The Tubes
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2010) |
The Tubes | |
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Background information | |
Origin | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1972–present |
Labels | |
Past members |
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Website | thetubes |
The Tubes are a
History
The Tubes formed on March 22, 1972, in San Francisco, California, featuring members from two Phoenix, Arizona bands who had relocated to San Francisco in 1969. One, The Beans (alternately billing themselves as the Radar Men from Uranus), included Bill Spooner, Rick Anderson, Vince Welnick, and Bob McIntosh. The other, the Red White and Blues Band, featured Prairie Prince, Roger Steen, and David Killingsworth. After performing at Expo '70 in Japan, Killingsworth left the Red, White and Blues Band, leaving Steen and Prince to audition new bass players, albeit unsuccessfully. Before moving to San Francisco the Beans had been a local favorite in Phoenix, selling out shows with a tongue-in-cheek concept rock show called "The Mother of Ascension" featuring costumes and props. After moving, Bill Spooner worked at the Fillmore West concert hall sweeping floors in between Beans shows at the Longshoremen's Hall and other minor venues. The band's loud, heavy jamming style did not attract much attention, and the band needed to go back home to Phoenix. There they would sell out shows, which provided enough money to pay their rent. The Beans' manager and former Alice Cooper Group drummer, John Speer, suggested they add Prince and Steen along with their roadie John Waybill to one of these shows. Waybill's nickname among the band was "Fee," short for "Fiji," thanks to his copious head of hippie hair.
"The Radar Men from Uranus" played the
One of the first Tubes shows was at the Art Institute cafeteria as part of an art show for classmate and future Hollywood director Kathryn Bigelow. While experimenting with their stage show and art, Prince and Cotten met model Re Styles while painting the Cliff House mural. Styles had been born Shirley Marie Macleod on March 30, 1950,[1] in Middelburg, Netherlands. She had appeared in both Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain and Sun Ra's Space Is the Place, and posed for Playboy and Penthouse magazines. By 1975 she was credited with clothing design and dance co-ordination for the band.[2] Onstage she would play Patty Hearst and dress in wild leather outfits during the "Mondo Bondage" dance with Waybill. By 1979, she and Prince were married.[3]
After several years of playing biker bars, the band needed help. They had a temporary agreement with producer David Rubinson and played on bills with The Pointer Sisters and Sylvester, but were still trying to find an audience. Prince had been hired by newly formed jazz-rock band Journey to record demos, and approached their manager Herbie Herbert, a former Santana roadie and Bill Graham employee. Herbert made a deal with Graham that if the Tubes could sell out three local shows, Graham would give him an opening slot on the show of his choice.
Herbert booked shows at a local club called the Village, which sold out thanks to themes inspired by the San Francisco post-hippie
In 1974, Bag O' Bucks filmed a Tubes show at the California Hall and shopped the "video demo" around Los Angeles. George Daly, Columbia Records head of A&R in San Francisco, made some Tubes demos, but CBS' corporate headquarters in New York City would not agree to signing the Tubes to Columbia due to the radical nature of their art. After 18 months, with no success at his own label, Daly, at the suggestion of Rick Wakeman,[4] finally pitched the group to competitor A&M Records, where his former Columbia East Coast A&R colleague and friend, Kip Cohen, had recently headed the A&R division. Daly personally flew managers Moriarity and Petersen down to LA, and Cohen signed the Tubes to A&M, a rare example of cross-company support by major label executives. Working with lawyer Greg Fischbach, the band signed with A&M Records.
Debut album
The Tubes' first album,
By late 1975, the band created a stage show unlike any other after hiring
The band was part of the mid-'70s underground comedy scene that included
Young and Rich
The Tubes' second album, Young and Rich (1976) on A&M Records, was produced by Ken Scott. It featured "Don't Touch Me There," a suggestive duet between Waybill and Styles, which was arranged in classic "Wall of Sound" style by Jack Nitzsche. The song was co-written by Ron Nagle and Tubes dancer/vocalist Jane Dornacker.
The band toured America with a new stage show including new numbers "Slipped My Disco," "Madam, I'm Adam" and "Pimp." They also played several sold out nights at
Now, What Do You Want From Live, Remote Control
The Tubes' third album
The band created a new "best of" stage show and finally played a tour of Europe. They were banned in several towns and attracted front page press attention for their dark satirical stage show that spoofed America's consumer culture with dancers, video and sketches. They appeared on The Old Grey Whistle Test and played "God-Bird-Change" and "White Punks on Dope."
After their live record
The fourth album for A&M, Remote Control (1979) was a concept album produced by Todd Rundgren,[5] about a television-addicted idiot-savant, inspired by the Jerzy Kosinski novel Being There (which was later made into a movie starring Peter Sellers). The cover of Remote Control (1979) shows a baby (Rikki Farr's son) in a specially made "Vidi-Trainer" (a car seat/TV with a baby bottle nipple) created by Michael Cotten and Dave Mellot. Much of the new music was rewritten by Rundgren and the band in studio, including "Turn Me On" (formerly "Get Over It"); "The Terrorists of Rock" number was cannibalized to become "Telecide."
Waybill and Styles shared vocals on "Prime Time," although Rundgren had tried to record a version with just Styles. When Waybill found out, he demanded to sing as well. The band performed the song on Top of the Pops and on tour in Europe before cutting it from the set, due to tensions between Waybill and Styles.
Synth player and visual stylist Michael Cotten designed an innovative multimedia stage show for the "Remote Control" tour, which employed multiple TV monitors and a 35 mm film projector, which according to Cotten, cost US$12,000 (equivalent to around $50,000 in 2022). They tested it (with no dress rehearsal) at UCLA's Royce Hall, but there were multiple technical problems, including the poor visibility of the small TV screens, and synchronization problems with the film projections. The show was scrapped after Steen, Waybill and the group's management reportedly complained about the cost, and the show overtaking the music. This led to a stripped-down tour in the U.S., Japan and Europe with Squeeze as the support act. The band also played two shows at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, with Yellow Magic Orchestra as support; that show was released on home video in 1982. The band held an auction of Tubes stage props and costumes in 1980 at the Boarding House before the band attempted to play as a straight rock act for several sold-out shows at The Roxy in Los Angeles.
Music videos
John Tobler said that with their media savvy and theatrical skills, the Tubes were born to create rock video but arrived several years too early.[7] However, the band did produce at least one collection of music videos, which were issued on the 1982 RCA Capacitance Electronic Disc and Pioneer Laserdisc The Tubes Video, containing versions of twelve of the band's hits, including "White Punks on Dope," "Mondo Bondage," "Talk to Ya Later," and most of The Completion Backward Principle album, in slickly produced music videos based on the group's stage shows. It was directed by Russell Mulcahy and filmed at Shepperton Studios.
Stage show production pioneers
The Tubes put their creativity and art skills mainly into their live performances, in which songs could be full-fledged production numbers with props and costumes built at the Tubes Warehouse by the band, crew and friends. Everything was satirized, from a beach movie
From 1978 to 1979, the cast included Sharon Collins, Caty Bevan, and Loryanna Catalano. The Completion Backward tour featured Shelly Pang, Cheryl Hangland, Joey Richards, and Cynthia Rhodes. From 1983 to 1985, Michele Gray (who later married Todd Rundgren) and Cheryl Hangland were principal dancers. Several crew members — including Tour Manager Steve "Chopper" Borges, Lee Collins, and Gail Lowe — made frequent appearances on stage in various roles as well.[citation needed]
The Tubes' live shows in the late 1970s and early 1980s were rife with allusions to mainstream film: ]
These shows were expensive to produce, however, and while they earned the band a reputation for being one of the most entertaining live acts of the time, by the early 1980s, they'd left the band in debt to A&M Records, even after they'd sold their song rights for tour support.
Dropped by A&M Records and signing with Capitol Records
The band's fifth studio album, the self-produced Suffer for Sound, was meant to complete the group's contract with A&M. The
New label, mainstream success
While on tour in Italy the Tubes were forced off stage by local police with machine guns and they escaped the country with the promoter's money after he failed to deliver professional shows. The single "Sports Fans" was recorded live during halftime of the legendary
As the band gained more mainstream popularity, Waybill auditioned for roles in Night Shift and Streets of Fire and also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman twice.
Outside Inside (1983) was produced by David Foster and included the number 10 US hit "She's a Beauty."[13] The album was recorded with several studio musicians, including members of Chicago and Toto. The slicker sound added to the tension between the "art" oriented members of the group (Cotten, Spooner and Prince) and the pop-music fans (Steen and Waybill). The band performed "The Monkey Time" on Solid Gold, and toured the United States, mostly playing theme parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain and colleges for a new generation of fans. The band also filmed an hour-long concert special at the Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco which played on MTV and was directed by Jim Yukich. "She's a Beauty" won song of the year and The Tubes performed live at the BAM music awards.
Love Bomb and departure from Capitol Records
In 1984, the band teamed up with Todd Rundgren again for their eighth album,
Waybill departs
Waybill released a solo album produced by
Personnel changes
Later in the year, the remaining members of the band hired longtime friend from Phoenix, Arizona, David Killingsworth, as lead vocalist. Killingsworth had been the singer in the Red and White Blues Band with Prince and Steen. The band appeared on
Michael Cotten relocated to New York City to pursue a career based on his artwork, stage design and production, and is considered one of the country's top production designers.
In the fall of 1988, Bill Spooner traveled his final tour with the band and left in early 1989. Vince Welnick departed as well to take to the road with Todd Rundgren in 1989 and then joined the Grateful Dead in 1990. Gary Cambra joined on keyboards and guitar in 1989. He and Roger Steen took over most of the lead vocal duties after Killingsworth left in early 1990.
In 1993, Fee Waybill rejoined the band.[14] This lineup toured Europe and released two albums, a compilation and the 1996 album Genius of America. David Medd joined in 1996 to play keyboards alongside Cambra. In 2001, the band released a live CD, The Tubes World Tour 2001, and continued to tour.
2000–present
The band has toured the United States each year with a lineup of Waybill, Steen, Anderson, Medd, Gary Cambra and Prince. Cambra left in 2006. After a 2004 tour of the UK, the London show was released as a live album and DVD called Wild in London.
On June 2, 2006, former keyboardist Vince Welnick died.
In September 2007, the remaining members reunited in Phoenix for induction into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall Of Fame.[15]
On April 17, 2022, Styles died at the age of 72.
On December 16, 2022, Rick Anderson died at the age of 75.[16]
The Tubes Project and other milestones
Michael Cotten started the Tubes Project in 2005, to save and digitize the band's reel to reel and video tape archive. The collection had been kept in the closet of Tubes fan club president Marilyn Wood's son after being discarded in the late 1980s. Included in the vault are full color shows taped for TV at Bimbo's in San Francisco, 1975 and Dutch VARA TV from the 1977 European tour. Over 70 interviews were conducted with band members, crew, managers, cast and colleagues such as Styles, Todd Rundgren, Al Kooper, Devo and David Foster. Hundreds of photos were scanned and compiled from band members and fan collections for use in the hour and half documentary.
After leaving the band, Jane Dornacker performed as stand-up comedian and later worked as a traffic reporter with the team that replaced Howard Stern at WNBC. She was killed in a helicopter crash in 1986, while giving a live report. A benefit show was held for her daughter at the Warfield in San Francisco with the Tubes and Todd Rundgren.
On November 10, 2009, Mondo Birthmark, a CD of previously unreleased rarities, was released through the label Fuel 2000. The package was designed by Michael Cotten and Prairie Prince with rare photos and interviews of the group. The early demos featured the band's first drummer, Bob Macintosh.
On July 24, 2019, Kenny Ortega was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Fee, Michael Cotton and Michael Holman attended the ceremony.
Discography
Studio albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | sales thresholds )
| |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | UK | GER | DUT | AUS[20] | NZ | CAN | ||||
1975 | The Tubes
|
113 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1976 | Young and Rich
|
46 | — | — | — | 55 | — | 75 | ||
1977 | Now
|
122 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1979 | Remote Control
|
46 | 40 | — | 46 | 70 | — | 53 | ||
1981 | The Completion Backward Principle
|
36 | — | 28[21] | — | 74 | 4 [22] [23] |
26 | CAN: Gold[24][25] | |
1983 | Outside Inside
|
18 | 77 | 44[26] | — | — | 22 [27] [28] |
27 | CAN: Gold[25] | |
1985 | Love Bomb
|
87 | — | 59[29] | — | — | — | 98 | ||
1996 | Genius of America
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Compilation albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
US | ||
1981 | T.R.A.S.H. (Tubes Rarities and Smash Hits)
|
148 |
1992 | The Best of the Tubes
|
— |
2000 | Millennium Collection: the Tubes
|
— |
2002 | Hoods from Outer Space
|
— |
2003 | White Punks on Dope
|
— |
2008 | Goin' Down the Tubes
|
— |
2009 | Mondo Birthmark
|
— |
Live albums
Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US[17] | UK[18] | AUS[20] | CAN | ||
1978 | What Do You Want from Live
|
82 | 38 | 87 | 75 |
2001 | The Tubes World Tour 2001 (live)
|
— | — | — | — |
2005 | Wild in London
|
— | — | — | — |
2006 | Alive in America
|
— | — | — | — |
2017 | Live at German Television: The Musikladen Concert 1981
|
— | — | — | — |
2020 | Live in San Francisco
|
— | — | — | — |
2020 | "The Fantastic Live Delusion"
|
— | — | — | — |
Singles
Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US
Main. Rock |
AUS[20] | NZ | CAN | ||||||
1976 | "Don't Touch Me There" | 61 | — | — | 26 | — | 86 [32] |
Young and Rich | ||
1977 | "White Punks on Dope" | — | — | 28 | — | — | — | The Tubes | ||
1979 | "Prime Time" | — | — | 34 | 49 | — | — | Remote Control | ||
1981 | "Don't Want to Wait Anymore" | 35 | 22 | 60 | 36 | — | — | The Completion Backward Principle | ||
"Talk to Ya Later" | 101 | 7 | — | — | — | — | ||||
1982 | "Sports Fans" | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
1983 | "She's a Beauty" | 10 | 1 | 79 | — | 37 [33] [34] |
18 | Outside Inside | ||
"Tip of My Tongue" | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
"The Monkey Time" | 68 | 16 | — | — | — | — | ||||
1985 | "Piece by Piece" | 87 | 25 | — | — | — | — | Love Bomb | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Video albums
Year | Video details |
---|---|
1981 | The Tubes Video
|
1982 | The Tubes: Live at the Greek
|
2016 | The Tubes: German TV 1981
|
References
- ^ "This Day in Music: March 30th". Gibson.com.
- ^ Mike Diana, "Tubes Have Many Faces" Newport Daily Press 12, October 1975 p. 72
- ^ "The Tubes – Don't Touch Me There". Pastemagazine.com. September 14, 2015.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 – Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker, Rick Wakeman".
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-579-4.
- ^ Barshad, Amos (June 25, 2010). "Are the Large Penises in TV and Movies a Gift or a Curse? A Brief Survey – Slideshow". Vulture. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
What Are We Talking About Here?: According to Austin's dad, Nigel, in Goldmember, who gets a good look: "You're a tripod … it's like a baby's arm holding an apple." Gift or Curse?: Implied here is that Mini-Me is able to shrug off gawks and cruel jokes thanks, in part, to his big secret. Surely a positive.
- ISBN 978-0-688-04042-0.
- ^ a b Gold, Kimberlye. "He'll Talk to Ya Now!". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ "The Completion Backward Principle". Myspace.com. January 1981.
- ^ Kurt Loder 'Rolling Stone Random Notes' Reno Gazette-Journal February 2, 1980, p. 27
- ^ 'Lively Arts' San Francisco Examiner October 12, 1980, Datebook p.57
- ^ Lynn van Matre "Pop Notes" Chicago Tribune May 31, 1984, p. 93
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ a b Roos, John (August 27, 1993). "Once More, With Feeling : With Tubes' Return, Waybill Vows Less Flash and More Substance". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ West, Jim. "The Tubes – Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall Of Fame". azmusichalloffame.org. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ "Rick Anderson of rock band The Tubes has died". Snbc13.com. December 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The Tubes". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ a b c "TUBES". Official Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "Dutch Charts". Dutch Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "THE TUBES – THE COMPLETION BACKWARD PRINCIPLE". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ a b "OFFICIAL TOP 40 ALBUMS". Recorded Music NZ. January 24, 1982.
- ^ a b "THE TUBES – THE COMPLETION BACKWARD PRINCIPLE (ALBUM)". Charts.nz.
- ^ "Gold and Platinum". Cria.ca. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ a b "Gold/Platinum". music Canada. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "THE TUBES – OUTSIDE INSIDE". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "OFFICIAL TOP 40 ALBUMS". Recorded Music NZ. June 5, 1983.
- ^ "THE TUBES – OUTSIDE INSIDE (ALBUM)". Charts.nz.
- ^ "THE TUBES – LOVE BOMB". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "The Tubes Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-904994-10-7.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles – August 7, 1976" (PDF).
- ^ "OFFICIAL TOP 40 SINGLES". Recorded Music NZ. July 3, 1983.
- ^ "THE TUBES – SHE'S A BEAUTY (SONG)". Charts.nz.
External links
- Tubes Museum, complete timeline
- The Tubes at the Bill Graham Video Archive 1975–79.
- Bill Spooner's website, with Tubes images.
- Michael Cotten Studio.
- Prairie Prince's website.
- The Tubes on A&M Records.
- 2007 Prairie Prince radio interview on Rundgren Radio.
- 2009 Prairie Prince radio interview on Rundgren Radio.
- 1970s Tubes photographs on and off stage.
- KMEL DJ Paul Vincent interviews Fee Waybill.
- "The Tubes – Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall Of Fame". – Inductee Biography
- Michael Cotten Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (2017)
- The Tubes discography at Discogs
- The Tubes at IMDb