March
28th marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the debut single from
Brian Brain, They've Got Me In A Bottle, released on this day in 1981.
Brian
Brain was the creation of PiL drummer, Martin Atkins. Given his
on-again / off-again relationship with that band, Atkins took up Brian
Brain as essentially a solo outlet he could pursue when not working on
PiL. Brian Brain's lineup also included bassist Pete Jones, who'd
actually end up joining him in PiL during their Commercial Zone days in
the US (1982/1983). Atkins was originally recruited by PiL during the
tail end of the Metal Box sessions, with his performance on Bad Baby
being his audition, and played live with them during the first half of
1980. He was dismissed after they got back from their US tour and then
hired as a session player for Flowers of Romance. He was than pulled
back into the band full-time in 1982 after they'd relocated to NYC and
hung on through the "Las Vegas show band" days until @ 1985. His last
LP with the group was 1984's This is What You Want, This Is What You
Get. He also plays on the 1984 Commercial Zone unofficial LP Keith
Levene put out after his exit.
Brian Brain tended towards
comedic post punk and mutant funk styles which were taking root during
the post-disco days of the early 1980s. After leaving PiL, Atkins would
set aside the Brian Brain moniker and move into more heavy
Industrial-dub influenced alternative rock with bands like Pigface,
Killing Joke and The Damage Manual. He also founded his own record
label and production company, fundamentally fulfilling the "we're a
company, not a band" ambitions PiL purported, but never quite achieved.
Today he's an acknowledged expert on indie band touring and has
authored books on the subject and engaged in speaking tours, all the
while maintaining his prolific musical output through his numerous
guises and pseudonyms.
