The Alarm
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The Alarm are a Welsh alternative rock band, who were most popular in the 1980s.
Band members
- Mike Peters: Vocals, Guitars, Harmonica - born Michael L Peters on 25 February, 1959, in Prestatyn, Wales.
- Dave Sharp: Guitars - born on 28 January 1959, in Salford.
- Eddie MacDonald: Bass - born on 1 November 1959, in St Asaph, Wales.
- Nigel Buckle "Twist": Drums - born on 18 July 1958, in Manchester.
Biography
The band was formed in Rhyl, Wales in 1978 and was originally called Seventeen. They were subsequently renamed Alarm Alarm. However, lead singer Mike Peters at the advice of legendary DJ John Peel, decided to change the name again in 1981, because too many bands during the early 1980s had redundant names, such as The The and Duran Duran.Peters and Twist had originally been in local punk band The Toilets, Sharp in Chuck Burial & The Embalmed and Macdonald in Amsterdam. All bands were short lived.
They moved from North Wales to London and made a name for themselves through playing countless gigs in the capital. The high-fueled stage show earned them recognition. The band toured extensively through the United States and Europe through the 1980s into 1991. They gained much popularity in 1983 as they were the opening act during U2's War Tour. The Alarm were often compared musically to U2.
On March 13, 1988, The Alarm performed at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California with The 77s and House of Freaks. Audience members included Neil Young. After the release of Raw in 1991, despite their success and relative longevity, Mike Peters announce on stage at The Brixton Academy that he was leaving the band. This came as much of a shock to his colleagues as the audience. Although the three remaining members tried to continue without Peters, they soon disbanded.
After a long and successful solo career in the 1990s Mike Peters, re-organized the group again with different members, including Craig Adams (ex The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, The Cult), James Stevenson of Chelsea, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Cult and Steve Grantley of Stiff Little Fingers, and released the In the Poppy Fields CD in 2004. The lead off single reached the Top 40, on indie Snapper Music, after the band credited the track to The Poppyfields and got a younger band to front the single in their video. However the second single, credited to the Alarm, charted a few places lower than the 40.
The original members of The Alarm finally appeared together on the VH1 show Bands Reunited in 2005, and performed live in London with a subsequent expanded DVD/CD release of the episode.
The Alarm's single 68 Guns has been featured in an American Heineken beer television commercial.
In late December 2005, singer Mike Peters revealed he has been diagnosed with a form of cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but it was diagnosed in its early stages and his prognosis is favourable. (Not quite sure it was diagnosed in 2005.. The 1996 solo album Feel Free has a song titled 'Regeneration' in which he discusses his diagnosis and subsequent alternative therapies that he believes help cure him)
February 2006 saw the UK release of a new album, Under Attack on EMI as The Alarm MMVI whose first single "Superchannel" hit #1 on the UK Rock Chart and #23 in the UK National Chart. For the first time the UK it also had a DVD with a separate video for each of the 13 songs. The videos were shot and edited in a record breaking three days, in and around their "hometown" of Rhyl, by 1000 Words Productions.
The U.S. release of "Under Attack" was Tuesday June 13, 2006 on Eleven Thirty Records. Like the UK edition it features the DVD, but with a bonus Special Edition of 'Superchannel' and a Behind The Scenes Documentary.
Discography
Albums
- The Alarm (IRS Records - July 1983) US #126
- Declaration (IRS Records - February 1984) - UK #6, US #50
- Strength (IRS Records - October 1985) - UK #18, US #39
- Eye Of The Hurricane (IRS Records - November 1987) - UK #23, US #77
- Electric Folklore Live (IRS Records - November 1988) - UK #62, US #167
- Change (IRS Records - September 1989) - UK #13, US #75
- Standards (IRS Records - November 1990) - UK #47, US #177
- Raw (IRS Records - April 1991) - UK #33, US #161
- In The Poppy Fields (Snapper Music - 2004)
as The Alarm MMVI
- Under Attack (Liberty Records - February 13, 2006)
Singles
| Year | Title | | Album | |||
| US Billboard Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock | US Modern Rock | UK Singles | |||
| 1983 | "68 Guns/68 Guns Part 2/Thoughts of a Young Man" | - | - | - | #17 | Declaration |
| 1984 | "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?/Pavilion Steps/What Kind of Hell (Live)" | - | - | - | #22 | Declaration |
| 1984 | "The Deceiver/Reason 41/Second Generation" | - | - | - | #51 | Declaration |
| 1984 | "The Chant Has Just Begun/The Bells of Rhymney/The Stand (Full version)/Bound for Glory" | - | - | - | #48 | Non-album single |
| 1985 | "Absolute Reality/Reason 36/Blaze of Glory (Alternate version)/Room at the Top" | - | - | - | #35 | Strength |
| 1985 | "Strength/Majority" | #61 | #12 | - | #40 | Strength |
| 1986 | "Spirit of '76/Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke (Live)/Knocking On Heaven's Door (Live)/Deeside (Live)/68 Guns (Live)" | - | #29 | - | #22 | Strength |
| 1986 | "Knife Edge/Caroline Isenburg/Unbreak the Promise (BBC Acoustic session)/Howling Wind (BBC Acoustic session)" | - | - | - | #43 | Strength |
| 1987 | "Rain in the Summertime/Rose Beyond The Wall/The Bells of Rhymney (Live)/Time to Believe" | #71 | #6 | - | #18 | Eye of the Hurricane |
| 1987 | "Rescue Me/Pastures of Plenty/Elders and Folklore/My Land Your Land" | - | #35 | - | #48 | Eye of the Hurricane |
| 1988 | "Presence of Love/Strength (Live)/Dawn Chorus (Live)/Knife Edge (Live)" | #77 | #16 | - | #44 | Eye of the Hurricane |
| 1989 | "Sold Me Down the River/Corridors Of Power/Firing Line" | #50 | #2 | #3 | #43 | Change |
| 1989 | "Devolution Workin' Man Blues" | - | #9 | #11 | Not released in the UK | Change |
| 1989 | "A New South Wales/The Rock" | - | - | - | #31 | Change |
| 1990 | "Love Don't Come Easy" | - | #33 | - | #48 | Change |
| 1990 | "Unsafe Building 1990/Up For Murder 1990" | - | - | - | #54 | Standards |
| 1990 | "The Road" | - | #16 | #7 | Not released in the UK | Standards |
| 1991 | "Raw" | - | - | #15 | #51 | Raw |
| 2004 | "45RPM" (credited to The Poppyfields) | - | - | - | #28 | In the Poppyfields |
| 2004 | "New Home New Life" | - | - | - | #45 | In the Poppyfields |
| 2006 | "Superchannel" | - | - | - | #23 | Under Attack |
External links
- [The Alarm Official Website]
- [Dave Sharp Official Website]
- [Dead Men Walking Official Website]
- [A Recent Mike Peters Interview]
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