Skeletal Family - Promised Land

Рет қаралды 9,903

10 жыл бұрын

Anne-Marie Hurst and Skeletal Family with their classic from 1985.
After playing what was to unknowingly be her last major public performance with Ghost Dance in Amsterdam, Monday December 4th 1989, and a hiatus from performing of almost 20 yeas. Lead vocalist Anne-Marie Hurst is now back with Skeletal Family!
Skeletal Family is the only group that sprang up from Keighley, West Yorkshire in the early 1980s. As a "gothic" rock band, the formed up in December 1981 rising from the ashes of group, called The Elements, and took their name from the title of the song "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family" from the 1974 David Bowie album, Diamond Dogs.
The original line-up of the band was Anne-Marie Hurst (vocals), Stan Greenwood (guitar), Roger "Trotwood" Nowell (bass guitar), Ian "Karl Heinz" Taylor (keyboard/saxophone), and Steve Crane (drums). In 1983, after their first single, the band signed to the independent record label, Red Rhino Records, and recorded its first single for Red Rhino, "The Night", just after losing their original drummer Crane. Crane was replaced by Howard Daniels. Daniels soon left, joining My Pierrot Dolls, and he was replaced by Martin Henderson (formerly of The Last Laugh). Skeletal Family's first album, Burning Oil, recorded in four days at a cost of £640, was released by Red Rhino in August 1984. It topped the UK Independent Chart, staying in the top 10 until the end of the year. The band began touring with The Sisters of Mercy during the Sisters' First and Last and Always tour. The group released Futile Combat in 1985, along with the "Promised Land" single.
The group then signed with Chrysalis Records and Anne-Marie Hurst and Henderson left the band to develop new projects. Hurst eventually teamed up with Gary Marx in Ghost Dance. Henderson teamed up with ex-The March Violets vocalist Simon D to create The Batfish Boys. The former Colourfield backing vocalist Katrina Phillips replaced Hurst and Kevin Hunter replaced Henderson. The remaining members of the group soon disbanded after being dropped from the Chrysalis label. Trotwood and Hunter formed a new band, Say You.
In 2002, Skeletal Family reformed, now with Claire Bannister on vocals. They played several high profile shows, including the Wave-Gotik-Treffen three times and Drop Dead New York.
Skeletal Family's final album, Songs of Love, Hope and Despair, was released in September 2009. Two months later the group announced that it had disbanded again.
Taylor formed a new band, Sub Rosa, with Ashley Cartwright, the guitarist and vox writer of the New Model Army hit "51st State", Steve Wilson who stood in on bass guitar for Skeletal Family on several occasions and was also in the Shakes with Ashley, and Peter Kaberry on drums from the cult metal band Dawn Watcher.
In 2012, Hurst, Nowell and Greenwood reformed Skeletal Family with Owen Richards on guitars and Adrian Osadzenko on drums.
:: Promised Land ::
It felt like we'd been here a thousand years ago
When the door broke open and let in, the light
So we ran to an empty space and felt so free
You know we've never felt like this before
You turn to face me hold out you're hand
Don't you know that this is the promised land
With bright lights shining it feels so bright
Don't you know that things go nice with spice
Now i think the time has come to open the box
Let in the world what's been hidden inside
Not covering what the day brings, it seems so bright
Don't you know that this is the promised land, alright
You turn to face me hold out you're hand
Don't you know that this is the promised land
With bright lights shining it feels so bright
Don't you know that things go nice with spice