Ruby (band)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Ruby


Img_capt =
Img_size = 150px
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = Seattle, Washington
USA
Genre = Trip hop
Industrial
Years_active = 1994 - 2002
Label = WORK/Creation
Epic
Wichita
Thirsty Ear
Associated_acts = Pigface
Silverfish
Skinny Puppy
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members = Lesley Rankine, Mark Walk

Ruby was a UK/US band consisting of Scottish singer Lesley Rankine and American producer Mark Walk, formed in Seattle, Washington in 1994.cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3pfyxq9gldfe| title="Allmusic Ruby Overview"|publisher="www.allmusic.com"|accessdate=2008-03-24] Their music styles expanded across the genres of electronic, trip hop, noise, industrial, even jazz, among others.cite web|url=http://www.epinions.com/content_81958964868| title="Salt Peter by Ruby (Rock) - Epinions"|publisher="www.epinions.com"|accessdate=2008-03-30] The band released two studio albums and three remix albums from 1995 through 2001, and singles into 2002. The name for this group came about because Rankine and Walk both have maternal grandmothers named "Ruby".cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/ruby/bio.jhtml| title="Ruby"|publisher="www.vh1.com"|accessdate=2008-03-18]

"Ruby" members

Lesley Rankine

Rankine (born April 11, 1965)cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:h9fqxqygld6e| title="Lesley Rankine Overview"|publisher="www.allmusic.com"|accessdate=2008-04-07] began her music career as front woman to London noise band Silverfish, leaving the group after the release of their 1993 LP "Organ Fan" and then departing for Seattle. There she joined forces with producer Mark Walk to create an electronic album which echoed the downtempo styles, especially trip hop, more than their noise backgrounds. She had previously worked with Walk on material for industrial group Pigface. The result was the album "Salt Peter", which was released in 1995, with a remix album, "Revenge, The Sweetest Fruit", appearing in 1996. She also appeared on the Toronto-based Monster Voodoo Machine's "Suffersystem" album recorded in 1994 at Chicago Trax; this album would win a Juno Award. Following the release of "Ruby's" debut album and the supporting tour that ended in 1996, Rankine with Tom Jones recorded a cover of the song Kung Fu Fighting, and later made a track called "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" for an ad campaign for Mountain Dew.cite web|url=http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Ruby-Biography/B38F8576F19A812548256A930026574B| title="Ruby Biography"|publisher="www.sing365.com"|accessdate=2008-03-29]

Rankine then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The stay would be only six months due to events including a rash of car-jackings and hold-ups in the surrounding areas, and culminating with the murder of a woman in the garden across from her. When Rankine learned the killer had deposited the victim's clothing in her garbage as they left the scene, she left New Orleans within five days for Seattle to start recording "Ruby's" second album with producer Mark Walk.cite web|url=http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Ruby-Biography/B38F8576F19A812548256A930026574B| title="Ruby Biography"|publisher="www.sing365.com"|accessdate=2008-03-29]

Most of "Short-Staffed at the Gene Pool" would be finished by August 1998 and nearly completed by Rankine in her native Scotland throughout 1999. Rankine would spend the year 2000 dealing with the old contracts with labels WORK and Creation, and setting things up with Wichita in the UK, with the band's final two albums out in 2001. For a short time "Ruby" continued to collaborate with former Creation label members Mark Bowen and Dick Green, but as of March 2008 no further recordings have been released. Rankine has since taken a break from recording, returning to her home country.cite web|url=http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Ruby-Biography/B38F8576F19A812548256A930026574B| title="Ruby Biography"|publisher="www.sing365.com"|accessdate=2008-03-29]

Mark Walk

Walk had previously worked with Rankine on material for industrial group Pigface. He currently (as of March 2008) resides in Los Angeles, USA, where in addition to collaborating on albums for both of the groups Skinny Puppy and ohGr, he has been writing and producing music for commercials as well as film.cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1270526/|title="Mark Walk/IMDb"|publisher="www.imdb.com"|accessdate=2008-03-31]

"For more information see main article: Mark Walk"

Albums

Ruby's first album, "Salt Peter", was released November 1, 1995.cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ruby/albums.jhtml?albumId=76924| title="Salt Peter/Album Track Listing/MTV"|publisher="www.mtv.com"|accessdate=2008-03-24] The album would produce three singles, all of which would chart in the UK. It was made almost entirely using computers and without a band. The album's songs have been described as being driven by loops of drums and repetitious guitar/bass riffs.cite web|url=http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/670| title="Nude as the News:Ruby:Salt Peter"|publisher="www.nudeasthenews.com"|accessdate=2008-03-21] Rankine explains the approach and reasoning:

"Salt Peter's" first single was "Paraffin", released on November 7, 1995.cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ruby/albums.jhtml?albumId=76923| title="Paraffin/Album Track Listing/MTV"|publisher="www.mtv.com"|accessdate=2008-03-24] The compilation "New Voices vol. 3" from Rolling Stone Magazine had this song as its second track.cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/comp/various_artists___books___magazines___rolling_stone__deu_/new_voices_vol__3/| title="New Voices vol. 3"|publisher="www.rateyourmusic.com"|accessdate=2008-03-25] It was followed up with "Ruby's" best known song, "Tiny Meat", which was also released in 1995.cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/ruby/tiny_meat__cd1_/| title="Tiny Meat (CD1)"|publisher="www.rateyourmusic.com"|accessdate=2008-04-10] It would be the only song by the band to chart in the United States, reaching #22 on the Modern Rock Tracks list. This song was also included in the compilation "MTV Fresh 2." Another single, "Hoops" came out in early 1996. Later in that year the promotion-only single for the track "Swallow Baby" was put out for radio play. An up-to-then unreleased song called "This Is" was on the soundtrack to the film "The Cable Guy" in May 1996. The CD single for the song "Paraffin" included a remix called "Harpie Mix" which was also on the soundtrack to the 1997 movie "The Beautician and the Beast." All of "Salt Peter's" singles had music videos made for them.

On April 8, 1996 a remix album called "Revenge, The Sweetest Fruit: Salt Peter Remixed" was released in the United States,cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ruby/albums.jhtml?albumId=540316| title="Salt Peter Remixed EP/Album Track Listing/MTV"|publisher="www.mtv.com"|accessdate=2008-03-24] followed by the UK version "Stroking The Full Length" on October 29, 1996.cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ruby/albums.jhtml?albumId=106878| title="Stroking the Full Length/Album Track Listing/MTV"|publisher="www.mtv.com"|accessdate=2008-03-24] The third track from "Stroking..." is a "Ceasefire Remix" of the song "Flippin' tha Bird" and this version was part of the movie soundtrack to the 1997 film "Nowhere." The Japan release of "Stroking..." was out on September 1, 1996, and came with an extra track the other remix albums of "Salt Peter" do not have. It was the "Mark Walk Mix" of the song "Tiny Meat."

During and after the tour in support of "Salt Peter," the duo began early work on their next album; however several events would push it's release well into 2001. Among these issues the largest were internal problems in the studio and the struggle then eventual folding of "Ruby's" label Creation Records in 1999, when the band (as with most of Creation's artists) was meshed into the parent label, Sony. Rankine described the situation and time frame in an interview from August 8, 2001 by Holly Day:

:"Q: Why was there such a big gap between your last record and this new one?::A: Because of the people I was working with, really. I mean, the guy I had originally been working with didn’t want to give me my record back, and held onto it for nearly a year and a half. And then when I eventually did get my record back, the American record label, Creation, folded, and I was sort of absorbed into Sony, since Creation was owned by Sony. So then I had to wait around for a year to get out of the Sony deal.

:Q: How long ago was the record finished?::A: My bit was finished all the way back in 1997. I didn’t actually get my record back until June of 1999, and shortly thereafter the label went down the pot. So I’ve got quite a bit of new material to try out during this tour, all written while waiting for this new album to come out."cite web|url=http://www.pulsetc.com/beforejune/V5I19/music.html| title="Music News section called Ruby’s Blues"|publisher="www.pulsetc.com"|accessdate=2008-03-26]

The album "Short-Staffed At The Gene Pool" would be the result, released on April 23, 2001 in the UK, and a day later in the US.cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/ruby/short_staffed_at_the_gene_pool/| title="Short-Staffed at the Gene Pool by Ruby"|publisher="rateyourmusic.com"|accessdate=2008-03-22] It was on new labels for the group, Wichita Recordings and
Thirsty Ear Recordings. The album produced three singles; "Grace" (released March 20, 2001), "Beefheart (July 31, 2001), and "Lamplight" (released in 2002), all of which had music videos made for them. "Ruby's" last album to date (as of March 2008) was "Altered and Proud, the Short Staffed Remixes," which came out on July 17, 2001.cite web|url=http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/ruby/altered_and_proud__the_short_staffed_remixes/| title="Altered & Proud: The Short-Staffed Remixes by Ruby"|publisher="rateyourmusic.com"|accessdate=2008-03-22] Neither the studio album "Short staffed...", the remix album "Altered and Proud...", or any of their singles would chart in the United States.

1996 tour

Of the duo only Rankine went on the road; Walk did not participate in performing the live shows.cite web|url=http://www.section3.com/records/ruby_stroking.shtml|title="Section 3 - Ruby "Stroking the Full Length"|publisher="www.section3.com"|accessdate=2008-03-30] "Ruby" performed at the Pukkelpop music festival, the Reading and Leeds Festivals, and Lollapalooza during 1996, in support of the album "Salt Peter."

2001 tour

"Ruby's" North American tour supporting "Short-Staffed At The Gene Pool" started off with a huge hitch: lost effects equipment for a group that uses only effects to perform their music live. Rankine relates the story in the same 2001 interview:

:"Q: So I heard something happened to your luggage?::A: Yes, it’s awful! The skycart didn’t put a tag on one piece. There were 15 pieces of luggage that were sent with us to L.A., but only 14 actually got here. The one that didn’t get the tag is apparently still flying around out there somewhere, or tied up at a different airport or something. The airline says we have no real recourse, that we’re somehow just as responsible for the missing piece as they are. It’s ironic, because that one missing piece contained all our effects units, all of our keyboards and connecting MIDI cables and power cables, and basically everything we needed to run every instrument for the tour. If they had lost any other piece of luggage we could have still pulled the tour off. If we’d lost one guitar, we’d still have another, and same with the double-bass—we have an electric that’d work just as well. But because that one piece of luggage got lost, this tour almost didn’t happen.

:"Q: Will you be able to replace all that stuff?::A: Yeah, we eventually had to go buy everything we needed. We had to run around to Guitar Center and Radio Shack and some other place and buy all new stuff, so now I’m up to my eyeballs in debt. The equipment is all insured, so eventually we’ll get the money back—but still, not the greatest way to start our tour. If the equipment hadn’t been insured, I would have just turned around and gone home."cite web|url=http://www.pulsetc.com/beforejune/V5I19/music.html| title="Music News section called Ruby’s Blues"|publisher="www.pulsetc.com"|accessdate=2008-03-26]

Discography

Chart Performance

Singles

Albums

References

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.rubymusic.co.uk/ Official artist website (archived)]
* [http://www.wichita-recordings.com/ Official record label website/Wichita]
* [http://www.thirstyear.com Official record label website/Thirsty Ear]
* [http://home.dti.net/joly/ruby/index.html Lesley Rankine Discography]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.wichita-recordings.com/ruby/ruby.htm Ruby's page on Wichita website (archived)]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E2DC1139F935A15751C0A960958260&scp=2&sq=Lesley%20Rankine&st=cse New York Times article from 2/26/1996 describing Rankine's on-stage performance]