Army of Lovers
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Army of Lovers
- Genres: Rock
Biography
The flamboyant multicultural Swedish dance-pop group Army of Lovers formed in 1987, the brainchild of composer and producer Alexander Bard. Five years earlier Bard first emerged as a member of the short-lived trio Baard, best known for the single "Life in a Goldfish Bowl." In 1985 -- in drag, no less -- he led Barbie, a band also comprised of hairdresser Jean-Pierre Barda (alias Farouk), Yazmina Chantal, and model Camilla Henemark (aka Katanga); two years later, Bard, Barda, and Henemark (now performing under the name La Camilla) founded Army of Lovers, taking the name in honor of the 1970s cult movie Armee der Liebenden.With the aid of designer and stylist Camilla Thulin, the group created an outrageously campy image, the bandmembers' wardrobe drawing heavily on religious imagery while also referencing history and folklore. Army of Lovers debuted in 1988 with the single "When the Night Is Cold," followed by the more dance-minded "Love Me Like a Loaded Gun." After scoring a 1989 hit with "Supernatural," the following year they issued their debut LP, Disco Extravaganza (issued in the U.S. as Army of Lovers). Released in 1991, Massive Luxury Overdose, recorded with producer Anders Wollbeck, was their breakthrough; in tandem with a pair of lurid videos, the singles "Crucified" and "Obsession" became club hits, and Army of Lovers became major stars in their native Scandinavia and throughout Eastern Europe.
In the wake of the record's success, however, La Camilla was fired and replaced by model and school teacher Michaela Dornonville de la Cour, who debuted on the single "Judgment Day." After recording music for the soundtrack to the film Ha Ett Underbart Liv, Army of Lovers recruited former phone-sex operator Dominika Peczynski and released 1993's The Gods of Earth and Heaven; the single "Israelism" became the subject of considerable controversy when it was accused of mocking Jewish culture, but ironically rose to the number one spot on the Israeli pop charts. After 1994's Glory Glamour and Gold, de la Cour exited, paving the way for the return of La Camilla prior to the release of 1996's Les Greatest Hits. With Army of Lovers on hiatus, Bard formed a new group, Vacuum, and issued 1997's The Plutonium Cathedral; La Camilla, meanwhile, mounted a solo career. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Army of Lovers
For the song by Lee Ryan, see Army of Lovers (song).
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This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please help to ensure that disputed facts are reliably sourced. See the relevant discussion on the talk page. (December 2010) |
| Army of Lovers | |
|---|---|
 Army of Lovers, 1991. L-R: Jean-Pierre Barda, Camilla Henemark, and Alexander Bard |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | Eurodance |
| Years active | 1987–2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011 |
| Labels | Stockholm Records Giant Records (US) Reprise Records (US) Polydor Records (UK) |
| Associated acts | Bodies Without Organs, Vacuum, Nouveau Riche, Alcazar |
| Past members | |
| Alexander Bard (1987-2009) Jean-Pierre Barda (1987-2009) Dominika Peczynski (1992-2009) Camilla Henemark (1987-1991, 1995-2001) Michaela Dornonville de la Cour (1991-1995) |
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Army of Lovers are a Swedish dance music group formed in 1987.
The name of the band alludes to a documentary Armee der Liebenden oder Revolte der Perversen[1] about the German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Theban Band.
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Contents
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History
The founding members, who had all worked together in a band called Barbie, were Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and Camilla Henemark (aka La Camilla).
Army of Lovers had many Top 10 hits on the Eurochart, the biggest being "Crucified", which was one of the biggest selling European singles of 1991, and stayed at #1 on the Eurochart for eight consecutive weeks. Their total album sales were seven million copies worldwide.[2]
While Alexander Bard was the "brain" behind the band, Jean-Pierre Barda was the lead vocalist on hits such as "Crucified" and "Israelism". Bard and Barda were the only two band members who were present throughout all of the band's various line-ups. When La Camilla left the band in 1991, she was replaced by Michaela Dornonville de la Cour. In 1993, Dominika Peczynski joined, making the band a four-piece. In 1995, Dornoville de la Cour left and Henemark returned.
Although both "Obsession" and "Sexual Revolution" reached the top spot of the Eurocharts, their presence in the US and the UK was limited to club chart successes (though "Crucified" reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1992).[3] They released five studio albums, made over twenty music videos, and became successful across Eastern Europe before Bard disbanded the group to concentrate on his new group Vacuum in 1996. The band reformed briefly in 2001.
They also joined forces again in 2007 for two shows, one at G-A-Y in London and one in Moscow. Bard, Peczyniski and Barda were present, but Henemark was replaced by an inflatable doll.
During their time together, Army Of Lovers became famous for their outlandish visual appearance (many of their costumes were created by Camilla Thulin), and their high camp music videos directed by Fredrik Boklund (some of which were banned by MTV).
Two members of Army Of Lovers (La Camilla and Dominika) reunited in June 2011 with the release of new single Don't Try to Steal My Limelight, on which they are guests, by Swedish drag artist and blogger Miss Inga.[4]
Members
- Alexander Bard
- Jean-Pierre Barda
- Michaela Dornonville de la Cour
- Dominika Peczynski
- Camilla Henemark
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Official band releases | ||
| 1990 | Disco Extravaganza | Issued in the U.S. as Army of Lovers |
| 1991 | Massive Luxury Overdose | |
| 1993 | The Gods of Earth and Heaven | |
| 1994 | Glory, Glamour and Gold | |
| 1995 | Les Greatest Hits | Hits compilation album |
| 2001 | Le Grand Docu-Soap | Hits compilation album |
| Le Remixed Docu-Soap | Remix album | |
| Other compilations | ||
| 1997 | Master Series 88-96 | Hits compilation album |
| 2004 | 14 Klassiker | Hits compilation album |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER | AUT | SWI | FRA | SWE | FIN | UK [3] |
U.S. Dance |
|||
| 1988 | "When the Night Is cold" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Single only, later released on Master Series |
| "Love Me Like a Loaded Gun" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Disco Extravaganza | |
| 1989 | "Baby's Got a Neutron Bomb" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1990 | "Ride the Bullet" (remix) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "My Army of Lovers" | — | — | — | — | 9 | - | — | — | ||
| "Supernatural" (re-recorded version) | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "Crucified" | 5 | 9 | 6 | 22 | 8 | — | 47 | 6 | Massive Luxury Overdose |
| "Obsession" | 7 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 67 | 11 | ||
| "Candyman Messiah" (remix) | — | — | — | — | 22 | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Crucified" (re-issue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | |
| "Ride the Bullet" | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | 67 | — | ||
| "Crucified" / "Ride The Bullet" (re-recorded version) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Ride the Bullet" (re-recorded version) / "Love Me Like a Loaded Gun" (re-recorded version) | 22 | 4 | 40 | - | 32 | 6 | 67 | — | ||
| "Judgment Day" | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Gods of Earth and Heaven | |
| 1993 | "Israelism" | 32 | — | 36 | — | 10 | 5 | — | — | |
| "La Plage de Saint Tropez" | 87 | — | — | - | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I Am" | — | — | — | - | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | "Lit de Parade" (remix) | 84 | — | — | - | 13 | 12 | — | — | Glory, Glamour and Gold |
| "Sexual Revolution" (remix) | — | — | — | - | — | 15 | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Life Is Fantastic" (remix) | — | — | — | - | — | — | — | — | |
| "Give My Life" | — | — | — | - | 6 | — | 135 | — | Les Greatest Hits | |
| 1996 | "Venus and Mars" / "Megamix" | — | — | — | - | 30 | — | — | — | |
| "King Midas" | — | — | — | - | 31 | — | — | — | ||
| 2001 | "Let the Sunshine In" | — | — | — | - | 24 | — | — | — | Le Grand Docu-Soap |
| "Hands Up" | — | — | — | - | 44 | — | — | — | ||
- Other recordings
- 1992 - "Hasta Mañana" - from the 1992 Swedish compilation ABBA - The Tribute. This cover was also included on the 1999 album ABBA: A Tribute - The 25th Anniversary Celebration.
Videos and DVDs
- Videovaganza 1990-1993 (VHS, 1993)
- Hurrah Hurrah Apocalypse - The Definitive Video Collection (DVD, 2005)
Promotional videos
- 1988 "When the Night Is Cold"
- 1990 "Ride the Bullet" (with La Camilla)
- 1990 "My Army of Lovers"
- 1991 "Crucified" (with La Camilla)
- 1991 "Obsession" (with La Camilla)
- 1991 "Candyman Messiah" (with Michaela miming to LaCamillas voice)
- 1992 "Ride the Bullet" (with Michaela)
- 1992 "Obsession" (with Michaela)
- 1992 "Judgment Day"
- 1993 "Israelism"
- 1993 "La Plage de Saint Tropez"
- 1993 "Sons of Lucy"
- 1993 "I Am"
- 1994 "Lit de Parade"
- 1994 "Sexual Revolution"
- 1995 "Give My Life"
- 1996 "King Midas"
- 2001 "Let the Sunshine In"
- 2001 "Hands Up"
See also
References
- ^ IMDb Entry
- ^ Armyoflovers.net
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 29. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Exklusivt: 90-talsikonernas comeback | Nöjesbladet | Webbtv | Aftonbladet". Aftonbladet.se. http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/noje/article13263464.ab. Retrieved 2012-05-01.
External links
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists
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Mentioned in
Gods of Earth and Heaven
(1993 Album by Army of Lovers)
Les Army of Lovers Greatest Hits
(1995 Album by Army of Lovers)
Army of Lovers
(Rock Band, '90s)
Eric Kupper
(Electronica Artist, '90s, 2000s)
Bodies Without Organs
(Rock Band, 2000s)
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