Crime & the City Solution is an Australian rock band formed in late 1977 by singer-songwriter and mainstay Simon Bonney.
History
Crime & the City Solution are an Australian rock group which formed in late 1977 in Sydney with a line-up of Simon Bonney on lead vocals, Phil Kitchener on bass guitar, Dave MacKinnon on saxophone, Don McLennan (ex-Particles) on drums and Harry Zantey on guitar.
With the line-up of Adams, Bonney, Harvey, Rowland and Harry Howard, and Soundtracks, Crime & the City Solution recorded its debut album, Room of Lights, produced by the band, Flood and Tony Cohen. was self-released on Bandcamp in October 2023. Bonney and Adams, returning to Berlin, were joined by Frederic Lyenn (keyboards, bass), Donald Baldie (guitar), Georgio Valentino and Joshua Murphy (guitars, keyboards), and Chris Hughes (drums). The album was produced by Martin J. Fiedler, who also contributed additional keyboards.
Members
Sydney 1977–1978
- Simon Bonney – vocals
- Don McLennan – drums
- Harry Zantey – guitar
- Phil Kitchener – bass (deceased)
- Dave MacKinnon – soprano & tenor saxophone
Melbourne 1979
- Simon Bonney – vocals
- Don McLennan – drums
- Dan Wallace-Crabbe – guitar
- Lindsay O'Meara – bass
- Chris Astley – keyboards (deceased)
- Kim Beissel – alto saxophone
Berlin/London 1985–1986
- Simon Bonney – vocals
- Mick Harvey – guitar, keyboards
- Rowland S. Howard – guitar (deceased)
- Harry Howard – bass
- Epic Soundtracks – drums (deceased)
Berlin 1987–1991
- Simon Bonney – vocals
- Mick Harvey – drums
- Bronwyn Adams – violin
- Alexander Hacke – guitar
- Chrislo Haas – synthesizer (deceased)
- Thomas Stern – bass
Detroit 2012–2013
- Simon Bonney – vocals
- Bronwyn Adams – violin
- Alexander Hacke – guitar
- David Eugene Edwards – guitar
- Troy Gregory – bass
- Danielle de Picciotto – visuals
- Matthew Smith – keyboards/synthesizer
- Jim White – drums
Berlin 2022–present
- Simon Bonney – vocals
- Bronwyn Adams – violin, vocals
- Chris Hughes – drums, percussion
- Frederic Lyenn Jacques – bass, synth, piano, guitar
- Georgio Valentino – synthesizer, guitar
- Joshua Murphy - guitar, synth, piano
- Donald Baldie - guitar, piano
Timeline
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ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1978
Colors =
id:voc value:red legend:Vocals
id:g value:green legend:Guitars
id:key value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:b value:blue legend:Bass
id:dr value:orange legend:Drums
id:v value:drabgreen legend:Violin
id:sx value:gray(0.5) legend:Saxophone
id:vs value:yellow legend:Visuals
id:alb value:black legend:Studio_release
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
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LineData =
color:alb layer:back
at:27/10/1986
at:25/04/1988
at:17/04/1989
at:03/09/1990
at:26/03/2013
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width:11
bar:Simon Bonney from:start till:01/11/1979 color:voc
bar:Simon Bonney from:01/02/1985 till:01/11/1991 color:voc
bar:Simon Bonney from:01/10/2011 till:end color:voc
bar:Harry Zantey from:start till:01/10/1978 color:g
bar:Dan Wallace-Crabbe from:01/02/1979 till:01/11/1979 color:g
bar:Mick Harvey from:01/02/1985 till:01/01/1987 color:g
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bar:Mick Harvey from:01/02/1985 till:01/04/1985 color:dr width:3
bar:Mick Harvey from:01/01/1987 till:01/11/1991 color:dr
bar:Mick Harvey from:01/04/1985 till:01/11/1991 color:key width:3
bar:Rowland S. Howard from:01/02/1985 till:01/12/1986 color:g
bar:Alexander Hacke from:01/01/1987 till:01/11/1991 color:g
bar:Alexander Hacke from:01/10/2011 till:end color:g
bar:David Eugene Edwards from:01/10/2011 till:end color:g
bar:Chris Astley from:01/02/1979 till:01/11/1979 color:key
bar:Chrislo Haas from:01/01/1987 till:01/11/1991 color:key
bar:Chrislo Haas from:01/01/1987 till:01/11/1991 color:g width:3
bar:Matthew Smith from:01/10/2011 till:end color:key
bar:Phil Kitchener from:start till:01/10/1978 color:b
bar:Lindsay O'Meara from:01/02/1979 till:01/11/1979 color:b
bar:Harry Howard from:01/02/1985 till:01/12/1986 color:b
bar:Thomas Stern from:01/01/1987 till:01/11/1991 color:b
bar:Troy Gregory from:01/10/2011 till:end color:b
bar:Don McLennan from:start till:01/11/1979 color:dr
bar:Epic Soundtracks from:01/06/1985 till:01/12/1986 color:dr
bar:Jim White from:01/10/2011 till:end color:dr
bar:Bronwyn Adams from:01/01/1987 till:01/11/1991 color:v
bar:Bronwyn Adams from:01/10/2011 till:end color:v
bar:Dave McKinnon from:start till:01/10/1978 color:sx
bar:Kim Beissel from:01/02/1979 till:01/11/1979 color:sx
bar:Danielle de Picciotto from:01/10/2011 till:end color:vs
</timeline>
Discography
;Studio albums
- Room of Lights (1986)
- Shine (1988)
- The Bride Ship (1989)
- Paradise Discotheque (1990)
- American Twilight (2013)
- The Killer (2023)
;EPs
- The Dangling Man (1985)
- Just South of Heaven (1985)
- The Kentucky Click / Adventure (1986)
- On Every Train (Grain Will Bear Grain) (1988)
- The Shadow Of No Man (1989)
- I Have The Gun (1990)
- The Dolphins And The Sharks (1991)
;Live
- The Adversary – Live (1993)
;Compilations
- A History of Crime (2012)
Miscellaneous
- Wim Wenders, who was a fan of the band, featured them performing "Six Bells Chime" in his film Wings of Desire. Also, the song "The Adversary" was included in the soundtrack to the Wenders film Until the end of the World.
- Bandmember Bronwyn Adams is married to vocalist Simon Bonney. Her late brother Bruno Adams was the vocalist in the band named "Once Upon A Time", who were produced by Mick Harvey, and he was later in the band named "Fatal Shore" (Prague/Berlin).
References
;General
- Note: Archived [on-line] copy has limited functionality.
;Specific
External links
- www.fromthearchives.org, which has a complete discography.
- [ Allmusic Guide entry]
- artist information/discography page at němý.cz – the Mute Records digital evidence archive