Swervedriver

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Swervedriver
Swervedriver in a promotional photo taken in 1997 (front to back) Adam Franklin, Jez Hindmarsh, Steve George, Jimmy Hartridge
Country	Oxford, England
Years active	1989 – 1999
Genres	Alternative rock Shoegaze Alternative metal
Labels	Creation Records (1990-95) Geffen Records (1996-97) Zero Hour Records (1998-99)
US distribution	A&M Records (1991-94) Zero Hour Records (1998-99)
Members	Adam Franklin Jimmy Hartridge Jez Hindmarsh Steve George
Past members	Graham Franklin Adi Vines Paddy Pulzer Graham Bonnar
Website(s)	www.swervedriver.com

[edit] Overview

Swervedriver was a 1990's alternative rock band from the United Kingdom whose sound featured elements of both shoegaze and hard rock. Their sound was frequently compared to Sonic Youth, The Stooges, Dinosaur Jr, The Who, Catherine Wheel, and former labelmates My Bloody Valentine and Ride. The band enjoyed modest success, particularly on college radio and on tour in the U.S. & Australia, during its approximately decade-long career. After experiencing problems with several record labels, the band went on hiatus in 1999 without having reached a mainstream commercial audience.

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

The band started in Oxford in 1984, with the formation of a group called Shake Appeal, named after a song by one of their main acknowledged influences, The Stooges. Consisting of vocalist/guitarists Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge, lead vocalist Graham Franklin (Adam’s brother), bassist Adi Vines, and drummer Paddy Pulzer; Shake Appeal wrote what would become Swervedriver’s first classic, "Son of Mustang Ford."^{[citation needed]} The band began to fall apart when Graham Franklin and Pulzer left. They are known to have only released one 7" single, 1987's "Gimme Fever" (the name being a pun on The Stooges' song "Gimme Danger"), on Notown Records.

The remaining three members drafted drummer Graham Bonnar. The new lineup had a new name, Swervedriver. Their hometown colleagues Ride passed their re-recorded demo of "Son Of Mustang Ford" to Alan McGee of Creation Records, who, as legend has it, played the tape for the first time while cruising the streets of Los Angeles in a limo. The experience caused him to sign the band immediately.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] First album and possible breakup

The group debuted with a series of 12" EP's between 1990 and 1991: Son Of Mustang Ford, Rave Down and Sandblasted. They then issued their debut album Raise in 1991. On February 6, 1992, Bonnar abandoned the band at the Canadian border only a few dates dates into a two-month headlining tour of the U.S. Tour manager Phil Ames called on Danny Ingram from Washington, D.C. band Strange Boutique, to fill in on drums for the rest of the U.S. tour and a short tour of Japan. Rather than replace Bonnar permanently, the band had Ingram move to London for a U.K. and European tour. In April 1992, the group, with Ingram still on drums, did a U.S. tour in support of two American A&M labelmates, Monster Magnet and Soundgarden. Following an appearance at the Hultsfred festival in Sweden on August 8, 1992, Vines departed to form the heavy metal-oriented Skyscraper, which would split in 1997. (Vines has since worked as guitar tech for various U.K. bands including The Darkness, Feeder (in which he took a tempoary break and Razorlight's tech Guy took over his duties), and The Prodigy.) Swervedriver’s final release with the original lineup, 1992's Never Lose That Feeling 12" EP/ 7" single, appeared to be the group's last.

[edit] Release of Mezcal Head

In 1993, Swervedriver re-emerged with the core of Adam Franklin and Hartridge, along with newly-recruited drummer Jez Hindmarsh (a.k.a. "Jez"), and released the album Mezcal Head. The album gave them their most successful single, "Duel" (NME's Single Of The Week), for which a music video was released. "Never Lose That Feeling" was tacked onto the end of CD copies of the album, along with an extended krautrock/drone/saxophone piece called "Never Learn." They toured U.S. arenas with Smashing Pumpkins and Shudder To Think in October/November of 1993. Swervedriver covered The Who's "In The City" on the Who Covers Who tribute compilation, and later covered The Who's "Magic Bus."

[edit] Ejector Seat Reservation

1994 found the band adding new bassist Steve George, along with extensive touring of the U.S., Japan and Europe. Creation Records dropped the band one week after the U.K. release of 1995 album Ejector Seat Reservation and deleted the record from print. This was said to be due in part to the label's decision to focus on its new best-seller, Oasis. Ejector Seat Reservation was never officially released in the U.S., though it was reissued on CD in 2003 by Sony International. It incorporated a wider number of influences from 1960s rock bands such as The Beatles, and 1970s power pop bands like Big Star and The Raspberries. Despite receiving widespread critical acclaim^{[citation needed]} and featuring their most radio-ready batch of songs, it received little to no record company support and ended up their poorest-selling album. This began a protracted period of record label problems for the band.

[edit] Final years

In 1996, Swervedriver signed to Geffen Records with a multi-record deal, and began recording its fourth album. However, their contract was terminated when their A&R (Artists & Repertoire) representative was fired in a corporate downsizing. Geffen released promotional CD copies of the band's fourth and final album, entitled 99th Dream, but these were quickly withdrawn and the label never officially released the album for sale. Once the legal dust settled, the band was awarded its own recording studio along with the finished album.

99th Dream was finally given an official release in early 1998 after the band signed to fledgling U.S. label Zero Hour Records. The title track was written as a prequel to Bob Dylan’s song "115th Dream".^{[citation needed]} (The only differences between the Zero Hour and Geffen versions was a new version of "These Times.") Despite 1998-99 tours of the U.S. (with Hum), Britain, and Australia (where the band had its most diehard fanbase), they did not break out beyond cult status. The Wrong Treats EP, released in 1999, was the band's last body of work as an extant group; they announced a hiatus later that year that persists to this day.

[edit] Post-Swervedriver activity

Adam Franklin has released several albums under the solo alias Toshack Highway, and has performed select Swervedriver songs on T.H. tours.

In 2005, with most of the band's discography out of print, Castle Music released a 2-CD Swervedriver anthology entitled Juggernaut Rides. It brought together 33 songs, including many only available on rare EPs/singles, and four that were previously unreleased, such as the 10-minute "Neon Lights Glow," which features accompaniment by an orchestral string section.

[edit] Origins of name

Whenever questioned during interviews on the topic of its name, the band would simply respond that it was "just a name." However, Adam Franklin had once mentioned the band liked the connotation of a speeding driver, swerving and ultimately losing control of his car.^{[citation needed]} (Fittingly, songs from Mezcal Head were later used in the popular video game Road Rash for the Sony Playstation, Sega Saturn, and PC.) A&M Records released "Swervedriver On Board" suction-cup automobile signs to promote Mezcal Head in 1993, as a spoof of the once-popular "Baby On Board" signs. The band is often called "Swervie" or "The Swervies" for short.

An unrelated band released an album in 1995 under Swervedriver's original moniker of Shake Appeal; both bands presumably took their name from the same Stooges song.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Raise: Swervedriver's first album, released 1991.

• Raise (1991, Creation/ A&M) (initial copies came with free 7")
• Mezcal Head (1993, Creation/ A&M)
• Ejector Seat Reservation (1995, Creation) (initial copies came with free 7") (reissued 2003, Sony International)
• 99th Dream (1997, Geffen [promo CD only]/ 1998, Zero Hour) (initial copies came with free 7")

[edit] Singles/EPs

• Son Of Mustang Ford 12" (1990, Creation)
• Rave Down 12" (1991, Creation)
• Sandblasted 12" (1991, Creation)
• "Surf Twang" (b/w "Deep Twang") free instrumental 7" included with initial vinyl copies of Raise (1991, Creation)
• Reel To Real 12" (1991, A&M)
• Never Lose That Feeling 12"/ 7"/ CD EP (1992, Creation)
• "For Seeking Heat" (b/w "Duel") 12" (promo) (1993, Creation)
• Duel 7"/ CD EP (1993, Creation/ A&M)
• Last Train To Satansville 12"/ CD EP (1993/1994, Creation/ A&M)
• "My Zephyr (Sequel)" (b/w "Mars) 7" (1994, Flower Shop) (1000 copies only)
• "Magic Bus" (1994) — from Day Tripper movie soundtrack
• "Plan 7 Star Satellite 10" (b/w "Flaming Heart") (1995, Creation) free 7" with initial vinyl copies of Ejector Seat Reservation
• "Bring Me The Head Of The Fortune Teller" (b/w "The Birds") 12" (promo) (1995, Creation)
• Last Day On Earth 12" (initial copies on white vinyl)/ CD EP (1995)
• "Why Say Yeah" - Swervedriver/ Sophia split double 7" (1996)
• "93 Million Miles From The Sun… And Counting" 7" (1997, Sessions)
• "Good Ships" (b/w "Hate Yr Kind") (1998, Zero Hour) free 7" with initial vinyl copies of 99th Dream
• Space Travel Rock 'n' Roll 12"/ CD EP (1998, Zero Hour) (came in anti-static foil wrap bag)
• Wrong Treats (1999)

[edit] Compilations

• Juggernaut Rides '89–'98 (2005, Castle) 2-CD best-of collection

[edit] Home video

• On The Road With Swervedriver: A Rockumentary (promo VHS, 42:51 total time) (1992, A&M) Features live footage, interviews, and all of the band's music videos up to that point

[edit] External links

• Swervedriver.com
• Myspace site
• Fan-site
• Fan-site
• Kidneyboy fan-site
• Toshack Highway
• Restoration of live Swervedriver videos
• Reference to the tour in April 1992
• Reference to the tour in October 1993
• Adi Vines' homepage