Barry Adamson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barry Adamson
Adamson performing with Magazine in 2009
Background information
Born	(1958-06-11) 11 June 1958 (age 67) Moss Side, Manchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock post-punk electronica post-rock acid jazz soul jazz lounge
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Bass vocals guitar keyboards drums
Years active	1977–present

Barry Adamson (born 11 June 1958) is an English musician. He is known for his work in pop and rock music. Barry became famous in the late 1970s. He was a member of the post-punk band Magazine. He also worked with other bands like Visage and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Besides his own music, Barry has remixed songs for many artists. He also helped create the music for the film Lost Highway.

About Barry Adamson

His Early Life

Barry Adamson was born in Moss Side, Manchester, England. His mother was white and his father was black. He loved reading comic books when he was young. At school, he spent a lot of time learning about art, music, and films. He even wrote his first song, "Brain Pain," when he was just 10 years old. Barry enjoys many different types of music. These include Alice Cooper, Motown, and David Bowie.

His Music Career

After school, Barry briefly studied graphic design. But he soon left to join the exciting punk rock music scene of the late 1970s. He became the bass player for the band Magazine. The band had a hit song called "Shot by Both Sides." In 1977, he also played for the Buzzcocks for a short time. Barry played on all of Magazine's early albums. He also worked with the band Visage on their first two albums.

After Magazine broke up, Barry worked with Pete Shelley. Then he joined Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He played on four of their albums. After touring with Iggy Pop in 1987, Barry started his solo career. He released an EP called The Man with the Golden Arm in 1988. His first solo album, Moss Side Story, came out the next year. It was like a soundtrack for a movie that didn't exist. This album used news reports and sound effects. Other musicians, like Diamanda Galas, also played on it. Barry's second album was the music for a real film called Delusion. He has made music for several other films too.

Barry's third album, Soul Murder, was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 1992. His solo music is often inspired by film composers. These include John Barry and Ennio Morricone. Later, his music started to include jazz, electronica, soul, and funk styles.

In 1996, Barry contributed to an album that helped raise money for AIDS research. His album that year, Oedipus Schmoedipus, reached number 51 on the UK Albums Chart. Both Oedipus Schmoedipus and Moss Side Story were listed in a book called 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

In 2002, Barry left his record label, Mute Records. He then started his own company called Central Control International. In 2006, he released Stranger on the Sofa. This was the first album on his new label. His second album for the label, Back to the Cat, came out in March 2008.

In 2007, Magazine announced they would play concerts again in 2008. Barry was part of the band for these shows. However, he later decided not to be part of the reunion or new recordings. On 27 August 2010, Barry released a song called "Rag and Bone."

In 2011, Barry showed his first film as a director, called Therapist. He also wrote the music for it. His album I Will Set You Free was released on 30 January 2012.

Barry worked with the Bad Seeds again in 2013. He played bass guitar on two songs for their album Push the Sky Away. He also toured with the band, playing drums and keyboards.

His 2016 album Know Where To Run came with a book. The book had photos Barry took in the US while on tour. In 2018, he released Memento Mori. This album celebrated his 40 years as a professional musician. He also played a concert in London, and a recording of it was released.

Music for Films

Barry's song "Refugee Song" was in the film The Last of England. He wrote the full music for Delusion. Barry also made music for Gas Food Lodging and David Lynch's Lost Highway.

Instruments Barry Plays

In early videos for Magazine, Barry played a Rickenbacker 4001 bass. For the album Secondhand Daylight, he used a Gibson EB-3. When Magazine toured, his main bass was an Ovation Magnum Mk1. You can see this Ovation bass in the film Urgh! A Music War. It is also on the cover of the live album Play. For the 2008 Magazine concerts, he used the Ovation, a Fender Artist, and a Fender Jaguar Bass. He often used a Boss Chorus unit on his basses. This gave his sound a special effect. Many other musicians in the UK in the 1980s copied this sound.

His Influence on Others

Duff McKagan from the band Guns N' Roses wrote a book about his life. In it, he said that Barry Adamson's bass playing in Magazine influenced him. Billy Gould from Faith No More also said Barry was an influence. He liked how Barry mixed soul music with post-punk when he played with Magazine.

Barry Adamson's Music

Studio Albums

EPs (Extended Plays)

Singles

Other Songs He Appeared On

Soundtracks He Created

Albums

Contributions to Soundtracks

Collections of His Music

Music He Composed

• To Have and to Hold (1996) film score with Nick Cave & Mick Harvey
• The World of Interiors (2001) film score

Images for kids

• 

  Adamson in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Barry Adamson para niños