Sun Dial
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Sun Dial (occasionally spelled Sundial) is a British space rock band formed in 1990 by Gary Ramon.
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[edit] History
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The precursor to Sun Dial was Ramon's the Modern Art, formed in the mid-'80s with a loose lineup that never played gigs but did see the release of two studio albums. Ramon disbanded the group out of a desire "to make a more live-sounding group that could go out and play".[cite this quote]
The band gained prominence after the release of their first album, Other Way Out, which quickly sold out its initial run through word of mouth alone.[citation needed] The album was near-universally praised in the independent music press,[citation needed] winning several awards and accolades.[citation needed] However, the album saw little popularity among mainstream critics and radio stations as their authentic '60s psychedelic sound was out of fashion at the time.[original research?] Other Way Out remains popular to this day in the psychedelic and prog rock communities,[citation needed] and has gone through eight reissues since its original release.[citation needed]
Subsequent albums have explored many branches of psychedelia, including space rock, acid rock, stoner rock, neo-psychedelia, and psych pop. Their music has been compared to, influenced, or praised by prominent artists such as Monster Magnet, Nirvana, Spiritualized, and Spacemen 3.[citation needed] Sun Dial in turn were influenced by the '60s and '70s psychedelia and hard rock of Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Stooges , Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin, as well as the drug-influenced "Madchester" sound of the Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, and Happy Mondays.[citation needed]
After the 1996 live album Live Drug, Ramon took Sun Dial on an extended hiatus and devoted his time to producing records by other bands, including Chemical, and Fantasyy Factoryy.[citation needed] Many of these records were released on Ramon's own Acme label. During this time Ramon also worked with Coil and Current93 and released Quad, a solo project exploring ambient electronica and kraut rock. Sun Dial reconvened for a live performance in December 2002 and released their next album, Zen For Sale, a few months thereafter.
[edit] Members
As with fellow psych rocker Nick Saloman's The Bevis Frond, Sun Dial has always been an instrument of its frontman Gary Ramon;[citation needed] the band's lineup tends to change from album to album. The most stable lineups include the following:
- 1990 (Other Way Out)
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
- Anthony Clough (bass guitar/keyboards)
- David Morgan (drums/percussion)
- 1991 (Return Journey)
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
- Anthony Clough (keyboards)
- John Pelech (drums)
- 1991
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
- Anthony Clough (keyboards)
- John Pelech (drums)
- Nigel Carpenter (bass guitar)
- Chris Dalley (guitar/backing vocals)
- 1991–1992 (Reflecter)
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
- John Pelech (drums)
- Nigel Carpenter (bass guitar)
- Chris Dalley (guitar/backing vocals)
- 1993 (Libertine)
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals/drums)
- Nigel Carpenter (bass guitar)
- Chris Dalley (guitar/backing vocals)
- Craig Adrienne (drums/backing vocals)
- 1994–1996 (Acid Yantra, Live Drug)
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
- Craig Adrienne (drums/backing vocals)
- Jake Honeywill (bass guitar)
- 2002 (Zen for Sale)
- 2003–present
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals)
- Russell Barrett (bass guitar)
- Angelo Pantaleo (drums)
- 2008
- Gary Ramon (guitar/vocals/drums)
- Russell Barrett (bass guitar/percussion)
[edit] Discography
Sun Dial are noted for releasing limited-edition albums and singles on independent labels.{{cite}] The discs (often printed on vinyl only) become highly sought-after by collectors.[citation needed]
[edit] Albums
- Other Way Out — Tangerine Records (1990); Dutch East India Trading Company (1991); UFO Records (1991); Acme Records (1994, 1996, 2003); Gallium Arsenide (1996); Lava (1997); Relapse Records (2006)
- Reflecter — UFO Records (1992); Dutch East India Trading Company (1992); Midi Inc. (1992)
- Libertine — Beggars Banquet Records (1994); CD/MC (1994); Atlantic Records (1993)
- Return Journey — Acme Records (1994); Gallium Arsenide (1996); Relapse Records (2006)
- Acid Yantra — Beggars Banquet Records (1995); Acme Records (1995, 2007)
- Live Drug — Acme Records (1996)
- Zen For Sale — Acme Records (2003); Headspin (2003)
- Shards Of God — Acme Records (2007)
- Libertine - Deprogrammed — Acme Records (2007)
[edit] Singles
- Exploding in your Mind — 12", Tangerine Records (1990)
- Visitation — 7", (1991)
- Exploding in your Mind — one-sided 12", UFO Records (1991)
- Fireball — 7", UFO Records (1991)
- Reflecter — CD, UFO Records (1992)
- Fazer — 12", UFO Records (1992)
- Fazer remix — 12", UFO Records (1992)
- Going Down — 7"/CD, Beggars Banquet Records (1993)
- Bad Drug — 7", Beggars Banquet Records (1995)
- Apollo — 7", Munster (1995)
- Ghost Machine — 7", Distortions (1997)
- Out of Space Out of Time — 7", Ace of Discs (2002)
- Free Sitar — 7", Acme Records (2002)
[edit] EPs
[edit] Videos
- Fireball (UFO Records, 1991)
- Going Down (Beggars Banquet Records, 1994)
- Bad Drug (Beggars Banquet Records, 1995)
