The Splendour Of Fear

Biography

There are three artists with the name Felt: 1) Felt was a 1980s UK indie band hailing from Birmingham, led by enigmatic Lawrence Hayward (or, just "Lawrence" for preference), and usually included guitarist Maurice Deebank and drummer Gary Ainge. The band claimed to have released ten albums and ten singles in ten years but actually released 11 singles if you include their debut Index on Shanghai Packaging. They were influenced by, among others, New York band Television and 60's icon Bob Dylan....

There are three artists with the name Felt:

1) Felt was a 1980s UK indie band hailing from Birmingham, led by enigmatic Lawrence Hayward (or, just "Lawrence" for preference), and usually included guitarist Maurice Deebank and drummer Gary Ainge.
The band claimed to have released ten albums and ten singles in ten years but actually released 11 singles if you include their debut Index on Shanghai Packaging. They were influenced by, among others, New York band Television and 60's icon Bob Dylan. Forming in 1979, Felt never broke through to the mainstream, but enjoyed a substantial cult following. Throughout the early 1980s, Felt released a number of oblique, minimalistic guitar pop gems. In 1986 they broke through with the single "Primitive Painters" (featuring the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser), and the album "Forever Breathes The Lonely Word". Here, Hayward's trademark melodic songs are matched by a fuller sound - catchy organ lines from Martin Duffy (now with Primal Scream) and Deebank's cascading guitars feature throughout.
Following this, releases in 1987 of Poem Of The River, in 1988 of The Pictorial Jackson Review, and in 1989 of Me And A Monkey On The Moon, cemented Felt's cult following and reputation, before Hayward split the band up to pursue 70s-influenced project, Denim, and subsequently Go-Kart Mozart.
Felt's influence continues to reverberate in the music of current bands like Belle and Sebastian who have acknowledged their admiration.



2) Felt is a collaboration between emcees Murs (Nick Carter) and Slug (Sean Daley of Atmosphere). The group has released two albums so far, with the first one being produced by Murs' fellow Living Legends member the grouch and the second one with Slugs long time beat maker ant behind the boards.

according to the Rhymesayers website (their label):
FELT is a musical collaboration with the long-term goal of having sex with b-level Hollywood actresses. On tour back in 2001, Murs and Slug were in a van driving from Eugene, OR to San Francisco, CA. Near Weed, CA on highway 5 South, there was a heated discussion over which rapper had the better chance of sleeping with Christina Ricci. Murs and Slug decided to make a record dedicated to Christina Ricci (with the hope of either Murs or Slug succeeding in having sex with her). Built on friendly competition, it was also an experiment to see if a rap record would be able to help breathe new life into her career.

The duo is coming at it once again with Aesop Rock taking control of the production. Felt 3 A Tribute to Rosie Perez was released in 2009.

3) Felt was an early '70 band from Alabama. Their sole album, titled FELT and issued in 1971, is full of good guitar work and fine vocals, and has become a very rare collectors' item. The band's leader Myke Jackson also made a solo album.





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