The Alarm
Encyclopedia
The Alarm are an alternative rock
band
that emerged from North Wales
in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language
and culture
. By opening for acts such as U2
and Bob Dylan
, they became a popular alternative rock band of the 1980s, retaining a small but loyal following to the present day.
Allmusic journalist
Steve Huey states
band was formed in Rhyl
, Wales
in 1977, billed as The Toilets. It contained Peters, Sharp, Macdonald and Twist, and in 1978 their name was changed to Seventeen. Seventeen were a mod band who released a single
("Don't Let Go" / "Bank Holiday Weekend") in March 1980 and toured with the Stray Cats
that year. They played their last concert
together under the new name of Alarm Alarm, but this would also be the last time this name was used.
The band soon reformed under the new name of The Alarm and played their first gig at The Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, North Wales on 10 June 1981, opening with "Shout to the Devil", which would later appear on the Declaration
LP
.
They moved from North Wales
to London
in September 1981, and the band recorded
a one-off 7" single. One thousand copies were pressed that month, featuring "Unsafe Building" on the 'electric' side and "Up For Murder" on the 'acoustic' side. The single was noticed by Mick Mercer
, who featured it as his single of the month in his ZigZag
magazine
. The band played a show with The Fall in December 1981, where a journalist
from Sounds
noticed them. This journalist attended the band's next show, at Upstairs at Ronnie's in London's West End. Also at this show was a representative of Wasted Talent, who arranged a meeting between the band and Ian Wilson, U2's agent. Wilson arranged another show in order to assess the band's quality, was impressed, and became the band's manager
soon after. To celebrate, The Alarm played with U2 at the Lyceum Ballroom on 22 December 1981.
In 1982, the band began to record demos
for various record label
s, but had little success. At this point, they were playing with three acoustic guitar
ists. The band were eventually offered a deal by I.R.S. Records
. This forced them to make a decision on who was to play which musical instrument
, and it was decided that Peters would concentrate on singing, with Sharp on guitar and Macdonald playing bass.
"Marching On" was released as a single in October 1982, and the band's sound started to become clear. On stage, they would almost always begin gigs acoustically, before finishing with electric guitars. Constant gigging in London helped the band build up a following, and in December 1982, they played four shows with U2. These shows were the first time that Bono
joined The Alarm on stage.
A new song, "The Stand", was recorded in Battersea
in April 1983, and was released in the UK as a single. The song's lyrics were inspired by Stephen King
's novel of the same name
. Outside the UK, the song was released as part of a five-track EP, entitled The Alarm. The EP was released to coincide with The Alarm's first tour of the U.S.
in June 1983. Following the success of the sessions that produced "The Stand", I.R.S. picked up their recording option on the band, signalling the start of work on a full album. Another session with producer Mick Glossop was arranged to produce a new single, with "Blaze of Glory" recorded and released.
In June 1983, The Alarm embarked on their first tour of the U.S., supporting U2 on the War Tour
. The 18-date tour went a long way in establishing the band in the U.S. "The Stand" was quickly released by I.R.S. to capitalise on this, supported by TV appearances on The Cutting Edge and American Bandstand
.
Following the tour, the band returned to the UK to begin working with producer Alan Shacklock
on the new album. They focused on re-recording "Blaze of Glory" and "68 Guns
". After the sessions, the band recorded a video
for "68 Guns" and flew back to America to begin their first headline American tour. "68 Guns" was released as a single on 12 September 1983, and charted the following week at number 50. The same week, the band performed the song on the BBC Television
music show Top of the Pops
. The song subsequently climbed into the Top 20 and remains their highest charting single, peaking at #17.
On 6 November 1983, the band recorded an acoustic radio
session for the BBC
. This session saw the debut of three brand new songs: "Walk Forever by My Side", "One Step Closer to Home" and "Unbreak the Promise".
On 7 November, the band returned to the recording studio
to finish recording the album, now titled Declaration. In December, The Alarm returned to the US for a third headline tour. The weather was atrocious, and on 6 December, the car in which the band was travelling crashed, although none of the four members was injured. They returned to the UK on 17 December and appeared as part of an Anti-Nuclear Benefit Concert at the Apollo Theatre
, London.
Whilst the band had been in the US, Alan Shacklock and sound engineer
Chris Porter finished mixing the album. The band played a handful of gigs supporting The Police
over Christmas, and by 5 January 1984, the album had been mixed and finalised. Declaration
was released by I.R.S. Records on 14 February 1984. A week later, the album entered the UK Albums Chart
at Number 6.
In November 1984, The Alarm recorded demos of nine brand new songs, including "Absolute Reality". They played their new material to the American
producer
Jimmy Iovine
, who agreed to come to the UK in January 1985 to begin work on the follow-up to Declaration. During this period Peters appeared solo at a number of events, including the Greenbelt Arts festival in Northamptonshire, playing Alarm material as well as some unrecorded personal songs. Studio sessions were booked for early 1985, and a UK headline tour was booked for May 1985, to coincide with the release of the new album. However, Iovine never came to the UK to work with The Alarm, eventually citing personal reasons. The band had to cancel the sessions and look for another producer. Alan Shacklock was unavailable, so Ian Wilson (the band's manager) convinced I.R.S. to release the Shacklock-produced "Absolute Reality" as a single to promote the UK dates in May. "Absolute Reality" was released on 18 February 1985, entering the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
a week later. The Absolute Tour was a near sell-out. After a series of appearances at European festivals and a new producer (Mike Howlett), The Alarm began work on their follow-up album, Strength
. The band teamed up with MTV, I.R.S. Records, and UCLA's Campus Events to present one of the first live satellite broadcasts from UCLA on 12 April 1986. Approximately 25,000 fans turned out for the free concert.On 12 July 1986 they played at Queen
's Live at Wembley '86
concert.
Strength was another UK success, and brought them into the Top 40 of the US Billboard 200
album chart for the first time; additionally, the single "Spirit of '76" was a Top 40 UK hit. The Alarm took a break after the supporting tour, but returned in 1987 with Eye of the Hurricane
and landed a tour slot supporting Bob Dylan. A concert EP, Electric Folklore Live, followed in 1988. They also had a hit single in the UK in 1987 with "Rain in the Summertime" (from Eye of the Hurricane), which gave them their second best placing on the UK chart.
and Europe
through the 1980s into 1991. They gained much popularity in 1983 when they were the opening act for U2, a band to whom they were often compared musically. On 13 March 1988, The Alarm performed at The Fillmore
in San Francisco
, California
with The 77s
and House of Freaks
.
1989's Change was an homage to the group's native Wales, and was accompanied by an alternate Welsh language version, Newid. Produced by Tony Visconti
, Change spawned the group's biggest Modern Rock hit in America, "Sold Me Down the River," which also put them in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Top 50 for the first and only time. "Devolution Working Man Blues" and "Love Don't Come Easy" also earned radio
airplay, and the track "A New South Wales" boasted an appearance by the Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir
. Although it was popular in Wales, it did not sell as well as the group's earlier works, and internal band dissension, exacerbated by deaths in both Peters' and Twist's families, made 1991's Raw the original Alarm's final effort.
After the release of their final album Raw in 1991, despite their success and relative longevity, Peters announced on stage at the Brixton Academy that he was leaving the band.
This came as much of a shock to his colleagues as to the audience. Following this show Peters signed his legal right to one quarter of The Alarm name and logo over to the other three. Peters and Sharp both embarked on solo careers.
In 2000 The Alarm released a complete collection covering all recorded material by the band. It also included sleeve notes to which all four members had contributed. This was the first project where all four original members had contributed since Peters left the band in 1991.
Following the box set release, Peters used The Alarm name on the tour to promote the complete collection release. The musicians Peters used were his backing band in the late 1990s; Steve Grantley from Stiff Little Fingers
, Craig Adams from The Sisters of Mercy
, The Mission
and The Cult
, and James Stevenson
from Chelsea
and Gene Loves Jezebel
. The Alarm name was followed by an MM++ that indicated in Roman numerals what year the record was released. Over the past decade Peters has replaced the band members as needed when Adams, Stevenson or Grantley have pursued other projects.
In February 2004, Peters' new line-up of Alarm MM++ carried out a hoax on the British music industry by issuing "45 RPM" under the fictitious name the Poppy Fields. Peters, having garnered positive feedback for the song, decided to disassociate it from his veteran band to have it judged on its own merits, and recruited a young Welsh group called the Wayriders to lip-sync the song in the video
. The so-called Poppy Fields took "45 RPM" into the UK Top 30 before the hoax was revealed, setting the stage for the album, In the Poppy Fields.
The Alarm appeared together for a one off show on the VH1
television program
me, Bands Reunited
, in 2005, and performed live in London with a subsequent expanded DVD
/CD
release of the episode.
In 2005, Peters discovered that he was suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.[4] At this time, Peters started a cancer foundation called Love Hope Strength to help with the fight against cancer.
In October 2007, Peters, along with 38 other musicians, cancer survivors and supporters, made a 14 day trek to the Mount Everest base camp to perform the highest concert ever on land to raise awareness and money to fight cancer. Other musicians included Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx, Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats and Nick Harper. Peters is the co-founder of The Love Hope and Strength Foundation with James Chippendale, president of CSI Entertainment in Dallas, Texas.
In 2006 Mike Peter's new version of Alarm MM++ released a second studio album, Under Attack. It spawned another UK Top 30 hit, "Superchannel". Im 2008, a third studio album entitled Guerrilla Tactics was released, followed by a fourth, Direct Action, in April 2010.
The Alarm's song, "68 Guns", has been featured in a Heineken
television advertisement
in the US. In April 2008 Sharp launched his own version of the band, AOR - Spirit of The Alarm
to showcase the band's American set lists from the late 1980s.
¥ - also released in a Welsh language version as Newid
¥¥ - also released in a Welsh language version as Tân
¢ - Digital re-mastered release including bonus tracks and demos
≠ - Part of the "In the Poppyfields" bond (4 albums + bonus album) Released as Alarm MMII
- Released as Alarm MMIII
฿ - Part of Counter Attack Collective Released as Alarm MMVII and Alarm MMVIII
$ - Released as Alarm MMVI
¤ - Released as Alarm MMVIII
° - Released as Alarm MMX
^ - A collection of songs by The Alarm and Alarm MM++
† "A New South Wales" featured the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir
‡ Released as The Poppy Fields / Alarm MMIV
$ Released as Alarm MMVI
§ Released as The Alarm MM
‡ Released as The Alarm MMIV
¶ Released as The Alarm MMVII
± Released as The Alarm MMVIII
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band
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...
that emerged from North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and culture
Culture of Wales
Wales has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, holidays and music.Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks and daffodils Wales has a distinctive culture including...
. By opening for acts such as U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, they became a popular alternative rock band of the 1980s, retaining a small but loyal following to the present day.
Allmusic journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
Steve Huey states
The British music press habitually savaged their records as derivative and pretentious, but this meant little to their zealous following, who supported the band to the tune of over 5 million sales worldwide and 16 Top 50 UK singles.
Band members
- Mike PetersMike Peters (musician)Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
: VocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- born Michael L Peters, 25 February 1959, PrestatynPrestatynPrestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. - Dave SharpDave SharpDave Sharp is an English guitarist who co-founded, along with Mike Peters, the Welsh punk rock band The Alarm.-Early career:...
: Guitars - Born David Kitchingman, 28 January 1959, Salford, EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
. - Eddie Macdonald: BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- born 1 November 1959, St AsaphSt AsaphSt Asaph is a town and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,491.The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd. It is situated close to a number of busy coastal towns such as Rhyl, Prestatyn, Abergele,...
, Wales. - Nigel Twist: DrumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - born Nigel Buckle, 18 July 1958, ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England.
Early years
A punkPunk 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...
band was formed in Rhyl
Rhyl
Rhyl is a seaside resort town and community situated on the north east coast of Wales, in the county of Denbighshire , at the mouth of the River Clwyd . To the west is the suburb of Kinmel Bay, with the resort of Towyn further west, Prestatyn to the east and Rhuddlan to the south...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1977, billed as The Toilets. It contained Peters, Sharp, Macdonald and Twist, and in 1978 their name was changed to Seventeen. Seventeen were a mod band who released a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
("Don't Let Go" / "Bank Holiday Weekend") in March 1980 and toured with the Stray Cats
Stray Cats
Stray Cats are an American Rockabilly band formed in 1980 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer , upright bassist Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in the UK, Australia and the U.S...
that year. They played their last concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
together under the new name of Alarm Alarm, but this would also be the last time this name was used.
The band soon reformed under the new name of The Alarm and played their first gig at The Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, North Wales on 10 June 1981, opening with "Shout to the Devil", which would later appear on the Declaration
Declaration (The Alarm album)
Declaration is the first official studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1984 by IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl and cassette.As technology improved, a CD version was released on 24 October 1990....
LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
.
They moved from North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
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...
in September 1981, and the band 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 one-off 7" single. One thousand copies were pressed that month, featuring "Unsafe Building" on the 'electric' side and "Up For Murder" on the 'acoustic' side. The single was noticed by Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer
Mick Mercer is a journalist and author best known for his photos and reviews of the goth, punk, and indie music scenes. He has photographed the bands Tragic Venus and Blondie in the UK and Europe.He publishes a monthly online magazine called "The Mick"....
, who featured it as his single of the month in his ZigZag
ZigZag (magazine)
ZigZag was a British rock music magazine. It was started by Pete Frame and the first edition rolled off the printing presses on 16 April 1969...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. The band played a show with The Fall in December 1981, where a journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
from Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
noticed them. This journalist attended the band's next show, at Upstairs at Ronnie's in London's West End. Also at this show was a representative of Wasted Talent, who arranged a meeting between the band and Ian Wilson, U2's agent. Wilson arranged another show in order to assess the band's quality, was impressed, and became the band's manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
soon after. To celebrate, The Alarm played with U2 at the Lyceum Ballroom on 22 December 1981.
In 1982, the band began to record demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
for various record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s, but had little success. At this point, they were playing with three acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
ists. The band were eventually offered a deal by I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records
I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting, as well as other bands. I.R.S. was the sister label of Copeland's Illegal Records .I.R.S...
. This forced them to make a decision on who was to play which musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, and it was decided that Peters would concentrate on singing, with Sharp on guitar and Macdonald playing bass.
"Marching On" was released as a single in October 1982, and the band's sound started to become clear. On stage, they would almost always begin gigs acoustically, before finishing with electric guitars. Constant gigging in London helped the band build up a following, and in December 1982, they played four shows with U2. These shows were the first time that Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
joined The Alarm on stage.
A new song, "The Stand", was recorded in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
in April 1983, and was released in the UK as a single. The song's lyrics were inspired by Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's novel of the same name
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
. Outside the UK, the song was released as part of a five-track EP, entitled The Alarm. The EP was released to coincide with The Alarm's first tour of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in June 1983. Following the success of the sessions that produced "The Stand", I.R.S. picked up their recording option on the band, signalling the start of work on a full album. Another session with producer Mick Glossop was arranged to produce a new single, with "Blaze of Glory" recorded and released.
In June 1983, The Alarm embarked on their first tour of the U.S., supporting U2 on the War Tour
War Tour
The War Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in 1982 and 1983 in support of the group's third album War. It was their first tour as full-time headlining acts....
. The 18-date tour went a long way in establishing the band in the U.S. "The Stand" was quickly released by I.R.S. to capitalise on this, supported by TV appearances on The Cutting Edge and American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
.
Following the tour, the band returned to the UK to begin working with producer Alan Shacklock
Alan Shacklock
Alan Shacklock is an English musician, composer, arranger and recording producer who currently lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee...
on the new album. They focused on re-recording "Blaze of Glory" and "68 Guns
68 Guns
"68 Guns" is a song written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.It is the most famous song from Welsh band The Alarm.Released in September 1983, the single was the fourth released by the band.The track was recorded at Good Earth and mixed at Abbey Road....
". After the sessions, the band recorded a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "68 Guns" and flew back to America to begin their first headline American tour. "68 Guns" was released as a single on 12 September 1983, and charted the following week at number 50. The same week, the band performed the song on the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
music show Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. The song subsequently climbed into the Top 20 and remains their highest charting single, peaking at #17.
Mid career
The band had been recording the new album from July 1983, and by the time of the Top of the Pops appearance they had recorded the backing tracks to most of the songs. After completing a US tour and a headline tour of the UK in late 1983, the band returned to the studio to record the backing tracks for the rest of the songs.On 6 November 1983, the band recorded an acoustic radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
session for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. This session saw the debut of three brand new songs: "Walk Forever by My Side", "One Step Closer to Home" and "Unbreak the Promise".
On 7 November, the band returned to the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to finish recording the album, now titled Declaration. In December, The Alarm returned to the US for a third headline tour. The weather was atrocious, and on 6 December, the car in which the band was travelling crashed, although none of the four members was injured. They returned to the UK on 17 December and appeared as part of an Anti-Nuclear Benefit Concert at the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
, London.
Whilst the band had been in the US, Alan Shacklock and sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Chris Porter finished mixing the album. The band played a handful of gigs supporting The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
over Christmas, and by 5 January 1984, the album had been mixed and finalised. Declaration
Declaration (The Alarm album)
Declaration is the first official studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1984 by IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl and cassette.As technology improved, a CD version was released on 24 October 1990....
was released by I.R.S. Records on 14 February 1984. A week later, the album entered the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at Number 6.
In November 1984, The Alarm recorded demos of nine brand new songs, including "Absolute Reality". They played their new material to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
, who agreed to come to the UK in January 1985 to begin work on the follow-up to Declaration. During this period Peters appeared solo at a number of events, including the Greenbelt Arts festival in Northamptonshire, playing Alarm material as well as some unrecorded personal songs. Studio sessions were booked for early 1985, and a UK headline tour was booked for May 1985, to coincide with the release of the new album. However, Iovine never came to the UK to work with The Alarm, eventually citing personal reasons. The band had to cancel the sessions and look for another producer. Alan Shacklock was unavailable, so Ian Wilson (the band's manager) convinced I.R.S. to release the Shacklock-produced "Absolute Reality" as a single to promote the UK dates in May. "Absolute Reality" was released on 18 February 1985, entering the Top 40 of 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 ...
a week later. The Absolute Tour was a near sell-out. After a series of appearances at European festivals and a new producer (Mike Howlett), The Alarm began work on their follow-up album, Strength
Strength (The Alarm album)
Strength is the second studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching No.40 in the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached No.22 and saw the band on Top of the...
. The band teamed up with MTV, I.R.S. Records, and UCLA's Campus Events to present one of the first live satellite broadcasts from UCLA on 12 April 1986. Approximately 25,000 fans turned out for the free concert.On 12 July 1986 they played at Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's Live at Wembley '86
Live at Wembley '86
Live at Wembley '86 is a double compact disc live album by English rock band Queen.It was recorded live on Saturday July 12, 1986 during the Magic Tour at Wembley Stadium in London, England and released on May 26, 1992...
concert.
Strength was another UK success, and brought them into the Top 40 of the US Billboard 200
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...
album chart for the first time; additionally, the single "Spirit of '76" was a Top 40 UK hit. The Alarm took a break after the supporting tour, but returned in 1987 with Eye of the Hurricane
Eye of the Hurricane (The Alarm album)
Eye of the Hurricane is the third studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1987 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP and cassette, reaching No.23 in the UK charts and No.77 in the US charts....
and landed a tour slot supporting Bob Dylan. A concert EP, Electric Folklore Live, followed in 1988. They also had a hit single in the UK in 1987 with "Rain in the Summertime" (from Eye of the Hurricane), which gave them their second best placing on the UK chart.
Later years
The band toured extensively through the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
through the 1980s into 1991. They gained much popularity in 1983 when they were the opening act for U2, a band to whom they were often compared musically. On 13 March 1988, The Alarm performed at The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with The 77s
The 77s
The 77s are an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass, and Bruce Spencer on drums.-Scratch Band:...
and House of Freaks
House of Freaks
House of Freaks was a two-man band formed in Richmond, Virginia in the mid 1980s. Bryan Harvey played guitar and sang, and Johnny Hott played percussion...
.
1989's Change was an homage to the group's native Wales, and was accompanied by an alternate Welsh language version, Newid. Produced by Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
, Change spawned the group's biggest Modern Rock hit in America, "Sold Me Down the River," which also put them in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
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...
Top 50 for the first and only time. "Devolution Working Man Blues" and "Love Don't Come Easy" also earned radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
airplay, and the track "A New South Wales" boasted an appearance by the Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir
Morriston Orpheus Choir
The Morriston Orpheus Choir, based in Morriston, near Swansea, Wales, is a male voice choir, one of the best-known in the UK.-History:The Choir was formed on April 23, 1935 by Ivor E. Sims and in its early days concentrated primarily on competitions and local concerts...
. Although it was popular in Wales, it did not sell as well as the group's earlier works, and internal band dissension, exacerbated by deaths in both Peters' and Twist's families, made 1991's Raw the original Alarm's final effort.
After the release of their final album Raw in 1991, despite their success and relative longevity, Peters announced on stage at the Brixton Academy that he was leaving the band.
This came as much of a shock to his colleagues as to the audience. Following this show Peters signed his legal right to one quarter of The Alarm name and logo over to the other three. Peters and Sharp both embarked on solo careers.
Post Brixton Academy
Post Alarm Peters teamed up with a band of unknown musicians to form The Poets Of Justice (which included his wife Jules Peters on keyboards ) and embark on a solo career which produced a number of singles and albums.In 2000 The Alarm released a complete collection covering all recorded material by the band. It also included sleeve notes to which all four members had contributed. This was the first project where all four original members had contributed since Peters left the band in 1991.
Following the box set release, Peters used The Alarm name on the tour to promote the complete collection release. The musicians Peters used were his backing band in the late 1990s; Steve Grantley from Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
, Craig Adams from The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, The Mission
The Mission (band)
The Mission are a gothic rock band formed in 1986 from the splinters of the freshly dissolved rock band The Sisters of Mercy.The band was started by frontman Wayne Hussey and bassist Craig Adams , soon adding...
and The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
, and James Stevenson
James Stevenson (musician)
James Stevenson is a UK punk / rock guitarist, at one time appearing with The Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel, Generation X and Chelsea.-Music career:...
from Chelsea
Chelsea (band)
Chelsea are an English punk rock band, formed in London in 1976.Three of the four original band members went on to help found Generation X. More than two decades after its release, "Right to Work", Chelsea's debut single, was included in Mojo magazine's list of the best punk rock singles of all...
and Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel are a gothic rock band from the early 1980s, now two separate bands of the same name, founded by identical twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston .-Early years: 1980-1989:...
. The Alarm name was followed by an MM++ that indicated in Roman numerals what year the record was released. Over the past decade Peters has replaced the band members as needed when Adams, Stevenson or Grantley have pursued other projects.
In February 2004, Peters' new line-up of Alarm MM++ carried out a hoax on the British music industry by issuing "45 RPM" under the fictitious name the Poppy Fields. Peters, having garnered positive feedback for the song, decided to disassociate it from his veteran band to have it judged on its own merits, and recruited a young Welsh group called the Wayriders to lip-sync the song in the video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The so-called Poppy Fields took "45 RPM" into the UK Top 30 before the hoax was revealed, setting the stage for the album, In the Poppy Fields.
The Alarm appeared together for a one off show on the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles....
, in 2005, and performed live in London with a subsequent expanded DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
/CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
release of the episode.
In 2005, Peters discovered that he was suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.[4] At this time, Peters started a cancer foundation called Love Hope Strength to help with the fight against cancer.
In October 2007, Peters, along with 38 other musicians, cancer survivors and supporters, made a 14 day trek to the Mount Everest base camp to perform the highest concert ever on land to raise awareness and money to fight cancer. Other musicians included Cy Curnin and Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx, Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats and Nick Harper. Peters is the co-founder of The Love Hope and Strength Foundation with James Chippendale, president of CSI Entertainment in Dallas, Texas.
In 2006 Mike Peter's new version of Alarm MM++ released a second studio album, Under Attack. It spawned another UK Top 30 hit, "Superchannel". Im 2008, a third studio album entitled Guerrilla Tactics was released, followed by a fourth, Direct Action, in April 2010.
The Alarm's song, "68 Guns", has been featured in a Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
in the US. In April 2008 Sharp launched his own version of the band, AOR - Spirit of The Alarm
AOR - Spirit of The Alarm
AOR is a band formed by The Alarm lead guitarist Dave Sharp in early 2008 to perform The Alarm's US setlist together with newly written material.The current lineup consists of:*Dave Sharp, lead guitar*Wayne Parry, vocals*Tom Szakaly, Hammond...
to showcase the band's American set lists from the late 1980s.
Historical significance
Historian Martin Johnes has argued that the band are part of the contemporary history of Wales. His case is based on how The Alarm reflected cultural trends within Wales and the band are discussed in his book Wales since 1939 (2012) and in an article for current affairs website WalesHome.Albums
| Release Date | Album | Record Label Record label In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,... |
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
U.S. Billboard 200 Chart 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... |
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| July 1983 | The Alarm (EP) | I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a record label, started in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting, as well as other bands. I.R.S. was the sister label of Copeland's Illegal Records .I.R.S... |
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| October 1985 | Strength Strength (The Alarm album) Strength is the second studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching No.40 in the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached No.22 and saw the band on Top of the... |
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| November 1987 | Eye of the Hurricane Eye of the Hurricane (The Alarm album) Eye of the Hurricane is the third studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1987 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP and cassette, reaching No.23 in the UK charts and No.77 in the US charts.... |
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| September 1989 | Change Change (The Alarm album) Change is the fourth studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1989 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP, cassette and CD, reaching No.13 in the UK charts and No.75 in the US charts.... ¥ |
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| Strength 1985-1986 Strength (The Alarm album) Strength is the second studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching No.40 in the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached No.22 and saw the band on Top of the... ¢ |
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| Eye of the Hurricane 1987-1988 Eye of the Hurricane (The Alarm album) Eye of the Hurricane is the third studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1987 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP and cassette, reaching No.23 in the UK charts and No.77 in the US charts.... ¢ |
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| Change 1989-1990 Change (The Alarm album) Change is the fourth studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1989 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP, cassette and CD, reaching No.13 in the UK charts and No.75 in the US charts.... ¢ |
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| Raw 1990-1991 Raw (The Alarm album) Raw is the fifth and final studio album released by the original line-up of The Alarm. The band split up soon after the album was released... ¢ |
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| 19 Oct 2003 | The Sound and the Fury = | Shakedown Records | |
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| 2005 | Alt-Strength Strength (The Alarm album) Strength is the second studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching No.40 in the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached No.22 and saw the band on Top of the... |
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¥ - also released in a Welsh language version as Newid
¥¥ - also released in a Welsh language version as Tân
¢ - Digital re-mastered release including bonus tracks and demos
≠ - Part of the "In the Poppyfields" bond (4 albums + bonus album) Released as Alarm MMII
- Released as Alarm MMIII
- - Released as Alarm MMIV
฿ - Part of Counter Attack Collective Released as Alarm MMVII and Alarm MMVIII
$ - Released as Alarm MMVI
¤ - Released as Alarm MMVIII
° - Released as Alarm MMX
^ - A collection of songs by The Alarm and Alarm MM++
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 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... |
U.S. Mainstream Rock | U.S. Modern Rock | 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 ... |
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| 1981 | "Unsafe Building" / "Up for Murder" | - | - | - | - | Non-album single |
| 1983 | "The Stand" / "Third Light (Live) / Reason 41 (Live)" | - | - | - | 86 | Declaration Declaration (The Alarm album) Declaration is the first official studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1984 by IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl and cassette.As technology improved, a CD version was released on 24 October 1990.... |
| "Marching On" / "Across the Border" / "Lie of the Land" | - | - | - | - | ||
| "68 Guns 68 Guns "68 Guns" is a song written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.It is the most famous song from Welsh band The Alarm.Released in September 1983, the single was the fourth released by the band.The track was recorded at Good Earth and mixed at Abbey Road.... " / "68 Guns Part II 68 Guns "68 Guns" is a song written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.It is the most famous song from Welsh band The Alarm.Released in September 1983, the single was the fourth released by the band.The track was recorded at Good Earth and mixed at Abbey Road.... " / "Thoughts of a Young Man 68 Guns "68 Guns" is a song written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.It is the most famous song from Welsh band The Alarm.Released in September 1983, the single was the fourth released by the band.The track was recorded at Good Earth and mixed at Abbey Road.... " |
106 | 39 | - | 17 | ||
| 1984 | "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" / "Pavilion Steps" / "What Kind of Hell" | - | - | - | 22 | |
| "The Deceiver" / "Reason 41" / "Second Generation" | 104 | - | - | 51 | ||
| "The Chant Has Just Begun" / "The Bells of Rhymney The Bells of Rhymney "The Bells of Rhymney" is a song first recorded by folk singer Pete Seeger, using words written by Welsh poet Idris Davies. The lyrics to the song were drawn from part of Davies' poetic work Gwalia Deserta, which was first published in 1938... " / "The Stand" (Full version) / "Bound for Glory / "The Chant Has Just Begun " (Extended Re-mix) |
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| 1985 | "Absolute Reality" / "Blaze of Glory" (Alternate version)/ "Reason 36" / "Room at the Top" | - | - | - | 35 | Strength Strength (The Alarm album) Strength is the second studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1985 on IRS Records. The single "Strength" was released before the album, reaching No.40 in the UK singles chart. This was followed after the album release by "Spirit of '76", which reached No.22 and saw the band on Top of the... |
| "Strength" / "Majority" / " Absolute Reality (Impromptu acoustic version) / "Strength" (Power Mix) | 61 | 12 | - | 40 | ||
| 1986 | "Spirit of '76" / "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke" (Live) / "Knockin' on Heaven's Door Knockin' on Heaven's Door "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan for the soundtrack of the 1973 film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.-Story line and song structure:... " (Live) / "Deeside" (Live) / "68 Guns 68 Guns "68 Guns" is a song written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.It is the most famous song from Welsh band The Alarm.Released in September 1983, the single was the fourth released by the band.The track was recorded at Good Earth and mixed at Abbey Road.... " (Live) |
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| "Knife Edge" / "Caroline Isenberg" / "Unbreak the Promise" (BBC Acoustic session) / "Howling Wind" (BBC Acoustic session) | - | - | - | 43 | ||
| 1987 | "Rain in the Summertime" / "Rose Beyond the Wall" / "The Bells of Rhymney" (Live) / "Time to Believe" / "Rain in the Summertime" (Through the Haze and Lighting Mixes) | 71 | 6 | - | 18 | Eye of the Hurricane Eye of the Hurricane (The Alarm album) Eye of the Hurricane is the third studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1987 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP and cassette, reaching No.23 in the UK charts and No.77 in the US charts.... |
| "Rescue Me" / "Pastures of Plenty" / "Elders and Folklore" / "My Land Your Land" / "Rescue Me (Tearing Bonds Asunder Mix) | - | 35 | - | 48 | ||
| 1988 | "Presence of Love" / "Strength" (Live) / "Dawn Chorus" (Live) / "Knife Edge" (Live) / "Rain in the Summertime" (Through the Haze mix) | 77 | 16 | - | 44 | |
| 1989 | "Sold Me Down the River" / "Corridors of Power" / "Firing Line" / "Yn Cymraeg" | 50 | 2 | 3 | 43 | Change Change (The Alarm album) Change is the fourth studio album from The Alarm. It was released in 1989 on IRS Records.The album was released initially on vinyl LP, cassette and CD, reaching No.13 in the UK charts and No.75 in the US charts.... |
| "A New South Wales" † / "The Rock" (double A-side A-side and B-side A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or... )/ "Breaking Point" / "Rivers to Cross" / "Working Class Hero Working Class Hero "Working Class Hero" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Theme:The song is a take on the class split of the 1940s and 1950s, and of the 1960s in which he was famous. The song appears to tell the story of someone growing up in the working... " / "Vigilante Man" |
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| "Devolution Workin' Man Blues" | - | 9 | 11 | Not released in the UK | ||
| 1990 | "Love Don't Come Easy" / "Croesi'r Arfon" / "No Frontiers" (Live) / "Change II" (Live) | - | 33 | - | 48 | |
| "Unsafe Building 1990" / "Up for Murder 1990" / "Unsafe Building 1981" / "Up for Murder 1981" | - | - | - | 54 | Standards | |
| "The Road" | - | 16 | 7 | Not released in the UK | ||
| 1991 | "Raw" / "68 Guns 68 Guns "68 Guns" is a song written by Mike Peters and Eddie MacDonald.It is the most famous song from Welsh band The Alarm.Released in September 1983, the single was the fourth released by the band.The track was recorded at Good Earth and mixed at Abbey Road.... " / "Devolution Work'n Man Blues" (Demo) / "Sold me down the river" / "Change I" |
- | - | 15 | 51 | Raw Raw (The Alarm album) Raw is the fifth and final studio album released by the original line-up of The Alarm. The band split up soon after the album was released... |
| 2004 | 45 R.P.M." ‡ / "Conscientious Objector" / "68 Guns" / "Spirit of '76" / "Statue of Liberty" | - | - | - | 28 | In the Poppy Fields # |
| "New Home New Life" # / "Better Scream" / "Chance " / "The Cross" | - | - | - | 45 | ||
| "Close" # (Digital only single) | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006 | "Superchannel" $ / "Think Again (Everything you know is wrong)" / "Exit (No way out)" / "Over" / "Thought Police" | - | - | - | 24 | Under Attack $ |
| "Raindown" $ (Digital only single) / "This is the way we are" (acoustic) | - | - | - | - | ||
† "A New South Wales" featured the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir
Morriston Orpheus Choir
The Morriston Orpheus Choir, based in Morriston, near Swansea, Wales, is a male voice choir, one of the best-known in the UK.-History:The Choir was formed on April 23, 1935 by Ivor E. Sims and in its early days concentrated primarily on competitions and local concerts...
‡ Released as The Poppy Fields / Alarm MMIV
- Released as Alarm MMIV
$ Released as Alarm MMVI
Videos
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Spirit of 76 | 1986 |
| Change EP | 1990 |
| Standards | |
| Blaze of Glory | 1991 |
DVDs
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Greatest Hits Live § | 2000 |
| VH-1 Bands Reunited Uncut | 2003 |
| Live in the Poppyfields ‡ | 27 Sept 2004 |
| Rock and Roll Circus ‡ | 2004 |
| Spirit of '76 | 2007 |
| Gathering 2007 ¶ | |
| Tactical Response ± | 2008 |
§ Released as The Alarm MM
‡ Released as The Alarm MMIV
¶ Released as The Alarm MMVII
± Released as The Alarm MMVIII
See also
- List of New Wave bands and artists
- List of post-punk bands
- List of artists featured on MTV Unplugged
- List of Welsh bands
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- Mike Peters (musician)Mike Peters (musician)Mike Peters is a Welsh musician, best known as the lead singer of The Alarm. He currently lives in Dyserth, North Wales with his family. After The Alarm split up in 1991, Peters wrote and released solo work, which he has been releasing under the name "The Alarm" since 2000...
External links
- Mike Peters official website
- AOR official website
- The Gathering website
- The Alarm biography on BBC Wales
- [ The Alarm biography at Allmusic.com]
- Live concert recording of The Alarm at the Metro in MA on 29 May 1983