Mercury Rev biography

Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker (vocals), Jonathan Donahue (vocals, guitars), Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a. "Grasshopper" (guitars, clarinet), Suzanne Thorpe (flute), Dave Fridmann (bass) and Jimy Chambers (drums).

History

With their early records, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev is often compared to The Flaming Lips, and in fact share close ties: soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums; and since the 1990 album In a Priest Driven Ambulance, Dave Fridmann has co-produced every Flaming Lips studio album to date except 1993's Transmissions from the Satellite Heart.

Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult popularity,

The band's first post-Baker album, See You on the Other Side (1995), found them in transition, and the 1998 release of the acclaimed Deserter's Songs (which featured appearances by Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of The Band) made Mercury Rev unexpected pop stars. In the UK, NME magazine made Deserter's Songs their Album of the Year. Donahue's earnest, high-pitched vocals and concentration on relatively concise, melodic songs gave the band's material an entirely new feel and much increased popularity (Deserter's Songs spawned three UK Top 40 singles).

All Is Dream was issued in 2001. It included, "The Dark is Rising," which reached #16 in the UK Singles Chart.

Mercury Rev's The Secret Migration was released on January 24, 2005. This was followed up in 2006, by a compilation album, The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006 and the film soundtrack album Hello Blackbird. More recently, the band released a pair of albums on September 29, 2008: Snowflake Midnight, and a free MP3 album of instrumentals, Strange Attractor.

Members

Jonathan Donahue - vocals and guitar
Grasshopper (Sean Mackowiak) - guitar
Jeff Mercel - drums and keyboards
Carlos Anthony Molina - bass

Discography

Chart positions listed are for the United Kingdom; the band has not charted in the United States.

Compilation albums and soundtracks

2006 - The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006
2006 - Hello Blackbird (soundtrack to the film Bye Bye Blackbird)
2006 - Back to Mine (compiled by Mercury Rev, includes exclusive new track "Cecilla's Lunar Expose")

Singles and EPs

1992 - "Lego My Ego'" (re-released with 1999 re-issue of "Yerself Is Steam")
1992 - "Car Wash Hair"
1992 - "If You Want Me to Stay"
1993 - "The Hum Is Coming From Her"
1993 - "Chasing a Bee"
1993 - "Bronx Cheer"
1993 - "Something for Joey"
1995 - "Everlasting Arm"
1995 - "Young Man's Stride"
1998 - "Goddess on a Hiway" - UK #51
1998 - "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" - #26
1999 - "Opus 40" - #31
1999 - "Holes" (Australia only)
1999 - "Goddess on a Hiway" - #26 (1999 re-issue)
2001 - "Nite and Fog" - #47
2002 - "The Dark Is Rising" - #16
2002 - "Little Rhymes" - #51
2004 - "Secret for a Song" (internet download only)
2005 - "In a Funny Way" - #28
2005 - "Across Yer Ocean" - #54
2008 - "Senses on Fire"
2009 - "Butterfly's Wings"

Other contributions

Acoustic 05 (2005, Echo) - "First Time Mothers Joy"
Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy (2009, Mezzotint) - "Sailors and Animals" (Miracle Legion cover)

References

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