Les Pattinson
| Les Pattinson | |
|---|---|
 Les Pattinson in September 1987 backstage at the Greek Theatre – Berkeley, California |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leslie Thomas Pattinson |
| Born | 18 April 1958 Ormskirk, Lancashire |
| Genres | Post-Punk, Alternative Rock |
| Instruments | Bass Guitar |
| Years active | 1978–1999, 2009–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros. Sire. Zoo. London. |
| Associated acts | Echo & the Bunnymen |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Jazz Bass | |
Les Pattinson (born Leslie Thomas Pattinson, 18 April 1958,[1] Ormskirk, Lancashire) is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen.,[1] along with vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant. He lived in Aughton, Lancashire and attended nearby Deyes High School. Maghull. Where he became friends with Will Sergeant.
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[edit] Career
In 1977 Pattinson met up again with Sergeant in Liverpool’s Eric's Club. They befriended McCulloch at the club. Sergeant and McCulloch had been offered a spot playing in Eric’s with Liverpool band The Teardrop Explodes. Three days before the show Pattinson was asked to join, despite having never played the bass before. Their debut show was attended by Bill Drummond & David Balfe's of Zoo Records, who signed the band to Zoo and later to Sire/WEA. In 1979 Drummer Pete de Freitas joined the band. Pattinson, Sergeant and de Freitas decided to continue with the Bunnymen after Ian McCulloch left in 1988 to pursue a solo career. When De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1989, Pattinson and Sergeant made the decision to continue with the band. They brought in Damon Reece to play drums and Noel Burke to sing on Reverberation in 1990, before breaking up the band in 1993. In 1994 Pattinson was approached by Terry Hall, lead singer of the ‘Specials’ to play bass on his critically acclaimed solo album Home. He also participated in Halls' European Tour. In 1996, Pattinson was asked to rejoin the Bunnymen and together they co-wrote the album ‘Evergreen’. It was greeted enthusiastically by critics and the public alike. The band made a successful return to the live arena. In 1998 Pattinson decided to leave the Bunnymen due to personal reasons. In 2009 Pattinson joined the Liverpool band The Wild Swans and together they performed live shows at the ‘Static Gallery’ in ‘Liverpool’. He also featured on their critically acclaimed album. ‘The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years’. In 2011, Pattinson toured with ‘The Wild Swans’ in U.K. and the Philippines.[2]
[edit] Playing style
Self taught. Drawing heavily from sixties film and Television theme tunes and soundtracks. Lounge and Psychedelic influences. Throughout his playing career, Pattinson has always favoured a blue Fender Jazz Bass. Playing mostly through an Ampeg SVT head with an 8X10 cabinet. This equipment and playing style gave a distinctive sound to the Bunnymen. Once cited when playing with drummer de Freitas, as ‘The best rhythm section in the world’
[edit] Discography
[edit] With Echo & the Bunnymen
See Main article: Echo & the Bunnymen discography
Crocodiles (1980)
Heaven Up Here (1981)
Porcupine (1983)
Ocean Rain (1984)
Echo & the Bunnymen (1987)
Reverberation (1990)
Evergreen (1997)
[edit] With Terry Hall
See Home.
[edit] With the Wild Swans
See The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years
[edit] Filmography
The John Hughes film Pretty in Pink. "The Killing Moon" was featured in the films Grosse Pointe Blank and Donnie Darko, and in Series 2, Episode 4 of the E4 series Misfits. A cover version of The Doors song "People Are Strange" to The Lost Boys soundtrack.
[edit] References
1 ^ Cooper, Mark (1982). Liverpool Explodes!. Sidg. & J (published 30 September 1982). ISBN 0-28398-866-5
2 ^ Tony Fletcher (1987). Never Stop: The Echo & the Bunnymen Story. Omnibus Press (published 16 November 1987). ISBN 0-71191-121-5
3 ^ Adams, Chris (2002). Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo and the Bunnymen. Soft Skull Press (published 1 July 2002). ISBN 1-88712-889-1
4 ^ Bell, Max (2003). Album notes for Ocean Rain by Echo & the Bunnymen [CD booklet]. Warner Music UK (2564-61165-2).
5 Allum, Simon (3 April 2006). "Incendiary interview Les Pattinson, part 2". Retrieved 12 May 2008
6 ^ Larkin, Colin: "The Guinness Who's Who Of Indie and New Wave Music", page 67. Guinness Publishing, 1992, ISBN 0-85112-579-4
7 ^ Allum, Simon (3 April 2006). "Incendiary interview Les Pattinson, part 2". Retrieved 12 May 2008.
8 ^ "The Q Awards". Everyhit.com. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
9 ^ "28/10/2002 – "28/10/2002 – Q Awards Results". EMAP. Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
10 ^ "'Fifth Bunnyman' killed in crash". BBC News. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
11 ^ Adams, Craig (2002). "Shades of Grey". Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. New York: Soft Skull Press. p. 182. ISBN 1
12 ^ "Echo And The Bunnymen to perform classic album". NME. 5 December 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2008
[edit] Bibliography
Adams, Chris. Turquoise Days: The Weird World of Echo & the Bunnymen. NY: Soft Skull Press, 2002.
Reynolds, Simon. Rip it Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. London: Penguin, 2005.
Fletcher, Tony. Never Stop: The Echo & the Bunnymen Story. London: Omnibus Press, 1987.
[edit] External links
Villiers Terrace.com The Ultimate Echo and the Bunnymen Resource
[edit] References
- ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 314-6
- ^ Foster, Richard (2009) "Incendiary speaks to the legendary Paul Simpson", Incendiary Magazine, 5 December 2009
