Rational Youth

Rational Youth is a Canadian New Wave band, originally formed in 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, by synthesizer wizards Tracy Howe, former singer and drummer for Montreal punk band "The Normals", and Bill Vorn, both of whom idolized the German synthpop pioneers Kraftwerk.

Among the band's notable singles were "City of Night", "Saturdays in Silesia" and "Dancing on the Berlin Wall," from their debut album, Cold War Night Life (1982); and "No More and No Less" from Heredity (1985).

In 1999, Rational Youth, with a new lineup of original frontman Howe and new keyboard players Jean-Claude Cutz and Dave Rout, released its first album after fourteen years, To the Goddess Electricity.

Rational Youth toured throughout Scandinavia over the next two years, playing its final concert on November 3, 2001, at the Tinitus Festival in Stockholm, Sweden.

Original members Tracy Howe and Bill Vorn came together again in 2009, recording a new version of their 1982 hit "Dancing On The Berlin Wall" in honour of the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Wall.

Personnel

• Tracy Howe – vocals, synthesizers, guitar
• Bill Vorn – synthesizers, vocoder
• Kevin Komoda

Discography

Singles

• "I Want to See the Light/Coboloid Race" (12", 1981)
• "Cite Phosphore" (7", 1982)
• "City of Night" (12", 1982)
• "Saturdays in Silesia" (7"/12", 1982)
• "In Your Eyes" (7"/12", 1983)
• "Dancing on the Berlin Wall" (Dutch 12", 1984; unauthorised extended edit)
• "No More and No Less" (7"/12", 1985) - hit #88 on the RPM Canadian charts
• "Call Me" (7"/12", 1985)
• "Bang On" (7"/12", 1985) - hit #91 in the RPM Canadian charts
• "Malade" (7", 1985)
• 3 Remixes For The New Cold War (EP, 1998)
• "Everything Is Vapour/Money And Blood" (CD single, 1999)

Albums

Studio albums

• Cold War Night Life (album, 1982; CD release 1997)
• Rational Youth (mini-album, 1983)
• Heredity (album, 1985; never released on CD)
• To the Goddess Electricity (album, 1999)

Compilations

• Total Rational! (unauthorised Dutch compilation CD, 1994)
• All Our Saturdays (1981-1986) (compilation CD, 1999)
• Early Singles (CD box, 2000)
• The 20th Anniversary Collection (compilation CD, 2001)

External links

• Official Website
• YUL Records Rational Youth's label website