Rollins Band
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Rollins Band is rock music group led by singer and songwriter Henry Rollins.
Rollins had earlier sung with Black Flag. When that group broke up in early 1986, Rollins quickly formed a new ensemble (Chris Haskett on guitar, Bernie Wandell on bass, and Mick Green on drums) which released two records Hot Animal Machine (credited as a Rollins solo record) and Drive-By Shootings (credited to Henrieta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters). The music was similar to Black Flag's, though it flirted more with metal and jazz.
Soon after, Rollins formed the Rollins Band with Haskett, bassist Andrew Weiss, and drummer Sim Cain (Weiss and Cain had previously played with Gone, an instrumental rock group led by guitarist and Black Flag founder Greg Ginn). They recorded and toured, quickly gaining popularity--in part by building on Black Flag's fan base--and released four albums by 1990.
Recognizing Rollins' importance in establishing alternative rock, Perry Farrell invited the Rollins Band to appear on the first Lollapalooza tour in 1991. In 1992 they released The End of Silence. The singles "Low Self Opinion" and "Tearing" were featured on MTV, gaining the band even more exposure. Their music had begun to move away from its original sound, with the band exploring jazz-rock territory, forming a unique "jazz-metal" sound.
Weiss was fired following the End of Silence tour; he was replaced by jazz and funk bassist Melvin Gibbs, who'd been highly recommended by guitarist Vernon Reid. They continued to tour and record, releasing the albums Weight (1994) and Come In and Burn (1997). The first video from Weight, the schizophrenic "Liar", was a hit on MTV, with Rollins sporting numerous costumes (including a cop and a nun). However, the band began to stagnate, and split up in 1997.
Rollins replaced the Haskett-Gibbs-Cain lineup with the rock band Mother Superior, retaining the name Rollins Band, and released Get Some Go Again (2000) and Nice (2001). They also released a live album, The Only Way to Know for Sure.
In 2002, the Rollins Band released Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three. The album features a number of guest vocalists (including Lemmy, Corey Taylor, Ice T, Tom Araya and others) singing Black Flag's songs.
Albums
- Do It (1988)
- Life Time (1988)
- Hard Volume (1989)
- Turned On (1990)
- Live In Australia, 1990 (1991) (1999 re-issue)
- The End of Silence (1992)
- Weight (1994)
- Come In and Burn (1997)
- Get Some Go Again (2000)
- Nice (2001)
- The Only Way to Know for Sure (2002)
EPs/Singles
- Disconnect (1994)
- Liar (1994)
External links
- Henry Rollins official website (http://www.21361.com/)