Thousand Yard Stare (band)
Encyclopedia
Thousand Yard Stare were an English
band
from Slough
, Berkshire
active during the early 1990s, prior to the Britpop
explosion. Supporting popular bands on the indie circuit such as James
and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine
, the band also released several EP
s.
. Both the Easter 89 and Tumbletown EPs were demo
tapes made up by the band and sold at gigs
prior to their first official release, the 12" vinyl
only Weatherwatching. In a response to this record, NME
nominated Thousand Yard Stare as "brightest hope for the future". Following in June 1991, the Keepsake EP reached the top spot in both the NME and Melody Maker
independent charts
. That summer the band performed at the Reading Festival
, further raising their profile and leading to their stint as support for James in October and November of that year.
In the Autumn, the band began the sessions for their first album, the first fruit of which was another EP. Seasonstream EP was released on Stifled Aardvark Records in 1991, their last independent release on their own label. The Seasonstream EP began with a track titled "0-0 a.e.t", (which means "No Score After Extra Time"), a football
metaphor laden song that featured Martin Bell of The Wonder Stuff
on fiddle
. This single
again topped the Indie music charts, and reached number 65 in the UK Singles Chart
.
With the backing of the major label Polydor
, Thousand Yard Stare went on to release a further three EPs, and two studio
album
s. (Hands On and Mappamundi) were both produced
by Stephen Street
, who had already produced records for The Smiths
and Blur
.
However, neither of the albums made much of an inroad into the mainstream
market, and the band became eclipsed by the burgeoning Britpoppers such as Suede
, Blur and Elastica
, and Mappamundi proved to be their final release.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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...
from Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
active during the early 1990s, prior to the Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
explosion. Supporting popular bands on the indie circuit such as James
James (band)
James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...
and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine
Carter USM
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a British indie rock band formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
, the band also released several EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s.
History
The band's debut effort, the Weatherwatching EP was released in November 1990 on Stifled Aardvark Records, the band's own record labelRecord 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,...
. Both the Easter 89 and Tumbletown EPs were demo
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...
tapes made up by the band and sold at gigs
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...
prior to their first official release, the 12" vinyl
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...
only Weatherwatching. In a response to this record, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
nominated Thousand Yard Stare as "brightest hope for the future". Following in June 1991, the Keepsake EP reached the top spot in both the NME and Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
independent charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. That summer the band performed at the Reading Festival
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, further raising their profile and leading to their stint as support for James in October and November of that year.
In the Autumn, the band began the sessions for their first album, the first fruit of which was another EP. Seasonstream EP was released on Stifled Aardvark Records in 1991, their last independent release on their own label. The Seasonstream EP began with a track titled "0-0 a.e.t", (which means "No Score After Extra Time"), a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
metaphor laden song that featured Martin Bell of The Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band, originally based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the Black Country, England.-Origins:...
on fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. This 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...
again topped the Indie music charts, and reached number 65 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 ...
.
With the backing of the major label Polydor
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...
, Thousand Yard Stare went on to release a further three EPs, and two 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...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. (Hands On and Mappamundi) were both produced
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...
by Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, who had already produced records for The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
.
However, neither of the albums made much of an inroad into the mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
market, and the band became eclipsed by the burgeoning Britpoppers such as Suede
Suede (band)
Suede are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1989. The group's most prominent early line-up featured singer Brett Anderson, guitarist Bernard Butler, bass player Mat Osman and drummer Simon Gilbert. By 1992, Suede were hailed as "The Best New Band in Britain", and attracted...
, Blur and Elastica
Elastica
Elastica were an English alternative rock band that played punk rock-influenced music. They were best known for their 1995 album Elastica, which produced singles that charted in the US and the UK.-History:...
, and Mappamundi proved to be their final release.
Albums
- Fair to Middling (1992 - LP/CD - compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of Weatherwatching, Keepsake and Seasonstream EPs.) - Hands On Aard 008 (1992 - LP (some with free 10" Live EP) /CD/Cassette)
- Mappamundi (1993 - LP/CD/Cassette)
EPs
- Easter 89 EP Aard 001 (1989 - demo cassette only)
- Tumbletown EP Aard 002 (1990 - demo cassette only)
- Weatherwatching EP Aard 003 (1990 - 12" vinyl only release)
- Keepsake EP Aard 004 (1991 - CD/12"/10" release)
- Seasonstream EP Aard 005 (1991 - CD/12"/Limited Edition Blue Vinyl 10" release)
- White Label EP Aard 006 (1991 - one sided 12" vinyl available at the band's London ULU gig in November 1991)
- Comeuppance EP Aard 007 (1992 - 7"/CD/12"/Limited Edition Red Vinyl 10" release)
- Live Bootleg EP Aard 009 (1992 - 10" only, available as a limited edition with early copies of 'Hands On', or from the bands mail order store)
- Spindrift EP Aard 010 (1992 - CD/12"/Limited Edition Green Vinyl 10"/Limited Edition Clear Vinyl 10" release)
- Version of Me EP (1993 - 2 x CD/12" release)