Morcheeba biography: early years, success, influence
Содержание
Morcheeba - a well-known electronic band formed in London in the middle of 1990s. The team members included. Skye Edwards (vocals), as well as brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey. The band became famous for its ability to harmonise trip-hop, rock, folk and R&B, spicing up the tracks with Edwards' soulful vocals... In the early noughties, Skye left the team for a while, viz. 6 years old. Later Paul left the band... However, these changes, as well as the bold experiments that distinguish Morcheeba from any other classic pop band, have not prevented listeners from being enthralled by the South English band's work... Two of their ten albums have reached the top ten in the UK, and their music videos are gaining popularity... millions of views on YouTube! And if you didn't know about Morcheeba yet, this article is especially for you (and also for fans of the band)!
How did it all start? Early years
The history of this amazing band dates back to around the middle of the 1990-х: it was then that Paul and Ross Godfrey left their small town of Saltwood and moved to London. Paul was already a DJ and producer and Ross was a multi-instrumentalist. So, at one party in Greenwich they met Edwards, who at that time sang in a funk band and played guitar. Very soon they formed a trio and started recording their first tracks: the first recordings took place in a home studio, together with an engineer Pete Norris.
First contract with China Records, followed by a first EP called Trigger Hippie... Debut LP Who Can You Trust came out in April 1996It combined Paul's hip-hop roots with Ross' psychedelic rock influences. All this glamour was complemented by a powerful soul vocal Edwards... Soon the band started playing live all over Europe and North America! By this point Morcheeba had acquired their own recording studio ...
A great success!
With the arrival of more professional equipment, the Godfrey brothers began to develop bright ideas for a second album. This time, the band moved towards a more mainstream sound... The following in the 1998 Big Calm has noticeably moved away from trip-hop towards a more pop-orientated sound. The best example of this is the reworked "Moog Island" which became the pop track "The Music That We Hear". As a result, the single "The Sea"became a radio favourite and the record achieved great commercial popularity! This ensured Morcheeba's breakthrough success....
Third album Fragments of Freedom even though he repeated the success Big CalmAfter the release of the fourth album, it was received more coolly by critics... After the release of the fourth album Charango The band embarked on their first major tour of the United States.....
Edwards Care
Towards the end. 2003 Skye Edwards left the band due to creative and personal differences... However, the public's interest in Morcheeba was still alive: this led to the release of The Antidote - fifth studio album with vocals. Daisy Marty... As for Marty, her career with Morcheeba was short-lived: the girl was fired in the middle of the promotional tour, and she was replaced by a new member of the Morcheeba line-up. Jody Sternberg. Marty subsequently sued the band for breach of contract and defamation... Remarkably, Sternberg also didn't stay part of Morcheeba for long... Ross Godfrey later recounted:
"We just felt like we couldn't breathe... We realised that Morcheeba was a kind of family and that we really wanted its true story to continue... It was a very difficult period for Paul and I: we were on the verge of breaking down..."
Sixth album Dive Deep came out in 2008: this time the Godfrey brothers returned to their role as producers, selecting five vocalists to perform their songs.
Reunion
В 2009 Skye Edwards and the Godfrey Brothers met to discuss a possible return to the band. Skye was hesitant at first, as she enjoyed "doing solo stuff and writing her own lyrics". But in the end, to the great joy of the fans, the reunion of the familiar line-up happened....
The trio soon began work on an album Blood Like Lemonade. From that point on, Edwards' role in the band changed as she "became more confident" in her "abilities as a singer and songwriter."
"In the process of recording Blood Like Lemonade, we were more honest with each other..." - the singer said.
The album, described by Paul as "a warm fuzzy blanket of psychedelia", was released in the summer of 2010. Skye herself added that the album's lyrics are full of "dark themes". The singer also noted that her brothers have made her part of the creative process again. Following the release of Blood Like Lemonade The band embarked on an 18-month tour of the U.S. and Europe...
One last thing
After the release of the album. Heads Up High Paul Godfrey left the line-up. His brother, Ross, commented:
"Paul and I haven't gotten along musically or personally in a long time..."
Paul has since set up his own recording studio, Sacrosync Sound, in Hastings. Ross and Skye continued to release albums: the record Blaze Away came out in 2018. It was followed by the work Blackest Blue (2021)featuring multi-instrumentalist Duke. Garwood and the guitarist Brad Barr.