Ned's Atomic Dustbin - ARE YOU NORMAL? (1992)

Ned's Atomic Dustbin's stylish fusion of punk and funk earned them a fair number of fans in the early '90s, just as England's Stone Roses-inspired "Madchester" scene was drawing to a close. Comprised of Jonn Penney (vocals), Rat (guitar), Matt Cheslin (bass), Alex Griffin (bass), and Dan Warton (drums), the group began as a neo-goth rock outfit in the late '80s. By the beginning of the '90s, the band had developed a dense, assaultive sound that was distinguished by their thundering two-bass attack. Ned's released their first single, "Kill Your Television," in 1990; on the back of a slick, sloganeering marketing attack (epitomized by the 86 T-shirts the band had designed in their first three years), the single reached the U.K. Top 50 and led to a record contract with Sony Music. The band released its debut album, God Fodder, in 1991; it entered the charts at number four. For the rest of the year, the group toured the world and released singles drawn from God Fodder. Though they remained popular in the U.K., they weren't able to gather anything larger than a cult following in America. Released in 1992, Are You Normal? also failed to expand their following. For 1995's Brainbloodvolume, Ned's decided to expand their trademark sound by experimenting with techno music, yet the album proved a commercial failure.