The Drones (British band)

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Name = The Drones

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Img_capt = The picture cover of the "Drones"' May 1977 E.P.: " Temptations Of A White Collar Worker"
Died =
Origin = Manchester, England
Instrument =
Genre = Punk rock
Occupation =
Years_active = 1975–1982
1999
Label = O.H.M.S., Valer
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URL =
Current_members =
Past_members = M.J. Drone
Gus Gangrene
Steve ‘Whisper’ Cundall
Pete Purfect

Notable_instruments =

The Drones were a punk rock band from Manchester, England. For a period of time, the band were produced and managed by Paul Morley. [ [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:g9frxqy5ldhe~T1 Band biography] at Allmusic]

One critic wrote: "Bonafide DIY three-chord wonders, the Drones were there at punk’s inception." [Strong, M.C. (2003) "The Great Indie Discography", Canongate, Edinburgh, isbn= 1-84195-335-0, p. 58]

Career

Formed in Manchester in 1975, the band started out as a pub rock outfit called Rockslide and released a single called Roller Coaster. When their only single did not have an impact, they reinvented themselves as a punk rock band. They played Deeply Vale Festivals one year as Rockslide and the next year as The Drones. The band developed a local rivalry with the emerging band the Buzzcocks, but failed to match the success of their rivals outside of their home town.

Most bands in the thriving Manchester punk scene stayed in the city, but The Drones relocated to London. They became one of the pioneering punk bands that performed in the first few months of the now-legendary Roxy Club. They supported The Vibrators in January 1977, headlined in February, and supported X-Ray Spex and Chelsea in March. [ cite book |title= "Punk"|last= Thompson|first= Dave|year= 2000|publisher= Collector’s Guide Publication|location= Ontario|isbn= 1-896522-27-0|pages= p.61-62; ] Later that year they supported The Stranglers on tour. The band appeared on two influential early punk compilation albums "Streets" and "". [ cite web |url=http://www.trakmarx.com/2004_01/13_comp.htm |title=Punk Rock Compilation classics |Publisher=trakMARX (issue13) |author=Johnny Forgotten |year=2004 |month=Jan |accessdate=2007-11-30 ]

The band's debut EP, "Temptations Of A White Collar Worker" (1977), was described by one reviewer as "classic dole-queue punk." [ [http://www.hiljaiset.sci.fi/punknet/top100si.htm Steve Gardner (1996) “Hiljaiset Levyt: 100 Best Punk singles”] ; ] In October 1977, the Drones’ second single, "Bone Idol", was released. In December 1977, they recorded a session at Maida Vale 4 studio for John Peel at BBC Radio 1. The tracklisting was "Be My Baby", "The Change", "Clique", and "Movement". [ cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1970s/1977/Dec06drones/ |title=John Peel Sessions on BBC Radio 1|accessdate=2007-12-01; ] That same month they released their debut album, "Further Temptations", which has come to be regarded as a punk classic. [cite book |last=Joynson|first=V.|year=2001 |title=Up Yours! A Guide to UK Punk, New Wave & Early Post Punk|publisher=Borderline Productions, Wolverhampton |pages=p. 129 |isbn=978-1899855131|quote="the typical enthusiasm of many of the early punk bands."] [ cite web |url=http://www.hiljaiset.sci.fi/punknet/top100lp.htm |first=Steve |last=Gardner |year=1996 |title=Hiljaiset Levyt: 100 Best Punk LP's |quote="a great punk record... it's got the same kind of chugging rhythm section that made The Vibrators so great, and the songs are real catchy Ramones-type tunes with a real hot guitar sound." ]

Fans would have to wait until May 1999 for the follow up album, "Sorted". The band reformed and toured to promote the record; including concert dates in the United States.

In 2001 "Bone Idol" was included in "Mojo" magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time. [Mojo (October 2001) - "100 Punk Scorchers ", Issue 95, London]

Discography

tudio albums

*"Further Temptations" (Valer, VLRP 1, December 1977)
*"Sorted" (Captain Oi, May 1999)

Compilation albums

*"Expectations: Tapes From The Attic 1975 - 1982" (Overground, April 1997) - A collection of unreleased studio recordings, alternative versions and live tapes.
*"Further Temptations" (Get Back) - A Double album of material

Appearances on various artist compilations (Selective)

Listing of those various artist compilation albums mentioned in the text of the main article:
*"Lookalikes" featured on the "Streets" complilation (Beggars Banquet Records, 1977)
*"Persecution Complex" featured on "" (VCL, June 1978)

ingles

*"Temptations of a White Collar Worker EP": "Lookalikes" / "Corgi Crap" / "Hard on Me" / "You’ll Lose" (O.H.M.S., May 1977)
*"Bone Idol" / "I Just Wanna Be Myself" (Valer, Oct. 1977)
*"Be My Baby" / "Lift Off the Bans" (Valer, Jan. 1978)
*"Can’t See" / "Fooled Today" (Fabulous, Mar. 1980)

See also

* List of British punk bands
* List of musicians in the first wave of punk music

References

External links

*
* [http://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/drones.htm The Drones] on www.punk77.co.uk
* [http://punkmodpop.free.fr/drones_pic.htm The Drones] on Punkmodpop