It received much critical acclaim, but again no significant sales.
The band laid low for the next two years. During this time, main songwriter, Pat Gribben composed some new songs for a second album and the band left Chrysalis Records and were picked up by Elektra Records
. With another burst of promotion and heavy airplay, their new single "Broken Land" became their first significant hit, reaching #20 in the UK Singles Chart
and spent 10 weeks on the chart. The single was quickly followed up by the album, The Sea of Love
, which reached #30 and also remained on the charts for 10 weeks. The follow-up singles, "Drowning in the Sea of Love" and "One Step From Heaven", failed to reach as highly and stalled at #44 and #82 respectively, though the album was certified Silver (for 60,000 copies sold) by the BPI
in 1989, a year after its release.
The band combined pop/rock with a folk music sound for their third album, Trading Secrets with the Moon
. Released in early 1990 along with a couple of singles, the album failed to capitalise on their earlier success and only appeared briefly on the UK album Charts, stalling at #64. This ended their contract with Elektra.
With another rethink and now down to a quartet, The Adventures returned in 1992 with the single "Raining All Over the World". Now signed to Polydor Records
, the song reached #68 and was to be the group's final chart appearance. A fourth album, Lions and Tigers and Bears
, was released in 1993, produced by ex-Vibrators bassist Pat Collier at London's Greenhouse Recording Studios. Despite featuring a new single, a contemporary reworking of the 1960s hit "Monday Monday", the album met with tepid response and failed to chart. The group were then dropped by Polydor, and essentially broke up soon after.
Pat Gribben continues to write songs and is currently working with singer Ryan Molloy
, while Terry Sharpe spent some years performing in a cover
band, The Dead Handsomes. The Adventures regrouped briefly in 2007 for some gigs in Belfast, but no major reunion was ever organised. They regrouped again in 2009 to perform further small scale gigs in Belfast, as well as appearances at the Time To Be Proud and Féile an Phobail
Festivals during the summer.
+ - studio only
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
Rock
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...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in 1984.
The band later moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where they signed to 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...
and released their first single in 1984. Following their debut album release a year later the group moved to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
and scored their biggest hit, "Broken Land". The song was written
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...
by 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...
Pat Gribben and reached number 20 in the UK Singles Chart
UK 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 ...
, and was also the most played song on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in 1988.
The band were actively recording and touring from 1984 up until 1993, and despite the backing of Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
, The Adventures never achieved a significant commercial breakthrough. In recent years, the band have reformed to play low key live gigs and festivals in Belfast, although no further studio recordings have been made.
Background
Lead vocalist Terry Sharpe and guitarist Pat Gribben first worked together when in 1978 they joined punk band The StarjetsThe Starjets
The Starjets were a late 1970s power pop/punk rock group from Belfast, Northern Ireland.The band consisted of guitarist/vocalist Terry Sharpe, guitarist/vocalist Paul Bowen, bassist Sean Martin and drummer Liam L'Estrange. The group sported a mix of punk and mainstream pop influences...
. The band experienced limited success and disbanded in the early 1980s. Sharpe and Gribben then formed The Adventures in early 1984 with Gribben's wife, Eileen, Gerard Murphy, Tony Ayre and Paul Crowder. They signed to 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...
and were taken on by upcoming manager, Simon Fuller, who saw them achieve much publicity and promotion in the music press. Despite this promising start, their debut single, "Another Silent Day", released in the summer of 1984, failed to chart highly. Further singles were released, all of which were minor hits in the UK Charts, but no major breakthrough was achieved. Their debut album, Theodore and Friends
Theodore and Friends
Theodore and Friends is the debut album from the Irish rock band The Adventures, released in 1985.The album contained four minor UK chart hits; "Another Silent Day" , "Feel The Raindrops" , Two Rivers" , and "Send My Heart" which was a hit in Germany and also featured on the soundtrack to the...
, was released in 1985 while the group were on a world tour supporting Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
. It received much critical acclaim, but again no significant sales.
The band laid low for the next two years. During this time, main songwriter, Pat Gribben composed some new songs for a second album and the band left Chrysalis Records and were picked up by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
. With another burst of promotion and heavy airplay, their new single "Broken Land" became their first significant hit, reaching #20 in the UK Singles Chart
UK 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 ...
and spent 10 weeks on the chart. The single was quickly followed up by the album, The Sea of Love
The Sea of Love
The Sea of Love is the second album by the Irish rock band The Adventures.The album featured the single "Broken Land", their only Top 40 hit in the UK, and also their only chart entry in the United States. The album was their most successful, peaking at #30 on the UK Albums Chart and staying on the...
, which reached #30 and also remained on the charts for 10 weeks. The follow-up singles, "Drowning in the Sea of Love" and "One Step From Heaven", failed to reach as highly and stalled at #44 and #82 respectively, though the album was certified Silver (for 60,000 copies sold) by the BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
in 1989, a year after its release.
The band combined pop/rock with a folk music sound for their third album, Trading Secrets with the Moon
Trading Secrets with the Moon
Trading Secrets with the Moon is the third studio album by rock band The Adventures, released in 1990.It failed to capitalise on the previous album's success and contained no hit singles...
. Released in early 1990 along with a couple of singles, the album failed to capitalise on their earlier success and only appeared briefly on the UK album Charts, stalling at #64. This ended their contract with Elektra.
With another rethink and now down to a quartet, The Adventures returned in 1992 with the single "Raining All Over the World". Now signed to Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, the song reached #68 and was to be the group's final chart appearance. A fourth album, Lions and Tigers and Bears
Lions and Tigers and Bears
Lions and Tigers and Bears is the fourth album by rock band The Adventures, released in 1993. The album contained the minor hit "Raining All Over the World", signalling the end of their chart activity...
, was released in 1993, produced by ex-Vibrators bassist Pat Collier at London's Greenhouse Recording Studios. Despite featuring a new single, a contemporary reworking of the 1960s hit "Monday Monday", the album met with tepid response and failed to chart. The group were then dropped by Polydor, and essentially broke up soon after.
Pat Gribben continues to write songs and is currently working with singer Ryan Molloy
Ryan Molloy
Ryan Molloy is a British singer, songwriter and actor, who replaced Holly Johnson as the lead singer in Frankie Goes to Hollywood . He has also been successful in musical theatre, appearing in a number of hit musicals in the UK....
, while Terry Sharpe spent some years performing in 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...
band, The Dead Handsomes. The Adventures regrouped briefly in 2007 for some gigs in Belfast, but no major reunion was ever organised. They regrouped again in 2009 to perform further small scale gigs in Belfast, as well as appearances at the Time To Be Proud and Féile an Phobail
Feile an Phobail
Féile an Phobail , also known as the West Belfast Festival is a community arts organisation known for its August Féile . The organisation is prominent for its promotion of Irish and international culture...
Festivals during the summer.
Band members
- Terry Sharpe - vocals
- Eileen Gribben - vocals
- Gerry "Spud" Murphy - guitar and percussion
- Tony Ayre - bass (died 20 December 2009)
- Pat Gribben - guitar
- Paul Crowder - drums+
- Jonathan Whitehead - keyboards+
+ - studio only
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
||
| 1985 | Theodore and Friends Theodore and Friends Theodore and Friends is the debut album from the Irish rock band The Adventures, released in 1985.The album contained four minor UK chart hits; "Another Silent Day" , "Feel The Raindrops" , Two Rivers" , and "Send My Heart" which was a hit in Germany and also featured on the soundtrack to the... |
- | - |
| 1988 | The Sea of Love The Sea of Love The Sea of Love is the second album by the Irish rock band The Adventures.The album featured the single "Broken Land", their only Top 40 hit in the UK, and also their only chart entry in the United States. The album was their most successful, peaking at #30 on the UK Albums Chart and staying on the... |
30 | 144 |
| 1990 | Trading Secrets with the Moon Trading Secrets with the Moon Trading Secrets with the Moon is the third studio album by rock band The Adventures, released in 1990.It failed to capitalise on the previous album's success and contained no hit singles... |
64 | - |
| 1993 | Lions and Tigers and Bears Lions and Tigers and Bears Lions and Tigers and Bears is the fourth album by rock band The Adventures, released in 1993. The album contained the minor hit "Raining All Over the World", signalling the end of their chart activity... |
- | - |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK 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 ... |
IRE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
GER | ITA | |||
| 1984 | "Another Silent Day" | 71 | - | - | - | - | Theodore and Friends |
| "Send My Heart" | 62 | - | - | 24 | 44 | ||
| 1985 | "Feel the Raindrops" | 58 | - | - | - | - | |
| "Two Rivers" | 96 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1987 | "Broken Land" | 20 | 8 | 95 | - | 25 | The Sea of Love |
| 1988 | "Drowning in the Sea of Love" | 44 | 15 | - | 53 | - | |
| "One Step from Heaven" | 82 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1989 | "Washington Deceased" | - | - | - | - | - | Trading Secrets with the Moon |
| 1990 | "Your Greatest Shade of Blue" | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1992 | "Raining All Over the World" | 68 | - | - | - | - | Lions and Tigers and Bears |
| 1993 | "Monday Monday" | - | - | - | - | - | |
External links
- [ Allmusic Guide overview of The Adventures]