dnews 18
does it rock? yea baby, yea!

**** Q U O T E ****
"If you really go for something 100% then I'm sure things will happen"
~ Stew Smith, drummer
~ nice attitude from d: as we approach the release of "It's OK"

**** Contents ****
News On The Next Album
MTV Playlist "It's OK"
Dove Awards
Roaring Lambs
Re: [dnews 17] Sheffield Review
Forthcoming Cross Rhythmns Article
Making Music
What's It All About? - Transcription
d:end?

**** News On The Next Album ****
Rumours have been abound that the next delirious? album will be a Cutting
Edge 5 (as stated on musicforce.com) and conflicting rumours suggest an
advancement of the d:music Mezzamorphis-style (as was widely predicted),
while even more rumours hint at the possibility of *both* albums out this
year. However, Spurious? - as ever!! - has sought to find out the real news,
and we found Furious? Records in a delightfully responsive mood, so many
thanks to them for the following:

The ABSOLUTE truth about the new Delirious? album is as follows - the
band are recording some new songs this year but no decisions have yet
been made about the format of the new album. Much depends on what
happens during recording and we will release a press release with full
information about the new album at the right time.

In this sort of business, there are lots of ideas banded about and offers
made which do not come to fruition, and we would not want to put out
information which subsequently had to be changed. I know it's frustrating,
but we will most certainly release information when it is ready to be
released.

~ from Tony Patoto, Manager of Delirious?

> top

**** MTV Playlist "It's OK" ****
The MTV UK & Ireland playlist C have wisely decided to include the video for
"It's OK," the next delirious? single. The full C-list is shown below and
includes some other artists tipped as "rising stars" such as Fiona Apple,
Muse and the already established Goo Goo Dolls.

>C List
>
>David Bowie - Survive
>Fiona Apple - Fast As You Can
>Ian Brown - Dolphins Were Monkeys
>Muse - Sunburn
>Lene Marlin - Sitting Down Here
>Toploader - Dancing In The Moonlight
>Campag - Velocet Vito Satan
>Delirious - It's OK
>The Wannadies - Yeah
>Goo Goo Dolls - Black Balloon
>Day One - In Your Life
>Blink 182 - All The Small Things
>D'Angelo - Left And Right
>Filter - Take A Picture
>Jay-Z - Anything

> top

**** Dove Awards ****
Delirious? have been nominated for two Dove Awards this year, best "Rock
Recorded Song" for Gravity (from the album Mezzamorphis; by delirious;
written by Stuart Garrard, Jon Thatcher, Martin Smith; Sparrow Records) and
best "Modern Rock/Alternative Album Of The Year" with Mezzamorphis (by
delirious; produced by delirious; Sparrow Records).

Gravity is up against Audio Adrenaline ("Get Down" from Underdog),
SonicFlood ("I Have Come To Worship" from SonicFlood [self-titled]), dc Talk
("Supernatural" from the album of the same title) and Third Day ("Took My
Place" by Third Day from their album Time). Having personally heard each
song except Third Day's, Gravity is the open fore-runner, but this is the
doves which are notoriously biased towards US groups, especially those
located in Nashville.

Mezzamorphis is up against Plumb (candycoatedwaterdrops), The OC Supertones
(Chase The Sun), Switchfoot (New Way To Be Human) and Chasing Furies (With
Abandon). Early opinions are actually positive; Mezzamorphis was much hyped
in the States, along with Switchfoot's second album, and an informed source
assures us that Mezzamorphis is in with a shout.

> top

**** Roaring Lambs ****
In his last letter on d:vine, Jon Thatcher mentioned delirious? were
re-recording Touch for release on a US album entitled "Roaring Lambs."
Intrigued, Spurious? found out more...

Delirious? will appear on "Roaring Lambs" which will be released April 18th,
2000 by Squint Entertainment along with the following artists:

Jars of Clay with Karen Peris,
Sixpence None the Richer with Alison Krauss,
Steven Curtis Chapman,
Michael W. Smith
Burlap to Cashmere with Phil Keaggy,
Ashley Cleaveland with Michael Tait (of DCTalk)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo

~ with thanks to Brandon Klassen.

> top

**** Re: [dnews 17] Sheffield Review ****
Thankyou very much for your responses to the Sheffield Review in [dnews] 17.
Unfortunately I couldn't fit them all in this issue of dnews - it would have
made the size ludicrous - I do intend to use them in a future issue of
dnews. Keep your comments flowing in at news@spurious.org. Wondering what
I'm referring to? Visit http://www.spurious.org and look in the d:news
archives zone.

> top

**** Forthcoming Cross Rhythms Article ****
A delirious? interview will shortly be appearing in the UK's Cross Rhythms
Magazine, but this article has a bit of a twist. It's questions from the
fans, and just happen to include a few from some people you might know:

* Have you had any particularly memorable Thursdays as
a band? (Scooby)

* Can Stu G explain his statement (in Rock Sound
Magazine, May '98) that "the band is more a business
than a ministry"? (Adam Kirkman)

* How do you feel about fake ginger goatees?
(Adam Kirkman)

* Why, as it is rumoured, don't you like "The Happy
Song" anymore? (Adam Kirkman)

And, no, I'm not going to tell you the answers here - you'll just have to
buy a copy of the magazine! See http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk for more
details.

> top

**** Making Music ****
~ taken from Making Music, Issue 165, December 1999
~ thanks to Andrew Gait

+++ Is God the New Rock & Roll? +++

Imagine there is a heaven. It's not easy, we admit, even if you try, but
let's play along. What kind of music's on their hi-fi? Still the old
celestial choirs, or something a bit more modern? Just a thought... But is
religion a suitable subject for pop? And is there theological
discrimination in the music world? As Jesus fans get ready for a big
birthday bash, Peter Bate looks into the Christian music scene:

God rock. A term guaranteed to raise a snigger in pubs across the land.
Sir Cliff Richard, Sir Harry Secombe, staid Sunday services led by men in
dresses, good guitars ruined by Christian fish symbol stickers... the list
goes on.

But there's a new wave of religious artists with a fresh batch of updated,
flock-rockin beats, almost everywhere you look (sometimes in the unlikeliest
places) - and what's more they seem to be on the increase.

In the US, Christian Contemporary Music (CCM to the initiated) is a
big-bucks, fast-growing industry. It's already penetrated the UK charts
through artists like Amy Grant and, more recently, Sixpence None The Richer
- with crossover appeal to audiences who wouldn't consider going out to buy
obviously 'Christian' music.

Meanwhile, this side of the pond, Littlehampton's Delirious? have made
history by becoming the first band to score three top 20 hits and still be
turned down for Top Of The Pops. The BBC snub has extended to Radio 1,
who've failed to playlist the band's singles, one of which, 'See the Star',
reached as high as number 16. Could it be because of their religious
beliefs - particularly as their brand of Christian music is farily up-front
in its subject matter?

Delirious? front-man Martin Smith remains diplomatic: "Not having talked to
the people that run Radio 1 or Top Of The Pops, I can't comment. It's a
very difficult envrionment in the UK if you don't have radio on your side.
We talked to Skunk Anansie and they were having the same problems. Maybe
it's just not a good time for rock bands..."

Despite 1999's appearance on Glastonbury's mainstage, and rave reviews for
their album 'Mezzamorphis', Delirious? have been accused by some journalists
of having a thinly-veiled fundamentalist agenda, due to their evangelical
roots.

Smith takes the offensive. "Everybody has an agenda. I think Robbie
Williams and Norman Cook have an agenda, and so has Delirious? We all do
things because we believe in them and want to get something out of it. Of
course, as a band, the God we believe in is bigger than any music so that
comes out in the lyrics.

"We're trying to write songs out of integrity, and not just pop tunes that
will satisfy a radio slot. But, on the other hand, we want to be a band
that will get out there and play good music as well. Historically, some
people have put an agenda before music, but hopefully this time the two are
running together."

+++ On The Rise +++

A fervent follower of the Christian music scene is former Melody Maker
journalist Tony Cummings, now editor of Cross Rhythms magazine. He reckons
righteous rock could be the next big thing in the UK.

"A top hit Christian CD in America will sell 200,000 copies and a few will
go over the million mark. Over here the absloute tops is 50,000. But
what's exciting is a few years ago it was only 30,000. It's gone from tiny
to small.

"I predict an explosion in Christian music," he says. "I really can see the
day when UK Christian artists will go gold. I can see the day when it's
mass marketed like reggae or country music as a genre."

Cummings is on a roll: "There are dozens and dozens of Christian artists in
the UK selling thousands of albums on Christian labels. That's right across
the spectrum - everything from grindcore to hip-hop to MOR. I'm now
convinced Jars of Clay or Delirious? have nothing to learn from their
mainstream counterparts. They are superb at what they do musically."

Delirious?, who started out as a church worship group, actually turned down
the chance to sign for one of this country's handful of Christian indie
imprints. Then interest from V2 and Virgin fell flat at the last hurdle,
leaving the band to forge ahead with their own label, Furious? Records.

Martin Smith doesn't believe a giant religious music clique (as in the US,
where the band have gone down a storm) would necessarily be good news in
Britain.

"Here, if you want to be a band you've got to go out and push it, but over
there you can exist just within the Christian culture and be a millionaire,"
he explains. "The only problem with that is you stop listening to other
music being made, which is usually better. You can start making music for a
market which is alien to a world outside.

"We're in a better place because Britain is smaller. You can't exist just
within a subculture. The lines are all blurred. There's not Christian
radio around, or any big Christian publications, or a Christian chart. I
think that's healthy."

Which doesn't mean Smith is against Holy Hits infiltrating the airwaves. "I
still think people are looking at pop culture for direction. You can see
that by looking at the girl power thing - that's had an influence," he
argues.

"Music is a good vehicle, and I'm a musician so that's my vehicle. If I was
a politician there would be another system for me to use. I believe nothing
has changed, in the sense that God can speak to people through music."

The singer believes his own group's success has already begun to spur other
'clean-living' artists to carve careers in the big bad world of showbiz.

"I don't know what I think about the 'Christian music scene', really. But
I'm excited for musicians who are Christians and have a heart to really get
out there and do it. There's lots of bands looking to follow in our
footsteps, and I hope they're more successful than we've been.

"I do hope there's someone that comes through who doesn't have to have all
the baggage we've been given, and can just go for it and play great music."

> top

**** What's It All About? - Transcription ****
Well, appearing sooner than original scheduled is a complete transcription
of delirious?' appearance on 'What's It All About', shown on ITV on Sunday
16th January. The reason for its shockingly early appearance is because the
ever helpful Peter Jobes decided to transcribe it for us! I for one am very
grateful because I was able to spend the time writing my coursework essays!

Martin- It says in the bible, you know that God gives gifts to all men
whether they're saved or unsaved and so this is why some of the most
incredible music can be made by anybody and sometimes the worst music is
made by Christians which is historically sometimes the case. Now I don't
think theirs a need for us to compromise about the things we believe in and
the things we sing about in the songs. Being Christians is trying to say
something positive if you listen to any Delirious music hopefully you'll
hear a message in their offering a bit of hope.

Interviewer- Over the last 2 years Delirious have had 3 top twenty singles
and a top twenty album, they've packed venues all over the country and
they've even got as many people in Wembley stadium as U2.

Interviewer 2- Thinking about the parable of the talents what would you say
your talents are?

Martin- Apart from driving. (The boys had been driving carts at the start.)

Stew Smith- Before we were in a band Gods blessed us with other things well
whatever that was whether that was producing or being an electrician or
designing or whatever. So you know theirs loads of things other than just
being a musician but at the moment we really feel blessed that God has given
us this ability.

Stu G- The parables are a really good example of how to be cos you know
Jesus spoke in a language that the people could understand, with using
stories and pictures that were non threatening and I think that's something
that we would endeavour to do as people not just as Delirious and like make
sense to people.

Interviewer 2- Why do you think that people don't use their talent or use it
badly by singing about bad things such as money and drugs and sex.

Martin- There is a lot of hopelessness about a lot of peoples searching
especially musicians that you know we meet all around the place now and you
know everyone's just doing the best they can writing about stuff that their
experiencing and if a lot of people are taking drugs and messing around then
that's what they write about we are writing about our experience. Some of
the teachings Jesus gave are actually pretty cool, you know when you read
through the new testament there is actually a really good blue print of how
to live a life well.

Interviewer- In the parable the man who buried his talent was actually
punished do you think that God punishes us if we don't use our talents
properly and stuff.

Stew Smith- If you sit back and do nothing about it then what can you expect
if you really go for something 100% then I'm sure things will happen for
you.

Martin- We believe Gods given us these gifts and songs and we feel smiling
when we play and he loves what we do so we're going for it.

> top

**** d:end? ****
A new month, a new agenda. As we turn our calendars into February, spare a
thought for five lads from Littlehampton. They'll soon be travelling all
over the country - from the chilly North to the smog-filled Midlands and
finally back to the delightfully warm South - to play music in high street
stores with a few fans bouncing in the aisles. Spare a thought for the cold,
shivering band as they huddle together for warmth in the back of their
clapped-out Mini Metro trying desperately to get to the next gig in enough
time. But most of all, spare a thought for their new single: "It's OK."

[signed]

Adam, Adrian, Mike, Scooby

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