by request
Rose of Avalanche Biography
by AllMusic
Formed by Phil Morris (vocals), Paul James Berry (guitar) and Alan Davis (bass), this Leeds, Yorkshire, England-based band came to the fore following heavy airplay from BBC disc jockey John Peel. Their debut single, ‘L.A. Rain’, finished high in his 1985 ‘Festive Fifty’, although it was released before the band had performed. Glenn Schultz (guitar) was added to the line-up on the follow-up, ‘Goddess’. The two singles, which both reached number 1 on the independent charts, were packaged alongside other material on the unapproved album release First Avalanche. Drummer Mark Thompson was then drafted into the line-up allowing the Rose Of Avalanche to move away from the strictures of using a drum machine. The band also signed a new recording contract with the Fire Records label. Their third single ‘Too Many Castles In The Sky’ originated from overhearing a man in a pub asking a girl if she wanted to ‘See my castle in the sky?’. Following this release bass player Alan Davis was replaced by Nicole McKay. The next single ‘Velveteen’, a tribute to Nico, gained further exposure after the band accompanied the Mission on a European tour.
After gaining early praise the band was stopped in
their tracks for 18 months between 1987 and 1988 following disputes with
their label, Fire Records, who rather unceremoniously went ahead with
the release of an album of old material. The Rose Of Avalanche responded
by setting up their own Avalantic label, releasing their debut album
proper (Never Another Sunset) in 1989. Further line-up changes then
ensued with Schultz and McKay departing, with the latter replaced by
Darren Horner. The 4 track A Peace Inside EP was the last to feature
Mark Thompson, leaving Morris and Berry to carry on with Horner and new
drummer Andrew Porter. Their next two albums, String ‘A’ Beads and
I.C.E., brought about a transformation in the band’s sound, replacing
the heavy rhythms and chiming guitar that saw them pigeonholed as
‘gothic’ with material of a comparatively melodic and ‘poppy’ nature.
The departure of Berry after the release of the latter hastened the
demise of this ill-fated band.
Tracklist
| 1 | Ride The Storm | 4:40 | |
| 2 | Two Time Baby | 4:15 | |
| 3 | I Love The Ice | 3:57 | |
| 4 | Destination Nowhere | 4:15 | |
| 5 | The Garden | 4:30 | |
| 6 | Lost The Chance | 4:30 | |
| 7 | Wall Of Pain | 3:01 | |
| 8 | Everythings OK | 4:40 | |
| 9 | Take All My Money | 6:00 |
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