Murray Torkildsen

Murray Torkildsen is a singer and songwriter based in the United Kingdom, who was a member of The Sweeney and also guitarist in John Otway's band.

Biography

During the 1980s Murray was a founding member of numerous bands in the Harlow area of Essex, including the popular underground group Real by Real. The band changed line up along the way with Murray always remaining as the core member, until they morphed at the beginning of the 90s into The Sweeney. Torkildsen also played guitar in John Otway's band.^[1][2]

Solo Album

Murray released one solo album Sex Lies and Videogames.

The Sweeney

Having worked his way around North America, Britain and Ireland as a solo act, Murray Torkildsen spent summer 1995 working on new material. He formed a band called The Sweeney with two friends, Adam Batterbee (drums) and Sid (bass).^[1] The Sweeney was named after the popular ITV television serial of the same name.

Group Albums

The Sweeney's debut single 'Shut Up!' was released in November 1995. Their second single "Why?" earned a regular spot on John Peel's radio show in early 1996, and was voted into number nine on that year's Festive Fifty.^[3]

The Sweeney's debut album was "Pop Gun". The group returned to the studio to record three further albums, "Bingo", "The Sweeney" and most recently "5".

Discography

Solo:

Albums:

• Sex Lies and Videogames (1996)

Tracks:

1: Bedrock:

2: Handsome is as handsome does:

3: Trudy tuesday:

4: Anything at all:

5: Falling in love:

6: Ignorance is bliss:

7: Choose Lorena:

8: Religion:

9: Beverly Hills 90210:

10: One of our dinosaurs is missing:

11: The paper that supports our boys:

12: Whatever happened to Baby Jane:

13: Stop talking football:

14: My party

With the Sweeney:

Albums:

• Pop Gun! - 1996

Tracks:

1: Shut Up!:

2: This & that:

3: England:

4: Ticket void if scratched:

5: Big red:

6: You belong to me:

7: Why?:

8: Easy:

9: On stilts with feathers in you hair:

10: Venus in fake furs:

11: Husbands & wives:

12: Honey forever

• Bingo - 1997

Tracks:

1: The Cummings family outing:

2: Wannabe:

3: Fish face:

4: The zoo keeper:

5: Compos mentis:

6: Nostalgia rise:

7: Rock!:

8: The kazoo song:

9: Batman and Robin:

10: Mrs Symonds' daughter:

11: Twinkle toes:

12: Outside

• The Sweeney - 2000

Tracks:

1: Chocolate and Flowers:

2: Heavy Metal Tattoo:

3: White Trash:

4: Belinda:

5: Weight of Experience:

6: Billy the Human Bomb:

7: Anthony:

8: On and On and On:

9: Salford Quays:

10: Your Dog:

11: The King of Harlow:

12: My Invisible Friend

• 5 - 2005

Singles:

• Shut Up - 1995
• Why? - 1996
• Fish Face - 1997
• The Kazoo Song - 1997

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Oxford Point: Five years on, The Sweeney no longer care what we think about them. Perhaps it's time we started to care rather more", NME, 26 April 2000, retrieved 2011-08-02
2. ^ Jones, Natalie (2010) "Beyond the Fringe", Denbighshire Free Press, 15 July 2010, retrieved 2011-08-02
3. ^ "Festive 50s: 1996", Keeping It Peel, BBC, retrieved 2011-08-02

External links

• The Sweeney web site

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