Barry Adamson has quietly mined a unique musical vein since he started releasing solo work in 1988. Cinematic in scope and feel, gritty in content, funky in rhythm, it's a singular body of work that deserves a much larger audience.
Born in the Moss Side section of Manchester in 1958, he was involved in the early Manchester music scene -- Joy Division, The Buzzcocks, Factory Records, etc. - as the bass player of Magazine, the thinking person's post-punk band. A combination of punk intensity with an art-school literacy, Magazine released four albums, three of which are among the best of the late 1970s. Adamson's liquid and melodic bass work contributed much to their unique take on rock/punk/new wave, adding an unusually funky quality that contrasted and complimented keyboardist Dave Formula's smooth textured keyboard parts and Howard Devoto's edgy voice. Simultanious to Magazine Adamson was a part of the New Romantic/Club Dance music giant Visage for both their albums. Magazine dissolved in 1981 and Barry moved onto The Bad Seeds, Nick Cave's band with whom he played until 1987 when he began working on his first solo album.
Adamson's solo career has been hard to follow mainly due to a lack of touring or live performances, so he more or less drops from the radar for a year or two. At least in the USA. He recently played his first gig in NYC I believe but I could be mistaken.
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- Moss Side Story (1988)
Influenced by film composers Elmer Bernstein, John Barry, Henry Mancini and Bernard Herrmann, Adamson unleashed a soundtrack to a non-existant spy/crime/film noir thriller. Absolutely critical listening!
- Taming Of The Shrewd (1989)
Four song EP that sounds like out-takes from MOSS.
- Delusion (1991)
Soundtrack for the indy film of the same name; Adamson proves he's more than up to the task of scoring a real film. Lots of good southwestern flavored guitar-work and a great version of "La Cucaracha" and "These Boots Were Made For Walking".
- Soul Murder (1992)
A lesser effort overall, Adamson tries some new things with mixed results.
- Gas Food Lodging (1992)
Another indy soundtrack, Adamson contributes seven short tracks. For the completest only.
- The Negro Inside Me (1993)
Adamson returns to form with this killer six song EP. He's figured out how to integrate the style of his first album with the more conventional song stylings of the Soul Murder disc.
- Natural Born Killers (1993)
Adamson contributes three tracks to Trent Reznor's cut-and-paste soundtrack.
- Oedipus Schmoedipus (1994)
Adamson's masterpiece. Dark, funny, savage, and thrilling -- this is essential.
- Lost Highway (1997)
Adamson contributes four tracks to Lynch's film and they are the best part of a really good soundtrack.
- As Above, So Below (1998)
While not as great as his previous two, this is a solid outing with some of his best songs.
- The Murky World of Barry Adamson (1999)
A great collection with a good mix of songs from his catalog and three really nice new tracks make this the place to start.
- The King Of Nothing Hill (2002)
Nothing new here though not a bad album by any stretch. Marking time.
- Stranger On The Sofa (2006)
A return to form, this is Adamson's best since Oedipus.
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Last updated: 21 October 2008.
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