The Earthlings
Encyclopedia
The Earthlings is a musical collaboration between British
-born Marucs Hill & Paul Burgess performing an unusual blend of acoustic music
incorporating humour and character based lyrics.
secondary school
in Chichester
and when they met in the late 80's it was clear they shared a similar sense of humour. It was in 1990 that Nuclear Freakout was formed along with fellow school friend Robert Thurston. Thurston left the following year and it was Hill & Burgess along with other school friends that continued under the Freakout banner.
Much of Freakout's music was based on recorded improvisations between Hill & Burgess but also included recordings of various line-ups of school friends.
They released a tape of demo
s in 1991 & two albums. 'Rub me up the wrong way' in 1995 which drew from material recorded between 1990–94 and the follow-up 'Rub me up the right way' in 1996. Plans for a third album never materialised.
characters
which Hill & Burgess would act out in the songs. The music was catchy and melodic, although quite odd and unique.
based fiddler Tim Cotterell for fiddle
duties on a number of tracks. The album was finally mixed and released in December 2006.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-born Marucs Hill & Paul Burgess performing an unusual blend of acoustic music
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
incorporating humour and character based lyrics.
Early years
Both Hill & Burgess attended Bishop LuffaBishop Luffa School
Bishop Luffa, named after a former Bishop of Chichester, Ralph de Luffa, is a coeducational Church of England secondary school in the City of Chichester, West Sussex, England. The number of enrolled students was around 1,400 in 2010, in eight 'Year' house-forms and the sixth form...
secondary school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
and when they met in the late 80's it was clear they shared a similar sense of humour. It was in 1990 that Nuclear Freakout was formed along with fellow school friend Robert Thurston. Thurston left the following year and it was Hill & Burgess along with other school friends that continued under the Freakout banner.
Much of Freakout's music was based on recorded improvisations between Hill & Burgess but also included recordings of various line-ups of school friends.
They released a tape of demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s in 1991 & two albums. 'Rub me up the wrong way' in 1995 which drew from material recorded between 1990–94 and the follow-up 'Rub me up the right way' in 1996. Plans for a third album never materialised.
Earthlings Calling Earthlings
As their teenage years drew to a close, Hill & Burgess decided to develop their ideas into a more refined music. They spent 1997 recording which resulted in the 'Earthlings Calling Earthlings' album and the subsequent drop of the Nuclear Freakout name. The album was released in March 1998 and even achieved a small amount of air play on BBC national radio. The album showcased the unique writing style which incorporated lyrics about bizarreBizarre
Bizarre may refer to:*Bizarre , solo rapper as well as member of the group D12*Bizarre , Spanish rock band*Bizarre , a Canadian sketch comedy television series...
characters
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
which Hill & Burgess would act out in the songs. The music was catchy and melodic, although quite odd and unique.
Sessions
The Earthlings music is dominantly improvised. Hill & Burgess compose the vast majority of their music in what they refer to as their 'sessions'. This involves setting up in a recording environment and improvising ideas. Burgess provides the Guitar backing and usually the chorus while Hill dominates the lyrics and verses. The results are recorded and sometimes ideas are developed further at a later time. To date, Hill & Burgess have a huge archive of the session recordings dating from the early 90's to 2009.Keeping My Eye On You
Work began on the follow-up to 'Earthlings Calling Earthling' in late 2002. Whereas the previous album was dominantly acoustic, this time they opted for the standard drums, bass, guitar sound using drummer James Aslett. Burgess also brought in the BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
based fiddler Tim Cotterell for fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
duties on a number of tracks. The album was finally mixed and released in December 2006.