Talk:Ultramarine (band)

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Speedy deletion? what on earth for?

Since when have stubs warranted deletion? The band exists (or existed, I don't know of their current status), and were part of the early 90s indie electronic scene. Low key they may have been, but they surely deserve an acknowledgement of their existence? Or have we reached the point where just because certain editors haven't heard of someone, they are automatically deemed non-notable? All we need is to wait for someone who knows something about them to expand the stub. I thought that's what stubs are for? Graham 05:40, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Can you point to which of the criteria in WP:BAND this band meets? enochlau (talk) 09:31, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Here's AllMusic's bio of the band. To my mind, in a way this an exception that proves the rule. A band doesn't necessarily need to be notable to be interesting. I should point out that I'm not particularly a fan, and I don't support the fan-driven articles that are frequently found in WP. However, I though the ultimate purpose of WP was to document "all the knowledge of mankind". In which case the band guidelines are at odds with that and hence either too restrictive or else misguided. There are many interesting bands that might not meet the criteria on that list, but nevertheless don't deserve the oblivion of deletion. I'd have thought than any band that has achieved at least some sales, or a core following, or even just published a CD or two would be allowed to live on WP. It's not as if we need to care about the space it takes up. Tell me this: what benefit is it to WP or its readers to NOT include such bands? What is the motivation for deletion? Graham 23:23, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

The music of Canterbury duo Ultramarine resists easy classification, drawing as it does from ambient, techno, folk, and eclectic '70s Canterbury art rock artists like the Soft Machine, Caravan, and Robert Wyatt, who occasionally performed live with the group and appeared on their United Kingdoms album. The group, which is made up of Paul Hammond and Ian Cooper, has a distinctively British sound and employs a wide range of instruments and sounds.

Hammond and Cooper first collaborated in the avant-garde band A Primary Industry during the mid-'80s. When that band split, the duo named themselves Ultramarine and recorded Folk in 1990. Their second album, Every Man and Woman Is a Star, appeared in 1992 and earned praise for the duo as one of the first home-listening electronic groups. Sire signed Ultramarine in 1992 and issued their first U.S. release, United Kingdoms, the following year. Despite a high-profile collaboration with Robert Wyatt (and with Kevin Ayers for the accompanying Hymn EP), the album practically disappeared both home and abroad. Nevertheless, Hammond and Cooper continued to record in a quirky electronic folk-pop vein for 1995's Bel Air. Three years later, A User's Manual saw Ultramarine's sound approaching the trip-hop/electronica mainstream.

Offline references

In an issue dating October 1993 of Q Magazine, I've found references that confirm the content of the text above taken from AMG. Nevertheless, I can confirm that they were referred to as belonging to "the so called ambient movement", but I see no reason to keep here the term progressive dance, which is instead more recent, and is perhaps meaningless; I will investigate the matter later. Dr. Who 20:38, 20 August 2006 (UTC)