News from Official Prog Suppliers - Metal Minds Re-issue two Therapy? albums

Bio
Their history begins back in 1989, when singer/guitarist Andy Cairns met drummer Fyfe Ewing after a charity gig at the Jordanstown Polytechnics, where Ewing played with a local punk cover group. The two discussed their similar tastes in music and agreed to meet at a rehearsal at Fyfe’s house, where they began writing their first material. During the summer of 1989 the duo recorded a 4-track demo called “Thirty Seconds of Silence”, with Andy playing on a bass guitar borrowed from Fyfe’s friend from school – Michael McKeegan. McKeegan was eventually recruited by the band for their first show at the Belfast Art College. The same year brought Therapy?’s second demo, presenting a sound strongly influenced by the indie rock movement (particularly such groups as Jesus Lizard and Big Black). The band released their first single – “Meat Abstract” – in July 1990, through their own “label” – Multif**kingnational Records. In the summer they went for their very first tour across The United Kingdom, along with fellow rockers from The Beyond. Therapy?’s intriguing style (mixing various influences from alternative rock to punk, pop and metal), unconventional song structures and original lyrics brought them a lot of attention on the local scene, which eventually resulted in signing with the independent label Wiiija Records in London.
Under the Wiiija flag, the band released their first two albums – “Babyteeth” in July1991 and “Pleasure Death” in January 1992. Both of them were very successful in the underground rock scene, hitting number 1 in the UK Indie Charts. This was more than enough to catch the attention of a major record label – A&M Records. Therapy? secured the deal and began writing material for their mainstream debut. The album, bearing the title “Nurse”, was eventually released on October 17th, 1992 and became a great success, making its way to the British Top 40 Album Charts (thanks to the popular single “Teethgrinder”). The expansion of the grunge movement helped gain Therapy? the proper attention in the media, which soon began drawing comparisons between them and Nirvana.
In 1993 the band released the “Shortsharpshock” EP, with the leading song “Screamager”. The single became a big hit and led to the group’s first appearance on the popular British music show – “Top Of The Pops”. “Shortsharpshock” was followed by two more EPs – “Face The Strange” and “Opal Mantra”, both reaching the UK Top 40. After that Therapy? focused on some excessive touring, visiting Europe, USA (where they supported King’s X, The Jesus Lizard and Helmet).
1994 brought one of the band’s most successful albums to date. “Troublegum” was released on February 7th, 1994, spawning numerous hit singles such as “Turn”, “Nowhere”, “Die Laughing” and a cover of Joy Division’s song “Isolation”. The album showcased a much more mature style, a dark metal-like sound and thought-provoking lyrics, all of which made up for the group’s most successful attempt to win over the commercial market. “Troublegum” received a handful of nominations (including the Mercury Music Prize nomination) and triumphed at the Kerrang! Awards.
Theraphy?’s third major label release – “Infernal Love” – saw the light of day on June 12th, 1995. The highly anticipated album brought a surprising turn in the group’s musical direction, as the majority of the turned out to be ballads. The band’s goal was to create a “cinematic soundscape” – an epic journey through various emotional levels of music. All the songs on the album were connected with what the band called “insanity”, performed by Belfast DJ David Holmes. To this day “Infernal Love” remains one of Therapy?’s most controversial releases, but also one of their most successful, mostly thanks to the singles “Stories”, “Loose” and the beautiful cello driven cover of Hüsker Dü’s “Diane” (based on an actual story of the murder of waitress Diane Edwards).
In January 1996 Fyfe Ewing left the group, tired with the constant touring. It was assumed that Therapy? would inevitably break-up without one of the founding members, but Cairns and McKeegan decide to carry on with new drummer Graham Hopkins and cellist/guitarist Martin McCarrick (known from working with the band on “Infernal Love”) now as the fourth member. In this line-up Therapy? toured throughout the US and Canada until the end of 1996. The group spent most of 1997 writing material for their sixth studio album. The promotional single “Church of Noise” was released in March 1998, marking the band’s return to the scene after a three-year absence. The full album – “Semi-Detached” – followed on March 30th, becoming the group’s most radio-friendly release to date. Despite the frequent airplay of the singles “Church of Noise” and “Lonely, Cryin’, Only”, the album failed to achieve the expected success, which resulted in losing the record deal with A&R Records. Left without any label support, the band was forced to finance their European tour in late 1998 all by themselves.
Therapy? released their seventh studio opus – “Suicide Pact – You First” – on October 18th, 1999, through Ark 21 Records. The album was a major step away from the pop oriented style showcased on the previous offering. The new LP was raw, aggressive and untamed – as if the band wanted to resort all the restrictions imposed on them in the past by their major label contract. “Suicide Pact – You First” received great reviews from the critics and much praise from the fans, but none of the songs on the album were suitable for mainstream radio airplay. In October 2000 Therapy? released their first compilation album called “So Much for the Ten Year Plan: A Retrospective 1990-2000”. The title was a rather ironic commentary on the band’s constant struggles with the corporate music industry.
The group’s eight studio album – “Shameless” – was released on September 10th, 2001 in Europe (September 18th in the US). Produced by the legendary Jack Endino, the LP was a straight-forward punk’n’roll offering, reflecting the group’s fascinations with modern thrash-rock. In December 2001, drummer Graham Hopkins decided to leave the band due to his dissatisfaction with Theraphy?’s current style. The rest of the band members asked ex-3 Colours Red drummer Keith Baxter to aid them during their upcoming 2002 tour across Europe. Baxter was eventually replaced by Neil Cooper (ex-The Beyond) and the group signed a new contract with Spitfire Records.
The first album released for the new label was “High Anxiety”, which hit the stores on May 5th, 2003 in Europe (May 20th in the US). The LP brought the long-awaited return to the style known from the acclaimed “Troublegum” album from 1994. Filled with joyful punk’n’roll, “High Anxiety” featured a number of great songs such as the ironic opener “Hey Satan, You Rock”, the pop-punk tune “My Voodoo Doll” or the hard rocking single “If It Kills Me”. The title of the album was inspired by a 1977 comedy of the same name, written and directed by Mel Brooks. Gaining huge acclaim from both critics and fans, “High Anxiety” easily became one of the band’s most successful albums in their discography. In the same year Therapy? also celebrated the release of their first DVD – “Scopophobia” – which contained the group’s full concert played at the Mandella Hall in Belfast. The band completed their UK tour at the end of 2003 as a three-piece due to McCarrick’s temporary departure caused by a perforated eardrum.
In March 2004 McCarrick confirmed that he is leaving Therapy? for good. With their line-up again slimmed down to just three members, the band released their tenth LP – “Never Apologize Never Explain” – on September 27th, 2004. The album was a return to the claustrophobic style of Therapy?’s first two LPs, back from when they weren’t signed to a major label. The angry and absolutely un-commercial nature of “Never Apologise Never Explain” divided the fans into two groups, one praising the band’s bold approach towards their music and the second complaining about not getting another straight-forward rock album. The LP was nevertheless considered quite successful, thanks to the shining singles “Rise Up” and “Rock You Monkeys”.
Therapy?’s eleventh album – “One Cure Fits All” – hit the stores on April 24th, 2006. The LP, produced by Pedro Ferreira (The Darkness), saw the group going down the same road they did on “High Anxiety”, once again taking on a more melodic approach. In 2007 the group released a double CD live album – ‘Music Through A Cheap Transistor” – covering their BBC sessions. A series of concerts followed, with Therapy? visiting such countries as Canada, Romania, Serbia and Croatia. They ended the year by supporting New Model Army at their Christmas show in Paris.
The group released their most recent opus – “Crooked Timber” – on March 23rd, 2009.
The album featured a more jazz-influenced musical direction, at the same time keeping close to the band’s style adapted on their previous LPs.
With twelve full-length releases behind them, Therapy? continues to make corporate boy-rock bands feel ashamed about their existence, bringing a smile on the faces of all those who think that music should be a bit more than restricted and compromised money-making melodies….