The Chameleons (called The Chameleons UK on some American releases) were a post-punk band that formed in Middleton, in Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever (replacing original drummer Brian Schofield).

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  • The Chameleons (called The Chameleons UK on some American releases) were a post-punk band that formed in Middleton, in Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever (replacing original drummer Brian Schofield). The core quartet were sometimes augmented live by keyboardists Alistair Lewthwaite and Andy Clegg in the 1980s, and percussionist/vocalist Kwasi Asante during their reunion period (ex-Magazine drummer Martin Jackson also briefly replaced Lever during 1982-83 while the latter was on sabbatical). Through Mark Burgess' vocals and dark and ironic lyrics, their songs often dealt with personal themes of childlike innocence and a reverence for nostalgia. Musically, perhaps most notable in their work was the band's innovative and distinctive use of dual guitar melodies, courtesy of Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding, as opposed to the traditional rhythm-and-lead guitarist format prevalent in rock music even to this day. These arrangements were often characterized by the use of delay and chorus effects. Dave played a melodic and atmospheric guitar while Reg played a more traditional riff-based guitar. The band initially released three studio albums in the 1980s, following 1982 debut single "In Shreds" (the fruit of a brief signing to Epic), and several radio sessions for late legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel. The Chameleons released their first full-length studio LP, the critically-acclaimed Script of the Bridge, on the Statik label in 1983. The album features a blend of rhythmic electric guitar textures, providing a moody and intense backdrop for Mark Burgess' haunting vocals. After their third release, 1986's Strange Times and the 1987 sudden death of band manager Tony Fletcher, they abruptly disbanded. Burgess then fronted The Sun and the Moon (with Lever), who issued only one eponymous album on Geffen in 1988, followed by an array of solo projects. Guitarists Fielding and Smithies formed The Reegs, who released two albums: Return of the Sea Monkeys (1991) and Rock the Magic Rock (1993). John Lever later joined Bushart, who released the album Yesterday is History (2008). The Chameleons were, for all practical purposes, extinct for well over a decade before a small series of successful live dates in 2000 and the concurrent release of the album Strip (which reworked older material in an acoustic format). After a final studio album, 2001's Why Call It Anything?, another unplugged album (This Never Ending Now), and a successful reunion tour which took them across Europe and the United States, the band dissolved once again in early 2003 due to personal differences. Although The Chameleons never attained the level of commercial success or fame enjoyed by their contemporaries, their body of work is still critically acclaimed within the music press and influenced bands as diverse as Kitchens of Distinction, Puressence, Interpol, Blacklist, Editors, White Lies, and most recently The Horrors.
  • The Chameleons waren eine englische Rockband aus dem Umfeld des Post-Punk.
  • The Chameleons es un grupo de post-punk formado en Middleton, cerca de Manchester en 1981. Los componentes originales eran Mark Burgess (voz y bajo), Dave Fielding (guitarra y teclado) y Reg Smithies (guitarra), a los que se después se uniría John Lever (batería). En Estados Unidos se les conoce más por el nombre The Chameleons UK.
  • The Chameleons (aussi appelés The Chameleons UK aux États-Unis) est un groupe de post punk britannique formé à Middleton, Greater Manchester, Angleterre en 1981. Le groupe se composait du chanteur et bassiste Mark Burgess, du guitariste Reg Smithies, du guitariste Dave Fielding, et du batteur John Lever. Le groupe s'est séparé une première fois en 1987, après trois albums, à la mort de leur manager Tony Fletcher, avant de se reformer en 2000. Ils ont alors enregistré trois autres albums (deux "unplugged", et un version studio), réalisé une tournée, puis The Chameleons s'est à nouveau dissout.
  • Os The Chameleons (The Chameleons UK, na versão norte-americana), foi uma banda britânica do pós-punk, formada em 1981, em Manchester. A banda era constituída por Mark Burgess (vocais e baixo), Reg Smithies (guitarra), Dave Fielding (guitarra) e John Lever (bateria; em substituição de Brian Schofield, um dos membros fundadores). Caracterizados por um estilo de rock alternativo melódico, os Chameleons interromperam a sua carreira em 1986, após terem lançado três álbuns, por morte do seu manager Tony Fletcher. De 1986 a 2001, os membros da banda seguem projectos a solo: Burgess e Lever com os Sun and the Moon, e Smithies e Fielding nos The Reegs. Neste período de quinze anos, apenas são editados álbuns de concertos ao vivo. Em 2001, reunem-se e lançam novo álbum de originais, Why Call It Anything ?. Até 2002, ano em que de novo se separam, efectuam diversos concertos pela Europa e Estados Unidos.
  • The Chameleons var ett brittiskt postpunk-/indiepopband från Middleton utanför Manchester. Medlemmar var Mark Burgess (sång och bas), Reg Smithies (gitarr), Dave Fielding (gitarr) och John Lever (trummor). Burgess, Smithies och Fielding bildade bandet utan trummis 1981. Första trumslagaren var Brian Schofield som blev ersatt av Lever, som under en tid 1982-83 ersattes av Martin Jackson. Bandet blev upptäckt av den legendariske radio-DJ:n John Peel, och skrev efter det kontrakt med skivbolaget CBS. "In Shreds" blev första singeln (mars 1982) och var en mindre framgång. CBS och The Chameleons var oeniga om hur bandet skulle låta, och The Chameleons blev av med skivkontraktet. Nytt skivbolag blev Statik, som ägdes av Virgin Records. 1983 gavs deras debutalbum Script of the Bridge ut, som följdes upp av What Does Anything Mean? Basically 1985. På grund av att Statik ägdes av Virgin, fick gruppens skivor inte listas på independentlistan i England, då enbart grupper från oberoende skivbolag fick listas där. Detta gjorde att gruppen närmast ignorerades i pressen och inte definierades som ett indieband. Musikaliskt är dock bandet i allra högsta grad besläktat med indiemusiken och nämns ofta som ett föregångsband till shoegazing-vågen. Musiken är melodisk, sången tillbakaliggande, gitarrerna framträdande och påverkade av diverse effektboxar. Just användandet av reverb, där gitarrtonerna blöder in i varandra var typiskt för soundet. E-bow används flitigt och olika stämningar på gitarren experimenteras det med. Samtida liknande band var U2, Joy Division, Big Country och Echo & the Bunnymen. The Chameleons fick aldrig samma kommersiella succé dock, men lyckades få en trogen skara fans. Detta faktum och att bandet ansåg sig vara illa behandlade, gjorde att kontraktet med Statik bröts. 1986 gavs albumet Strange Times ut på Geffen Records, och det skulle bli deras sista. Året efter dog deras manager Tony Fletcher och bandet upplöstes. I början av 2000-talet återbildades bandet och spelade en del live-konserter. Band som influerats av The Chameleons är Slowdive, The Catherine Wheel, Kitchens of Distinction, Comsat Angels, The Wedding Present, Coldplay och Interpol.
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  • The Chameleons in 1984: Mark Burgess, Reg Smithies, John Lever, Dave Fielding
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  • Mark Burgess
    Reg Smithies
    Dave Fielding
    John Lever
    Brian Schofield
    Martin Jackson
    Alistair Lewthwaite
    Andy Clegg
    Kwasi Asante
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  • The Chameleons (called The Chameleons UK on some American releases) were a post-punk band that formed in Middleton, in Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever (replacing original drummer Brian Schofield).
  • The Chameleons waren eine englische Rockband aus dem Umfeld des Post-Punk.
  • The Chameleons es un grupo de post-punk formado en Middleton, cerca de Manchester en 1981. Los componentes originales eran Mark Burgess (voz y bajo), Dave Fielding (guitarra y teclado) y Reg Smithies (guitarra), a los que se después se uniría John Lever (batería). En Estados Unidos se les conoce más por el nombre The Chameleons UK.
  • The Chameleons (aussi appelés The Chameleons UK aux États-Unis) est un groupe de post punk britannique formé à Middleton, Greater Manchester, Angleterre en 1981. Le groupe se composait du chanteur et bassiste Mark Burgess, du guitariste Reg Smithies, du guitariste Dave Fielding, et du batteur John Lever. Le groupe s'est séparé une première fois en 1987, après trois albums, à la mort de leur manager Tony Fletcher, avant de se reformer en 2000.
  • Os The Chameleons (The Chameleons UK, na versão norte-americana), foi uma banda britânica do pós-punk, formada em 1981, em Manchester. A banda era constituída por Mark Burgess (vocais e baixo), Reg Smithies (guitarra), Dave Fielding (guitarra) e John Lever (bateria; em substituição de Brian Schofield, um dos membros fundadores).
  • The Chameleons var ett brittiskt postpunk-/indiepopband från Middleton utanför Manchester. Medlemmar var Mark Burgess (sång och bas), Reg Smithies (gitarr), Dave Fielding (gitarr) och John Lever (trummor). Burgess, Smithies och Fielding bildade bandet utan trummis 1981. Första trumslagaren var Brian Schofield som blev ersatt av Lever, som under en tid 1982-83 ersattes av Martin Jackson.
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  • The Chameleons
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