Yeah Yeah Noh
Encyclopedia
Yeah Yeah Noh were a post-punk
group formed in Leicester
, England
in 1984. They released two albums and five singles while still together, and have had two compilation albums issued since they split in 1986.
Signing to In-Tape records, the band debuted in June 1984 with the Cottage Industry EP
, featuring humorous and satirical lyrics and post-punk/jangle-pop music. After a further two ep's, the releases so far were collected on the album When I Am A Big Girl.
After adding Tom Slater on guitar, the band moved towards a more psychedelic sound and introduced more serious songwriting for first album proper, Cutting The Heavenly Lawn Of Greatness...Last Rites For The God Of Love in 1985. The band released a further single but split up in 1986. Hammond announced that he was forming two new groups, The New New Seekers and The Time Beings, but neither materialized, and he continued to work as a music journalist under the pseudonym D.J. Fontana.
The band's Peel
sessions were collected on the Fun On The Lawn Lawn Lawn album in 1986, and a retrospective Leicester Square was issued by Cherry Red
Records in 2006, including several tracks recorded after the band had supposedly split.
Hammond later wrote the mythological travelogue London, England (Mainstream Publishing
1998) and Got Not Got: The A-Z of Lost Football Culture, Treasures & Pleasures (Pitch Publishing 2011), also compiling the BBC Radio 1 John Peel Show retrospective Perfect Unpop: Peel Show Hits and Long-Lost Lo-Fi Favourites (Vol. 1, 1976–80) (Cherry Red
Records 2008).
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...
group formed in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England 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...
in 1984. They released two albums and five singles while still together, and have had two compilation albums issued since they split in 1986.
Biography
Yeah Yeah Noh was formed by Derek Hammond (vocals, guitar) and John Grayland (guitar), with Adrian Crossan (bass) joining them for the first single. Sue Dorey (drums, vocals) was then recruited to complete the line up, debuting on the second single. Two of the band members, John Grayland and Sue Dorey (along with Damian S), published Printhead, a free magazine focusing on independent music in Leicester and its environs. The magazine released Let's Cut a Rug, a compilation LP of songs from local independent bands.Signing to In-Tape records, the band debuted in June 1984 with the Cottage Industry 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...
, featuring humorous and satirical lyrics and post-punk/jangle-pop music. After a further two ep's, the releases so far were collected on the album When I Am A Big Girl.
After adding Tom Slater on guitar, the band moved towards a more psychedelic sound and introduced more serious songwriting for first album proper, Cutting The Heavenly Lawn Of Greatness...Last Rites For The God Of Love in 1985. The band released a further single but split up in 1986. Hammond announced that he was forming two new groups, The New New Seekers and The Time Beings, but neither materialized, and he continued to work as a music journalist under the pseudonym D.J. Fontana.
The band's Peel
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...
sessions were collected on the Fun On The Lawn Lawn Lawn album in 1986, and a retrospective Leicester Square was issued by Cherry Red
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...
Records in 2006, including several tracks recorded after the band had supposedly split.
Hammond later wrote the mythological travelogue London, England (Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream Publishing is a publishing company in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1978. It is associated with the Random House Group, who bought Mainstream in 2005....
1998) and Got Not Got: The A-Z of Lost Football Culture, Treasures & Pleasures (Pitch Publishing 2011), also compiling the BBC Radio 1 John Peel Show retrospective Perfect Unpop: Peel Show Hits and Long-Lost Lo-Fi Favourites (Vol. 1, 1976–80) (Cherry Red
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...
Records 2008).
Singles
- "Cottage Industry" (1984, In-Tape, IT008) #23
- "Beware The Weakling Lines" (1984, In-Tape, IT010) #8
- "Prick Up Your Ears" (1985, In-Tape, IT012) #6 came with The Yeah Yeah Noh Bumper Annual book
- "(Another Side To) Mrs. Quill" (1985, In-Tape, IT020) #10
- "Temple of Convenience" (1985, In-Tape, IT023/ITT023) #12
- The Peel Sessions EP (1987, Strange Fruit, SFPS026)
Albums
- When I Am A Big Girl (1985, In-Tape, IT016) (mini-LPMini-LPA Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
, compilation of first three ep's) #22 - Cutting The Heavenly Lawn of Greatness...Last Rites For The God Of Love (1985, In-Tape, IT021) #4
- Fun On The Lawn, Lawn, Lawn (1986, Buggum, BAAD2) (compilation of John PeelJohn PeelJohn 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...
sessions) #13 - Leicester Square: The Best of Yeah Yeah Noh (2006, Cherry Red, CDMRED183)