Rosetta Stone were a British rock band formed in the mid 1980s by Porl King (guitar/vocals/keyboards) and Karl North (bass), plus their drum machine and synthesiser rack nicknamed "Madame Razor".
The band were named after the Rosetta Stone, an Egyptian historical artifact, and the band used much ancient mythological imagery, especially in their earlier work.
Their early style and first album reflected the jangly-guitar sounds of 1980s gothic rock, and their first big break came after live gigs supporting the then already well-established band The Mission.
History
After playing live gigs locally and then nationally from 1988 onwards and releasing several independently-produced singles to increasing popularity, Rosetta Stone recorded their first full-length album, An Eye for the Main Chance, releasing it in 1991. They also recruited Porl Young as a second guitarist and toured extensively to promote the album.
Following on from this, the band released their most successful single, the 12" Adrenaline. Porl Young subsequently left the band to produce Children on Stun whilst Porl King and Karl North released a cover version of The Rattles' 1970 hit "The Witch" which took the band into the UK top 40 singles chart.
The band went on to sign a US record and distribution deal with Cleopatra Records who released much of their early cassette and vinyl singles and EPs in 1993 as an album under the title Foundation Stones, and a CD album Adrenaline which, along with the title track, also featuring earlier singles such as "An Eye for the Main Chance" and "The Witch". In the UK they released a CD album (on Minority One) entitled On The Side Of Angels, compiling previous vinyl singles and their various remixes.
Using the advance money for 1995's The Tyranny of Inaction Porl King purchased an Alesis ADAT multi-track digital recorder, the use of which substantially changed Rosetta Stone's sound. That album and most subsequent work featured a much more industrial/electronic sound, with extensive use of sampling.[citation needed]
Following an accident in late 1997, Porl King lost part of his left little finger, which changed his guitar style considerably.[citation needed]
The band split in 1998 after releasing "Chemical Emissions" and a radical remix of "Tyranny" as a limited release CD gENDER cONFUSION and playing a final headlining live performance at the Whitby Gothic Weekend festival in October that year. Karl North went on to join the already-established UK band, the Dream Disciples (their next album Asphyxia notably featuring Karl's Rosetta-sounding bass), and their subsequent live performances attracted much of Rosetta Stone's most ardent UK fanbase.
Porl King produced one more album (contractually) of 80s new romantic cover versions under the name Rosetta Stone for Cleopatra Records. He then went on to be a remixer and producer, working for the likes of the Mercury Music Award -nominated Elbow and the Fluke side-project Syntax.
Current status
Porl King is currently writing and producing his own music again, under the name miserylab.
The Dream Disciples have remained in hiatus/inactive since their performance at Whitby Gothic Weekend in April 2004.
Porl Young was resident DJ at Heaven in London. He is co-owner of the Tuff Twins label, and has produced and mixed several club tunes.
Fanbase
Rosetta Stone were one of the biggest names in the 1990s UK goth live circuit, due both to frequent and extensive early touring and to the successful independent promotion and sales of their records. Porl King was one of the few well-known goth musicians to contribute actively to online discussions with fans, for example on Usenet's uk.people.gothic newsgroup. This dedication and successive tours and live appearances gained them a solid fanbase - the most loyal followers became known as "Quarriers".
Discography
Studio albums
- An Eye for the Main Chance (1991)
- The Tyranny of Inaction (1995, revised later that year with normalisation)
- Chemical Emissions (1998, also includes new hidden bonus track "Plastic Toy")
- Unerotica (2000, US-exclusive release with reformatted 80s Audio and cover versions of New Romantic classics)
Live albums
- Under the Rose (1991, cassette only bootleg, re-released as a CDr in 1997)
Compilation albums
- Adrenaline (1992, US-exclusive compilation of singles and remixes)
- On the Side of Angels (1993, UK-exclusive compilation of singles)
- Foundation Stones (1993, US-exclusive compilation of early material)
- Epitome (1993 EP, compilation of "Adrenaline" and "The Witch" remixes)
Singles/EPs
- "Darkness and Light" (1990)
- "Leave Me for Dead" (1991)
- "An Eye for The Main Chance" (1991)
- "Adrenaline" (1991)
- "The Witch" (1992)
- "Nothing" (1995)
- "Hiding in Waiting" (1996, EP that is occasionally considered an album)
Demos / Fan Club Releases
- Recreate and Emulate (1988, cassette only)
- Whispers (1988, cassette only)
- Chapter and Verse (1988, cassette only)
- Retribution (1989, cassette only)
- And How They Rejoice (1989, cassette only)
- Gender Confusion (1998, CD, limited edition of 500, remixes from Tyranny of Inaction)
References
External links
