Jean marc pisapia biography of christopher

The Box (band)

Canadian new wave group

For depiction British 1980s band, see Clock DVA.

The Box is a Canadian pop shake band from Montreal, Quebec,[1] whose sort evolved from synth-based new wave bang on their early albums toward prog-influenced guitar rock later in their careers.[2] Founded in 1981, they achieved paying success in Canada, recording four charting albums and 10 charting singles in the middle of 1984 and 1990.[1]

The group broke difficulty in 1992, but a new crew was founded in 2004.[3] This loop of the group has released mirror image further albums.

Biography

The band was blown in 1981 by Jean-Marc Pisapia, expansive early member of Men Without Hats.[1] He recruited guitarist Guy Florent stake bassist Jean-Pierre Brie and, before they settled on calling themselves The Case, the group was known as Checkpoint Charlie.[3]

The band's first single attracted greatness attention of Montreal radio station CKOI-FM, leading to a deal with Paying attention Records.[3] Also that year, Jean-Marc's fellow Guy Pisapia joined on keyboards.[1]

Their inauguration album The Box was released hem in 1984, and produced the singles "Must I Always Remember" and "Walk Away".[1] Drummer Sylvain Coutu joined the congregate for its supporting tour, but was replaced by Pierre Taillefer before illustriousness next album. Florent also left suffer was replaced by Claude Thibeault. Their shows to promote the album objective some dates opening for British edibles rock band Marillion on their Hustle tour.[4]

In 1985, The Box released All the Time, All the Time, Keep happy the Time.[5] That album, which numbered backing vocals by Sass Jordan final Marie Carmen, produced the singles "My Dreams of You" and "L'Affaire Dumoutier (Say to Me)". The latter concert, in which Pisapia narrates, rather stun singing, a tale of a carnage committed by a man with legion personality disorder, was opposed as clean up single by the record label utterly to its unconventional sound, strange topic matter, and bilingual lyric (which essential English listeners to understand French provided they wanted to understand the complete story, including the climactic punchline) on the contrary the label relented due to rank strength of its cinematic music videocassette, which was constructed as a mid-century European crime thriller film with Pisapia playing the police detective.[6] Pisapia, who to this day considers it depiction best song he ever wrote,[6] was vindicated when the song became say publicly band's first Top 40 hit.[1]

"L'Affaire Dumoutier", further, was one part of uncomplicated trilogy of songs, with the publication track "Evil in Me" and righteousness non-album "For the First and Notice Last" delving further into the murderer's story,[6] although they were released by reason of B-sides to "L'Affaire Dumoutier" rather better separate singles.

They won the 1985 Félix Award for group of righteousness year,[7] and were nominated for dignity Juno Award for Most Promising Grade of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1985.[8]

1987's Closer Together was the band's most commercially and harshly successful album.[9] Featuring the hit singles "Ordinary People", "Closer Together" and "Crying Out Loud for Love", the scrap book was certified platinum. Backing vocals foresight the album were provided by River and Martine St. Clair. The band's biggest hit, "Closer Together", was from the beginning commissioned for a fundraiser for pure anti-leukemia foundation.[10]

The band received a Juno nomination for Group of the Class at the Juno Awards of 1987,[11] and won the Félix Awards represent Anglophone Group of the Year, Anglophone Single of the Year and Recording of the Year.[12] In 1988, they won the Rock Express reader suffrage for Best Canadian Group and Suited Canadian Album.[13]

After touring for more overrun eighteen months,[14] the band took shake up months off to recover before iterative with 1990's The Pleasure and decency Pain, produced by Martin Rushent.[15] Wander album was a commercial disappointment; Pisapia attributed this in part to significance band's position as francophones who were performing in English instead of Country, causing their fans in Quebec be familiar with turn against them in the more and more polarized climate of the Meech Pond era,[16] and to the album getting represented a compromise between his mellifluous vision and label pressures to practise a mainstream rock album that could break them into the United States.[17]

Pisapia also later asserted that the practically two years of constant touring in the middle of Closer Together and The Pleasure take the Pain left the band scarlet out and exhausted,[3] and he was further annoyed when the label awkward the band to appear as swindler opening act for Sinéad O'Connor's Contention concert dates to promote I Carry on Not Want What I Haven't Got in 1990, even though they were already a headlining act in their own right.[18]

The Box disbanded in 1992 after releasing the greatest hits set A Decade of Box Music.[17]

Hiatus existing revival

Pisapia released a solo album, John of Mark, in 1995, which was later reissued as a Box ep in 2015.[17] He subsequently supported yourself principally as a writer of take in one\'s arms advertising jingles.[19]

Pisapia revived The Box exchange of ideas a new lineup in 2002, occasion two new Box tracks (recorded choose by ballot 1996 and 2002) on a pristine hits compilation, Always in Touch Add You.[19] This version of The Receptacle was essentially Pisapia backed by classify musicians,[17] but the line-up soon of like mind into steady group that had span decidedly more prog-rock orientation than nobility original incarnation of the band.[19]

In 2005, the band released Black Dog There, its first new album in 15 years.[20] The album, a concept manual about a young man from excellence Canadian Prairies who becomes an spacewoman but gets caught between parallel universes when his spaceship explodes, was impassioned by Pisapia's love of progressive tor bands such as Genesis, Pink Floyd and Gentle Giant.[20]

This was followed move together by the 2009 album D'Après unmistakable horla de Maupassant (or simply Le Horla for short), the first Stem album sung entirely in French.[21]

By dignity 2010s, the music industry had clashing so much that Pisapia felt maladroit thumbs down d need to create entire albums. "Back in the 80s, it was progress simple... Today, even the most accomplished executive in a record company doesn’t know where to start."[22] Pisapia confidential begun painting, but still had surmount own recording studio for when operate got "the urge" to make opus. The Box released several singles (in both English and French) and copperplate four song EP, Take Me Home during this decade.[22]

In 2024, the have to performed at Quebec City's Festival d'été de Québec.[6]

Discography

Singles

Albums

Original studio albums

Release useless Title Chart positions
Canada
RPM Album charts
May 1984 The Box95
January 1986 All the Time, Cry out the Time, All the Time73
March 1987 Closer Together25
March 1990 The Pleasure and the Pain31
June 1995 John of Mark†-
March 2005 Black Dog There-
November 2009 D'Après authentic horla de Maupassant-
March 2018 Take Me Home (EP) -

† Pioneer issued as by "John of Mark"; reissued by The Box in 2015.

Compilation albums

  • A Decade of Box Music (1992)
  • Always in Touch with You: Position Best of the Box (2002)
  • The Outstrip of the Box (2007) CD + DVD

References

  1. ^ abcdef"The Box". The Canadian Encyclopedia, September 4, 2013.
  2. ^Chris Dafoe, "A rustle of musical fun contained in Justness Box". The Globe and Mail, July 23, 1987.
  3. ^ abcdRaphaël Gendron-Martin, "«On brûlait la chandelle par les deux bouts»". Le Journal de Montréal, May 13, 2017.
  4. ^Matthew Fraser, "Band borrows liberally evade Genesis". The Globe and Mail, June 15, 1984.
  5. ^Craig MacInnis, "The Box patiently waits to stir up English passions". Toronto Star, March 16, 1986.
  6. ^ abcdCédric Bélanger, "The Box au Festival d’été de Québec: «L’affaire Dumoutier» a été sauvée par son vidéoclip". Le Account de Québec, July 12, 2024.
  7. ^Martin Siberok, "Year of the Box as genre tops in Quebec rock". Montreal Gazette, November 23, 1985.
  8. ^Greg Quill, "Adams golds Juno's triple crown". Toronto Star, Nov 5, 1985.
  9. ^Howard Druckman, "The Box: a-one gust of fresh air with Proposals Together". Music Scene, July/August 1987.
  10. ^Craig MacInnis, "The Box singer skating to another tunes on video". Toronto Star, Apr 10, 1987.
  11. ^Tim O'Connor, "Challengers nose scan nose for 1987 Juno awards". Windsor Star, November 2, 1987.
  12. ^John Griffin, "Marjo, The Box, Rivard top Felixes implements 3 each". Montreal Gazette, October 26, 1987.
  13. ^"The Box named top Canadian band". Toronto Star, March 3, 1988.
  14. ^"More goodies found in The Box". Toronto Star, June 23, 1988.
  15. ^Craig MacInnis, "The Maintain closes lid on Canada's two solitudes". Toronto Star, March 30, 1990.
  16. ^Evelyn Erskine, "Rock band in the middle unravel Qubec language debate". Ottawa Citizen, Could 12, 1990.
  17. ^ abcdKeith Sharp, "The Box". Music Express, 2017.
  18. ^Philippe Renaud, "The Trunk au FEQ, à notre bon souvenir". Le Devoir, July 12, 2024.
  19. ^ abcBrendan Kelly, "Former Montreal pop star lives outside the box with TV jingles company". Canadian Press, November 4, 2002.
  20. ^ abBrendan Kelly, "Quebec singer reopens Probity Box". CanWest News Service, March 31, 2005.
  21. ^Jean-Christophe Laurence, "The Box : Le Horla à la sauce rock". La Presse, November 4, 2009.
  22. ^ ab"A conversation walk off with Jean-Marc Pisapia of The Box". The Spill Magazine. January 22, 2020.
  23. ^"Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada - Top Singles". RPM. Retrieved Revered 26, 2011.

External links