The Cruel Sea (band)
The Cruel Sea | |
---|---|
Origin | Polydor, A&M |
Past members | Jim Elliott Dan Rumour Gerard Corben Dee Corben James Cruickshank Ken Gormly Tex Perkins Barry Turnbull |
The Cruel Sea are an Australian
History
Formation and early years
Danny Rumour (aka Daniel John Atkins)
After Sekret Sekret disbanded, The Cruel Sea was formed in late 1987 by Elliot on drums and Rumour on guitar. They enlisted Dee Corben on bass guitar and his brother, Gerard "Ged" Corben (also in
Early albums: Down Below and This Is Not the Way Home
In 1989, The Cruel Sea invited vocalist Tex Perkins, their lighting technician and member of Beasts of Bourbon, to join them on-stage.[3][4] Perkins had written lyrics for some of their instrumentals. The band was signed by Red Eye Records and released a 12" extended play (EP), Down Below, in September. It contained nine tracks and was produced by Phil Punch (The Mexican Spitfires) and The Cruel Sea.[2] It was followed by an eleven-track album of the same name, Down Below in December 1990; both releases featured Perkins on vocals. "Reckless Eyeballin'" – an instrumental track on the album – later became the theme song of Australian TV police drama, Blue Heelers (1994–2006). Although Perkins was also performing with Beasts of Bourbon, The Cruel Sea built a following on the inner-city pub rock circuit with "atmospheric music [that] evoked the feel of wide open spaces".[3] During 1990, Ged Corben left to focus on his work with Lime Spiders.
A single, "I Feel" was released in September 1991 ahead of their second album, This Is Not the Way Home issued in October.[3] It was produced by Tony Cohen (The Birthday Party, Beasts of Bourbon) and The Cruel Sea.[2] The album provided a range of music "from funky Louisiana swamp blues to sweet soul".[3] Vocals by Perkins were compared with Captain Beefheart, John Lee Hooker and Tony Joe White.[3] "4" followed in March 1992 with "This Is Not the Way Home" released as a single in August.[3] After the album's release, the band toured Europe in support of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.[3] In March 1993[5] they released, "Black Stick" as a single, which peaked at No. 25 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Singles Chart.[6] This Is Not the Way Home received a nomination for 'Best Group' at the ARIA Music Awards of 1993.[7]
Mainstream success: The Honeymoon Is Over and Three Legged Dog
In early 1993, The Cruel Sea had Perkins on-board full-time with his commitment to Beasts of Bourbon on hold. The Cruel Sea's third album,
At the ARIA Music Awards of 1994, The Cruel Sea won 'Single of the Year' and 'Song of the Year' for "The Honeymoon is Over", 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Group' for The Honeymoon is Over and received three further nominations including 'Best Cover Art' by Kristyna Higgins and Jay Manby.[8][7][9] At an after-party, a drunken guest attacked Higgins, a professional photographer, and a fracas ensued with Perkins defending his partner. Also that night, two of their ARIA trophies were stolen.[3] Late in 1994, the group toured Europe, again supporting Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. They followed with a headlining tour across Europe and to Canada.[3]
The next album,
Later years
The Cruel Sea's next album,
In February 1998, with Perkins returned, the group released a single, "Hard Times" ahead of its album Over Easy in August. The album was produced by Daniel Denholm (Frente!, Boom Crash Opera), Phil McKellar (Grinspoon, Frenzal Rhomb), the band and McKercher.[2][3] It peaked at No. 13 and was followed by their Takin All Day national tour through most of 1998.[3][6] The band's first greatest hits album, The Most appeared in November 1999 and reached the Top 50. After the success of his first album, Perkins released his second solo album Dark Horses (2000).
In August 2001, ABC TV broadcast the series, Long Way to the Top.[11] Perkins featured on "Episode 6: Gathering of the Tribes 1984–2000" where he discussed his non-mainstream work with both Beasts of Bourbon and The Cruel Sea, which were "Providing the poor forgotten 5% with something – who like the really fucked up weird shit".[12] In September their next album, Where There's Smoke, produced by Magoo (Regurgitator, Midnight Oil) and the band,[2] appeared and reached the Top 30.[4][6] It was followed by another compilation, We Don't Work, We Play Music in October 2002 with "Groovy Situation" issued as a single.[4]
Individual members concentrated on side or solo projects. In early 2005, Perkins returned to Tex Don and Charlie and released All is Forgiven in March. Guitarist and main composer, Rumour began touring and recording with his own roots-style instrumental band, the Dan Rumour Band, and Elliot joined on drums by mid-2006. In August, Perkins declared on
In spite of his earlier statement, The Cruel Sea with Perkins toured Melbourne and Sydney in 2008 before their Blues & Roots Festival performances. They also toured Australia in 2010.[13][14] The full band joined Bernard Fanning as support for his Day On The Green tour of Australia in October to November 2013.
Guitarist and keyboardist James Cruickshank died on 8 October 2015 after a long battle with bowel cancer.[15]
Members
- Jim Elliott – drums (1987–2003, 2008, 2010, 2023)
- Dan Rumour – guitar, clavinet (1987–2003, 2008, 2010. 2023)
- Gerard Corben – guitar (1987–1990)
- Dee Corben – bass guitar (1987–1988)
- James Cruickshank – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (1988–2003, 2008, 2010) [Died 2015]
- Ken Gormly – bass guitar (1988–1990, 1990–2003, 2008, 2010, 2023)
- Tex Perkins – vocals, harmonica, guitar (1989–2003, 2008, 2010, 2023)
- Barry Turnbull – bass guitar (1990)
- Matt Walker guitars, keyboard, backing vocals (2023)
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications
| |
---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [6] |
NZ
[6] | |||
Down Below |
|
133 | - | |
This Is Not the Way Home |
|
62 | - | |
The Honeymoon is Over
|
|
4 | 33 |
|
Three Legged Dog |
|
1 | 20 |
|
Over Easy |
|
13 | - | |
Where There's Smoke |
|
25 | - |
Compilation albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications
|
---|---|---|---|
AUS [6] | |||
Rock'n Roll Duds - Best of the B-Sides |
|
40 | |
The Most (The Best of The Cruel Sea) |
|
43 |
|
We Don't Work, We Play Music |
|
155 |
Extended plays
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Down Below
|
|
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications
|
Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [6] | ||||
"I Feel" | 1991 | 175 | This Is Not The Way Home | |
"4" (titled 4x4) | 1992 | 83 | ||
"This Is Not The Way Home" | 130 | |||
"Black Stick" | 1993 | 25 | The Honeymoon Is Over | |
"The Honeymoon Is Over" | 41 | |||
"Woman with Soul" | 64 | |||
"Seems Twice" | 1994 | 90 | ||
"Better Get a Lawyer" | 29 | Three Legged Dog | ||
"Just a Man" | 1995 | 39 | ||
"Anybody But You" | 49 | |||
"Too Fast for Me" | 107 | |||
"Hard Times" | 1998 | 115 | Over Easy | |
"Takin' All Day" | 132 | |||
"You'll Do" | 225 | |||
"A Simple Goodbye" | 2001 | [A] | Where There's Smoke | |
"No Choice" | 230 | |||
"Groovy Situation" | 2002 | [B] | We Don't Work, We Play Music |
Notes
Awards and nominations
ARIA Awards
The ARIA Music Awards are presented annually from 1987 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The Cruel Sea has won eight awards from twenty nominations.[7]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | This Is Not the Way Home | Best Group[20] | Nominated |
1994 | "The Honeymoon Is Over" | Song of the Year[9] | Won |
Single of the Year[9] | Won | ||
"The Honeymoon Is Over" (Andrew Dominik) | Best Video[9] | Nominated | |
"Black Stick" | Song the Year[9] | Nominated | |
The Honeymoon Is Over |
Album of the Year[9] | Won | |
Best Group[9] | Won | ||
Best Alternative Release[9] | Nominated | ||
Best Cover Art[9] | Nominated | ||
Producer of the Year[21] | Won | ||
1995 | Three Legged Dog | Best Group[10] | Won |
Album of the Year[10] | Nominated | ||
Highest Selling Album[10] | Nominated | ||
The Cruel Sea, Kristyna Higgins, Jim Paton – Three Legged Dog | Best Cover Art[10] | Nominated | |
Tony Cohen, Paul McKercher – Three Legged Dog | Engineer of the Year[22] | Won | |
Tony Cohen – Three Legged Dog | Producer of the Year[22] | Won | |
1996 | "Too Fast for Me" (Robbie Douglas-Turner) | Best Video[23] | Nominated |
1998 | "Takin' All Day" (Mark Hartley) | Best Video[24] | Nominated |
"Hard Times" – Daniel Denholm, Phil McKellar | Producer of the Year[24] | Nominated | |
1999 | "You'll Do" (Andrew Dominik) | Best Video[25] | Nominated |
Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. The Cruel Sea won one award in that time.[26]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | The Cruel Sea | Rock Performer of the Year | Won |
References
- General
- ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the originalon 5 April 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2010. Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
- Spencer, Chris; Zbig Nowara; Paul McHenry (2002) [1987]. The Who's Who of Australian Rock. ISBN 1-86503-891-1.[27] Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltdin 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. As from September 2010, [on-line] version appears to have an Internal Service Error.
- Specific
- Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA). Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Holmgren, Magnus. "The Cruel Sea". Australian Rock Database. Magnus Holmgren. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r McFarlane, 'The Cruel Sea' entry. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nimmervoll, Ed. "The Cruel Sea". Howlspace. White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 21 February 2001. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
- ^ "New Release Summary – Product Available from: 14/03/93 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 162)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Australian (ARIA) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "australian-charts.com > Discography The Cruel Sea". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- Top 100 peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 70.
- All peaks and ARIA certifications to 17 January 2020: "The Cruel Sea ARIA chart history, received 17 January 2020". ARIA. Retrieved 18 January 2020 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ a b c d "ARIA Awards 2010 : History: Winners by Artist: Cruel Sea The". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 8 November 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "About Jay Manby | Jay Manby Visual Artist".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Winners by Year 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "ARIA Awards 2010 : History: Winners by Year: 1995 9th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "ABC Online – Long Way to the Top". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 22 November 2002. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "Episode6: Gathering of the Tribes 1984–2000". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "The Cruel Sea announce Australian tour dates". Music News. Access All Areas (AAA Entertainment Pty Ltd). 24 December 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ Pepper, Dalle (22 September 2010). "The Cruel Sea at The Astor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "The Cruel Sea guitarist James Cruickshank dies". ABC News. 9 October 2015.
- ^ The ARIA Report. Vol. 47. ARIA. 2 December 1990. p. 20.
- ^ The ARIA Report. Vol. 92. ARIA. 27 October 1991. p. 20.
- ^ The ARIA Report. Vol. 173. ARIA. 30 May 1993. p. 21.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2001 Albums". ARIA. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Awards 2010 : History: Winners by Year: 1993 7th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ Baker, Glenn A. (16 April 1994). "New Artists, Indie Labels Dominate Australian Music Awards". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. p. 51. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ a b Blair, Dale (August 2017). "Life in a Padded Cell: A Biography of Tony Cohen, Australian Sound Engineer" (PDF). Dale Blair. p. 167. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020. Note: this source states that Cohen's 1995 ARIA Artisan Awards were both for the Cruel Sea's album, Three Legged Dog. He shared Engineer of the Year with Paul McKercher for the same work.
- ^ "ARIA Awards 2010 : History: Winners by Year: 1996 10th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ a b "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 1998: 12th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 1999: 13th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- )
External links
- [1], Dan Rumour and The Drift member Nick Larkins.
- Info on Dan Rumour and The Drift, from Bombora record company.
- The Cruel Sea Biography at Tex Perkins .net