The Wake are a British post-punk, synth-pop and later indie pop band, formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Gerard "Caesar" McInulty (formerly of Altered Images), Steven Allen (drums) and Joe Donnelly (bass guitar), the latter replaced by Bobby Gillespie. Steven's sister Carolyn Allen also joined on keyboards, and remained in the band thereafter. Gillespie left the band in 1983, replaced by Martin Cunning and then by Alexander 'Mac' Macpherson.

History

The Wake formed in 1981. The singer-guitarist Caesar, aka Gerard McInulty, had been an original member of Altered Images but quit after they signed to CBS. Other members included drummer Steven Allen, singer-keyboardist Carolyn Allen, and bassist Joe Donnelly. Donelly was quickly replaced by Bobby Gillespie. This single eventually caught the attention of New Order manager Rob Gretton, who helped the band sign to Factory Records in 1982 and thus received critical attention but were often unfavourably compared to their more celebrated labelmates. Gillespie was asked to leave in 1983, subsequently playing drums with The Jesus and Mary Chain and achieving fame with his own band Primal Scream. After a short-lived stint with McInulty's ex-classmate Martin Cunning on bass, Alexander 'Mac' Macpherson permanently replaced Gillespie. That same year the band recorded a session on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme and David 'Kid' Jensen's BBC radio 1 show.

The band toured extensively and scored an indie hit with their 1984 single "Talk About The Past" which featured Vini Reilly of Durutti Column on piano. The recording and release of their seminal 1985 album Here Comes Everybody</small>

Albums

  • Harmony (Factory, 1982)
  • Here Comes Everybody (Factory, 1985) (No.20)
  • Make It Loud (Sarah, 1990)
  • Tidal Wave of Hype (Sarah, 1994)
  • Assembly (compilation of a 1984 radio session, a 1983 live set and non-album tracks from the Sarah era, LTM, 2002)
  • Holy Heads (compilation of the two Sarah albums, LTM, 2002)
  • A Light Far Out (LTM, 2012)
  • limited vinyl edition on Factory Benelux (FBN-64), April 2013
  • Harmony (double vinyl reissue - second disc includes 'Something Outside' 12" A+B sides plus session tracks) (Factory Benelux) 2013
  • Here Comes Everybody (very limited Record Store Day double vinyl edition - compilation of the album plus 1983-1987 singles/EP tracks in special hardback slipcase packaging with pamphlet and extras) (Captured Tracks) 2013
  • Testament - Best Of (compilation of singles and album tracks 1982-2012) (Factory Benelux) 2014

;As the Occasional Keepers (in collaboration with Bobby Wratten)

  • The Beauty of an Empty Vessel (LTM, 2005)
  • True North (LTM, 2008)

Singles and EPs

  • "On Our Honeymoon" (7" SCAN, 1982)
  • "Something Outside" / "Host" (12" Factory Benelux, 1983) (No.23)
  • "Talk About the Past" (7"/12" Factory, 1984) (No.11)
  • "Of the Matter" (7" Factory, 1985) (No.22)
  • Something That No One Else Could Bring EP (12" Factory, 1987)
  • "Crush the Flowers" / "Carbrain" (7" Sarah, 1989)
  • "Major John" / "Lousy Pop Group" (7" Sarah, 1991)
  • "Clouds Disco" / "The Sun is a Star" [limited edition Record Store Day release] (7" Factory Benelux, 2015)

Covers

  • The covers for the single "Something Outside" and the album Here Comes Everybody were adapted respectively from "Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge" and "Schaumachinerie" (a poster for the opera Victory over the Sun) works by El Lissitzky.
  • A cover version of the Wake song "O Pamela" appears on the Nouvelle Vague album, Bande à Part.
  • A cover version of the Wake song "Talk About the Past" appears on Blouse & Craft Spells "Gruesome Flowers 2: A Tribute to The Wake" 7" vinyl

References

  • The Wake biography at LTM
  • The Wake discography (The Crepuscule and Factory Pages) (unavailable)