Dead or Alive

Dead or Alive biography

Dead or Alive were a British New Wave band from Liverpool, England. The band rose to fame in the 1980s, and are most well known for their number one hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)". They were the first group to have a number one single under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman. The band, which has variously included Pete Burns (vocalist), Wayne Hussey (guitarist and songwriter), Mike Percy (bass guitarist), Steve Coy (drummer), Timothy Lever (various instruments), and Jason Alburey (keyboardist), have released eleven albums, and became popular in Japan.

The band have had seven Top 40 singles and three Top 30 albums in the UK ("You Spin Me Round" made the charts in 1985, 2003 and again in 2006 following Burns' appearance on Celebrity Big Brother). Two of their singles reached the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ("You Spin Me Round" reached number 11 in 1985, and "Brand New Lover" reached number 15 in 1986). The latter also became the first of two singles to top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

History

thumb

Early career of band

Dead or Alive (DOA for short, not to be confused with punk band D.O.A.) was founded in 1980 in Liverpool by Pete Burns, who was encouraged by local music promoters to gather a band together based on his outrageous appearance alone. It was only after rehearsing in 1977 with some friends that Burns realized he really did have a powerful singing voice, and his first band was an outfit he formed with friends Julian Cope, Pete Wylie, and Phil Hurst. Dubbing themselves The Mystery Girls, they played only one gig (opening for Sham 69 at Eric's in Liverpool in November 1977) before disintegrating. Burns returned in 1979 with a new band, Nightmares in Wax, featuring a gothic post-punk sound, with backing from Hurst, keyboardist Martin Healy, bassist Walter Ogden, and guitarist Mick Reid. and were signed to the associated Eric's Records label, although their only recording, a three-track 7" EP entitled Birth of a Nation, was released in 1980 by Inevitable Records (a 12-inch single featuring two of the tracks from the EP, "Black Leather" and "Shangri-La", was released in 1985). The EP featured "Black Leather", which halfway through turned into K.C. & the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way" (a song later revived by Dead or Alive).

In 1980, after several line-up changes since the start of the year, and just before they were to record a radio session for John Peel, Burns changed the name of the band to the more marketable Dead or Alive. The band went through several different line-up changes over the next three years while recording a series of independent singles. Burns' eccentric and androgynous appearance began attracting attention, often leading to comparisons with Boy George, lead singer of the band Culture Club.

Dead or Alive's singles started placing high in the UK Indie Chart, with 1982's "The Stranger" reaching number seven,. This prompted Epic Records to sign the band in 1983. Their first release for Epic was the single "Misty Circles", which appeared at number 100 in the UK Singles Chart in 1983. At this point, the band was a five-piece consisting of Burns, Mike Percy (bass), Tim Lever (keyboards/sax), Steve Coy (drums), and Wayne Hussey (guitar). Two more singles, "What I Want" and "I'd Do Anything", were club hits, but mainstream success continued to elude the band.

Biography from , the free encyclopedia.
It may not have been reviewed by a professional editor, and recent changes may not show up straight away. See the latest version of this article. Used under licence. Subject to disclaimers.