The Passage (band)
Encyclopedia
The Passage were a post-punk
band from Manchester
, UK
who appeared on several record labels including Cherry Red Records
, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.
in 1978
, but later became a trio. Witts produced the band's recordings and sang on most of their releases, the occasional lead vocal being taken by Tony Friel or Andy Wilson. Although they never truly broke into the mainstream, their most successful song was 'XOYO' which came 41st in John Peel's
Festive Fifty
for 1982, which was the top 50 songs of the year as voted by the listeners. The song was an experiment to see whether John Cage's
method of aleatoric composition could be successfully applied to popular music composition. The band broke up in 1983.
Dick Witts is now a lecturer and has taught at Edinburgh University, Goldsmiths University in London and currently teaches at Edge Hill University in Lancashire. Andy Wilson is a club and radio DJ based mainly in Ibiza
. Joe Mckechnie is a producer/remixer/DJ based in Liverpool. He has released records on Acacia (Detroit) Ochre (UK), Blood (UK) and Aspro (Holland) amongst others. Recent remixes include Ladytron
/ROC and Echo & the Bunnymen
.
In 2003, the entire Passage back catalogue was reissued and remastered across 5 CDs by the LTM
label.
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester 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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
who appeared on several record labels including Cherry Red Records
Cherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, and their own label Night & Day, a subsidiary label to Virgin Records.
Biography
The band was formed as a quartet by songwriter and former Hallé Orchestra percussionist Dick WittsDick Witts
Richard "Dick" Witts is a professional musicologist, music historian, and ex leader of 1980s band The Passage. He was born in Cleethorpes on the coast of Lincolnshire, England....
in 1978
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
, but later became a trio. Witts produced the band's recordings and sang on most of their releases, the occasional lead vocal being taken by Tony Friel or Andy Wilson. Although they never truly broke into the mainstream, their most successful song was 'XOYO' which came 41st in John Peel's
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
Festive Fifty
Festive Fifty
The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's fifty best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show...
for 1982, which was the top 50 songs of the year as voted by the listeners. The song was an experiment to see whether John Cage's
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
method of aleatoric composition could be successfully applied to popular music composition. The band broke up in 1983.
Dick Witts is now a lecturer and has taught at Edinburgh University, Goldsmiths University in London and currently teaches at Edge Hill University in Lancashire. Andy Wilson is a club and radio DJ based mainly in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
. Joe Mckechnie is a producer/remixer/DJ based in Liverpool. He has released records on Acacia (Detroit) Ochre (UK), Blood (UK) and Aspro (Holland) amongst others. Recent remixes include Ladytron
Ladytron
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in 1999 in Liverpool, Merseyside. The group consists of Helen Marnie , Mira Aroyo , Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu .Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop"...
/ROC and Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
.
In 2003, the entire Passage back catalogue was reissued and remastered across 5 CDs by the LTM
LTM
LTM Recordings is an independent record label founded in Britain in 1983, and best known for high quality, well-packaged reissues of artists and music from 1978 to the present day, as well as modern classical and avant garde composition...
label.
Albums
- Pindrop - Object Music (Nov 1980)
- For All and None - Night & Day (Jul 1981)
- Degenerates - Cherry Red (Jun 1982)
- Enflame - Cherry Red (Mar 1983)
Singles and EPs
- New Love Songs - Object Music (Dec 1978)
- About Time - Object Music (Oct 1979)
- Devils and Angels - Night & Day (Feb 1981)
- Troops Out - Night & Day (May 1981)
- Taboos - Cherry Red (Nov 1981)
- XOYO - Cherry Red (May 1982)
- Wave - Cherry Red (Oct 1982)
- Sharp Tongue - Cherry Red (Mar 1983)
Compilations
- Through the Passage - Cherry Red (Nov 1983)
- Seedy - Cherry Red (Re-issue 1997)
- BBC Sessions (Re-issue Mar 2003)