The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a Mod band and stayed together for over ten years. Unusually for a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular alternative rock band of the 1980s, retaining a small but loyal following to the present day.
Allmusic journalist Steve Huey states
The British music press habitually savaged their records as derivative and pretentious, but this meant little to their zealous following, who supported the band to the tune of over 5 million sales worldwide and 16 Top 50 UK singles.[1]
Band members
- Mike Peters: Vocals, guitars, harmonica - born Michael L Peters, 25 February 1959, Prestatyn, Wales.[2]
- Dave Sharp: Guitars - born 28 January 1959, Salford, England.[3]
- Eddie Macdonald: Bass - born 1 November 1959, St Asaph, Wales.[3]
- Nigel Twist: Drums - born Nigel Buckle, 18 July 1958, Manchester, England.[3]
Early years
A punk band was formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1977, billed as The Toilets.[3] It contained Peters, Sharp, Macdonald and Twist, and in 1978 their name was changed to Seventeen.[3] Seventeen were a mod band who released a single ("Don't Let Go" / "Bank Holiday Weekend") in March 1980.[3] They also toured with the Stray Cats that year. They played their last concert together under the new name of Alarm Alarm, but this would also be the last time this name was used.
The band soon reformed under the new name of The Alarm and played their first gig at The Victoria Hotel, Prestatyn, North Wales on 10 June 1981, opening with "Shout to the Devil", which would later appear on the Declaration LP.
They moved from North Wales to London in September 1981, and the band recorded a one-off 7" single. One thousand copies were pressed that month, featuring "Unsafe Building" on the 'electric' side and "Up For Murder" on the 'acoustic' side.[3] The single was noticed by Mick Mercer, who featured it as his single of the month in his ZigZag magazine. The band played a show with The Fall in December 1981, where a journalist from Sounds noticed them. This journalist attended the band's next show, at Upstairs At Ronnie's in London's West End. Also at this show was a representative of Wasted Talent, who arranged a meeting between the band and Ian Wilson, U2's agent. Wilson arranged another show in order to assess the band's quality, was impressed, and became the band's manager soon after. To celebrate, The Alarm played with U2 at the Lyceum Ballroom on 22 December 1981.
In 1982, the band began to record demos for various record labels, but had little success. At this point, they were playing with three acoustic guitarists. The band were eventually offered a deal by I.R.S. Records.[1] This forced them to make a decision on who was to play which musical instrument, and it was decided that Peters would concentrate on singing, with Sharp on guitar and Macdonald playing bass.[1]
"Marching On" was released as a single in October 1982,[3] and the band's sound started to become clear. On stage, they would almost always begin gigs acoustically, before finishing with electric guitars. Constant gigging in London helped the band build up a following, and in December 1982, they played four shows with U2. These shows were the first time that Bono joined The Alarm on stage.
A new song, "The Stand" was recorded in Battersea in April 1983, and was released in the UK as a single.[3] The song's lyrics were inspired by Stephen King's novel of the same name.[1] Outside the UK, the song was released as part of a five-track EP, entitled The Alarm.[3] The EP was released to coincide with The Alarm's first tour of the U.S. in June 1983. Following the success of the sessions that produced "The Stand", I.R.S. picked up their recording option on the band, signalling the start of work on a full album. Another session with producer Mick Glossop was arranged to produce a new single, with "Blaze of Glory" recorded and released.
In June 1983, The Alarm embarked on their first tour of the U.S., supporting U2 on the War Tour.[1] The 18-date tour went a long way in establishing the band in the U.S. "The Stand" was quickly released by I.R.S. to capitalise on this, supported by TV appearances on The Cutting Edge and American Bandstand.
Following the tour, the band returned to the UK to begin working with producer Alan Shacklock on the new album. They focused on re-recording "Blaze of Glory" and "68 Guns". After the sessions, the band recorded a video for "68 Guns" and flew back to America to begin their first headline American tour. "68 Guns" was released as a single on 12 September 1983, and charted the following week at number 50. The same week, the BBC Television music show Top of the Pops, had to look outside the Top 40 for the first time in its history in order to fill a slot vacated by Johnny Rotten and Public Image Ltd.
Mid career
The band had been recording the new album from July 1983, and by the time of the Top of the Pops appearance they had recorded the backing tracks to most of the songs. After completing a U.S. tour and a headline tour of the UK in late 1983, the band returned to the studio to record the backing tracks for the rest of the songs.
On 6 November 1983, the band recorded an acoustic radio session for the BBC. This session saw the debut of three brand new songs: "Walk Forever by My Side", "One Step Closer to Home" and "Unbreak the Promise".
On 7 November, the band returned to the recording studio to finish recording the album, now titled Declaration. In December, The Alarm returned to the U.S. for a third headline tour. The weather was atrocious, and on 6 December, the car the band was travelling in crashed, but all four members remained unharmed. They returned to the UK on 17 December and appeared as part of an Anti-Nuclear Benefit Concert at the Apollo Theatre, London.
Whilst the band had been in the U.S., Alan Shacklock and sound engineer Chris Porter finished mixing the album. The band played a handful of gigs supporting The Police over Christmas, and by 5 January 1984, the album had been mixed and finalised. Declaration was released by I.R.S. Records on 14 February 1984.[3] A week later, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at Number 6.[4]
In November 1984, The Alarm recorded demos of nine brand new songs, including "Absolute Reality". They played their new material to the American producer Jimmy Iovine, who agreed to come to the UK in January 1985 to begin work on the follow-up to Declaration. During this period Peters appeared solo at a number of events including the Greenbelt Arts festival in Northamptonshire playing Alarm material as well as some unrecorded personal songs. Studio sessions were booked for early 1985, and a UK headline tour was booked for May 1985, to go with the release of the new album. However, Iovine never came to the UK to work with The Alarm, eventually citing personal reasons. The band had to cancel the sessions and look for another producer. Alan Shacklock was unavailable, so Ian Wilson (the band's manager) convinced I.R.S. to release the Shacklock produced "Absolute Reality" as a single to promote the UK dates in May. "Absolute Reality" was released on 18 February 1985, entering the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart a week later.[4] The 'Absolute Tour' was a near sell-out. After a series of appearances at European festivals and a new producer (Mike Howlett), The Alarm began work on their follow-up album, Strength.[2] The Alarm teamed up with MTV, I.R.S. Records, and UCLA's Campus Events to present one of the first live satellite broadcasts from UCLA on 12 April 1986. Approximately 25,000 fans turned out for the free concert.On 12 July 1986 they played at Queen`s Live at Wembley '86 concert.
Strength, was another UK success, and brought them into the Top 40 of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart for the first time; additionally, the single "Spirit of '76" was a Top 40 UK hit.[1] The Alarm took a break after the supporting tour, but returned in 1987 with Eye of the Hurricane, and landed a tour slot supporting Bob Dylan.[1] A concert EP, Electric Folklore Live, followed in 1988.[1] They also had a hit single in the UK in 1987 with "Rain In The Summertime" (from Eye of the Hurricane), which gave them their second best placing on the UK chart.[4]
Later years
The band toured extensively through the United States and Europe through the 1980s into 1991. They gained much popularity in 1983 when they were the opening act for U2. The Alarm were often compared musically to U2.[2] On 13 March 1988, The Alarm performed at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California with The 77s and House of Freaks.
The Alarm Rain in the Summertime video 1988
1989's Change was an homage to the group's native Wales, and was accompanied by an alternate Welsh language version, Newid.[1] Produced by Tony Visconti, Change spawned the group's biggest Modern Rock hit in America, "Sold Me Down the River," which also put them in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Top 50 for the first and only time.[1] "Devolution Working Man Blues" and "Love Don't Come Easy" also earned radio airplay, and the track "A New South Wales" boasted an appearance by the Welsh Symphony Orchestra and the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir.[1] Although it was popular in Wales, it did not sell as well as the group's earlier works, and internal band dissension — exacerbated by deaths in both Peters and Twist's families — made 1991's Raw the original Alarm's final effort.[1]
After the release of their final album Raw in 1991, despite their success and relative longevity, Peters announced on stage at the Brixton Academy that he was leaving the band.[2]
| “ |
We've shared some great moments in time over the last ten years and tonight I would like to thank all the people who have supported me from the beginning to the end. Tonight this is my last moment with the Alarm, I'm going out in a Blaze Of Glory my hands are held up high.[5] |
” |
1991 publicity shot for album 'Raw'
This came as much of a shock to his colleagues as to the audience. Following this show Peters signed his legal right to one quarter of The Alarm name and logo over to the other three. Peters and Sharp both embarked on solo careers.[1]
In 2000 The Alarm released a complete collection covering all recorded material by the band. It also included sleeve notes where all four members had contributed. This was the first project where all four original members had contributed since they split in 1991. To promote the box set, Peters embarked on the Mike Peters Alarm 2001 Tour, with a line-up (guitarist James Stevenson, bassist Craig Adams, and drummer Steve Grantley) that had performed together in 2000.[6]
Following this release and reportedly against the wishes of the other original members of the band Peters used The Alarm name on the tour to promote the complete collection release and on CD releases / tours since. The releases since has been without the input of the other original members of The Alarm.
In February 2004, this new line-up of the Alarm pulled off a hoax on the British music industry by issuing "45 RPM," under the fictitious name the Poppy Fields.[1] Peters, having got positive feedback on the song, decided to disassociate it from his veteran band to have it judged on its own merits, and recruited a young Welsh group called the Wayriders to lip-sync the song in the video.[1] The so-called Poppy Fields took "45 RPM" into the UK Top 30 before the hoax was revealed, setting the stage for the new Alarm's first album together, In the Poppy Fields.[1]
The original members of The Alarm appeared together for a one off show on the VH1 television programme, Bands Reunited, in 2005, and performed live in London with a subsequent expanded DVD/CD release of the episode. On this DVD release the other members criticised Mike Peters for using the band's name when legally he did not own it.
In 2006 Mike Peter's new version of The Alarm released their second studio album Under Attack, mostly about Mike's battle with Leukemia. It spawned another top thirty hit in the UK "Superchannel" reached number 28 in the charts. A third studio album was released in 2008 entitled Guerilla Tactics. The new Alarm tours constantly and appears to have been endorsed by all three other original members - all of whom have joined the band on stage at various shows over the past few years.
The Alarm's song, "68 Guns", has been featured in a Heineken television advertisement in the U.S.
In April 2008 guitarist Dave Sharp launched his own version of the band, AOR - Spirit of The Alarm to showcase the band's American setlists from the late 1980s.
Discography
Albums
| Release Date |
Album |
Record Label |
UK Albums Chart[4] |
U.S. Billboard 200 Chart[7] |
| July 1983 |
Eponymous |
I.R.S. Records |
-
|
#126
|
| February 1984 |
Declaration |
#6
|
#50
|
| October 1985 |
Strength |
#18
|
#39
|
| November 1987 |
Eye of the Hurricane |
#23
|
#77
|
| November 1988 |
Electric Folklore Live |
#62
|
#167
|
| 1988 |
Compact Hits |
A&M Records |
-
|
-
|
| September 1989 |
Change ¥ |
I.R.S. Records |
#13
|
#75
|
| November 1990 |
Standards |
#47
|
#177
|
| April 1991 |
Raw ¥¥ |
#33
|
#161
|
| 2001 |
Eponymous 1981-1983 ¢ |
21st Century |
-
|
-
|
| Declaration 1984-1985 ¢ |
-
|
-
|
| Strength 1985-1986 ¢ |
-
|
-
|
| Eye of the Hurricane 1987-1988 ¢ |
-
|
-
|
| Electric Folklore Live 1987-1988 ¢ |
-
|
-
|
| Change 1989-1990 ¢ |
-
|
-
|
| Raw 1990-1991 ¢ |
-
|
-
|
| 21 Sept 2002 |
Close≠ |
-
|
-
|
| October 2002 |
The Normal Rules do not Apply≠ |
-
|
-
|
| 17 Dec 2002 |
Trafficing≠ |
-
|
-
|
| 17 Dec 2002 |
Edward Henry Street≠ |
-
|
-
|
| January 2003 |
Coming Home≠ |
-
|
-
|
| 15 Jan 2003 |
Live at Hammersmith Palais 1984 |
-
|
-
|
| 23 June 2003 |
The Alarm EP - 20th Anniversary Collectors Edition |
-
|
-
|
| 17 Jul 2003 |
Live at Glasgow Garage = |
-
|
-
|
| Live at Liverpool Masque Theatre = |
-
|
-
|
| Live at London Mean Fiddler= |
-
|
-
|
| 19 Oct 2003 |
The Sound and the Fury = |
Shakedown Records |
-
|
-
|
| 2004 |
In the Poppyfields* |
Snapper Music |
-
|
-
|
| Live In the Poppyfields* |
-
|
-
|
| 2005 |
Alt-Strength |
21st Century |
-
|
-
|
| 2006 |
Under Attack $ |
Liberty |
-
|
-
|
| The Best of The Alarm and Mike Peters |
EMI |
-
|
-
|
| The Alarm - The Saturday Gigs $ |
21st Century |
-
|
-
|
| 2007 |
The Collection ^ |
EMI Gold |
-
|
-
|
| July 2007 |
Three Sevens Clash ฿ |
21st Century |
-
|
-
|
| August 2007 |
Fightback ฿ |
-
|
-
|
| September 2007 |
This is not a Test ฿ |
-
|
-
|
| October 2007 |
Situation Under Control ฿ |
-
|
-
|
| November 2007 |
Call to Action ฿ |
-
|
-
|
| December 2007 |
1983/84 ฿ |
-
|
-
|
| January 2008 |
Counter Attack ฿ |
-
|
-
|
| 2008 |
Guerilla Tactics ¤ |
-
|
-
|
| The Alarm - BBC Radio Sessions 1983-1991 |
-
|
-
|
[3]
¥ - also released in a Welsh language version as Newid[2]
¥¥ - also released in a Welsh language version as Tân
¢ - Digital re-mastered release including bonus tracks and demos
≠ - Part of the "In the Poppyfields" bond (4 albums + bonus album) Released as The Alarm MMII
= - Released as The Alarm MMIII
- - Released as The Alarm MMIV
฿ - Part of Counter Attack Collective Released as The Alarm MMVII and The Alarm MMVIII
$ - Released as The Alarm MMVI
¤ - Released as The Alarm MMVIII
^ - A collection of songs by The Alarm and The Alarm MM+
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart Positions |
Album |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] |
U.S. Mainstream Rock[8] |
U.S. Modern Rock[8] |
UK Singles Chart[4][9][10] |
| 1981 |
"Unsafe Building" / "Up for Murder" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Non-album single |
| 1983 |
"The Stand" / "Third Light (Live) / Reason 41 (Live)" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Declaration |
| "Marching On" / "Across the Border" / "Lie of the Land" |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| "68 Guns" / "68 Guns Part II" / "Thoughts of a Young Man" |
106 |
- |
- |
17 |
| 1984 |
"Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" / "Pavilion Steps" / "What Kind of Hell" |
- |
- |
- |
22 |
| "The Deceiver" / "Reason 41" / "Second Generation" |
104 |
- |
- |
51 |
| "The Chant Has Just Begun" / "The Bells of Rhymney" / "The Stand" (Full version) / "Bound for Glory / "The Chant Has Just Begun " (Extended Re-mix) |
- |
- |
- |
48 |
Non-album single |
| 1985 |
"Absolute Reality" / "Blaze of Glory" (Alternate version)/ "Reason 36" / "Room at the Top" |
- |
- |
- |
35 |
Strength |
| "Strength" / "Majority" / " Absolute Reality (Impromptu acoustic version) / "Strength" (Power Mix) |
61 |
12 |
- |
40 |
| 1986 |
"Spirit of '76" / "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke" (Live) / "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Live) / "Deeside" (Live) / "68 Guns" (Live) |
- |
29 |
- |
22 |
| "Knife Edge" / "Caroline Isenberg" / "Unbreak the Promise" (BBC Acoustic session) / "Howling Wind" (BBC Acoustic session) |
- |
- |
- |
43 |
| 1987 |
"Rain in the Summertime" / "Rose Beyond the Wall" / "The Bells of Rhymney" (Live) / "Time to Believe" / "Rain in the Summertime" (Through the Haze and Lighting Mixes) |
71 |
6 |
- |
18 |
Eye of the Hurricane |
| "Rescue Me" / "Pastures of Plenty" / "Elders and Folklore" / "My Land Your Land" / "Rescue Me (Tearing Bonds Asunder Mix) |
- |
35 |
- |
48 |
| 1988 |
"Presence of Love" / "Strength" (Live) / "Dawn Chorus" (Live) / "Knife Edge" (Live) / "Rain in the Summertime" (Through the Haze mix) |
77 |
16 |
- |
44 |
| 1989 |
"Sold Me Down the River" / "Corridors of Power" / "Firing Line" / "Yn Cymraeg" |
50 |
2 |
3 |
43 |
Change |
| "A New South Wales" † / "The Rock" (double A-side)/ "Breaking Point" / "Rivers to Cross" / "Working Class Hero" / "Vigilante Man" |
- |
- |
- |
31 |
| "Devolution Workin' Man Blues" |
- |
9 |
11 |
Not released in the UK |
| 1990 |
"Love Don't Come Easy" / "Croesi'r Arfon" / "No Frontiers" (Live) / "Change II" (Live) |
- |
33 |
48 |
- |
| "Unsafe Building 1990" / "Up for Murder 1990" / "Unsafe Building 1981" / "Up for Murder 1981" |
- |
- |
- |
54 |
Standards |
| "The Road" |
- |
16 |
7 |
Not released in the UK |
| 1991 |
"Raw" / "68 Guns" / "Devolution Work'n Man Blues" (Demo) / "Sold me down the river" / "Change I" |
- |
- |
15 |
51 |
Raw |
| 2004 |
"45 R.P.M." ‡ / "Conscientious Objector" / "68 Guns" / "Spirit of '76" / "Statue of Liberty" |
- |
- |
- |
28 |
In the Poppy Fields * |
| "New Home New Life" * / "Better Scream" / "Chance " / "The Cross" |
- |
- |
- |
45 |
| "Close" * (Digital only single) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 2006 |
"Superchannel" $ / "Think Again (Everything you know is wrong)" / "Exit (No way out)" / "Over" / "Thought Police" |
- |
- |
- |
24 |
Under Attack $ |
| "Raindown" $ (Digital only single) / "This is the way we are" (acoustic) |
- |
- |
- |
- |
[3]
† "A New South Wales" featured the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir
‡ Released as The Poppy Fields / The Alarm MMIV
- Released as The Alarm MMIV
$ Released as Alarm MMVI
Filmography
Videos
| Title |
Release date |
| Spirit of 86 |
1986 |
| Change EP |
1990 |
| Standards |
| Blaze of Glory |
1991 |
DVDS
| Title |
Release date |
| Greatest Hits Live § |
2000 |
| VH-1 Bands Reunited Uncut |
2003 |
| Live in the Poppyfields ‡ |
27 Sept 2004 |
| Rock and Roll Circus ‡ |
2004 |
| Spirit of '86 |
2007 |
| Gathering 2007 ¶ |
| Tactical Response ± |
2008 |
§ Released as The Alarm MM
‡ Released as The Alarm MMIV
¶ Released as The Alarm MMVII
± Released as The Alarm MMVIII
See also
References
External links
|
The Alarm |
|
| Mike Peters · Eddie MacDonald · Dave Sharp · Nigel Twist |
|
| Managers |
Ian Wilson
|
|
| Albums |
|
|
| Welsh Albums |
|
|
| Live albums |
Electric Folklore Live • Live at the Hammersmith Palais 1984 • King Biscuit Flower Hour Radio Show • Blaze of Glory • Sound and the Fury
|
|
| Compilations |
Compact Hits • Standards • The Best of The Alarm and Mike Peters • 68 Guns • The Collection
|
|
| EPs |
|
|
| Promos |
Curtain Call
|
|
| Demos |
|
|
| Singles |
Unsafe Building • Marching On • The Stand • 68 Guns • Where were you Hiding when the Storm Broke? • The Deceiver • The Chant has just Begun • Absolute Reality • Strength • Spirit of '76 • Knife Edge • Rain in the Summertime • Rescue Me • Presence of Love • Sold me Down the River • A New South Wales/The Rock • Love don't Come Easy • Raw • 45 RPM • A New Home New Life • Close • Superchannel • Rain Down
|
|
| DVD Audio |
From the Front Row Live
|
|
| Videos |
Spirit of '86 • Change EP • Blaze of Glory
|
|
