History Music / PopWillEatItself

Pop Will Eat Itself (PWEI or The Poppies for short) were an AlternativeRock band from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, active initially from 1986 to 1996. Their sampletastic, RapRock and {{Industrial}}-influenced style was nicknamed "Grebo" in music magazines like ''NME'' and ''Melody Maker'', largely from their songs "Oh Grebo I Think I Love You" (from ''Now for a Feast!'') and "Grebo Guru" (from ''Box Frenzy''). They're nowadays rather more famous for being the band Music/ClintMansell started his career in than their actual music.

Pop Will Eat Itself (PWEI or The Poppies for short) were an AlternativeRock[=/=]Alternative Dance[=/=][[IndustrialMetal Industrial Rock]] band from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, active initially from 1986 to 1996. Their sampletastic, hip-hop and electronica-influenced alternative rock style was nicknamed "Grebo" in music magazines like ''NME'' and ''Melody Maker'', largely from their songs "Oh Grebo I Think I Love You" (from ''Now for a Feast!'') and "Grebo Guru" (from ''Box Frenzy''). They're nowadays rather more famous for being the band Music/ClintMansell started his career in than their actual music.

** "Def. Con. One" samples ''Franchise/TheTwilightZone'''s theme song, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas (the snare roll), "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by Music/TheStooges (the main riff is recognisable in the chorus), "Funky Town" by Lipps Inc. (the famous keyboard riff), "Crazy Horses" by The Osmonds (the horse whinny), "Time to Get Ill" by the Music/BeastieBoys (MCA yelling "What's the time?"), "Right Now" by The Creatures (Siouxsie singing "right now"), "Raising Hell" by Music/RunDMC (the chants of "to the left, y'all" and "to the right, y'all" in the ending), "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass (the main beat), "My Mike Sounds Nice" by Salt-N-Pepa ("Right about now!") and Music/BruceSpringsteen's "Hungry Heart" (the first riff heard in the song).

** "Dr. Nightmare's Medication Time" samples "Rock Steady" by Music/ArethaFranklin, "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" by Vaughan Mason and Crew, "Ooh, I Love It (Love Break)" by The Salsoul Orchestra, "Hit It Run" by Music/{{RunDMC}}, "Don't Make Me Wait" by Bomb the Bass and "Shake Your Rump" by the Music/BeastieBoys.
** "Nightmare at 20,000ft" samples [[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E123NightmareAt20000Feet the eponymous episode]] of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' and "Shake Your Rump" by the Music/BeastieBoys.

** "Shortwave Transmission on 'Up to the Minuteman Nine'" samples the band's "Radio P.W.E.I." and the drum machine from "Mama" by Music/{{Genesis}}.

Three important things happened in the process of PWEI recording their follow-up album: Graham Crabb abandoned the drums in favour of vocals and other instruments, being replaced with a drum machine nicknamed "Dr. Nightmare", the band signed a record contract with Creator/RCARecords, and they hooked up with AlternativeRock RecordProducer Mark "Flood" Ellis. ''This Is The Day... This Is The Hour... This Is This!'', released in 1989, saw the band develop its sound further with increased HipHop influences, kaleidoscopic sampling, metal-flavoured {{Epic Riff}}ing and more electronic elements, all sharpened by Flood's production, over which Mansell and Crabb barked, {{Piss Take Rap}}ped and sang their amusingly silly lyrics like an English Music/BeastieBoys. Being synchronised with a stream of nationally popular bands that either combined rock with dance music (Music/TheStoneRoses and Music/HappyMondays) or bands that had a similar [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly everything-goes]], danceable alt-rock sound as the Poppies (Jesus Jones, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, their Stourbridge comrades The Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Diamond Head), ''This Is The Day...'' was greeted with great reviews, went to #24 on the British charts and spawned three successful singles: "Def. Con. One" (a hit on the US Modern Rock charts), "Can U Dig It?" and "Wise Up! Sucker..." (which featured backing vocals from their former bandmate Miles Hunt). Next year's follow-up album, ''Cure for Sanity'', largely continued in the same style and with Flood behind the mixing boards again, and was similarly well-received.

With Clint Mansell on guitars and vocals, Adam Mole on guitars and keyboards, Richard March on bass and Graham Crabb on drums, PWEI initially recorded a series of short, hooky PopPunk singles (which were later collected on the compilation ''Now for a Feast!''), which saw little success despite "Poppies Say Grrr!" being declared "Single of the Week" by ''NME''. Their debut album ''Box Frenzy'' saw them move away from their purely PopPunk sound (while keeping their humorous lyrics), and begin to incorporate drum machines, {{Sampling}} and influences from genres like NewWaveMusic, HipHop, and {{House}}. One of the singles from this album, "There's No Love Between Us Anymore", marked their first appearance on the UK singles chart, at #66.

'''Pop Will Eat Itself''' (PWEI or The Poppies for short) were an AlternativeRock[=/=]Alternative Dance[=/=][[IndustrialMetal Industrial Rock]] band from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, active initially from 1986 to 1996. Their sampletastic, hip-hop and electronica-influenced alternative rock style was nicknamed "Grebo" in music magazines like ''NME'' and ''Melody Maker'', largely from their songs "Oh Grebo I Think I Love You" (from ''Now for a Feast!'') and "Grebo Guru" (from ''Box Frenzy''). They're nowadays rather more famous for being the band Music/ClintMansell started his career in than their actual music.

** "Nightmare at 20,000ft" samples the eponymous episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' and "Shake Your Rump" by the Music/BeastieBoys.

** "Nightmare at 20,000ft" is named after an episode of ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''.

* TakeThat: The lyrics of "Candydiosis" mock Music/TheJesusAndMaryChain's "Some Candy Talking" and Music/HuskerDu's ''Candy Apple Grey'', with a chorus that asks "What's so fucking good, what's so fucking good about candy?".

** "Familus Horribilus" mocks the royal family.

** "Another Man's Rhubarb" uses some dialogue from the 1989 ''Film/{{Batman}}'' film.

* ListSong: The lyrics of "Can U Dig It?" are simply a [[OneOfUs pretty geeky]] list of pop-culture things that the band want to recommend to people.

-->"Ich Bin Ein Auslander"

** "Can U Dig It?" samples ''Series/TheTwilightZone'''s theme song, incidental dialogue from ''Film/TheWarriors'', Music/FaithNoMore's "We Care a Lot" (the rapid guitar stabs), and "Black Is Black" by Belle Epoque (the "We like the music, we like the disco sound, hey!" chant).
** "Def. Con. One" samples ''Series/TheTwilightZone'''s theme song, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas (the snare roll), "I Wanna Be Your Dog" by Music/TheStooges (the main riff is recognisable in the chorus), "Funky Town" by Lipps Inc. (the famous keyboard riff), "Crazy Horses" by The Osmonds (the horse whinny), "Time to Get Ill" by the Music/BeastieBoys (MCA yelling "What's the time?"), "Right Now" by The Creatures (Siouxsie singing "right now"), "Raising Hell" by Music/RunDMC (the chants of "to the left, y'all" and "to the right, y'all" in the ending), "Beat Dis" by Bomb the Bass (the main beat), "My Mike Sounds Nice" by Salt-N-Pepa ("Right about now!") and Music/BruceSpringsteen's "Hungry Heart" (the first riff heard in the song).

** "Nightmare at 20,000ft" samples the eponymous episode of ''TheTwilightZone'' and "Shake Your Rump" by the Music/BeastieBoys.

** "Nightmare at 20,000ft" is named after an episode of ''TheTwilightZone''.

** "City Zen Radio 1990/2000 FM" attacks the poll tax that helped drive MargaretThatcher out of office. ("No ID cards, no poll tax!")

Read more: Pop Will Eat Itself - Ich Bin Ein Auslander Lyrics | MetroLyrics

** "Touched by the Hand of Cicciolina" combines a reference to NewOrder's "Touched by the Hand of God" (itself a reference to Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup) and Ilona "Cicciolina" Staller, an Italian porn actress who had won election to Parliament in 1987, married at the time to American artist Jeff Koons. (She lost her 1991 re-election bid.)

Three important things happened in the process of PWEI recording their follow-up album: Graham Crabb abandoned the drums in favour of vocals and other instruments, being replaced with a drum machine nicknamed "Dr. Nightmare", the band signed a record contract with RCA Records, and they hooked up with AlternativeRock RecordProducer Mark "Flood" Ellis. ''This Is The Day... This Is The Hour... This Is This!'', released in 1989, saw the band develop its sound further with increased HipHop influences, kaleidoscopic sampling, metal-flavoured {{Epic Riff}}ing and more electronic elements, all sharpened by Flood's production, over which Mansell and Crabb barked, {{Piss Take Rap}}ped and sang their amusingly silly lyrics like an English Music/BeastieBoys. Being synchronised with a stream of nationally popular bands that either combined rock with dance music (Music/TheStoneRoses and Music/HappyMondays) or bands that had a similar [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly everything-goes]], danceable alt-rock sound as the Poppies (Jesus Jones, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, their Stourbridge comrades The Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Diamond Head), ''This Is The Day...'' was greeted with great reviews, went to #24 on the British charts and spawned three successful singles: "Def. Con. One" (a hit on the US Modern Rock charts), "Can U Dig It?" and "Wise Up! Sucker..." (which featured backing vocals from their former bandmate Miles Hunt). Next year's follow-up album, ''Cure for Sanity'', largely continued in the same style and with Flood behind the mixing boards again, and was similarly well-received.

'''Pop Will Eat Itself''' (PWEI or The Poppies for short) were an AlternativeRock[=/=]Alternative Dance[=/=][[IndustrialMetal Industrial Rock]] band from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, active initially from 1986 to 1996. Their sampletastic, hip-hop and electronica-influenced alternative rock style was nicknamed "Grebo" in music magazines like ''NME'' and ''Melody Maker'', largely from their songs "Oh Grebo I Think I Love You" (from ''Now for a Feast!'') and "Grebo Guru" (from ''Box Frenzy''). They're nowadays rather more famous for being the band ClintMansell started his career in than their actual music.

For their next album, PWEI brought in drummer Robert "Fuzz" Townshend to complement their drum machine rhythms and loops, and moved into a slightly more DarkerAndEdgier style with more noticeable {{Grunge}} and IndustrialMetal influences. ''The Looks or the Lifestyle?'' saw the band do even better commercially than before, spawning their highest-charting single "Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!", but the band ran into trouble with ExecutiveMeddling, as their greatest supporters in RCA had left the company and the remaining executives didn't understand them or their style. As a result, they were dropped from the label before "Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!" was released in 1993. They then moved to Infectious Records, a label started by Korda Marshell, their friend who had signed them to RCA but had since left the label. Their next album ''Dos Dedos Mis Amigos'' was even more IndustrialMetal than before, with its lead single "Ich Bin Ein Auslander" being a politicised ProtestSong against attitudes towards immigration and the popularity of the far-right in the UK, with a SurrealMusicVideo parodying the industrial scene where March and Mole played comically oversized guitars. ''Amigos'' was the band's best-selling album in the UK at the time (peaking at #11 on the charts), and a joint tour with Music/NineInchNails increased their popularity and led them to sign a contract with Nothing Records for US distribution. Around the time of the remix album ''Two Fingers My Friends!'' was released, Crabb left the band, leaving Mansell as sole vocalist, and was replaced with Kerry "The Buzzard" Hammond. The band began recording a new album with Trent Reznor as the producer and collaborated with Music/TheProdigy for "Their Law", but disbanded before they could finish recording. Crabb then pursued his ambient side project Golden Claw Musics, March and Townshend formed the big beat band Bentley Rhythm Ace, and Mansell moved onto his new career of scoring every single DarrenAronofsky film ever made.

* DefconFive: Averted. "Defcon One" actually gets the numbering system right, for once.

** "Let's Get Ugly" samples "Rock the Bells" by Music/LLCoolJ, the extended version of "Peter Gunn" by The Art of Noise, and "Rockman Rock Parts 2 and 3" by [[Music/TheKLF The JAMs]].

** "There's No Love Between Us Anymore" samples "When I Fall in Love" by Nat King Cole, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers and "It's Yours" by T La Rock and Jazzy Jay.

** "X Y and Zee" samples "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Slim Jenkins' Place" by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, "The Pusher" by Steppenwolf, "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" by Music/BarryWhite and "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna.

* CoverVersion: They covered: "Love Missile F1-11" by Sigue Sigue Sputnik (on ''Box Frenzy'') and "Orgone Accumulator" by Music/{{Hawkwind}} (on ''Now for a Feast!'').

** The "Gonna get the girl, gonna kill the baddies, save the entire planet" chorus of "Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!" is taken from ''TotalRecall''.

** The lyrics of "Pretty Pretty" are taken from DennisHopper's dialogue in ''BlueVelvet''.

** "Touched by the Hand of Cicciolina" combines a reference to NewOrder's "Touched by the Hand of God" (itself a reference to Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup) and Ilona "Cicciolina" Staller, an Italian porn actress who had won election to Parliament in 1987. (She lost her 1991 re-election bid.)