ArtistInfo

The Chameleons
Live At The Gallery Club & The Hacienda, Manchester

Album UK 2002 on Cherry Red Films label
Alternative (Post-Punk, New Wave)

Formed in 1981 in North Manchester, The Chameleons first solidified their reputation as a cult item when they became favorites on the John Peel Show. This was followed by a short-lived signing to CBS before moving to indie label Statik for whom they recorded their debut album Script of the Bridge. For the next few years they abandoned the studio and took to the road, gradually building a hardcore following and further cementing their status within the annals of British independent music history. In 1986 the band recorded a single 'Tears' for Geffen/WEA records, which, despite critical acclaim, failed to promote them to the mainstream. The album, Strange Times was released in 1987 but the death of the band's manager, along with the frustration and disillusionment with the music industry eventually led to the Chameleons splitting up. Since then there has been dozens of posthumous releases of demos, live recordings, compilations and video footage. The Chameleons fan base has remained faithful and hungry for new product. In 2001, the Chameleons got back together to play a handful of Manchester gigs. Such was the reception that the band decided to reform properly and record a new album. Maybe, at last, the Chameleons are destined to receive the exposure and success they rightly deserve. The concerts featured on this DVD offer a great insight into the creative intensity and charisma of one of Manchester's most talented bands. The Hacienda needs no introduction, for many it was a temple to the post punk movement of the eighties. The footage was all but forgotten, thought to have been lost. However, it was rediscovered in the mid nineties when maverick music video label, Visionary, acquired Factory/Ikon's Hacienda video archive. What proved even more exciting was the discovery of another tape of the Chameleons playing at Manchester's Gallery Club. The footage was barely remembered by anyone concerned in its production-band included. Why was this video so important? Simple, several of the tracks included in the set has hardly been played before or after, let alone recorded, and the tape is probably the only documentation of them. Brought together for the first time on DVD, these two rare and important video performances stand as raw testimonies to one of Manchester's most under rated acts, playing to a hometown audience, at the peak of their career. [On label:] Music publishing: Live At The Gallery tracks 1 to 12 published by EMI Music Live At The Hacienda tracks 13 to 19 published by EMI Virgin. (Wronly referring to a non-featured) Track 20 published by BACON EMPIRE. [On back sleeve, label:] ® 2002 Cherry Red Records Ltd. © 2002 Cherry Red Records Ltd. [In Video:] © Visionary Communications 1994 [Durations:] The Gallery Club 58:40 The Hacienda 30:45

Musicians

	The Chameleons , 1981-1987 GB album by
	Mark Burgess voc, b, *1960 GB bass, vocals, written by
	John Lever dr, perc, GB drums, written by
	Dave Fielding g, str, *1959 GB guitar, written by
	Reg Smithies g, GB guitar, written by

Composers

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