Killing Joke
• Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman
• Kevin "Geordie" Walker
• Martin "Youth" Glover
• "Big" Paul Ferguson
Paul Raven • Martin Atkins • Dave Kovacevic
• Nick Holywell-Walker • Ben Calvert • Reza Udhin
Formed in 1979 in London, Killing Joke, also known as The Joke or KJ,
are one of the greatest bands of all time. Punk Rock, Dub, Post-Punk, New Wave,
Gothic Rock, Electronic Music, Dance Music, Pop/Pop-Rock, Progressive Rock,
Industrial Rock, Industrial Metal, Alternative Rock, World Music and
whatever else mixed-up with Jaz's “savagely strident vocals”.
KJ first line-up consisted of Jeremy “Jaz” Coleman on vocals and
keyboards, “Big” Paul Ferguson on drums, Kevin “Geordie”
Walker on guitar, and Martin “Youth” Glover on bass. In that year
they started the Malicious Damage record label.
After the EPs, "Turn To Red" and "Almost Red", both released in 1979, from
1980 to 1982 KJ released three studio albums. The Punk/Post-Punk self-titled
debut album, "Killing Joke", released in August 1980, features: "Requiem"
(3:44), "Wardance" (3:49), "Tomorrow's World" (5:30), "Bloodsport"
(4:46), "The Wait" (3:45), "Complications" (3:08), "S.O.36" (6:52),
and "Primitive". The U.S.A. version also included "Change". The album was
remastered in 2005 with "Change", "Requiem" (Single Version),
"Change" (Dub), "Primitive" (Rough Mix), "Bloodsport" (Rough Mix),
as additional tracks. "What's This For...!", released in 1981, (IMHO) is not at
the same level of the debut album but it is a very influential work. It features....
"Revelations", released in 1982, it's less aggressive but more experimental than
the previous albums, and features elements of Electronic and Industrial Music.
In 1982 Jaz, Geordie and Youth moved to Iceland to survive the
Apocalypse. Youth shortly moved back to England and, with Paul Ferguson,
started a band called the Brilliant. Brilliant's life was very short and
Youth, jointly with bassist Paul Raven rejoined the band in Iceland
again.
From 1983 to 1986 KJ released three albums, "Fire Dances", in 1983, which
can be considered as a return to the Punk/Post-Punk sound of their first two albums,
"Night Time", in 1985, which was a good transitional album with so many gems such
as "Darkness Before Dawn", "Love Like Blood", "Kings And Queens",
and "Eighties", and "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns", recorded with
keyboardist Dave Kovacevic and released in 1986, which was a definite
transformation from the early days; featured hits: "Adorations", "Sanity",
and "Chessboards".
In 1987-1988 they released a controversial album, "Outside The Gate". Recorded
with drummer Jimmy Copley, percussionist Jeff Scantlebury, and rapper
JC 001, it features elements of Progressive Rock, Post-Punk, New Wave, and
Pop Rock. It started as a project by Jaz and Geordie (mainly a project by
Jaz), but when they attempted to include Paul Raven and Paul Ferguson and
the two "Paul" disagreed with Jaz and Geordie, both Paul were
fired from the band. Martin Atkins (PiL, Ministry, Pigface)
become the new drummer, and, in 1989, Killing Joke released their 8th studio
album, "The Courtauld Talks". It was another project by Jaz and
Geordie featuring percussionist Jeff Scantlebury, essentially composed by
spoken words, electric guitar and percussion.
In 1989-1990 Jaz Coleman recorded together with Anne Dudley
(Art Of Noise) his first album without Killing Joke,
"Songs From The Victorious City". This album is an unusual World Music work. In
that period Paul Raven rejoined the band and Jaz moved to an island in
New Zealand. Without Jaz the remaining members started a project/band called
Murder, Inc., that released a self-titled album.
In the first half of the '90s they released three albums,
"Extremities, Dirt & Various Repressed Emotions", in 1990, again with
Martin Atkins on drums, and with bassist Dave "Taif" Ball and
Ministry, Fear Factory, Prong, Murder, Inc. keyboardist
John Bechdel. In 1994, for the release of "Pandemonium", founding member,
Youth replaced Paul Raven on bass guitar; additional
drummers Geoff Dugmore, Tom Larkin, and Larry De Zoete replaced
Martin Atkins. The album als features percussionists Hossam Ramzy and
Said El Artist, violinist Aboud Abdel, programmers Matt Austin and
Paddy Free. In 1996 they released "Democracy", with drummer
Geoff Dugmore and keyboardist Nick Holywell-Walker. It is a more optimistic
and New-Age album especially for the lyrics. Prong's bassist Troy Gregory
toured with the band.
From 1995 to 2000, Jaz released three albums of Symphonic Rock Music entitled,
"Us And Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd", in 1995,
"Kashmir: The Symphonic Led Zeppelin", in 1996, and
"Riders On The Storm: The Doors Concerto", arranged and produced by Jaz,
and performed by Nigel Kennedy and the
Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Scholes in 2000.
Killing Joke went on an extended hiatus since 2002 when Jaz, Geordie
and Youth reformed the band.
In the '90s Killing Joke sued Nirvana because they copied from the riff for
"Eighties" on their song "Come As You Are", but the lawsuit was dropped
after the death of Kurt Cobain, and, in 2003, Nirvana's drummer
Dave Grohl recorded the KJ's album, "Killing Joke", paying a sort of
"restitution" (note that they have two albums titled
"Killing Joke", the 1980 debut album and this one). This Industrial Metal album
also features John Dolmayan (System Of A Down) on drums, Andy Gill
(Gang Of Four ~ GO4, what a band!!!) on guitar and Katie Summers on vocals
on "Total Invasion". Ted Parsons (Swans/Prong drummer) toured
with the band.
In 2005, with drummer Ben Calvert (Twin Zero, Sack Trick),
Killing Joke commemorated their 25th anniversary and, in the following year, in
Prague, KJ released "Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell" using recording
equipment from the late '70s to achieve a dark, brooding atmosphere.
On October 20th 2007, bassist Paul Raven suddenly died in Geneva, Switzerland
at the age of 46 (Rest in peACE) and when a year later EMI Records re-issued
"Fire Dances", "Night Time", "Brighter Than A Thousand Suns", and
"Outside The Gate", each of these carries the message
"Dedicated to our brother Paul Vincent Raven 1961-2007".
“Possibly the
funniest man on planet Earth and a brother to us all.” —Jaz Coleman &
Geordie Walker
In 2008, Killing Joke started a world tour with
the original line-up.
In July 2010, Killing Joke released the EP "In Excelsis", which is the
first recording in 28 years released by the band's original line-up of Jaz Coleman
on vocals and keyboards, Kevin "Geordie" Walker on guitar, Martin "Youth" Glover on bass, and
Paul Ferguson on drums. On the 27th of September, they released their fourteenth studio
album, "Absolute Dissent", marking the 30th Anniversary for the band. The album,
which features twelve tracks, was engineered and mixed by Clive Goddard, and produced by
the band itself. The 2-CD deluxe edition features a bonus disc entitled
"Absolute Respect" with Killing Joke's songs covered by Metallica, Amen, Helmet,
Econoline Crush, Dead by April, Nine Inch Nails, The Mad Capsule Markets,
Nouvelle Vague, Fear Factory, Foo Fighters, and Kotiteollisuus.
What's next??? Who knows!!! The band is on tour and Jaz Coleman is currently writing a
mass for choir and orchestra, comprising of Killing Joke's music with the original
lyrics translated into Latin for full chorus for a recording and two nights in London
in 2011.
Killing Joke have influenced many later bands, such as Prong,
Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Primus,
Jane's Addiction, Metallica, Soundgarden, Nirvana,
Pearl Jam, Faith No More, Napalm Death, Korn,
Foo Fighters, Big Black, Amebix, among others, and all of whom have
at some point cited some debt of gratitude to 'The Joke'.
Discography
Albums
• Killing Joke (1980)
• What's THIS For...! (1981)
• Revelations (1982)
• Fire Dances (1983)
• Night Time (1985)
• Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (1986)
• Outside The Gate (1988)
• The Courtauld Talks (1989)
• Extremities, Dirt & Various
• Repressed Emotions (1990)
• Pandemonium (1994)
• Democracy (1996)
• Killing Joke (2003)
• Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell (2006)
• Absolute Dissent (2010)
Compilations
• An Incomplete Collection 1980-1985 (1990)
• Laugh? I Nearly Bought One! (1992)
• Wilful Days (1995)
• Alchemy: The Remixes (Remix Album) (1996)
• Wardance (Remix Album) (1998)
• The Unperverted Pantomime? (2003)
• Chaos for Breakfast (2004)
• For Beginners (2004)
• Inside Extremities: Mixes, Rehearsals and Live (2007)
• Bootleg Vinyl Archive Vol. 1 (2007)
• Bootleg Vinyl Archive Vol. 2 (2007)
• Rmxd (2008)
• The Peel Sessions 1979 - 1981 (2008)
• Duendes - The Spanish Sessions (2008)
Live Albums
• Ha! 10 inch live EP (1982)
• BBC In Concert (1995)
• No Way Out but Forward Go (2001)
• XXV Gathering: Let Us Prey (2005)
• The Original Unperverted Pantomime (2008)
• Live At The Forum (2008)
Singles & EPs
Turn To Red EP 10" (October 1979) · Nervous System 7" 12" (December 1979)
· Wardance/P?yche 7" (March 1980) · Requiem/Change 7" 12" (October 1980)
· Follow the Leaders/Tension 7" 10" (May 1981) · Empire Song/Brilliant 7" (March 1982)
· Chop Chop/Good Samaritan 7" (June 1982)
· Birds of a Feather/Sun Goes Down/Flock the B side 7" 12" (October 1982)
· Let's All Go/Dominator 7" 12" (June 1983) · Me or You/Wilful Days 7" 12" (October 1983)
· Eighties/Eighties Common Mix 7" 12" (April 1984)
· A New Day/Dance Day 7" 12" (July 1984)
· Love Like Blood/Blue Feather 7" 12" (February 1985)
· Kings & Queens/The Madding Crowd 7" 12" (March 1985)
· Adorations/Exile 7" 12" (August 1986)
· Sanity/Goodbye to the Village 7" 12" (October 1986)
· America/Jihad 7" 12" (April 1988)
· My Love of This Land/Darkness Before Dawn 7" 12" (July 1988)
· Money is Not Our God CDs 12" (1991) · Change: The Youth Mixes CD (1992)
· Exorcism CDs 10" (1994) · Millennium CDs 7" 12" (May 1994)
· Pandemonium CDs (July 1994) · Pandemonium in Dub CDs (July 1994)
· Jana CDs (February 1995) · Jana Live EP (February 1995)
· Jana/Millennium Double CDs (1995) · Democracy CDs (March 1996)
· Democracy dif. Mix CDs (March 1996) · Love Like Blood/Intellect (March 1998)
· Loose Cannon 12" CDs DVDs (July 2003) · Seeing Red CDs (2003)
· Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell/Afterburner/Universe B CDs (April 2006)
· Hosannas From The Basements Of Hell/Afterburner (Alternate Vers.) Limited 7"
(April 2006)
· In Excelsis (July 2010)
· European Syuper State (September 2010)
Singles On Cassette
Adorations (The Supernatural Mix)/Ecstasy/Exile/Love Like Blood (The '86 Remix) (1986)
· Sanity/Sanity (Instrumental Mix)/Goodbye to the Village/Wardance (The Naval Mix) (1986)
· Change (Re-Evolution 23 Mix)/Change (Spiral Tribe Mix)/Requiem
(Malicious Damage Mix)/Requiem (Acapella Dub) (1992)
· Millennium (Cybersank Edit)/Millennium (Cybersank Extended Remix) (1994)
· Pandemonium (Cybersank Edit)/Pandemonium (The Dragonfly Mix)/Pandemonium
(Waxworth Industries Mix) (1994) · Democracy (Album Mix)/Mass (1996)
Videography
• Rok Dabla/Year of the devil feat. Jaz Coleman Czech Rep. (2002)
• XXV Gathering: The Band That Preys Together Stays Together [live] (2005)
Related: Punk Rock · Post-Punk · Industrial Rock · Industrial Metal · Alternative Rock
· Brilliant · Pigface · Murder, Inc. · The Damage Manual · Transmission
For more info about Killing Joke, please, visit
[Please, note that the following links open in a new window (or Tab)]:
• killingjoke.com
• killingjoke.org.uk
• anirrationaldomain.net
• Killing Joke at wikipedia.org
• Killing Joke at last.fm
• Killing Joke at musicbrainz.org
• maliciousdamage.biz
• candlelightrecords.co.uk
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