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Faith No More is an American rock band from San FranciscoCalifornia. The band was originally formed as Faith No Man,[1] in 1981. Billy GouldRoddy Bottum and Mike Bordin are the longest remaining members of the band, having been involved with Faith No More since its inception. The band underwent several lineup changes throughout their career. Faith No More officially disbanded in April 1998. They have since reunited, along with all members from their latest release Album of the Year (1997), playing shows to support their The Second Coming Tour, between 2009-2012. The band has not officially announced any future plans to play more shows, or to record another album.[2] The last version of Faith No More to perform consisted of Mike BordinRoddy BottumBilly GouldJon Hudson, and Mike Patton.

Contents[]

 [hide*1 History

History[edit][]

Early years[edit][]

Faith No More was originally formed as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, drummer Mike Bordin, vocalist Mike "The Man" Morris, and keyboardist Wade Worthington. A year later Worthington was replaced by keyboardistRoddy Bottum who, along with Gould and Bordin, formed Faith No More without Morris. They chose the name to accentuate the fact that "The Man" (Mike Morris) was "No More". After going through a series of different singers, which included Courtney Love, Chuck Mosley joined the band in 1983. With this lineup, the band released their first album, We Care a Lot, in 1985.[1][3]

We Care a Lot and Introduce Yourself (1981–1988)[edit][]

Faith No More's precursor, Faith No Man, were formed in 1981. They recorded "Quiet in Heaven/Song of Liberty", released in 1982. The songs were recorded in Matt Wallace's parent's garage, where Wallace had set up and been running a recording studio while the band was still recording under the name Sharp Young Men,[4] with Mike Morris, Billy Gould, Mike Bordin and Wade Worthington. Worthington left shortly thereafter. They changed their name to Faith No Man for the release of the single, which featured two of the three songs recorded in Wallace's garage,[5] and hired Roddy Bottum to replace Worthington. Bottum, Gould and Bordin quit the band shortly after and formed Faith No More without any constant guitarists or vocalists until they eventually settled on Chuck Mosley and Jim Martin.[6]

After the name change, the band initially started recording We Care a Lot without backing from a record label and, after pooling their money, recorded five songs. This gained the attention of Ruth Schwartz, who was then forming the independent label Mordam Records, under which the band, after getting the necessary financial support, finished and released the album. It was the first official release for both the band and the label.[7]

Introduce Yourself was released in 1987, and a revamped version of their debut album's title track "We Care a Lot" saw minor success on MTV. Mosley was fired in 1988 due to his erratic behavior during sessions and at shows, notably the release party for the album Introduce Yourself during which he fell asleep on stage.[8]

Mike Patton joins and The Real Thing (1989–1991)[edit][]

Chuck Mosley was replaced with singer Mike Patton. Patton, who was singing with his high school band, Mr. Bungle, was recruited at Martin's suggestion after he heard a demo of Mr. Bungle.[9] Patton joined Faith No More, and in two weeks, had written all the lyrics for the songs that would make up the Grammy award-nominated The Real Thing.[10]

"Epic" (1989)MENU   0:00 30 second sample from Faith No More's "Epic".----
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The music video for "Epic" received extensive airplay on MTV in 1990, despite anger from animal rights activists for a slow motion shot of a fish flopping out of water.[11][12] That same year, Faith No More gave memorable performances at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards (September 6) and on the 293rd episode of Saturday Night Live (December 1).

"From Out of Nowhere" and "Falling to Pieces" saw releases as singles, and a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" was also produced for non-vinyl releases. In 1990, the band went on an extensive US tour, sending The Real Thing to Platinum status in Canada, the US, and South America. The album also had big sales numbers in Australia, UK, and the rest of Europe, pushing the total sales well above 4.0 million worldwide. "Epic" was released in 1989 and was a top 10 hit.

In February 1991, Faith No More released their only official live album, Live at the Brixton Academy. The album also included two previously-unreleased studio tracks, "The Grade" and "The Cowboy Song".

In 1991, the band contributed a track for the motion picture soundtrack to Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey with the song "The Perfect Crime". Jim Martin also made a brief cameo in the film as "Sir James Martin" and head of the "Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center".

Angel Dust (1992–1994)[edit][]

Faith No More displayed an even more experimental effort on their next album, Angel Dust. One critic writes that the album is "one of the more complex and simply confounding records ever released by a major label"[13] and another writes that the single "'A Small Victory', which seems to run Madame Butterfly through Metallica and Nile Rodgers (...) reveals a developing facility for combining unlikely elements into startlingly original concoctions."[14]

"A Small Victory" (1992)MENU   0:00 30 second sample from Faith No More's "A Small Victory".----
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Aside from "A Small Victory" (which received a nomination for Best Art Direction at the MTV Video Music Awards), the tracks "MidLife Crisis" and "Everything's Ruined" were also released as singles. The album included a re-recording of the theme to the film Midnight Cowboy, and later pressings included a cover of The Commodores classic "Easy", which in some parts of the world became the band's biggest hit. Angel Dust, though not as successful as The Real Thing in the US, sold 665,000 copies there, and managed to outsell The Real Thing in many other countries. In Germany, the record was certified Gold for sales of more than 250,000 copies. The album also matched the sales of The Real Thing in Canada (Platinum), Australia (Gold), and surpassed it in the Netherlands, France, Russia, and the UK. Worldwide sales are around 3,1 million copies.

"Midlife Crisis" (1992)MENU   0:00 30 second sample from Faith No More's "MidLife Crisis".----
Problems playing this file? See media help.

After touring to support Angel Dust in the summer of 1993, long-time guitarist Jim Martin left the band due to internal conflicts. According to Roddy Bottum, Martin was fired via fax: "Jim Martin had always been very conventional in what he wanted to do with the band, very much a fan of guitar music only and metal specifically. During the recording of Angel Dust, it became apparent to both him and us that we were heading in very different directions."[15] Martin himself states it was his decision to leave.[16] Both Godflesh guitaristJustin Broadrick and Killing Joke guitarist Geordie Walker were reportedly offered to join FNM after Martin's departure, but declined to join.[17] The position was filled by Mike Patton's bandmate from Mr. Bungle, Trey Spruance, who left soon after recording 1995's King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime and just before the band was to begin their world tour. Spruance was replaced by Dean Menta, the band's keyboard tech.

King for a Day... Fool for a LifetimeAlbum of the Year and break-up (1995–1998)[edit][]

1995's King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime varies greatly from song to song in style; post-hardcore/punkcountryjazzbossa novathrash metalgospel music, along with other signature FNM elements, are woven together seamlessly throughout the album, making it a favorite among loyal fans. Singles included "Digging the Grave", "Evidence", and "Ricochet". The album featured Mr. Bungle's Trey Spruance on guitar. The record went Gold in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands and Germany, which gave the album a respectable sales figure of around 1.5 million copies; this was significantly lower than sales of their previous albums. A 7 x 7-inch box set of singles was released, which included the B-sides and some interviews between the songs.

Album of the Year was released in 1997 and featured yet another new guitarist, Jon Hudson, who was a former roommate of Billy Gould. The album debuted much higher than expected in some countries (for example, in Germany, the album debuted at No. 2 and stayed in the chart for 5 months). In Australia, Album of the Year went to No. 1 and was certified Platinum. The album charted in many countries in Europe. To date,[clarification needed] Album of the Year has sold around 2 million copies worldwide. The singles "Ashes to Ashes" and "Last Cup of Sorrow" had minimal success (notably, the music video for "Last Cup of Sorrow", which featured actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, was inspired by theAlfred Hitchcock film Vertigo). "Stripsearch" was released as a single in various countries (excluding the US and UK).

In early 1998 rumors of Faith No More's imminent demise began. Starting with a rumor posted to the Faith No More newsgroup alt.music.faith-no-more claiming Mike Patton had quit the band in favor of side projects, this rumor, although denied at the time, proved to be at least partly true. Faith No More played their last show in Lisbon, Portugal on April 7, 1998.[10]

The band canceled their planned support tour for Aerosmith and on April 20, 1998 Billy Gould released a statement by email and fax, saying "[T]he decision among the members is mutual" and "the split will now enable each member to pursue his individual project(s) unhindered." The band "thank[ed] all of those fans and associates that have stuck with and supported the band throughout its history."

After the dissolution of Faith No More, the members went on to numerous different projects:

Reformation (2009–2012)[edit][]

Rumours that Faith No More would reunite for shows in the U.K. in the summer of 2009 were circulating in late November 2008,[18] but were originally dismissed by bassist Billy Gould. He explained: "If anything like this were to happen, it would have to come from the band, and I haven't spoken with any of them in over a year. So as far as I know, there isn't anything to talk about, and I'm pretty sure that if you were to contact Patton, he would tell you the same thing."[19]However, on February 24, 2009 after months of speculation and rumors, Faith No More announced they would be reforming with a line-up identical to the Album of the Year era,[20] embarking on a reunion tour called The Second Coming Tour. To coincide with the band's reunion tour, Rhino released the sixth Faith No More compilation, The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection, a double album that includes their hit singles and b sides & rarities, in the UK on June 8, 2009.[21]

Faith No More headlined the Main Stage at the Download Festival in Donington Park, U.K. in June.[22] They were also confirmed for the Hurricane and Southside festivals in Germany,[23] Greenfield Festival in Switzerland,[24] Hove Festival in Norway and Roskilde Festival in Denmark,[25] among other dates. In June, at their first show after their reunion they released new merchandise stating they were playing the festivals.[26] The tour continued into 2010 with appearances at the Soundwave Festival in Australian cities throughout February and March.[27] After an eleven month hiatus, Faith No More played four shows in South America in November 2011. On the first date (November 8, 2011), the band played a "mystery song," which led to speculation of new material.[28] They played Sonisphere France on July 7, 2012.[29] The band played their last reunion concert on July 10, 2012 at the Brixton Academy in London, England.

Faith No More's present status is disputed. In a January 2013 interview, Mike Patton suggested that the band will not remain active beyond the reunion tour, stating that "it's sort of petered out" and the band was "maybe a little too conscious for [their] own good."[30] Billy Gould has suggested the band may record new material in the future, saying "We will do something again only when all members are with the focus on that, and ready for the challenge. This is not the time... yet."[31]

Legacy[edit][]

Nirvana's bassist, and co-founder, Krist Novoselic cited Faith No More as a band that "paved the way for Nirvana" in the late 1980s.[32]

Bands rising at their prime, such as MetallicaAlice in ChainsAnthrax[33] and Guns N' Roses,[34] have cited Faith No More as one of their favorite bands. They were voted No. 52 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".[35] In July 2009, "Epic" came in at No. 46 in Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 Of All Time, as voted by the Australian public.[36]

The band are credited for inventing the alternative metal genre which began in the 1980s and that fuses metal with other genres, including alternative rock.[37] Tim Grierson of About.com said the band "helped put alternative metal on the map."[38]

Bottum came out as gay in 1993.[39] He is recognized as a pioneering gay rock musician and admired as a role model for gay youth interested in a genre of music not traditionally associated with the gay community. In a 2001 article inThe Advocate, Bottum stated that "I would never have thought as a gay teen I'd be in a band that would be considered heavy metal or hard rock." Other heavy metal musicians have come out as gay subsequently including Rob Halford ofJudas Priest in 1998.

Concert tours[edit][]

Main article: List of Faith No More concert tours*1982–1984: Early Days

  • 1985–1986: We Care a Lot Tour
  • 1987–1988: Introduce Yourself Tour
  • 1989–1991: The Real Thing Tour
  • 1992–1993: Angel Dust Tour
  • 1995: King for a Day Tour
  • 1997–1998: Album of the Year Tour
  • 2009–2012: The Second Coming Tour

Members[edit][]

Main article: List of Faith No More band members;Last line-up

  • Mike Bordin – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009–2012)
  • Billy Gould – bass, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009–2012)
  • Roddy Bottum – keyboard, backing vocals (1981–1998, 2009–2012)
  • Mike Patton – lead vocals (1988–1998, 2009–2012)
  • Jon Hudson – guitars, backing vocals (1996–1998, 2009–2012)

Awards and nominations[edit][]

Grammy Awards
  • 1993 – Nominated for category Best Hard Rock Performance for "Angel Dust"
  • 1991 – Nominated for category Best Hard Rock Performance for "Epic"
  • 1990 – Nominated for category Best Metal Performance for "The Real Thing"
MTV Video Music Awards
  • 1993 – Nominated for category Best Art Direction in a Video for "A Small Victory"
  • 1991 – Winner of category Best Special Effects in a Video for "Falling to Pieces"
  • 1991 – Nominated for category Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video for "Falling to Pieces"
  • 1991 – Nominated for category Best Art Direction in a Video for "Falling to Pieces"
  • 1990 – Nominated for category Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video for "Epic"

Discography[edit][]

Main article: Faith No More discography;Studio albums

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