Ultrasound

Ultrasound were a British indie band who were active in the late 1990s. Although the band's focal point (in particular for reviewers) was their tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and bass player/second singer Vanessa Best.

History

Origins (Sleepy People, Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal)

Three-fifths of Ultrasound originally met at Wakefield College, Yorkshire, England in 1989. Andrew "Tiny" Wood (a mature student) and Richard Green (a 16-year-old classical cellist) met on the Popular and Commercial Music course, where they also befriended Andy Peace. Moving on to a music degree course in Newcastle, they encountered future bass player Vanessa Best.^[1]

Following a succession of brief-lived bands, Wood, Green and Peace teamed up with guitarist and songwriter Paul Hope, an old ally and bandmate of Wood's who'd worked with him in a band called Step TLV. Joined by Hope's flute-playing wife Rachel Theresa, the four put together a psychedelic rock band called Sleepy People. For the next two years the band toured around the UK playing in various small venues around the UK and gaining underground attention. Wood, Green and Peace all appear on Sleepy People's 1994 cassette album Blunt Nails In A Sharp Wall (originally a cassette release, but reissued in 1999 on Org Records).

Wood and Green left Sleepy People in 1995, taking keyboard player Pete Haslam with them. They also reconnected with Peace (who'd left the band some time previously). Moving to London, they formed a new progressive/art-rock band called Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal, which began earning underground attention (in particular after supporting cult band Cardiacs). At this point, Green played bass (as he had in Sleepy People) and Wood doubled on guitar and harmonium as well as lead vocals. The band released a self-titled cassette EP on Org Records in 1995, but did not prosper. Tiny was later to comment "Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal had a bit too much prog-rock about it."^[2]

Vanessa Best (who'd moved to London and was singing back-up vocals in a George Michael tribute band^[3] ) was then added to the Pop-A-Cat-A-Petal line-up as bass player, with Green moving to lead guitar. With the subsequent departure of Haslam, the band began to reduce their more obvious progressive rock influences in favour of a stronger element of 1970s glam rock and a more pronounced "indie" outlook. The band changed their name to Ultrasound at around the same time.

Same band single and record deal

Following a year of struggling to keep going, Ultrasound released their first single "Same Band" on Fierce Panda in 1997. It brought them some favourable press in NME, who described it as "(sounding) like The Who's Tommy - in its entirety - squeezed into four-and-a-half minutes... utterly heroic and bizarrely, by some distance, their most understated moment."^[4]

This led to the band performing in the NME-sponsored Unsigned Showcase event, which in turn led them to a deal with Nude Records following a bidding war between various labels excited by the band's powerful live presence.^[5] At around this time, Matt Jones was brought into the band on keyboards to expand the sound.

1998 - the year of ascendancy

With Nude's promotional strength now behind them, Ultrasound began to ascend the ranks of British indie bands. The band's first two singles for Nude - "Best Wishes". The follow-up "Stay Young" cited Gary Glitter (just as he returned to the news) and reached number 30 in the charts ) - followed in 1998. The band received some very favourable reviews (most notably for their 1998 Glastonbury Festival performance) and began to build a growing fanbase.

Ultrasound rapidly began to gain attention due to being perceived by both press and public as a band of self-confessed outsiders with an image unusual for successful pop stars. The band were often compared with Pulp, Radiohead and the Manic Street Preachers, which enabled them to attract some of the typically devoted fans of both of these bands. Tiny Wood became an unlikely music-press pin-up, flaunting aspects of his image which would generally have been considered weaknesses. These included his age (he was already in his 30s when Ultrasound began gaining attention), his obese physique and his love of 1970s British progressive rock (something of a taboo in the British indie-music press at the time).

The band compounded their 1998 success by playing a string of music festival dates, culminating in a critically acclaimed performance at the Glastonbury Festival during a torrential downpour.^[6]

One more single followed in October 1998 - I'll Show You Mine (allegedly about a relationship gone sour^[7]) - and the band toured with the similarly glamorous Placebo.

Everything Picture

During 1998, Ultrasound had been hard at work in the studio in between live commitments, attempting to record their debut album Everything Picture. Rumours began to build that - in keeping with the band's taste for old-school progressive rock - the album would be a double album, possibly even a triple album.

The band released their fifth single, "Floodlit World" (a rerecording of an anthemic B-side from the original "Same Band" single) in March 1999. It was both a Melody Maker Single Of The Week and a modest chart success (reaching number 39).^[8]

Everything Picture was released on April 19, 1999. As promised, it was a double CD - or triple vinyl - album. However, the album received poor reviews for its great length and alleged lack of focus, indicating that Ultrasound's rapid rise might be faltering already. The album reached number 23 in the album charts^[9] - a considerably lower position than the initial hype had suggested it would attain.

Nonetheless, Ultrasound maintained their high media profile via a guest appearance at London Fashion Week, at which Tiny contributed to the Red Or Dead fashion house display by posing as a model and flashing his substantial stomach (on which the word "Unique" had been scrawled in makeup). This particular opportunity gained an appearance on the front page of The Independent newspaper. Not to be outdone, Peace and Jones carried out a naked catwalk streak, which was captured on live TV.^[10]

Tensions and split

During the summer, the band cancelled a set of crucial live dates during the festival season, including an important show at the T in the Park festival in Scotland (although they did fit in a second Glastonbury appearance. Their claims that they were too busy working on their second album were followed by growing rumours of tensions in the band reaching breaking point.

Album track "Aire & Calder" was selected as the next single, although the band clashed with record label Nude regarding the editing of the track for radioplay.^[11] However, the single was not the hit both parties had hoped for - by now, a significant percentage of Ultrasound's fanbase was starting to lose interest following the over-extended debut album and long periods in the studio.

Inside the studio, the rumours of insurmountable tensions within the band turned out to be true, and culminated in Richard Green walking out of the band. Ultrasound officially split up on October 12, 1999.

Tiny Wood returned to Newcastle and briefly attempted to reform Ultrasound with a new line up including drummer Paul Boundey, Andy Taylor, ex-Sleepy People bassist Bill "Cowboy" Bailey, and keyboardist Carlie (Andy Peace was apparently also involved at an early stage). The new version of Ultrasound performed their live debut at the Newcastle Arts Centre in the spring of 2000. Although they went on to play a few more concerts in small venues (and allegedly made some recordings)^[12], they were not accepted as a continuation of the band and did not survive for very long.

After Ultrasound

Following the collapse of his attempt to reform Ultrasound, Tiny Wood formed a new band called Siren with Paul Boundey and Jessica Harrison. The band has continued (with varying lineups) and gigged throughout the Newcastle area and in London between 2002 and 2005. Siren has recorded an array of material and played at a Smiths tribute in Newcastle in Spring 2006. Tiny also took on the role of lead singer in Blue Apple Boy (featuring his former Sleepy People bandmates) and performed on their debut album Salient (Soma Sound, 2002).

Richard Green settled in Leeds and formed The Somatics, who have released two albums. He too contributed to Blue Apple Boy's Salient (providing a noise-guitar solo.

Matt Jones went on to form Minuteman.

Having made several solo demos but failed to secure a solo deal, Vanessa Best became a music teacher in East London.

Discography

Albums

• Everything Picture (1999)

Cross My Heart/Same Band/Stay Young/Suckle/Fame Thing/Happy Times (Are Coming)//Aire & Calder/Sentimental Song/Floodlit World/My Impossible Dream/Everything Picture/Best Wishes [piano version - hidden track]

Singles

• "Same Band" (1997)

Same Band/Floodlit World/Over There

• "Best Wishes" (1998)

Best Wishes/Kurt Russell/Black Hole

• "Stay Young" (1998)

CD1: Stay Young/Underwater Love Story/Can't Say No CD2: Stay Young/Football Meat/Hey Hey, My My

• "I'll Show You Mine" (1998)

I'll Show You Mine/One plus One/Final Solution/Lovesick/I'll Show You Mine

• "Floodlit World" (1998)

CD1: Floodlit World/Getting Better/Death of a Drag Racer CD2: Floodlit World/We Will Find Love [demo]/I'll Show You Mine [video]

• "Aire & Calder" (1999)

Aire & Calder/Goodbye 25/Valencia

EPs

• "Mayflower" (USA, 1999)

Stay Young/Best Wishes/Kurt Russell/Underwater Love Story/Can't Say No

[This EP also released in Europe as "Ultrasound Sing Five Songs for Europe"]

References

External links

[Ultrasound fansite 'Floodlit World']