10/1996 BIOGRAPHY

They've literally gone through fire to get it done, but the influential British trio, LOVE AND ROCKETS, has finally put the finishing touches on their Beggars Banquet/American Recordings album SWEET FA. "We think it's our best record," says guitarist Daniel Ash, who along with bassist David J and drummer Kevin Haskins, comprise the band.

It was truly a hard-fought achievment for LOVE AND ROCKETS, who journeyed from San Francisco to London to LA making the album, and endured a devastating fire last April that destroyed all of their equipment, many of their demos and nearly cost them their lives. "The fire had a galvanizing effect," notes David J. "It made warriors of us, injecting a spirit of tenacity into the ranks. Now we're playing better than ever."

The odyssey that led to SWEET FA began over a year ago after the band released the exquisite HOT TRIP TO HEAVEN, an ambient masterpiece and their first new album in five years. The plan then was to quickly follow up with a traditional LOVE AND ROCKETS release. Rehearsals and demo recordings began in San Francisco, then shifted to London. American Recordings' Rick Rubin joined forces with the band when they ultimately arrived in Los Angeles to begin the final recording phase. "Rick held aloft a torch for us to follow," says Haskins. "We settled into one of his houses (the same house where Rubin recorded the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magik") and worked on the songs. It was a matter of hard graft and craft"

Then the fire struck. In its aftermath, the band entered the studio with renewed vigour. Recalls David J. "Our last album was done as a meticulously layered kind of thing. So this was the first time in six years all three of us were in a room playing together at the same time." Rubin's influence led the band back to a purer LOVE AND ROCKETS sound. "This one's much drier, more minimalist," adds Ash. "We didn't rely on effects, echo settings, and overdubs." That sensibility is clear on such songs as the sweet-toned love song "Pearl", the acrimonious indictment of the music business "Shelf Life" and the title track. Other songs on the album include "Judgement Day," "Fever", "Words Of A Fool", "Spiked" and "Use Me".

Before the album's release last April, the band released a sumptous EP, THE GLITTERING DARKNESS, a treasure trove for the discriminating LOVE AND ROCKETS fanatic. The title track is an unreleased song recorded for a proposed Bauhaus tribute album (ultimately, gentlemen that they are, they felt it was inappropriate to pay tribute to themselves). The track "Sweet FA", is included as is "Ritual Radio", an 18 minute improvisational demo that was miraculously rescued from the fire.

Finally, as a real treat for LOVE AND ROCKETS fans, the EP includes"Bad Monkey", a track from the groups' so-called lost Swing sessions, a series of recordings that had never been released though fans have clamoured for them for years. In April, the band supported the release of SWEET FA with a headlining club tour of the USA.

LOVE AND ROCKETS formed in the wake of the gothic rock band Bauhaus, which helped spearhead the gloom and doom movement of the late 70s-early 80s. With the demise of Bauhaus, Ash and Haskins formed Tones On Tail in 1983. A year later, rejoined by David J, the trio coalesced into LOVE AND ROCKETS. Their first single,"Ball Of Confusion", a cover of the Motown classic, proved an enormous hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 1985, the band released it's debut album, SEVENTH DREAM OF TEENAGE HEAVEN, and over the subsequent four years, enjoyed enormous success. They released four albums in all, and had a number 3 pop single, "So Alive" in 1988. The band toured extensively, headlining venues such as the Universal Amphitheatre, and playing Dodger Stadium with the Cure and the Pixies. In 1989, uneasy with the creeping commercialism that threatened their music, LOVE AND ROCKETS disbanded. Five years later, the band reformed, leading to the recording of 1994's HOT TRIP TO HEAVEN on Beggars Banquet/American Recordings.