|
Rational Youth is a Canadian new wave synthpop band that was primarily active between 1980 and 1986, and continues as a touring and recording unit. ==History== Rational Youth was formed in 1980 in Montreal, Quebec, by synthesizer players Tracy Howe and Bill Vorn, both of whom idolized the German synth-pop pioneers Kraftwerk. The band is considered to be one of Canada's first synth-pop groups.〔Uncredited, (Biography of Rational Youth ), CBC Music. Retrieved 2013-01-21.〕 Howe's music career began as a singer and drummer for Montreal punk band The Normals.〔 Howe was later a drummer and singer in Montreal band Heaven Seventeen (not to be confused with England's Heaven 17), considered to be one of the first punk bands to use synthesizers.〔 One of Heaven Seventeen's keyboard players was Ivan Doroschuk, who later formed Men Without Hats. Howe also later joined Men Without Hats, as a guitarist, prior to forming Rational Youth with Vorn.〔 The band was formed in the summer of 1981〔 by Howe and Vorn, joined by keyboardist Mario Spezza.〔 The band's second professional engagement was opening for Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, in Montreal. The band recorded their first single "I Want To See The Light" in 1981 for YUL Records, an independent label established by Marc Demouy, a record importer and retailer,〔 and Pat Deserio.〔 Dumouy also became the band's manager.〔 Shortly after the single was issued, Spezza left and was replaced by Kevin Komoda (keyboards). The Howe/Vorn/Komoda trio then recorded the album ''Cold War Night Life'', which was issued in early 1982 and was the first all-synth pop release in Canada. It became one of the biggest-selling Canadian independent albums at the time.〔 Vorn left the band at the beginning of 1983 to resume communication studies at university.〔 Following Vorn's departure, the group — now consisting of Howe (vocals, keyboards, guitars), Komoda (keyboards), Denis Duran (bass) and Angel Calvo (drums) -- was signed to Capitol Records. That year, Rational Youth issued an eponymous EP. Following the release of the EP and immediately before a national promotional tour, Komoda, Duran and Calvo left the band, purportedly because of about the level of full-time commitment.〔 Howe, left with the band name but no band, did not form another band to tour in support of the EP. Komoda later became a radio producer for CBC Radio's ''Brave New Waves''. A subsequent album, ''Heredity'', was released in 1985 under the Rational Youth name, although Howe was now the only permanent group member. The album was recorded with the participation of over a dozen session musicians, including Dee Long of Klaatu (guitars, keyboards), Ken Sinnaeve of Tom Cochrane and Red Rider (bass), and Ben Mink of FM (violin, mandolin). Peter McGee (guitars, keyboards) and John Jones (keyboards) also made significant contributions to the record and participated in the songwriting. Amongst the eight keyboard players employed, ex-members Vorn and Komoda also appeared on ''Heredity'', both credited with "additional keyboards". Howe and Long produced. The decision to release the album under the Rational Youth name was that of the record company, Capitol Records, though Howe did not oppose the decision. The record, while successful, is viewed as having created a different audience for Rational Youth, confusing older fans.〔 Two singles from the album, "No More And No Less" and "Bang On", scraped into the lower reaches of the Canadian charts. Howe put a band together and toured in support of ''Heredity'' during 1985 and 1986.〔 The touring band consisted of Howe (vocals, keyboards), Rick Joudrey (bass), Owen Tennyson (drums), and Kevin Breit (guitars). Shorty after filming a cameo in the film ''Crazy Moon'' (to which they contributed two songs), Howe placed the band on "indefinite hiatus" in February 1986.〔(Biography of Rational Youth ). Cached version from defunct band website rationalyouth.net. Retrieved 2013-01-23 and 2013-02-06.〕 However, continued interest in the band resulted in ''Cold War Night Life'' being reissued on compact disc in 1997. This in turn led to a 1997 reunion concert with Howe and Vorn in Lund, Sweden.〔 In 1999, Rational Youth, with a new lineup of original frontman Howe and new keyboard players Jean-Claude Cutz and Dave Rout, released its first album after fourteen years, ''To the Goddess Electricity''. Cutz and Rout had been members of techno-industrial band Digital Poodle.〔Discogs, (Profile of Digital Poodle ). Retrieved 2013-01-07.〕 Rational Youth toured throughout Scandinavia over the next two years, playing its final concert on November 3, 2001, at the Tinitus Festival〔(Tinitus Festival Website ). Retrieved 2013-01-18.〕 in Stockholm, Sweden. Original members Tracy Howe and Bill Vorn came together again in 2009, at the initiative of Marc Dumouy, recording a new version of their 1982 track "Dancing On The Berlin Wall" in honour of the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Wall. In 2010, the recording was issued by YUL Records as a CD EP.〔 In 2011, another CD EP was released, ''City Of Night /Cite Phosphore'', consisting of re-recordings of an early single, as well as remixed versions of the original recording.〔 Later that year, Kevin Komoda rejoined, thus reuniting the ''Cold War Night Life'' Rational Youth trio.〔 This trio issued yet another re-recorded single, the CD EP ''Coboloid Race/I Want To See The Light 30th Anniversary Edition''. The release included newly re-recorded songs and newly discovered alternative mixes from the original 1981 sessions.〔News Release, November 22, 2011, ("YUL Records 30th Anniversary Releases! Rational Youth, Monty Cantsin & Cham-pang!" ). Retrieved 13-01-31.〕 In 2013, the band issued a number of archival recordings, including live material recorded Ottawa and Winnipeg in 1983. A rarities compilation called ''Magic Box'' was also released, which consisted of early 1980s Rational Youth demos and remixes, and solo recordings from Howe, Vorn and Komoda. By 2014, the band consisted of Tracy and Gaelen Howe. This duo toured as Rational Youth in Europe and Canada. In November 2014, Rational Youth paired with the band Psyche to record and issue a cover of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck", a collaborative single that credited both bands. Vorn earned a doctorate in communication studies at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and is a full professor in the Department of Studio Arts at Concordia University. He has been active in the field of robotic art since 1992.〔(Biography - Bill Vorn - Robotic Art ). Retrieved 2013-01-08.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rational Youth」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|