"Jeopardy" and "From the Lion's Mouth" are two of the greatest albums ever recorded. The Sound was BRILLIANT - and they're criminally under-known and underrated by modern critics. Those first two albums are masterpieces, with not one, single filler track. It kills me that so few people know about them. Thanks for helping to spread the word. Borland should be thought of in the same breath as the best songwriters of the 80's. His gift for melodic structure in post-punk and his grasp of tension, pre-choruses, his lyrics - it's just incredible music with a very rare power. How they never broke through in the U.S. at the time in a major way has always baffled me.
The Sound, along with Chameleons and maybe Cosmat Angels are that sweet spot between the bleak beautiful angst of Joy Division and the more epic post punk of U2 and early Waterboys. It is the most beautiful sub sub genre I ever heard.
Good review of the band. Appreciate it. I was their manager, put out their 1st single on my label and recorded 'Jeopardy' and stayed with them through 'From The Lions Mouth'.... i'd known Adrian since he was 14.... one of the best live bands Ive ever seen.... and im still working in music now. Glad to see them getting some very delayed recognition... what a band. Miss You Adrian.
Hace unos días se cumplieron 25 años de su trágica muerte.. nos sigue haciendo felices con sus canciones. Saludos desde Argentina, soy fan del sonido postpunk de bandas como The Sound y The Chameleons, entre otras..
Hi Stephen. Love The Sound. Discovered them some years back through Adrian and Colvin's links with Tim Smith and Cardiacs. Been a massive Cardiacs fan for 35 odd years and just before that was a huge Dead Kennedys fan and was amazed to discover there was a link. Do you have any recollections to share about Adrian's involvement with The Witch Trials recording with Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray? RIP Adrian and Tim.
I put out the Cardiacs first single (after the Sounds 1st ep) on my Tortch label. The Sound and the Dk’s did a show together at the Moonlight Club I think which is where they met. I remember the session happening but not the details now
The Sound is undoubtedly my favorite band of all time, and I think Adrian's legacy is monumental. Firmly cemented as a cult band, I've taken to referring to fans of The Sound as "we lucky few." I've yet to meet anyone in person who has known about the band prior to my meeting them, though I reckon if I did, it'd be enough to instantly become friends based on that common ground alone. Adrian's work is so deeply affecting and personal. At times both miserable and depressing, but with a tangible sense of hope throughout it all. Even at his most tormented, I feel Adrian possessed a passion for music and a genuine love of life, it makes his death sting that much more. I write this comment on April 22nd, 2022. Four days from now, Adrian will have been gone for 23 years. Sorely missed, never forgotten! Rest easy, Ade. Miss you with all my heart.
Funnily enough, I discovered The Sound in 2015 when You Tube’s great algorithm played them right after The Chameleons. It was one of those moments where you stop what you’re doing, sit up, and think “I like this!” I fell instantly in love and bought all their albums right away. I was actually a bit annoyed that this amazing music had been kept from me for so long, considering it was the best I’d ever heard! They’re my favourite band ever and literally changed my life!
...the guitarist in my band at the time gave me a tape with the live albums by The Sound and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and I was blown away. Was also very fortunate to see The Sound live when they opened for Fisher-Z here in Munich...
Great to see The Sound flag being flown high - impeccable taste from this channel once again. I first discovered them circa 2005, slightly troubled and unemployed in Tooting Broadway after a big life change. I was already a huge Chameleons fan and had seen The Sound listed on AllMusic as a "similar artist". I eventually came across "From The Lion's Mouth" on CD in HMV and snapped it up. From the first minute of "Winning" I knew I'd uncovered something really special. There began a love affair with one of Britain's truly great lost bands. All their records are great, including All Fall Down, Shock of Daylight and the ridiculously under rated pop rock/ stadium goth masterpiece Thunder Up. Their story is heartbreaking and final, but the music remains impermanent. Adrian Borland's vocal passion, skipping guitar licks and ear for a redemptive melody were second to none. As you say, they honestly should have been huge.
They came up on Spotify when I was going down the New Wave wormhole, and they immediately connected with me. Now they’re one of my favorite bands. Damn shame Adrian is no longer with us. Great lyricist and musician
Hey. The best "potted" history of the band that I've heard! Completely accurate. I'd like to draw people's attention to the current source of "All things Adrian". Just enter Stichting Opposite Direction into your search engine. There you'll find a recent release of live album "Will and Testament" and "Starlight" - compiled from lately found tapes. Yes, I'm still (sometimes quite literally with my occasional band "IN2THESOUND") banging the drum for Adrian. All the best and thanks.
I’m from Canada, raised in french.... I was 14 when I discovered them, with their incredible album What does anything mean, couldn’t understand the lyrics but still fell in for their energy . And then,I started translating their lyrics and it just grew! And I still listen to them on a regular basis!
I’ve just seen this video pop up on my Facebook feed. I first became aware of The Sound after “Heartland” was rated as “single of the week” in either Sounds or Melody Maker (most likely the former). I went out and bought the single from a local record shop, I fell in love with the band, and the rest is history. Also, by a strange quirk of fate, my family moved to Wimbledon in 1976, following an application from my father (who worked for Wandsworth Borough Council at the time, and thus received preferential treatment in being allocated a nice house close to Wimbledon Common). A few years after that move, and with The Sound on my list of favourite bands, I walked into one of my local Wimbledon pubs and saw Adrian Borland propping up the bar. Normally shy and introverted, I plucked up the courage to speak with him, and he came across as a friendly, approachable and intelligent human being. He was to become a personal friend of mine, and we shared some great times together, including a holiday in Crete in 1992 with another mutual friend of ours. There were dark times too, when his illness became all too real to ignore. I visited him at a mental hospital, accompanied by his mother, after one of his failed suicide attempts, which proved to be quite awkward at times. The cult following which existed in Adrian’s lifetime, is still very much alive and kicking, and tribute events celebrating Adrian and The Sound’s music have resulted in me connecting with more likeminded souls. It’s such a shame that Adrian checked out just as the internet was in its infancy, because if he’d managed to have held on, he would have seen just how much people loved his music, and it would have also given him a new lease of life. He also made some great solo albums (Beautiful Ammunition being the pick of the bunch), and teamed up with friends for the highly idiosyncratic but hugely entertaining Honolulu Mountain Daffodils project. Thank you for posting this video, I have now subscribed to your channel and look forward to enjoying further videos of this nature.
Thank you so much for for sharing. I just started listening to The Sound last month and have been thoroughly obsessed with From the Lions Mouth. Adrian joins Nick Drake on my list of extremely talented musicians who sadly and so tragically never got to see how loved they would become. For me it just highlights exactly how unfair life is at times and how much dumb luck plays into one's success.
Thank you for this tribute to The Sound and Adrian. Indeed the best kept secret of post punk. I've seen them live several times: Parkpop Den Haag, Paard van Troje Den Haag and No Nukes at Utrecht. Still some of the best performances I've ever seen.
Thank you to my teenage pal Ivan for introducing me to The Sound back in the day. Although they had little success in the UK, they fared better on mainland Europe where they had more of a following. I saw them at least a couple of times live (General Wolfe in Coventry & Birmingham Poly). A truly brilliant band who produced some fantastic albums. Can’t believe it’s 25 years since Adrian sadly passed.
I discovered The Sound spring of last year when I went on a search of unsung/under-appreciated ‘80s bands and came across “Total Recall” on a list of songs. Inexplicably, not only was that song not a hit, it wasn’t even a single! Your description of their music is spot on-a range of moods all underpinned by deft musicianship, energy, and engaging melodies. If I had to pick a Top 5, I’d probably go with some order of “Total Recall,” “Winning,” “Counting the Days,” “Acceleration Group,” and “Party of the Mind.”
my alltime favourite band since 1983 (i was a tennager at that time), it's curious the band got more sucess outside GB ( spain, netherlands, france, portugal, italy, etc) than in its own homeground. It's great to see british new generations finally give some justice and credit to one of their greatest 80's acts. Thanks for your video (y)
Really glad to find a video about this hidden gem of a band as I've noticed that such videos are sadly in short supply here in UA-cam. I remember first hearing about the Sound from a goth/post punk Facebook group I joined where someone very kindly made a post remembering Adrian Borland on an anniversary of his tragic demise. As I am a huge Joy Division fan, I naturally felt inclined to give the Sound a listen and I was immediately blown away as soon as I started listening to the album jeopardy. I remember thinking "wow yeah these guys do sound a lot like Joy Division but not an exact replica". Adrian Borland's personal demons and troubled state of mind felt so palpable and beautifully conveyed in these haunting songs I was listening to and I was so glad to have discovered one very niche egregiously underappreciated cult band that I knew about while others didn't. I'm so fucking glad to have discovered such a brilliant band who sadly remain largely undiscovered by many music fans to this day.
Great stuff! Massive Sound fan from back-in-the-day. I believe they were the best live band around at that time. Some fantastic sweaty nights in various venues around London in the early and mid-eighties. Such a tragic story with Adrian, but the music he and the band made together is eternal.
Thanks so much for this. The Sound were a bit special. I saw them at Bingley Hall Stafford. When they came on hardly anyone was taking any notice, by the time they finished their set, everyone had gravitated to the front of the stage and had been won over by Adrian's charismatic persona. He wore his heart on his sleeve and we all sensed it. Thank you for bringing them into the light.
I am a newcomer to The Sound having happened upon them in a list of five bands who were goth forerunners (which I found after falling down a John McGeoch rabbithole!) and I am amazed that they weren't massive at the time, I am now completely hooked and have them on repeat the whole time.
Thanks for the vid! What a great band. Heard them when i was a teenager. "Jeopardy" and "From Lion's.." made a big impact on me alongside with The Chameleons. Maybe because their music and lyrics were so about solitude and frustration that no bands of that era coludnt approach these senses so close. However, there also were Comsat Angels , which, unfortunately, i discovored much later. It would be great to hear about them too!
I heard them way back when I was in High School around 86 or 87, "Total Recall" was truly special to me at that time. Growing up in the Philippines and hearing underground tunes that were never given airplay by local radio, was truly the epitome of what we define as pure unadulterated sound. Fast forward it to 2022, I am glad that Spotify was showcasing their albums and that I love to hear more of their un-released works. Most especially the works that Adrian Borland made after "The Sound".
Check out Adrian's many side-projects and solo albums! His last, _5:00 AM_, was so positive and hopeful, it made his suicide even more devastating. Mark Burgess guested on the second White Rose Transmission album and sang a song Adrian wrote, "Digging For Water" and toured the album in Adrian's place after his death. Mark later wrote "Adrian B" in tribute to him.
Initially I started out as a Bunnyman fan in the early 80's along with Sad Lovers & Giants/Snake Corps/The Essence, then discovered the most obscure band I knew at the time The C.S. Angels by knowing one song THE CUTTING EDGE from an MTV 120 minutes video. Around 1997, when I discovered the internet, the first thing I did was look up the most obscure I knew The C.S. Angels and the one song THE CUTTING EDGE only to find out they were properly called The Comsat Angels. I immediately joined the listserve and from there I discovered the other two more obscure bands The Chameleons and The Sound. The rest is all history and musical heaven.
even years later your experience resonates with my own. i think i found The Chameleons first by doing post-punk searches, then The Comsat Angels and The Sound after I had purchased the category on the app SongPop and started to explore the genre/music style. even today as you alluded to, all three are among the more obscure groups from that era that put out multiple works, at least to an American.
Thank you for posting. First saw the Sound in 1982 and have every album. I have never been able to understand why The Sound (and The Chameleons) were not massive. Slightly different sound, but The Triffids are my third band of the early 80s who also never received the acclaim they deserved. But some parallels: Rest in Peace Adrian Borland and David McComb.
I found the sound a month ago, I’m 17 and my god I’m so obsessed with the ins and emotion and power of the music they created. I love the sound and have already became a OBSESSED fan. Thank you for this video they deserve so much more cultural respect and love
You nailed it. I had a similar experience: Stumbled upon the band, searched out more and more of their music, and the more I heard, the more I wanted to hear, and I became obsessed, too. Nothing wrong with that, though. The Sound and their music are definitely worthy of our obsession.
I came across The Sound because I am a desparate fan of The La's (who I know from Liam Gallagher mentioning Lee Mavers in an interview). Searching an online forum for more material of The La's, someone suggested Michael Head & The Strands as another great and underrated Merseyside band, leading me to explore Michael Head's work including The Pale Fountains and Shack. Checking out the Amazon reviews of one of their albums, some reviewer described them as a hidden gem, in one league with '''The Sound'', which I resorted to check out and got immediately hooked on their first two albums. That is how I find new music general: Listening to what the favourites say about their favourites, and what people like who like what I like, reading reviews and so on. What a find!
I found the Sound via The OGWT performance & quickly sought their albums & Adrian has been in my life ever since the best songwriter of my generation 🖤
The Sound are undoubtedly great- and underrated. An example- a friend Ryan Patterson went from Coliseum, a hardcore band to Fotocrime a dark new wave band, and people would say "Sisters of Mercy" as the influence, and he'd ask "Have you heard the Sound?" and it would confuse interviewers- they didn't even know that he meant the band! ( another influence for him Red Lorry Yellow Lorry might be a good subject for another video) I must admit, though- my primary feeling right now is jealousy- I've been trying to see that Adrian Borland doc for a few years now- where'd you see it?
Oh, and not that they have anything to do with The Sound- but I've been thinking about a lost 'micro-movement" in the mid 1980's- the 'Paisley Underground"- bands like The Dream Syndicate, Thin White Rope, Green on Red, True West, Game Theory, The Three O'clock, and Rain Parade- I'm thinking there might be a band or two in there who might qualify for your channel...
Hi Matt! Yeah, they've definitely got one of those names that can easily confuse and absolutely wasn't built for search engines (always thought the same about early 00s Leeds-based baggy-revivalists The Music). You can catch the Adrian Borland doc on Vimeo for $5.99: vimeo.com/ondemand/adrianborland
Thank you. Such a special band. Was lucky enough to meet Adrian - a kind yet clearly vulnerable man. His death hurts. Fave song: Total Recall. But you're spot on: Party Of My Mind is such a banger.
Counting the days, Missiles and Party of my mind are my personal fav's, but all albums have it, Love the sound and the chameleons the true 80's sound of post punk, greetings and salutaions from México!!!
just discovered this channel, from the Chameleons vid! those albums, and even more so, The Sound, were my 2000s college soundtrack (along with The Church!) First tshirt i ever made was for The Sound....its such a shame those reissues were super limited....The Sound perhaps gives Chams and company a strong run for tops "post punk" band of the era....RIP A.B.
I can't remember the exact cause-and-effect relationship between Wikipedia and UA-cam in my discovering them - it might be that I was looking up early British punk bands and found them through the Outsiders' Wikipedia page. So often with obscure bands, their Wikipedia bio will be perfunctory at best, but with The Sound there was this mine of information: there was so clearly a story there, and one I was shocked I hadn't known. Or it might have been following a UA-cam clickhole from some other postpunk act and getting arrested by the cover art of "From The Lion's Mouth". Either way, Contact the Fact was the first song of theirs I got obsessed with, but I think it was, as you said, their sheer conviction that kept me digging for more. I remember a live version of "Missiles" that shook me - Adrian's sincerity reminded me of watching a young Sting or Bono get fired up at the state of the world, and The Sound played as tightly and wrote songs as powerful as ever The Police or U2 did - which is high praise coming from me. What touches me is that he didn't give up when The Sound didn't get their due - I've only begun to scratch the surface of his career after the band ended. By the way, Mike Dudley is now performing The Sound's music with some pals, with a gig in Holland this month to mark the anniversary of Adrian's death. A biography just came out too - it's good to see that kind of deep engagement with their legacy.
The Sound is incredible. I discovered them about 5 years ago in college, and each year my love for them grows. Shock of Daylight is my favorite collection of tracks ever released, and all of their albums are great.
Heard "Winning" on Dutch indie radio programme, when i was still living at home, being 13/14 years old. It was such compelling music and lyrics, only a few years ago i could look up video's like these. And yes, i was a fan of Echo and the Bunnymen, too..
I've heard of this band, but I never listened to them until I checked out From the Lions Mouth tonight. It's pretty good, I will be listening to a lot more of them this week.
I used to record with my group at Elephant recording studios in Long Lane SE1 and we became friends with Nick Robbins who produced Jeopardy. WE all fell in love that band and followed them around in awe.
I just watched your video on The Chameleons my other favorite British band. These two bands shaped my guitar playing and writing. I've listened to their songs 100s of times over the last 40 years. But none of my current friends have ever heard of either of them. Party of my mind is one of my favorite songs of all time. I have their live double album called In the Hothouse. It's amazing. They were such a great live band sadly I never saw them play live though.
@1:38 The magazine with the 5 star review was Uncut I think. The reissues included a collection of their sessions for the BBC as well as 'In the Hothouse', a live recording. Both albums are stunning. I live in Germany and one of the biggest TV shows is a police drama called Tatort - I was watching it a few years ago and it featured 'I Give You Pain' - my one and only time hearing or seeing The Sound on television. Thanks for the fantastic video.
I read that review in Uncut or Mojo in March 2002, and I was intrigued straight away. With the magazine was a free CD as you used to get in those days. On that CD was Judgement by The Sound I was hooked straight away. I didn't get the reissue of From the Lion's Mouth until late 2004, and it's one of my favourite album of all time. Along with everything The Sound have ever released, so criminally underrated it's untrue!
Thanx a lot for this retrospective. A bit more could have been said about Colvin Myers's expert craftsmanship and his formidable contribution to the group's sound and songwriting, not to mention his stage presence... I first met this "up and coming young band" for an improvised itw (two hours before seeing them live) in Lille (F) some time around 1981 (?) supporting the Jam (I've still got some blurry Pocket-Kodak pix somewhere). Max had only just joined them, "From the Lion's Mouth" hadn't been released yet, and hey stole the show... Then, over the years, we met again in Kortrijk, at Seaside Festival, then it was London's Venue, both nights at The Marquee (when they recorded In the Hothous), then Adrian solo in Belgium (Brussels, Kortrijk, Liege). I miss them both dearly.
Saw them at the Hammersmith Clarendon Ballroom in the mid 80s when I was 17 and been listening to them ever since. Amazing band, as are The Chameleons.
I came across them the same way you did. The magazine was Uncut and it have a CD with it, featuring the song Judgement I thought it sounded amazing, and filled the gap Joy Division had left. Suffice to say I picked up From The Lions Mouth the following day and subsequently the rest of their discography soon after. Incredible band with a consistently sublime collection of albums. Thank you for making this video!
Thanks very much! And thanks for sharing! By the way, that Uncut review - was it by Steve Sutherland do you know? I've no idea why it sticks in my brain so much, but I always remember it as being by him (I think it was because he'd been the editor of the NME, so seeing him give it 5 stars piqued my interest even more). But when I Googled it, all I could find was that he wrote the original review in Melody Maker back in '81, so I'm not entirely sure I didn't just make it up ha!
@@2020Sound You're welcome! No, it was actually Chris Roberts. The Renascent label re-released 80% of The Sound discography all in the space of a few months, all making their debut on CD. Chris Roberts is a big fan, and wrote a really passionate article on them. I actually still have my copy. Are you familiar with The Comsat Angels? They toured with The Sound during the 80s. Their album Sleep No More is another lost masterpiece.
I've heard the name a lot (they've even had a several mentions in this comments section) but never heard them before. Until today, that is! I very much enjoyed 'Independence Day' and will be exploring further!
As a Chameleons (super) fan, I am sitting here watching this thinking, "Man, these guys sound like they're on the same trajectory as the Chameleons..." Then, BOOM, you say out loud what I am thinking!!
I'm so in tune with you about THE SOUND and also about THE CHAMELEONS !!! Thx today, 40 years after, we got those guys like you totally in controle with Music critiques !!! Thx a lot !!!
Yes!! FINALLY someone talking about the sheer brilliance of this band! Wonderful, wonderful review of Adrian and the band. Also since you covered The Chameleons as one of the most unknown post-punk act of the 80s, I highly urge you to please make a vid for The Comsat Angels. They are hands-down even more underrated than The Sound!
"Winning" feels so personally reflective of the last few years of my life. In the beginning of 2020, my wife and I had just bought our first home, and I lost my miserable call center job of 3 years. Shortly after finally finding a temporary pandemic job, I at long last came out to my wife and friends as trans, and slowly began transitioning to female. It took surviving another call center job long enough to get some additional education, but from there I was able to pivot into accounting. Like in "Winning", I had started swimming. It's really paid off. I only discovered The Sound this year. So far I'm only familiar with Jeopardy and From the Lion's Mouth, and I love both so much. Spotify randomly recommended From the Lion's Mouth to me. I started with Contact the Fact, but Skeletons quickly became my favorite. 🥰
Seen them perform over here in the Netherlands for about three times back then and really loved this band and their' ... Sound! They were rather popular over here among a certain circle of 'afficionados' and I still play their albums from time to time. But wat struck me most then and still lingers is the sheer ferocity with wich Adrian used to shout out his lyrics and the overall dynamics of the band as a whole. They were really good and the docu did Adrian right; the Sound will not be forgotten with them who had the privilege to have seen them on stage, I can assure you that.
I found them living in the Netherlands when that 2002 Mojo article came out. Covering Missiles with a former band is still one of the high points of my musical life. Thanks for raising awareness of the Sound. My theory for their obscurity is that their name was so mundane it confused audiences.
je ne sais si vous parler francais mais bravo c est un plaisir de vous suivre meme si des fois je ne partage pas du tout votre passion pour certains groupes; vous trouvez les mots justes , pointu mais pas elitiste, vous n etes pas bloques sur un genre , en un mot merci, continuez
Je ne parle pas français, mais grâce aux merveilles de Google Translate je peux lire ce que vous avez tapé et répondre, ha ! Merci beaucoup pour les gentils mots - j'apprécie vraiment que vous ayez pris le temps de les taper et je suis heureux que vous ayez apprécié les vidéos jusqu'à présent !
I remember back in the 90s, there was no rock bar and club in Athens, Greece that didn't play "Winning" or "I can't Escape Myself". They were big. Jeopardy and From the Lion's Mouth are among my favourite albums ever. You might also want to explore the Dutch band Mecano. Listen to "Links"
Just as a side note: The bass in "The Fire" is one of the 10 best bass lines ever, especially for me as a (semi) musician. Incredibly intense and direct. The sound lives on, in every song, in every video, here on the internet and wherever...
I was lucky enough to see them live at the Moonlight club in West Hampstead in 1981 I think it was...the sheer power of them has stayed with me...I thought they were the best around and I went to a lot of gigs at that time. I wish I never gave away my copy of Jeopardy.
I started listening to the Sound because my own band was compared regularly with The Sound. My band The Gentry was one of John Peels favorites Dutch bands in the mid eighties. I fully understand the comparison now. The voices are very similar. Check Fragments of truth (1984) and Solitary (1986).
The Sound are my all time favorite band, no ones lyrics have ever sounded more like my own thoughts than Adrians. those songs feel like they are part of me, in a way he is part of the reason i gave up on music myself. you listen to a band to an artist like this and you think if THIS band didnt make it what the hell do i think i am going to create than anyone cares about. and i mean that in the nicest most being a realist not emo kind of way. i first heard of The Sound in 1990 not long after i graduated high school, it took me several months to actually track down anything by them and it was the "Shock Of Daylight EP", i live in the U.S. and i dont even know if their albums were ever actually released here? the EP i found was a Canadian copy in a little local junk record store where it was completely out of place with all the old beat up endless copies of 70s classic rock albums. when i put it on it just blew me away. i think that EP is under appreciated. it took me a couple years to find anything else by them, me and my girlfriend at the time took a week long trip to San Francisco to visit her mother and i found ALL of their other albums in that week, about half of them at the famous Amoeba Records. for Christmas of 2000 i got my first computer and LITERALLY the very first thing i did was a search for The Sound and for Adrian Borland because i barely knew anything about them at that time, information on them was non existent. so i used whatever search engine it was and looked up The Sound which of course got me nowhere because it is just not specific enough of a name, so i looked up Adrian Borland just to find that he had died only a year earlier and i would never have a chance to tell him how much his music means to me. but his songs have definitely made life and the world better for me and i thank him for that.
First heard The Sound in 1984 when I was in one of those big record superstores of the time and they were playing Shock of Daylight in the store. Bought a copy on the spot and it remains a favorite to this day. Borland's guitar work on that record is simply stellar. I lost track of them after Heads and Hearts and didn't hear of them again until the news came out that Adrian had died. I remember being very saddened by that.
I bought their first album second hand a year or two after the initial release. I did not really appreciate until abiut 20 years later. One my favs in a 5000 lp collection.
Excellent introduction to a massively under-rated band. I discovered The Sound with their Sense Of Purpose single but quickly snapped up their first two albums... and played them A LOT. For some reason, I either kind of lost interest or didn't hear their subsequent releases but I definitely need to remedy that now.
The Sound are an incredible underrated band, and Adrian Borland is an amazing forgotten artist! I’d also sometime like to see you do a video on his solo album 5:00 AM, the last album released while he was alive, in 1997. It absolutely blew me away, and, in my opinion, is one of the greatest albums of all time!
Great video. Just discovered The Sound and can’t believe I’m almost 50 and didn’t know they existed. Just blown away. Where would you place Modern eon? Fiction Tales is an incredible album. Thank you!
I discovered The Sound unfortunately very late in my life by the UA-cam algorithm round 2015. The song: Escape My Self, immediately was flabbergasted. I'm sure if I would've heard it back in the 80's would've been one, if not, my favourite band.
"Jeopardy" and "From the Lion's Mouth" are two of the greatest albums ever recorded. The Sound was BRILLIANT - and they're criminally under-known and underrated by modern critics. Those first two albums are masterpieces, with not one, single filler track. It kills me that so few people know about them. Thanks for helping to spread the word. Borland should be thought of in the same breath as the best songwriters of the 80's. His gift for melodic structure in post-punk and his grasp of tension, pre-choruses, his lyrics - it's just incredible music with a very rare power. How they never broke through in the U.S. at the time in a major way has always baffled me.
The Sound, along with Chameleons and maybe Cosmat Angels are that sweet spot between the bleak beautiful angst of Joy Division and the more epic post punk of U2 and early Waterboys. It is the most beautiful sub sub genre I ever heard.
I wasn’t around at the time (born in 1990) so maybe they weren’t as cool or something, but in hindsight it all makes so much sense x
Independence Day was huge in NZ in 1980
Good sum up there, wholly agree
there's another band you should check out called The Wake (not the goth band, the other one), their Harmony album is pretty awesome
Yeah, I second Comsat Angels. Fingers crossed he'll do a video on them sometime.
absolutely essential post punk. the sound and the chameleons deserved it all
Good review of the band. Appreciate it. I was their manager, put out their 1st single on my label and recorded 'Jeopardy' and stayed with them through 'From The Lions Mouth'.... i'd known Adrian since he was 14.... one of the best live bands Ive ever seen.... and im still working in music now. Glad to see them getting some very delayed recognition... what a band. Miss You Adrian.
Hace unos días se cumplieron 25 años de su trágica muerte.. nos sigue haciendo felices con sus canciones. Saludos desde Argentina, soy fan del sonido postpunk de bandas como The Sound y The Chameleons, entre otras..
Hi Stephen. Love The Sound. Discovered them some years back through Adrian and Colvin's links with Tim Smith and Cardiacs. Been a massive Cardiacs fan for 35 odd years and just before that was a huge Dead Kennedys fan and was amazed to discover there was a link. Do you have any recollections to share about Adrian's involvement with The Witch Trials recording with Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray? RIP Adrian and Tim.
I put out the Cardiacs first single (after the Sounds 1st ep) on my Tortch label. The Sound and the Dk’s did a show together at the Moonlight Club I think which is where they met. I remember the session happening but not the details now
Hi Stephen, really gotten into The Sound over the last few months; as well as Adrian’s solo stuff. They deserve every bit of recognition and respect.
The Sound is undoubtedly my favorite band of all time, and I think Adrian's legacy is monumental. Firmly cemented as a cult band, I've taken to referring to fans of The Sound as "we lucky few." I've yet to meet anyone in person who has known about the band prior to my meeting them, though I reckon if I did, it'd be enough to instantly become friends based on that common ground alone. Adrian's work is so deeply affecting and personal. At times both miserable and depressing, but with a tangible sense of hope throughout it all. Even at his most tormented, I feel Adrian possessed a passion for music and a genuine love of life, it makes his death sting that much more.
I write this comment on April 22nd, 2022. Four days from now, Adrian will have been gone for 23 years. Sorely missed, never forgotten! Rest easy, Ade. Miss you with all my heart.
Nice to see a new generation discover The Sound. They were actually quite popular in The Netherlands in the 80s.
also in Italy!
Funnily enough, I discovered The Sound in 2015 when You Tube’s great algorithm played them right after The Chameleons. It was one of those moments where you stop what you’re doing, sit up, and think “I like this!” I fell instantly in love and bought all their albums right away. I was actually a bit annoyed that this amazing music had been kept from me for so long, considering it was the best I’d ever heard! They’re my favourite band ever and literally changed my life!
...the guitarist in my band at the time gave me a tape with the live albums by The Sound and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and I was blown away. Was also very fortunate to see The Sound live when they opened for Fisher-Z here in Munich...
Great to see The Sound flag being flown high - impeccable taste from this channel once again.
I first discovered them circa 2005, slightly troubled and unemployed in Tooting Broadway after a big life change. I was already a huge Chameleons fan and had seen The Sound listed on AllMusic as a "similar artist". I eventually came across "From The Lion's Mouth" on CD in HMV and snapped it up. From the first minute of "Winning" I knew I'd uncovered something really special.
There began a love affair with one of Britain's truly great lost bands. All their records are great, including All Fall Down, Shock of Daylight and the ridiculously under rated pop rock/ stadium goth masterpiece Thunder Up. Their story is heartbreaking and final, but the music remains impermanent. Adrian Borland's vocal passion, skipping guitar licks and ear for a redemptive melody were second to none. As you say, they honestly should have been huge.
Wire, Gang of Four, The Chameleons, and The Sound
🤘
The Sound .. i was 15 years old, they were one of my first live experiences and i cried and i had goosebumps all over and i will love them forever
They came up on Spotify when I was going down the New Wave wormhole, and they immediately connected with me. Now they’re one of my favorite bands. Damn shame Adrian is no longer with us. Great lyricist and musician
Hey. The best "potted" history of the band that I've heard! Completely accurate. I'd like to draw people's attention to the current source of "All things Adrian". Just enter
Stichting Opposite Direction
into your search engine. There you'll find a recent release of live album "Will and Testament" and "Starlight" - compiled from lately found tapes. Yes, I'm still (sometimes quite literally with my occasional band "IN2THESOUND") banging the drum for Adrian. All the best and thanks.
One of my favorite bands of all time
I’m from Canada, raised in french.... I was 14 when I discovered them, with their incredible album What does anything mean, couldn’t understand the lyrics but still fell in for their energy . And then,I started translating their lyrics and it just grew! And I still listen to them on a regular basis!
I always tell people The Sound is the greatest band you've never heard of. All fall down and Shock of Daylight are my favorites.
I’ve just seen this video pop up on my Facebook feed. I first became aware of The Sound after “Heartland” was rated as “single of the week” in either Sounds or Melody Maker (most likely the former). I went out and bought the single from a local record shop, I fell in love with the band, and the rest is history. Also, by a strange quirk of fate, my family moved to Wimbledon in 1976, following an application from my father (who worked for Wandsworth Borough Council at the time, and thus received preferential treatment in being allocated a nice house close to Wimbledon Common).
A few years after that move, and with The Sound on my list of favourite bands, I walked into one of my local Wimbledon pubs and saw Adrian Borland propping up the bar. Normally shy and introverted, I plucked up the courage to speak with him, and he came across as a friendly, approachable and intelligent human being. He was to become a personal friend of mine, and we shared some great times together, including a holiday in Crete in 1992 with another mutual friend of ours. There were dark times too, when his illness became all too real to ignore. I visited him at a mental hospital, accompanied by his mother, after one of his failed suicide attempts, which proved to be quite awkward at times.
The cult following which existed in Adrian’s lifetime, is still very much alive and kicking, and tribute events celebrating Adrian and The Sound’s music have resulted in me connecting with more likeminded souls. It’s such a shame that Adrian checked out just as the internet was in its infancy, because if he’d managed to have held on, he would have seen just how much people loved his music, and it would have also given him a new lease of life. He also made some great solo albums (Beautiful Ammunition being the pick of the bunch), and teamed up with friends for the highly idiosyncratic but hugely entertaining Honolulu Mountain Daffodils project. Thank you for posting this video, I have now subscribed to your channel and look forward to enjoying further videos of this nature.
Thank you so much for for sharing. I just started listening to The Sound last month and have been thoroughly obsessed with From the Lions Mouth. Adrian joins Nick Drake on my list of extremely talented musicians who sadly and so tragically never got to see how loved they would become. For me it just highlights exactly how unfair life is at times and how much dumb luck plays into one's success.
Thank you for sharing your story. Such a great band. Discovered them in a post pink rabbit hole in 2008
Thank you for this tribute to The Sound and Adrian. Indeed the best kept secret of post punk. I've seen them live several times: Parkpop Den Haag, Paard van Troje Den Haag and No Nukes at Utrecht. Still some of the best performances I've ever seen.
Thank you to my teenage pal Ivan for introducing me to The Sound back in the day. Although they had little success in the UK, they fared better on mainland Europe where they had more of a following. I saw them at least a couple of times live (General Wolfe in Coventry & Birmingham Poly). A truly brilliant band who produced some fantastic albums. Can’t believe it’s 25 years since Adrian sadly passed.
I discovered The Sound spring of last year when I went on a search of unsung/under-appreciated ‘80s bands and came across “Total Recall” on a list of songs. Inexplicably, not only was that song not a hit, it wasn’t even a single!
Your description of their music is spot on-a range of moods all underpinned by deft musicianship, energy, and engaging melodies. If I had to pick a Top 5, I’d probably go with some order of “Total Recall,” “Winning,” “Counting the Days,” “Acceleration Group,” and “Party of the Mind.”
Greetings from Belgrade , Serbia .
The Sound - forever !
my alltime favourite band since 1983 (i was a tennager at that time), it's curious the band got more sucess outside GB ( spain, netherlands, france, portugal, italy, etc) than in its own homeground. It's great to see british new generations finally give some justice and credit to one of their greatest 80's acts. Thanks for your video (y)
Ok wow. Yet AGAIN you made a video about a band that I only I thought I knew of. We simply HAVE to become BFFs!
Really glad to find a video about this hidden gem of a band as I've noticed that such videos are sadly in short supply here in UA-cam. I remember first hearing about the Sound from a goth/post punk Facebook group I joined where someone very kindly made a post remembering Adrian Borland on an anniversary of his tragic demise. As I am a huge Joy Division fan, I naturally felt inclined to give the Sound a listen and I was immediately blown away as soon as I started listening to the album jeopardy.
I remember thinking "wow yeah these guys do sound a lot like Joy Division but not an exact replica". Adrian Borland's personal demons and troubled state of mind felt so palpable and beautifully conveyed in these haunting songs I was listening to and I was so glad to have discovered one very niche egregiously underappreciated cult band that I knew about while others didn't. I'm so fucking glad to have discovered such a brilliant band who sadly remain largely undiscovered by many music fans to this day.
The Sound, The Chameleons and Sad Lovers & Giants are some of the most underrated classic Post-Punk bands no doubt about it
Yep, Sad Lovers & Giants are another great under rated post-punk band.
I absolutely adore SL&G, Got to hear them in May at the Lexington in London, beyond brilliant. @@CaptainCaveman4485
B - Movie is also another absolutely solid band from the same time.
Вы перечислили мои любимые пост-панк группы, я бы ещё сюда добавил шотландскую группу Lowlife.
Gracias x nombrarlas! Efectivamente son de las mejores bandas del género postpunk
Great stuff! Massive Sound fan from back-in-the-day. I believe they were the best live band around at that time. Some fantastic sweaty nights in various venues around London in the early and mid-eighties. Such a tragic story with Adrian, but the music he and the band made together is eternal.
Thanks so much for this. The Sound were a bit special. I saw them at Bingley Hall Stafford. When they came on hardly anyone was taking any notice, by the time they finished their set, everyone had gravitated to the front of the stage and had been won over by Adrian's charismatic persona. He wore his heart on his sleeve and we all sensed it. Thank you for bringing them into the light.
I am a newcomer to The Sound having happened upon them in a list of five bands who were goth forerunners (which I found after falling down a John McGeoch rabbithole!) and I am amazed that they weren't massive at the time, I am now completely hooked and have them on repeat the whole time.
Thanks for the vid! What a great band. Heard them when i was a teenager. "Jeopardy" and "From Lion's.." made a big impact on me alongside with The Chameleons. Maybe because their music and lyrics were so about solitude and frustration that no bands of that era coludnt approach these senses so close. However, there also were Comsat Angels , which, unfortunately, i discovored much later. It would be great to hear about them too!
Cheers Michael! Much appreciated!
Yes, The Comsat Angels deserve more spotlight as well. Good call
I heard them way back when I was in High School around 86 or 87, "Total Recall" was truly special to me at that time. Growing up in the Philippines and hearing underground tunes that were never given airplay by local radio, was truly the epitome of what we define as pure unadulterated sound. Fast forward it to 2022, I am glad that Spotify was showcasing their albums and that I love to hear more of their un-released works. Most especially the works that Adrian Borland made after "The Sound".
Check out Adrian's many side-projects and solo albums! His last, _5:00 AM_, was so positive and hopeful, it made his suicide even more devastating.
Mark Burgess guested on the second White Rose Transmission album and sang a song Adrian wrote, "Digging For Water" and toured the album in Adrian's place after his death. Mark later wrote "Adrian B" in tribute to him.
Initially I started out as a Bunnyman fan in the early 80's along with Sad Lovers & Giants/Snake Corps/The Essence, then discovered the most obscure band I knew at the time The C.S. Angels by knowing one song THE CUTTING EDGE from an MTV 120 minutes video. Around 1997, when I discovered the internet, the first thing I did was look up the most obscure I knew The C.S. Angels and the one song THE CUTTING EDGE only to find out they were properly called The Comsat Angels. I immediately joined the listserve and from there I discovered the other two more obscure bands The Chameleons and The Sound. The rest is all history and musical heaven.
even years later your experience resonates with my own. i think i found The Chameleons first by doing post-punk searches, then The Comsat Angels and The Sound after I had purchased the category on the app SongPop and started to explore the genre/music style. even today as you alluded to, all three are among the more obscure groups from that era that put out multiple works, at least to an American.
Thank you for posting. First saw the Sound in 1982 and have every album. I have never been able to understand why The Sound (and The Chameleons) were not massive. Slightly different sound, but The Triffids are my third band of the early 80s who also never received the acclaim they deserved. But some parallels: Rest in Peace Adrian Borland and David McComb.
The Sound and The Chameleons are 2 of my favourite bands. Much enjoyed the you-tube vids you have done on both.
I found the sound a month ago, I’m 17 and my god I’m so obsessed with the ins and emotion and power of the music they created. I love the sound and have already became a OBSESSED fan. Thank you for this video they deserve so much more cultural respect and love
You nailed it. I had a similar experience: Stumbled upon the band, searched out more and more of their music, and the more I heard, the more I wanted to hear, and I became obsessed, too. Nothing wrong with that, though. The Sound and their music are definitely worthy of our obsession.
I came across The Sound because I am a desparate fan of The La's (who I know from Liam Gallagher mentioning Lee Mavers in an interview). Searching an online forum for more material of The La's, someone suggested Michael Head & The Strands as another great and underrated Merseyside band, leading me to explore Michael Head's work including The Pale Fountains and Shack. Checking out the Amazon reviews of one of their albums, some reviewer described them as a hidden gem, in one league with '''The Sound'', which I resorted to check out and got immediately hooked on their first two albums. That is how I find new music general: Listening to what the favourites say about their favourites, and what people like who like what I like, reading reviews and so on. What a find!
From the Lions Mouth is the best album of music i ve ever listened to...!!!
I found the Sound via The OGWT performance & quickly sought their albums & Adrian has been in my life ever since the best songwriter of my generation 🖤
I’m going to enjoy this! A brilliant band and delighted to see they have been the subject of a video on this channel 😊👍🏻
Cheers Christian, hope you enjoyed it!
@@2020Sound I loved it! Great work as always 😊👍🏻
The Sound are undoubtedly great- and underrated. An example- a friend Ryan Patterson went from Coliseum, a hardcore band to Fotocrime a dark new wave band, and people would say "Sisters of Mercy" as the influence, and he'd ask "Have you heard the Sound?" and it would confuse interviewers- they didn't even know that he meant the band! ( another influence for him Red Lorry Yellow Lorry might be a good subject for another video) I must admit, though- my primary feeling right now is jealousy- I've been trying to see that Adrian Borland doc for a few years now- where'd you see it?
Oh, and not that they have anything to do with The Sound- but I've been thinking about a lost 'micro-movement" in the mid 1980's- the 'Paisley Underground"- bands like The Dream Syndicate, Thin White Rope, Green on Red, True West, Game Theory, The Three O'clock, and Rain Parade- I'm thinking there might be a band or two in there who might qualify for your channel...
Hi Matt! Yeah, they've definitely got one of those names that can easily confuse and absolutely wasn't built for search engines (always thought the same about early 00s Leeds-based baggy-revivalists The Music). You can catch the Adrian Borland doc on Vimeo for $5.99: vimeo.com/ondemand/adrianborland
Thank you. Such a special band. Was lucky enough to meet Adrian - a kind yet clearly vulnerable man. His death hurts. Fave song: Total Recall. But you're spot on: Party Of My Mind is such a banger.
Love Total Recall! Definitely one of my favourites by them. And makes me think of the Schwarzenegger film every time, ha.
Counting the days, Missiles and Party of my mind are my personal fav's, but all albums have it, Love the sound and the chameleons the true 80's sound of post punk, greetings and salutaions from México!!!
just discovered this channel, from the Chameleons vid! those albums, and even more so, The Sound, were my 2000s college soundtrack (along with The Church!) First tshirt i ever made was for The Sound....its such a shame those reissues were super limited....The Sound perhaps gives Chams and company a strong run for tops "post punk" band of the era....RIP A.B.
I can't remember the exact cause-and-effect relationship between Wikipedia and UA-cam in my discovering them - it might be that I was looking up early British punk bands and found them through the Outsiders' Wikipedia page. So often with obscure bands, their Wikipedia bio will be perfunctory at best, but with The Sound there was this mine of information: there was so clearly a story there, and one I was shocked I hadn't known. Or it might have been following a UA-cam clickhole from some other postpunk act and getting arrested by the cover art of "From The Lion's Mouth".
Either way, Contact the Fact was the first song of theirs I got obsessed with, but I think it was, as you said, their sheer conviction that kept me digging for more. I remember a live version of "Missiles" that shook me - Adrian's sincerity reminded me of watching a young Sting or Bono get fired up at the state of the world, and The Sound played as tightly and wrote songs as powerful as ever The Police or U2 did - which is high praise coming from me.
What touches me is that he didn't give up when The Sound didn't get their due - I've only begun to scratch the surface of his career after the band ended. By the way, Mike Dudley is now performing The Sound's music with some pals, with a gig in Holland this month to mark the anniversary of Adrian's death. A biography just came out too - it's good to see that kind of deep engagement with their legacy.
Thank you so much for this great homage. They deserve it so much!
The Sound is incredible. I discovered them about 5 years ago in college, and each year my love for them grows. Shock of Daylight is my favorite collection of tracks ever released, and all of their albums are great.
Heard "Winning" on Dutch indie radio programme, when i was still living at home, being 13/14 years old. It was such compelling music and lyrics, only a few years ago i could look up video's like these. And yes, i was a fan of Echo and the Bunnymen, too..
so happy you made this video, the sound is one of the best bands there is and probably the most neglected.
Thank you very much. The Sound is worth to be mentioned. From the lions mouth is great album.
Yes , they we're so good.... From The Lions Mouth is one of my alltime favourite album.
Thanx for this Video ❤
I got in on the ground floor with Jeopardy, WDET college radio in Detroit. Mike Halloran, Radios in Motion.
What a gas.
I've heard of this band, but I never listened to them until I checked out From the Lions Mouth tonight. It's pretty good, I will be listening to a lot more of them this week.
I used to record with my group at Elephant recording studios in Long Lane SE1 and we became friends with Nick Robbins who produced Jeopardy. WE all fell in love that band and followed them around in awe.
I just watched your video on The Chameleons my other favorite British band. These two bands shaped my guitar playing and writing. I've listened to their songs 100s of times over the last 40 years. But none of my current friends have ever heard of either of them. Party of my mind is one of my favorite songs of all time. I have their live double album called In the Hothouse. It's amazing. They were such a great live band sadly I never saw them play live though.
Thanks for this video! The Sound, The Chameleons and Asylum Party mean so much to me when it comes to post punk. It's just beautiful music really.
Saw both bands in Groningen Netherlands in the 80s. Still listening to the music
@1:38 The magazine with the 5 star review was Uncut I think. The reissues included a collection of their sessions for the BBC as well as 'In the Hothouse', a live recording. Both albums are stunning.
I live in Germany and one of the biggest TV shows is a police drama called Tatort - I was watching it a few years ago and it featured 'I Give You Pain' - my one and only time hearing or seeing The Sound on television.
Thanks for the fantastic video.
Thanks - glad you enjoyed!
I read that review in Uncut or Mojo in March 2002, and I was intrigued straight away. With the magazine was a free CD as you used to get in those days. On that CD was Judgement by The Sound I was hooked straight away. I didn't get the reissue of From the Lion's Mouth until late 2004, and it's one of my favourite album of all time. Along with everything The Sound have ever released, so criminally underrated it's untrue!
I came across them via streaming too. I discovered them in 2015, around the same time I came across The Chameleons.
Thanx a lot for this retrospective. A bit more could have been said about Colvin Myers's expert craftsmanship and his formidable contribution to the group's sound and songwriting, not to mention his stage presence... I first met this "up and coming young band" for an improvised itw (two hours before seeing them live) in Lille (F) some time around 1981 (?) supporting the Jam (I've still got some blurry Pocket-Kodak pix somewhere). Max had only just joined them, "From the Lion's Mouth" hadn't been released yet, and hey stole the show... Then, over the years, we met again in Kortrijk, at Seaside Festival, then it was London's Venue, both nights at The Marquee (when they recorded In the Hothous), then Adrian solo in Belgium (Brussels, Kortrijk, Liege). I miss them both dearly.
Saw them at the Hammersmith Clarendon Ballroom in the mid 80s when I was 17 and been listening to them ever since. Amazing band, as are The Chameleons.
The Sound were the first band I ever saw live supporting Echo and the Bunnymen at Liverpool Mountford Hall, loved them ever since.
Discovered them last year and I'm all in. Shame on me for not knowing sooner.
Fans of the sound and the chameleons since early 80’s. Still both occupy a special place.
Such a special place that I am flying over to manchester to see the chameleons double bill weekend in december.
I have loved The Sound for over 40 years, brilliant, powerful music, with great lyrics.
I came across them the same way you did. The magazine was Uncut and it have a CD with it, featuring the song Judgement I thought it sounded amazing, and filled the gap Joy Division had left. Suffice to say I picked up From The Lions Mouth the following day and subsequently the rest of their discography soon after. Incredible band with a consistently sublime collection of albums.
Thank you for making this video!
Thanks very much! And thanks for sharing! By the way, that Uncut review - was it by Steve Sutherland do you know? I've no idea why it sticks in my brain so much, but I always remember it as being by him (I think it was because he'd been the editor of the NME, so seeing him give it 5 stars piqued my interest even more). But when I Googled it, all I could find was that he wrote the original review in Melody Maker back in '81, so I'm not entirely sure I didn't just make it up ha!
@@2020Sound You're welcome! No, it was actually Chris Roberts. The Renascent label re-released 80% of The Sound discography all in the space of a few months, all making their debut on CD. Chris Roberts is a big fan, and wrote a really passionate article on them. I actually still have my copy. Are you familiar with The Comsat Angels? They toured with The Sound during the 80s. Their album Sleep No More is another lost masterpiece.
I've heard the name a lot (they've even had a several mentions in this comments section) but never heard them before. Until today, that is! I very much enjoyed 'Independence Day' and will be exploring further!
My first (musical) love ...saw em live often and it was always magical
The Sound helped me get clean!
Thanks The Sound!
As a Chameleons (super) fan, I am sitting here watching this thinking, "Man, these guys sound like they're on the same trajectory as the Chameleons..." Then, BOOM, you say out loud what I am thinking!!
I'm so in tune with you about THE SOUND and also about THE CHAMELEONS !!! Thx today, 40 years after, we got those guys like you totally in controle with Music critiques !!! Thx a lot !!!
Yes!! FINALLY someone talking about the sheer brilliance of this band! Wonderful, wonderful review of Adrian and the band. Also since you covered The Chameleons as one of the most unknown post-punk act of the 80s, I highly urge you to please make a vid for The Comsat Angels. They are hands-down even more underrated than The Sound!
Thanks Sam!
@@2020Sound Absolutely! I hope you like them. “Fiction” is my personal favorite release from them
"Winning" feels so personally reflective of the last few years of my life. In the beginning of 2020, my wife and I had just bought our first home, and I lost my miserable call center job of 3 years. Shortly after finally finding a temporary pandemic job, I at long last came out to my wife and friends as trans, and slowly began transitioning to female. It took surviving another call center job long enough to get some additional education, but from there I was able to pivot into accounting. Like in "Winning", I had started swimming. It's really paid off.
I only discovered The Sound this year. So far I'm only familiar with Jeopardy and From the Lion's Mouth, and I love both so much. Spotify randomly recommended From the Lion's Mouth to me. I started with Contact the Fact, but Skeletons quickly became my favorite. 🥰
Seen them perform over here in the Netherlands for about three times back then and really loved this band and their' ... Sound! They were rather popular over here among a certain circle of 'afficionados' and I still play their albums from time to time. But wat struck me most then and still lingers is the sheer ferocity with wich Adrian used to shout out his lyrics and the overall dynamics of the band as a whole. They were really good and the docu did Adrian right; the Sound will not be forgotten with them who had the privilege to have seen them on stage, I can assure you that.
I found them living in the Netherlands when that 2002 Mojo article came out. Covering Missiles with a former band is still one of the high points of my musical life. Thanks for raising awareness of the Sound. My theory for their obscurity is that their name was so mundane it confused audiences.
The Sound were brilliant, surprising how few people know of them.
je ne sais si vous parler francais mais bravo c est un plaisir de vous suivre meme si des fois je ne partage pas du tout votre passion pour certains groupes; vous trouvez les mots justes , pointu mais pas elitiste, vous n etes pas bloques sur un genre , en un mot merci, continuez
Je ne parle pas français, mais grâce aux merveilles de Google Translate je peux lire ce que vous avez tapé et répondre, ha ! Merci beaucoup pour les gentils mots - j'apprécie vraiment que vous ayez pris le temps de les taper et je suis heureux que vous ayez apprécié les vidéos jusqu'à présent !
The Call is my fav band in that relative genre but I am so glad I discovered The Sound more recently!!!
I remember back in the 90s, there was no rock bar and club in Athens, Greece that didn't play "Winning" or "I can't Escape Myself". They were big. Jeopardy and From the Lion's Mouth are among my favourite albums ever. You might also want to explore the Dutch band Mecano. Listen to "Links"
Just as a side note: The bass in "The Fire" is one of the 10 best bass lines ever, especially for me as a (semi) musician. Incredibly intense and direct. The sound lives on, in every song, in every video, here on the internet and wherever...
You’re killing it mate! Another crackin video. Thank you.
Cheers Michael! Much appreciated!
I was lucky enough to see them live at the Moonlight club in West Hampstead in 1981 I think it was...the sheer power of them has stayed with me...I thought they were the best around and I went to a lot of gigs at that time. I wish I never gave away my copy of Jeopardy.
I started listening to the Sound because my own band was compared regularly with The Sound. My band The Gentry was one of John Peels favorites Dutch bands in the mid eighties. I fully understand the comparison now. The voices are very similar. Check Fragments of truth (1984) and Solitary (1986).
The Sound are my all time favorite band, no ones lyrics have ever sounded more like my own thoughts than Adrians. those songs feel like they are part of me, in a way he is part of the reason i gave up on music myself. you listen to a band to an artist like this and you think if THIS band didnt make it what the hell do i think i am going to create than anyone cares about. and i mean that in the nicest most being a realist not emo kind of way.
i first heard of The Sound in 1990 not long after i graduated high school, it took me several months to actually track down anything by them and it was the "Shock Of Daylight EP", i live in the U.S. and i dont even know if their albums were ever actually released here? the EP i found was a Canadian copy in a little local junk record store where it was completely out of place with all the old beat up endless copies of 70s classic rock albums. when i put it on it just blew me away. i think that EP is under appreciated. it took me a couple years to find anything else by them, me and my girlfriend at the time took a week long trip to San Francisco to visit her mother and i found ALL of their other albums in that week, about half of them at the famous Amoeba Records.
for Christmas of 2000 i got my first computer and LITERALLY the very first thing i did was a search for The Sound and for Adrian Borland because i barely knew anything about them at that time, information on them was non existent. so i used whatever search engine it was and looked up The Sound which of course got me nowhere because it is just not specific enough of a name, so i looked up Adrian Borland just to find that he had died only a year earlier and i would never have a chance to tell him how much his music means to me. but his songs have definitely made life and the world better for me and i thank him for that.
The Sound, Comsat Angels and The Chameleons. Cream of the crop. Wonderful and woefully underrated bands.
First heard The Sound in 1984 when I was in one of those big record superstores of the time and they were playing Shock of Daylight in the store. Bought a copy on the spot and it remains a favorite to this day. Borland's guitar work on that record is simply stellar. I lost track of them after Heads and Hearts and didn't hear of them again until the news came out that Adrian had died. I remember being very saddened by that.
The Sound were somewhat big in the indies scene in Portugal in the 80's. From the lions mouth is one of my favorite albuns since then.
Thank you for tooting their horn! Not enough people discuss The Sound, love them from the earliest days as The Outsiders.
Spotify introduced me to The Sound, and I'm thankful for it!
Adrian Boland was a legend heard them at school in 81' 18 years of age Wellington NZ Cant escape myself full on single Man!!
💣 Just another banger from 20/20 Sound. Love the concise passion of your reviews brotha - i learn something new every video💯
Thanks very much Anad! Appreciate it, and glad you've enjoyed the videos so far :)
I heard "winning" on dutch independent radio station - and was in awe from then on.
I cant escape myself one of the greatest songs ever
Hay amantes de la música de The Sound en Perú 🇵🇪. No tantos como The Chameleons, pero bandas en esa línea sí q se escuchan mucho hasta la fecha.
I bought their first album second hand a year or two after the initial release. I did not really appreciate until abiut 20 years later. One my favs in a 5000 lp collection.
Excellent introduction to a massively under-rated band. I discovered The Sound with their Sense Of Purpose single but quickly snapped up their first two albums... and played them A LOT. For some reason, I either kind of lost interest or didn't hear their subsequent releases but I definitely need to remedy that now.
So pleased to see this, I love them especially everything on "Jeopardy"
love the sound, from the lion's mouth is a post punk masterpiece
The Sound are an incredible underrated band, and Adrian Borland is an amazing forgotten artist! I’d also sometime like to see you do a video on his solo album 5:00 AM, the last album released while he was alive, in 1997. It absolutely blew me away, and, in my opinion, is one of the greatest albums of all time!
Great video. Just discovered The Sound and can’t believe I’m almost 50 and didn’t know they existed. Just blown away.
Where would you place Modern eon? Fiction Tales is an incredible album.
Thank you!
I discovered The Sound unfortunately very late in my life by the UA-cam algorithm round 2015. The song: Escape My Self, immediately was flabbergasted. I'm sure if I would've heard it back in the 80's would've been one, if not, my favourite band.