Jesus Jones

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Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1986, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s.^[1] They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for promotional and advertising campaigns.

[edit] Career

[edit] Formation and Liquidizer (1986-1989)

Incorporating elements of electronic music styles such as house and techno to an indie rock format, along with fellow British groups such as The Shamen, Pop Will Eat Itself and EMF, Jesus Jones were one of the leading purveyors of the early 1990s indie dance scene. The band is led by Mike Edwards. The band's name was created by combining one of the most common Spanish first names and the most common American surname.

They achieved initial critical acclaim with their 1989 album Liquidizer, and in particular, the single "Info Freako", which featured buzzing rock guitars with samples and a hip-hop sensibility, relatively new for the time.^[1] The track was particularly championed by Bruno Brookes on his BBC Radio 1 programme.

[edit] Doubt and Perverse (1990-1995)

In the spring of 1990, Jesus Jones recorded their second album, Doubt, but their record label was forced to delay its release until the beginning of 1991. The album sold well, due to the success of their best-known hit "Right Here, Right Now". The song is about the swift end of the Cold War, and was a #2 hit in the US but reached only #31 in the UK.^[2][3] It was resurrected in 2006 as an advertising jingle for the American retailer Kmart, an image campaign for CBS News, and was used in promotional advertisements for the now defunct television channel, TechTV. Ford Motors was using "Right Here, Right Now" in their 2010 televisual advertising campaign. The song was also remixed by The Feelers to be used in advertising for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.^[4] In June 1990, Jesus Jones appeared at the Glastonbury Festival.^[5]

Other singles from the Doubt album included "Real, Real, Real" and "International Bright Young Thing", which became two of their biggest hit singles in the UK, reaching #19 and #7 respectively in the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In 1991, Jesus Jones were the only UK winners when they won the 'Best Newcomer' award at the MTV Awards.^[6] In April 1991, the British music magazine, NME, reported that their US tour had sold out before Jesus Jones arrived in the country.^[7]

The follow-up to Doubt was Perverse (1993) which, although a big seller, did not reach the worldwide hit status of Doubt. Perverse properly lays claim to being the first rock album recorded entirely digitally.^[8] As a result, the record sleeve did not list the traditional guitars/drums/vocals credit; it instead listed a frequency range: 20 Hz to 4 kHz - Al Jaworski, 300 Hz to 8 kHz - Jerry De Borg, drum type sounds - Gen, etc. Edwards lead vocals were the only non sampled acoustic instrument on the record.

[edit] Already and London (1996-2003)

After the release of the Perverse album, Jesus Jones took an extended hiatus and did not return to the recording studio until 1996. They released their fourth album, titled Already, in 1998 after which Jesus Jones and their record label EMI parted company. The band remained in contact and came back with the low-selling London in 2001 on the indie record label Mi5 Recordings. EMI issued Never Enough: the Best of Jesus Jones, a greatest hits compilation album whilst, in the meantime, the band moved from the North American-only Mi5 to the newly established Mi5 Recordings UK.

[edit] Recent activities (2004-present)

In 2004 they released the EP "Culture Vulture".

Since the mid-2000s, Jesus Jones have continued performing live off and on. To date, no new material from the band has been announced.

[edit] Band members

• Mike Edwards (born Michael James Edwards, 22 June 1964, London) - vocals, guitars, keyboards.
• Jerry De Borg (born 30 October 1960, Kentish Town, London) - guitars.
• Al Doughty (born Alan Jaworski, 31 January 1966, Plymouth) - bass.
• Iain Baker (born Iain Richard Foxwell Baker, 29 September 1965, Carshalton, Surrey) - keyboards, programming and now on NME Radio.
• Gen (born Simon Matthews, 23 April 1964, Devizes, Wiltshire) - drums, additional percussion.