The Sugarcubes
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| The Sugarcubes | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Iceland |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1986-1992, 2006 |
| Label(s) | One Little Indian Elektra Records |
| Members | |
| Björk Guðmundsdóttir Einar Örn Benediktsson Sigtryggur Baldursson Þór Eldon Bragi Ólafsson Margrét (Magga) Örnólfsdóttir |
|
| Former members | |
| Einar Melax | |
The Sugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir in Icelandic) were an Icelandic alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. They received critical and popular acclaim internationally.
Contents |
[edit] History
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They first came to notice in the UK when radio DJ John Peel played "Birthday", later voted by his listeners as a single of the year.[1] The band's music was characterized by a psychedelic post-punk sound sometimes reminiscent of The B-52's, whimsical yet heartfelt lyrics, and the imploring, girlish voice of vocalist Björk Guðmundsdóttir, who later went on to great success as a solo artist. While not as successful as Björk's solo career would be, the band is still very highly regarded and was the most influential Icelandic group until the rise of Sigur Rós.
The Sugarcubes dissolved in 1992 as different members of the band had realised they all had different ambitions; instead of risking their friendship, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. They remain friends to this day and are all still involved in the management of record label Smekkleysa (Bad Taste Ltd).
On November 17, 2006, the band had a one-off reunion concert at Laugardalshöll sport arena in Reykjavík, Iceland, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut single with all profits going to the non-profit Smekkleysa SM to promote Icelandic music.[2] They were supported by fellow Icelandic groups múm and Rass. Despite this reunion, the group has expressed that it has no intention to play future shows or record new material.
[edit] Line up
- Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards)
- Einar Örn Benediktsson (vocals, trumpet)
- Sigtryggur Baldursson (drums)
- Fridrik Erlingsson (guitar)
- Þór Eldon (guitar)
- Bragi Ólafsson (bass)
- Margrét (Magga) Örnólfsdóttir (keyboards) - 1989+.
- Einar Melax (keyboards) - 1987-89. Replaced by Margrét Örnólfsdóttir.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Additional Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | SWE | UK[3] | UK Indie[4] | U.S. | |||
| 1988 | Life's Too Good | 59 | 48 | 14 | 1 | 54 | |
| 1989 | Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week! | – | – | 15 | 1 | 70 | Also released in an Icelandic version titled Illur Arfur. |
| 1992 | Stick Around for Joy | 76 | – | 16 | – | 95 | |
| It's-It | – | – | 47 | – | – | Collection of remixes | |
| 1998 | The Great Crossover Potential | – | – | 161 | – | – | Hits compilation |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Album | Chart Positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | SWE | UK [5] | UK Indie [6] | U.S. | U.S. Mod Rock | U.S. Dance Play | |||
| 1986 | "Ammæli" / "Köttur" | Einn Mol'á Mann (Icelandic 500-only EP) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1987 | "Birthday" | Life's Too Good | — | — | 65 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 1988 | "Coldsweat" | — | — | 56 | 1 | — | — | — | |
| "Deus" | — | — | 51 | 2 | — | — | — | ||
| "Motorcrash" (Europe/Asia-only) | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | ||
| "Luftguitar" (Iceland-only EP)[7] | |||||||||
| "Birthday" / "Christmas" (EP)[8] | — | — | 65 | 1 | — | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "Regina" | Here Today Tomorrow Next Week! | — | — | 55 | 1 | — | 2 | — |
| "Planet" | — | — | 97 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Tidal Wave" (promo-only) | ||||||||
| 1991 | "Hit" | Stick Around for Joy | 76 | 28 | 17 | — | — | 1 | — |
| 1992 | "Walkabout" | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | |
| "Vitamin" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Leash Called Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||
| "Birthday" / "Double Remix" (EP) | It's It | — | — | 64 | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||||
[edit] Vinyl and CD boxes
- 1989 - 12.11 (One Little Indian Records)
- 1989 - 7.8 (One Little Indian Records)
- 1989 - CD.6 (One Little Indian Records)
- 2006 - The Complete Studio albums box - 3x CD repacked box with three main English language studio albums. Released to celebrate 20th Anniversary reunion concert (One Little Indian Records)
[edit] Collaborations and featuring
- 1987 - Snarl 2 (Erðanumúsík), Icelandic compilation. Featuring under the name of Sykurmolarnir.
- 1987 - Luftgítar (Smekkleysa), album by Johnny Triumph.
- 1987 - Skytturnar (Gramm), soundtrack to the movie directed by Friðrik Þór Fríðriksson.
- 1988 - One Little Indian - Greatest Hits Volume One (One Little Indian), greatest hits (volume 1) released by One Little Indian.
- 1990 - Hættuleg hljómsveit & glæpakvendið Stella (Megas), album by Megas.
- 1990 - World Domination or Death Volume 1 (Smekkleysa/Workers Playtime PLAY), compilation.
- 1990 - One Little Indian - Greatest Hits Volume Two (One Little Indian), greatest hits (volume 2) released by One Little Indian.
- 1990 - Rubáiyát - Elektra's 40th Anniversary (Elektra Records), Elektra Records anniversary compilation.
- 1993 - Welcome to the Future (One Little Indian), compilation.
[edit] Other releases
- 1988 - Sugarcubes Interview Disc (One Little Indian)
- 1992 - Murder and Killing in Hell, music video collection.
- 1998 - The Great Crossover Potential (One Little Indian)
- 1998 - Avengers (Soundtrack) (WEA/ATLANTIC)- Feat. Annie Lennox's Cover of The Sugarcubes "Mama".
- 1998 - Music Inspired by the Motion Picture: The Avengers (BIG EAR)
- 2006 - The DVD (One Little Indian), music video collection.
- 2006 - Live Zabor DVD (One Little Indian), 1988 live performance.
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of bands from Iceland
- The Video, a collection of music videos released on VHS
[edit] References and notes
- ^ bbc.co.uk (2008). ""Festive 50s"". http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/festive50s/1980s/1987/. Retrieved on 2008-10-25.
- ^ bjork.com (2006). ""The Sugarcubes bounce back into concert!"". http://bjork.com/news/?id=591;year=2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
- ^ "Chart Stats - Sugarcubes". http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=4958. Retrieved on 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Indie Hits "S"". Cherry Red Records. http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/s.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Chart Stats - Sugarcubes". http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=4958. Retrieved on 2009-04-05.
- ^ "Indie Hits "S"". Cherry Red Records. http://www.cherryred.co.uk/books/indiehits/s.htm. Retrieved on 2009-04-05.
- ^ Released under Johnny Triumph's name as track was a duet, not classed as strictly a Sugarcubes release.
- ^ Jesus and Mary Chain remixes; disc 2 is a live EP.
[edit] External links
- Review and videos of Sugarcubes reunion show 17 November 2006
- Review of reissued Sugarcubes video releases at Modern Peapod
- The Sugarcubes at MusicBrainz
- Interview with Einar Örn Benediktsson in Chief Magazine discussing the band's birth, breakup, and eventual reunion
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