The Blue Aeroplanes

The Blue Aeroplanes are an art rock group from Bristol, England, that has drawn comparisons to critically acclaimed rock bands like the Velvet Underground because of their eclectic style and the songwriting sensibility of group leader Gerard Langley. The original core of the band included Langley's brother John on drums, Nick Jacobs on guitar, and multi-instrumentalist Dave Chapman. However, personnel other than Langley has varied, and (on both records and in performances) they have always been augmented by a large cast of semi-regular sidemen. (By the time of their 1991 album, Beatsongs, the Aeroplanes' lineup included guitarist Angelo Bruschini, guitarist Rodney Allen, bassist Andy McCreeth, drummer Paul Mulreany, and guitarist/keyboard player Alex Lee, with another eight musicians listed in the credits.) The group released Bop Art on the Abstract Records label in April 1984, then signed to Fire Records, for which they recorded their second album, Tolerance (October 1986), and their third, Spitting Out Miracles (1987), plus several EPs. Spitting Out Miracles was their first U.S. release, followed by the compilation album Friendloverplane (1988), a double LP on Fire in the U.K. that was reduced to a single LP on Restless in the U.S. The Blue Aeroplanes then signed to the Ensign division of Chrysalis Records and charted in the U.K. with two 1989 singles, "Jacket Hangs" and "...And Stones," as well as their 1990 and 1991 albums, Swagger and Beatsongs. ~ William Ruhlmann