Play Dead
One of the lesser-known names in the incipient goth rock scene of early-'80s England, Play Dead combined both a relatively derivative combination of influences and some individual flashes of brilliance to make a low-key cult name for itself. A quartet, the band came together in late 1980 in Banbury near Oxford. After initially playing with another guitarist, one Re Vox, a lineup shuffle resulted in the final form of the group: guitarist Steve Green, singer Rob Hickson, bassist Pete Waddleston, and drummer Mark "Wiff" Smith. Early singles with Re Vox, including "TV Eye" (not the Stooges' proto-punk classic), were disdained by the band themselves, but after some label weirdness and semi-enforced withdrawal from recording, Play Dead put it all together with its classic single "Propaganda." Further singles and EPs followed, along with sessions for BBC radio and a notable tour with Sex Gang Children. Full releases continued up through 1985, but soon after a final live show late that year, Waddleston quit the band and moved to India. The rest of the band reformed as the Beastmaster Generals, but nothing surfaced outside of some demos, and Play Dead essentially ceased to be.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo
Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Company of Justice
Rock - Released by Jungle Records on 1 Jan 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The First Flower
Rock - Released by Jungle Records on 1 Jan 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Skint
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 26 Mar 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pretty Little Thing
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 27 Feb 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mug Cake
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 14 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fly On The Wall
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 15 Mar 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Shaun
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 10 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shooting Star
Alternative & Indie - Released by iMusician | PLAY DEAD on 30 Sep 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Whitstable
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 1 May 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Offy
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 14 Sep 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Six Hours Later
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 2 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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...and Then You Die
Miscellaneous - Released by Play Dead on 18 May 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Barbershop
Punk / New Wave - Released by Blitzcat Records on 18 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Equinox EP
Electronic - Released by Hi-Tech Records on 29 May 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo