Dead Or Alive
A famous British band Dead Or Alive, which became a sort of a symbol of the “new wave” English stage for many people, first made itself known in late 70s of the previous century. The team of young musicians under the name Nigthmares in Wax began to conquer the music stage that, however, could not be called a successful start. In spite of the fact that their mini-album Nightmare in Wax was listed on the charts, all the artists did not take the work seriously and soon, the team, which had been renamed into Dead or Alive by that time, disbanded.
But Pete Burns, who is a lead singer of Dead Or Alive today, decided not to give up. After taking the previous name, he gathered a new band, which embarked on its work in 1980. At that time the guys recorded their first single “I`m Falling” for presenting themselves. They made a great number of concerts throughout the country and appeared on the television, gaining abundance of fans. They said that Dead or Alive’s early work was similar to the style and manner of the famous band Doors, and the public met a new music team on the big stage rather positively.
It took the band some time to sign a contract with the label ‘Inevitable’ and to record the second studio single titled “Number Eleven”. But soon after, the group disbanded as it gave under competition with more “progressive” teams, and DOA with its outrageous image looked strange and even awkward in comparison with those bands.
Namely Burns saved the band from ceasing to exist. He and his companion, keyboard player Martin Hilly, gathered a new band. They almost signed a rather profitable contract with Virgin Records company, representatives of which began, eventually, to criticize the stage image of musicians. Trying to make Dead or Alive’s works popular and commercial, the record company laid claims to the members’ “provocative image”, the deal failed due to DOA members’ uncompromising stand. When next several contracts shared the same fate, the band paused to think about creation of own label and the guys did that. The label Black Eyes began to work and by 1983 the band had become a typical dance pop ensemble differing from other bands only by the members’ appearance, especially by the appearance of the eccentric irreplaceable vocalist Burns. Their single “It`s Been Hours Now” reached Top 10 in Great Britain and is still considered to be one of the best songs of Dead Or Alive.
The band’s way to the glory was rather hard. The guys could not record their debut album during a long time because of disputes between artists and Epic record company, which took the capricious musicians under its wing. Instead of the album, the band released singles, which were not always successful. The group became more or less settled only in 1984 when DOA’s members performed a single “That`s the Way (I Like It)” – a cover version of the famous disco song. No one suspected that namely this song would be a lucky ticket of the band.
The song won the hearts of listeners more due to its interesting videoclip than its original sounding. It was this song that led the band close to Top 20 of the British chart but being two positions behind it. Trying to follow up the success, Burns and DOA appeared on the television, provoked mass media, and made a short tour, after which the guys finally debuted with Sophisticated Boom-Boom that pleased critics and all those, who was already tired of the epic with the first album release.
The audience and critics were happy and Burns’ voice won the listeners’ hearts by his deep, strong, and rather unusual sounding for the music of 80s. In 1985, DOA’s song “You Spin Me Round” topped the British chart during two weeks. A short video to this song pleased the public with its originality.
This was followed by ups and downs, changes of lineups, and releases of new albums. Dead Or Alive’s popularity had already stepped out Great Britain that was also provided by international tours. Making some “holidays” in the work, Dead Or Alive, nevertheless, kept on capturing the numerous fans’ attention even at the beginning of the new millennium. Outstanding and extravagant Burns, who looks like an elegant well-groomed lady, promoting this image carefully, remains DOA’s signature. The band’s songs are released and rereleased in new successful compilations.
