The The is a British musical group that has been around since the early 1980s in different forms, with Matt Johnson being the only constant band member, and has had moderate success in the UK.
Johnson formed the first version of the band in 1979, with synth player Keith Laws. The group, after opening for Scritti Politti, issued its first single "Controversial Subject," on the 4AD label in 1980. One year later, it contributed a track to the Some Bizzare Album compilation.
By 1982, The The had become Johnson's solo project, with a revolving lineup of musicians. That year, the album The Pornography of Despair was recorded, but not released. In 1983, the band released its first real album Soul Mining, which featured the single "This Is the Day," recorded with Orange Juice's Zeke Manyika. The band's next album Infected, a commentry on the state of modern urban life in Great Britain, was released in 1986, and had Johnson joined by musicians like Neneh Cherry, Art of Noise's Anne Dudley, and Swans' Roli Mosimann, among others. It was accompanied by an album-length video, and spawned The The's first UK hit single, "Heartland".
The The had a steady lineup again by the time its next album Mind Bomb was released in 1989, with Johnson joined by former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist James Eller and former ABC drummer Dave Palmer. It spawned the moderate UK hit single, "The Beat(en) Generation". The same lineup remained for the next album Dusk released in 1993, which brought about three UK hit singles, "Love Is Stronger Than Death," "Slow Emotion Replay," and "Dogs of Lust," but changed for the 1995 album Hanky Panky, which was a covers collection honoring the music of country musician Hank Williams, and resulted in another UK hit single, "I Saw The Light". The band then consisted of Johnson, guitarist Eric Schermerhorn, keyboardist D.C. Collard, harmonica player Jim Fitting, and drummer Brian MacLeod. After Collard left, the album NakedSelf was released in 2000.
Matt Johnson - Vocals, Bass
Eric Schermerhorn - Guitars
Brian MacLeod - Drums (see also Dramarama)
Johnny Marr - Guitars (1988-1994) (see also The Smiths)
James Eller - Bass (1988-1994)
Hollywood Dorsey - Bass (1994-1996)
Dave Palmer - Drums (1988-1994) (see also ABC)
Keith Laws - Keyboards
D.C. Collard - Keyboards (1991-1997)
Burning Blue Soul (1981)
Soul Mining (1983)
Infected (1986)
Mind Bomb (1989)
Dusk (1992)
Solitude (1993)
Hanky Panky (1995)
NakedSelf (2000)
45 RPM (2002)
With NakedSelf the band moved from its previous label, Sony, to Interscope.
The Official Website
True Happiness This Way Lies
The Ultimate The The Discography
TheThe Bootleg Discussion Forum
Johnson formed the first version of the band in 1979, with synth player Keith Laws. The group, after opening for Scritti Politti, issued its first single "Controversial Subject," on the 4AD label in 1980. One year later, it contributed a track to the Some Bizzare Album compilation.
By 1982, The The had become Johnson's solo project, with a revolving lineup of musicians. That year, the album The Pornography of Despair was recorded, but not released. In 1983, the band released its first real album Soul Mining, which featured the single "This Is the Day," recorded with Orange Juice's Zeke Manyika. The band's next album Infected, a commentry on the state of modern urban life in Great Britain, was released in 1986, and had Johnson joined by musicians like Neneh Cherry, Art of Noise's Anne Dudley, and Swans' Roli Mosimann, among others. It was accompanied by an album-length video, and spawned The The's first UK hit single, "Heartland".
The The had a steady lineup again by the time its next album Mind Bomb was released in 1989, with Johnson joined by former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist James Eller and former ABC drummer Dave Palmer. It spawned the moderate UK hit single, "The Beat(en) Generation". The same lineup remained for the next album Dusk released in 1993, which brought about three UK hit singles, "Love Is Stronger Than Death," "Slow Emotion Replay," and "Dogs of Lust," but changed for the 1995 album Hanky Panky, which was a covers collection honoring the music of country musician Hank Williams, and resulted in another UK hit single, "I Saw The Light". The band then consisted of Johnson, guitarist Eric Schermerhorn, keyboardist D.C. Collard, harmonica player Jim Fitting, and drummer Brian MacLeod. After Collard left, the album NakedSelf was released in 2000.
Members
Current Members (since 1994)
Past Members
Discography
With NakedSelf the band moved from its previous label, Sony, to Interscope.