finetune artist: Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

This post-punk gothic band formed in Leeds, England, in July 1982, making their debut with "Take It All Away". The line-up consisted of Chris Reed (vocals, rhythm guitar), Wolfie (b. Dane Wolfenden; lead guitar, replacing Martin Fagen), Paul Southern (bass; replacing Steve Smith) and Mick Brown (drums). Their debut album, Talk About The Weather, included "Hollow Eyes", which proved popular in gothic circles following its regular airing on BBC disc jockey John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. The album was an intoxicating mix of musical aggression and lyrical minimalism ("It was a strange dream/He stood and stared/Those shining faces/Those darkened eyes/And alone he ran/Alone he ran", comprised the entire lyrical scope of "Strange Dream"). After seven singles on Red Rhino the band moved on to Beggars Banquet Records subsidiary Situation 2. The line-up shuffled once again, with Chris Oldroyd and Leon Phillips replacing Southern and Brown. By this time their material had been revitalized by a broader approach to songwriting: "People are surprised to find that we have a sense of humour. We do see the irony of things in life," commented Reed. "Only Dreaming" (1988) attested to this, being their first ballad. Wolfie left after eight years with the band, and his replacement was Gary Weight, alongside bass player Martin Scott, while former drummer Mick Brown had found better times with the Mission. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry's Smashed Hits compilation was finally reissued on CD by Dojo Records in 1995 and remains the best testament to their abilities, featuring as it does several excellent singles such as "Monkey's On Juice", "He's Read" and "Chance".

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Hand On Heart