Belly (band)

Belly were an alternative rock band formed in 1991 by former Throwing Muses members Tanya Donelly and Fred Abong. Donelly had also played in The Breeders. Hailing from Newport, Rhode Island, and based in Boston, Massachusetts, the band was comprised of Donelly on vocals, Abong on bass (replaced after their first album by Gail Greenwood), Tom Gorman on guitar, and his brother Chris Gorman on drums.

Signed to the British label 4AD, the band's debut EP, "Slow Dust" (recorded with Pixies producer Gil Norton) topped the British indie charts. Their crossover breakthrough came with their third single, "Feed the Tree," which made the Top 40 in the British charts. The album that followed, Star, was a hit in both the UK and the USA, where it went gold. In keeping with their name ("It's both pretty and ugly," according to Donelly),1 Belly's sound matched pop melodies to Donelly's ethereal vocals and Gorman's echoey guitar work, often employing unnervingly emotional lyrics. The lyrics to "Full Moon, Empty Heart," for example, were about a mother who threw herself and her child from a window after losing a custody battle. With the recruitment of Greenwood, the band adopted a rockier sound, resulting in King. Despite good reviews, the album was not a commercial success, and the group disbanded in 1996.

Tanya Donelly has since recorded several solo albums for 4AD.

Discography

Albums

  • Star (4AD, 1993)
  • Baby Silvertooth (Japanese import, 1993)
  • King (4AD, 1995)
  • Sweet Ride: the Best of Belly (Rhino, 2002)

Singles/EPs

  • Gepetto (4AD/Warner Brothers, 1992)
  • Slowdust (4AD, 1992)
  • Feed the Tree (Warner Brothers, 1993)
  • Are You Experienced (Warner Brothers, 1994)
  • Moon (Reprise, 1994)
  • Super-Connected (4AD, 1994)
  • Now They'll Sleep (4AD, 1995)
  • Seal My Fate (4AD, 1995)
  • Sun (Sire/Reprise, 1995)

Notes

Note 1: Bardin, Brantley.4AD band biography (http://www.4ad.com/artists/catalogue/belly/biography.htm). Retrieved Dec. 11, 2004.

References

  • 4ad discography (http://www.4ad.com/artists/catalogue/belly/discography.htm)
  • Tanya Donelly site (http://www.tanyadonelly.com/)
  • Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Group biography (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47818DC4FAB7320C0803A45C4B772E007D755FB823E394B5DD3BA7F4B82006AF554E7868AE0A829F878ADE02FA5450DD3CAEA1AF8D66434378CEEB60045&sql=11:fq5e8qxtbtz4~T1) Retrieved Dec. 11, 2004.

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11, 2004. Retrieved Dec. Note 1: Bardin, Brantley.4AD band biography (http://www.4ad.com/artists/catalogue/belly/biography.htm). Singles/EPs.

Albums. Tanya Donelly has since recorded several solo albums for 4AD. Despite good reviews, the album was not a commercial success, and the group disbanded in 1996. With the recruitment of Greenwood, the band adopted a rockier sound, resulting in King.

The lyrics to "Full Moon, Empty Heart," for example, were about a mother who threw herself and her child from a window after losing a custody battle. In keeping with their name ("It's both pretty and ugly," according to Donelly),1 Belly's sound matched pop melodies to Donelly's ethereal vocals and Gorman's echoey guitar work, often employing unnervingly emotional lyrics. Their crossover breakthrough came with their third single, "Feed the Tree," which made the Top 40 in the British charts. The album that followed, Star, was a hit in both the UK and the USA, where it went gold. Signed to the British label 4AD, the band's debut EP, "Slow Dust" (recorded with Pixies producer Gil Norton) topped the British indie charts.

Hailing from Newport, Rhode Island, and based in Boston, Massachusetts, the band was comprised of Donelly on vocals, Abong on bass (replaced after their first album by Gail Greenwood), Tom Gorman on guitar, and his brother Chris Gorman on drums. Donelly had also played in The Breeders. Belly were an alternative rock band formed in 1991 by former Throwing Muses members Tanya Donelly and Fred Abong. 11, 2004.

All Music Group biography (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE47818DC4FAB7320C0803A45C4B772E007D755FB823E394B5DD3BA7F4B82006AF554E7868AE0A829F878ADE02FA5450DD3CAEA1AF8D66434378CEEB60045&sql=11:fq5e8qxtbtz4~T1) Retrieved Dec. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Tanya Donelly site (http://www.tanyadonelly.com/). 4ad discography (http://www.4ad.com/artists/catalogue/belly/discography.htm).

Sun (Sire/Reprise, 1995). Seal My Fate (4AD, 1995). Now They'll Sleep (4AD, 1995). Super-Connected (4AD, 1994).

Moon (Reprise, 1994). Are You Experienced (Warner Brothers, 1994). Feed the Tree (Warner Brothers, 1993). Slowdust (4AD, 1992).

Gepetto (4AD/Warner Brothers, 1992). Sweet Ride: the Best of Belly (Rhino, 2002). King (4AD, 1995). Baby Silvertooth (Japanese import, 1993).

Star (4AD, 1993).