Sun Dial

Sun Dial (occasionally spelled Sundial) is a British space rock band formed in 1990 by Gary Ramon.

History

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The precursor to Sun Dial was Ramon's the Modern Art, formed in the mid-'80s with a loose lineup that never played gigs but did see the release of two studio albums. Ramon disbanded the group out of a desire "to make a more live-sounding group that could go out and play".^{[cite this quote]}

The band gained prominence after the release of their first album, Other Way Out, which quickly sold out its initial run through word of mouth alone.^{[citation needed]} The album was near-universally praised in the independent music press,^{[citation needed]} winning several awards and accolades.^{[citation needed]} However, the album saw little popularity among mainstream critics and radio stations as their authentic '60s psychedelic sound was out of fashion at the time.^{[original research?]} Other Way Out remains popular to this day in the psychedelic and progressive rock communities,^{[citation needed]} and has gone through eight reissues since its original release.^{[citation needed]}

Subsequent albums have explored many branches of psychedelia, including space rock, acid rock, stoner rock, neo-psychedelia, and psych pop. Their music has been compared to, influenced, or praised by prominent artists such as Monster Magnet, Nirvana, Spiritualized, and Spacemen 3.^{[citation needed]} Sun Dial in turn were influenced by the '60s and '70s psychedelia and hard rock of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Stooges , Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, as well as the drug-influenced "Madchester" sound of the Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, and Happy Mondays.^{[citation needed]}

After the 1996 live album Live Drug, Ramon took Sun Dial on an extended hiatus and devoted his time to producing records by other bands, including Chemical, and Fantasyy Factoryy.^{[citation needed]} Many of these records were released on Ramon's own Acme label. During this time Ramon also worked with Coil and Current93 and released Quad, a solo project exploring ambient electronica and kraut rock. Sun Dial reconvened for a live performance in December 2002 and released their next album, Zen For Sale, a few months thereafter.

Sun Dial are now due to return in 2010 with a brand new studio album, thought to be musically much heavier than before - perhaps more influenced by early 1990s Seattle than late 60s psychedelia. The self-titled album is due out in the spring as part of a major Sun Dial reissue campaign via Shrunken Head, their own imprint with Cherry Red. Prior to that, Shrunken Head release a 20th anniversary 2-CD anthology, Processed For DNA.

Members

As with fellow psych rocker Nick Saloman's The Bevis Frond, Sun Dial has always been an instrument of its frontman Gary Ramon;^{[citation needed]} the band's lineup tends to change from album to album. The most stable lineups include the following:

• 1990 (Other Way Out)
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • Anthony Clough (bass guitar/keyboards)
  • David Morgan (drums/percussion)

• 1991 (Return Journey)
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • Anthony Clough (keyboards)
  • John Pelech (drums)

• 1991
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • Anthony Clough (keyboards)
  • John Pelech (drums)
  • Nigel Carpenter (bass guitar)
  • Chris Dalley (guitar/backing vocals)

• 1991–1992 (Reflecter)
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • John Pelech (drums)
  • Nigel Carpenter (bass guitar)
  • Chris Dalley (guitar/backing vocals)

• 1993 (Libertine)
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals/drums)
  • Nigel Carpenter (bass guitar)
  • Chris Dalley (guitar/backing vocals)
  • Craig Adrienne (drums/backing vocals)

• 1994–1996 (Acid Yantra, Live Drug)
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • Craig Adrienne (drums/backing vocals)
  • Jake Honeywill (bass guitar)

• 2002 (Zen for Sale)
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • Joolie Woods (keyboards/violin/flute)
  • Peter Dunton (drums)
  • Lee Moon (bass guitar)

• 2003
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
  • Russell Barrett (bass guitar)
  • Angelo Pantaleo (drums)

• 2008
  • Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals/drums)
  • Russell Barrett (bass guitar/percussion)

Discography

Sun Dial are noted for releasing limited-edition albums and singles on independent labels.  The discs (often printed on vinyl only) become highly sought-after by collectors.^{[citation needed]}

Albums

• Other Way Out — Tangerine Records (1990); Dutch East India Trading Company (1991); UFO Records (1991); Acme Records (1994, 1996, 2003); Gallium Arsenide (1996); Lava (1997); Relapse Records (2006)
• Reflecter — UFO Records (1992); Dutch East India Trading Company (1992); Midi Inc. (1992)
• Libertine — Beggars Banquet Records (1994); CD/MC (1994); Atlantic Records (1993)
• Return Journey — Acme Records (1994); Gallium Arsenide (1996); Relapse Records (2006)
• Acid Yantra — Beggars Banquet Records (1995); Acme Records (1995, 2007)
• Live Drug — Acme Records (1996)
• Zen For Sale — Acme Records (2003); Headspin (2003)
• Shards Of God — Acme Records (2007)
• Libertine - Deprogrammed — Acme Records (2007)

Singles

• Exploding in your Mind — 12", Tangerine Records (1990)
• Visitation — 7", (1991)
• Exploding in your Mind — one-sided 12", UFO Records (1991)
• Fireball — 7", UFO Records (1991)
• Reflecter — CD, UFO Records (1992)
• Fazer — 12", UFO Records (1992)
• Fazer remix — 12", UFO Records (1992)
• Going Down — 7"/CD, Beggars Banquet Records (1993)
• Bad Drug — 7", Beggars Banquet Records (1995)
• Apollo — 7", Munster (1995)
• Ghost Machine — 7", Distortions (1997)
• Out of Space Out of Time — 7", Ace of Discs (2002)
• Free Sitar — 7", Acme Records (2002)

EPs

• Overspill (12"/CD, UFO Records, 1991)
• Fazer (12"/CD, UFO Records, 1992)

Videos

• Fireball (UFO Records, 1991)
• Going Down (Beggars Banquet Records, 1994)
• Bad Drug (Beggars Banquet Records, 1995)

See also

• The Modern Art
• Quad
• Acme Records

External links

• Sun Dial official website
• official webspace
• official webspace
• AllMusic Guide entry for Sun Dial
• Psychotropic Zone interview with Gary Ramon
• Aural Innovations interview with Gary Ramon
• Nick Bensen interview with Gary Ramon