The Normal

The Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Background  ==Background[ edit] == In 1977, Miller had split up with his girlfriend. A friend suggested that he read a book he himself had just finished. The book was Crash (1973) by J.G. Ballard.[1]  He felt that Ballard's writing took him five minutes into the future; the novel was to be a major influence in the music he would produce as The Normal.[1]  Miller was disillusioned by the fact you needed to learn three chords to be in a punk band, so he decided to purchase a synthesiser. His thinking was that you only needed to learn to press one key on a synthesiser.[1]  After buying a Korg 700s synthesiser from Macari's music shop in London,[1]  Miller recorded and released a single under the name The Normal. This was "T.V.O.D."/"Warm Leatherette". Both tracks were minimalist electronic songs influenced by the Crash novel.[1]  He wanted the sound of the recordings to be visual, like driving along a highway between large buildings then going through a tunnel.[1]  The single was recorded in Daniel Miller's house using a TEAC four track tape recorder and the Korg synthesiser.[2]
 * 2 Influence on other artists
 * 3 Discography
 * 4 References
 * 4.1 Notes
 * 5 External links

"Live at West Runton Pavilion", The Normal's second release, done with another Mute Records act, Robert Rental, wasn't well received. A strange release, it was a one-sided album (side two was left blank) of improvised electronic noises, in a plain purple dust jacket. Marat Records released the record in Germany as Daniel Miller Robert Rental Live, with a black and white picture sleeve, catalogue No. Marat Rough 017. ==Influence on other artists<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Songs by The Normal have been covered and performed by many notable artists such as Grace Jones, Sleep Chamber, Chicks on Speed/Hell on a split-7", Giddle andBoyd Rice and in 2006 by Trent Reznor with Jeordie White and Peter Murphy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[3]  A recent cover of "Warm Leatherette" was performed live by Duran Duran in November 2007, and as part of an electro medley during their 2008 tour,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[4]  in support of their album Red Carpet Massacre. ==Discography<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * The Normal - "T.V.O.D." / "Warm Leatherette" (Mute Records 1978)
 * Robert Rental & The Normal - Live At West Runton Pavilion, 6-3-79 (Rough Trade 1980)