- The Work (band)
Infobox musical artist |
Name = The Work
Img_capt = From left to right:Tim Hodgkinson , Rick Wilson,Mick Hobbs ,Bill Gilonis
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin =England
Genre =Avant-progressive rock ,Post-punk ,Industrial music
Years_active =1980 –1982 1989 –1994
Label = Woof
Associated_acts =Henry Cow
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =Tim Hodgkinson Bill Gilonis Mick Hobbs
Rick WilsonThe Work were an English
post-punk rock group founded in 1980 by multi-instrumentalist/composerTim Hodgkinson and guitarist/composerBill Gilonis , with bass guitaristMick Hobbs and drummer Rick Wilson. The band touredEurope in 1981 and 1982, and recorded their first album, "Slow Crimes" in 1982. After a tour ofJapan later that year and releasing "Live in Japan", the band split up. In 1989, The Work reformed to record "Rubber Cage" and performed throughout Europe between 1989 and 1994, releasing another album, "See" in 1992.History
Ex-
Henry Cow co-founderTim Hodgkinson began recording withBill Gilonis in 1980. They experimented with tapecollages which led the creation of anindependent record label ,Woof Records and a band. Enlisting the services ofMick Hobbs and Rick Wilson they formed The Work, apost-punk rock group.In 1981, The Work made their first recording, an EP "I Hate America", released on the Woof label. They then embarked on a tour of
Europe , performing in theNetherlands ,Belgium ,Switzerland ,Sweden ,Finland ,Norway ,Germany ,France ,Italy andYugoslavia . In 1982, the band played at aRock in Opposition Festival inBonn with vocalistCatherine Jauniaux , after which they recorded their first album "Slow Crimes" on the Woof label with Jauniaux as guest musician. "Slow Crimes" tookpunk rock to new heights by introducing elements of avant-rock. "The drums are primal, and hold the entire band together in a polyrhythmic way that was, at the time, unheard-of in Punk music." [ [http://www.adhocrecords.com/ Ad Hoc Records] . "Slow Crimes". ]The band's next commitment was a tour of
Japan in June 1982, but before the tour began, Wilson left to studyKathakali inIndia , and Hobbs followed soon after over disagreements about the band's musical direction. Committed to the tour, Hodgkinson and Gilonis asked ex-Henry Cow drummerChris Cutler and bassistJim "Amos" Welton to join them in Japan. With this altered line-up, the group played three concerts inTokyo and one inOsaka . The Osaka concert was recorded with acassette recorder half-way down the hall, which was later cleaned up and released by Recommended Records Japan on an LP "Live in Japan". At the end of the tour, the group split up.In 1989, The Work reformed with its original members and recorded an industrial/noise album "Rubber Cage", after which they returned to touring Europe, performing in France, Germany,
Austria ,Czechoslovakia , Switzerland and Italy over the next two years. In 1992, they made their last album, "See", which they played live on their ongoing European tour. In 1993, the band played at theSt. Petersburg Open Music Festival inRussia . The Work's last performances were in 1994 in Italy, Switzerland, Germany,Slovenia and theCzech Republic , where they had begun drawing on Hopi Indianmythology for their sets.Personnel
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Tim Hodgkinson – saxophones, bass clarinet, keyboards, lap steel guitar, lead vocals
*Bill Gilonis – guitar, euphonium, sampling, vocals
*Mick Hobbs – guitar, bass guitar, drums, ukulele, recorder, midi-horn, vocals
*Rick Wilson – drums, bass guitar, vocalsDiscography
Albums
*
1982 "Slow Crimes" (LPWoof Records , U.K.)
*1982 "Live in Japan" (LPRecommended Records ,Japan )
*1989 "Rubber Cage" (LPWoof Records , U.K.)
*1992 "See" (CDWoof Records , U.K.)Extended plays
*
1981 "I Hate America" (EPWoof Records , U.K.)Footnotes
External links
* [http://www.ccutler.com/ccutler/bands/group05.shtml#work Chris Cutler homepage] . "Tim Hodgkinson / The Work".
* [http://calyx.club.fr/mus/hodgkinson_tim.html The Canterbury Website] . "Tim Hodgkinson".
* [http://www.squidco.com/rer/Woof.discog.html SquidCo] . "Woof Discography".
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