Aztec Camera
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Aztec Camera – Oblivious
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Biography
Glasgow, United Kingdom (1981 – 1995)
Aztec Camera was a Scottish new wave band from Glasgow.
The line-up of the band changed several times over the years, but the constant member had been guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Ex-Bluebells bassist Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 through 1985, before joining The Smiths. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) also joined in 1983, and appeared on the Knife album.
Though generally considered to be born out of the New Wave movement, Aztec Camera’s music is mostly acoustic oriented and might be better described as guitar pop. There is no doubt that the band took some musical and lyrical inspiration from Elvis Costello. Aztec Camera opened for Costello on a U.S. tour early in their career.
The band’s first UK 7” single was released by Glasgow-based indie label Postcard Records in January, 1981, and contained the songs “Just Like Gold” and “We Could Send Letters”. The latter song appeared on the influential C81 compilation cassette, released by NME in 1981.
Aztec Camera’s debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was released in 1983. However, Owens and Mulholland left the group before the release, leaving Frame to complete the album alone. The album was quite successful, gathering significant critical acclaim for its well-crafted, multi-layered pop. The band went on to release a total of six albums, although most of these were essentially written and played by Frame. The albums included Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995).
The line-up of the band changed several times over the years, but the constant member had been guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Ex-Bluebells bassist Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 through 1985, before joining The Smiths. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) also joined in 1983, and appeared on the Knife album.
Though generally considered to be born out of the New Wave movement, Aztec Camera’s music is mostly acoustic oriented and might be better described as guitar pop. There is no doubt that the band took some musical and lyrical inspiration from Elvis Costello. Aztec Camera opened for Costello on a U.S. tour early in their career.
The band’s first UK 7” single was released by Glasgow-based indie label Postcard Records in January, 1981, and contained the songs “Just Like Gold” and “We Could Send Letters”. The latter song appeared on the influential C81 compilation cassette, released by NME in 1981.
Aztec Camera’s debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was released in 1983. However, Owens and Mulholland left the group before the release, leaving Frame to complete the album alone. The album was quite successful, gathering significant critical acclaim for its well-crafted, multi-layered pop. The band went on to release a total of six albums, although most of these were essentially written and played by Frame. The albums included Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995).
Top Tracks
Top Albums
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High Land, Hard Rain
50,149 listeners13 tracks
Released:
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The Best of Aztec Camera
40,342 listeners16 tracks
Released:
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Love
14,661 listeners9 tracks
Released:
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Knife
11,003 listeners8 tracks
Released:
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