Gary Clail (born 1959) is an English singer and record producer, and the founder of the Gary Clail Sound System.[1] He was part of On-U Sound Records (and also the On-U Sound System) and led Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System. They had a big hit in clubs with the 1991 song "Human Nature".

Gary Clail
Born1959 (age 64–65)
GenresElectronic dance music
OccupationMusician
Labels

Biography

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Clail worked originally as a roofer,[2] but during the mid- to late 1980s, based in Bristol, he became a warm-up act for On-U gigs.[3] Clail first released a record in 1985.[2] Several 12" singles were issued between 1985 and 1987, before Clail's first LP for Nettwerk, Tackhead Tape Time, a split effort between Clail and Tackhead.[3] "Television: The Drug of the Nation" by The Beatnigs was remixed by Clail, Adrian Sherwood and Mark Stewart, on the Alternative Tentacles record label in 1988.[4]

In 1989, Clail, billed as Gary Clail & On-U Sound System, released an album on the label On-U Sound, marking his entrance to the electronic underground scene in Bristol, eventually leading him to work with RCA a couple of years later. This output incorporated several singles and EPs, as well as the Emotional Hooligan album (1991).[3]

Clail released a further album on Yelen Records, entitled Keep the Faith (1996).[3]

In 2013, Clail formed the Gary Clail Sound System and began work on the album Nail It To The Mast.[1] It was released on 15 December 2014.[5]

In 2022, Clail released Violence.[6]

Discography

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Singles

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  • Gary Clail - "Half Cut for Confidence" (1985)
  • Gary Clail and Tackhead - "Hard Left" (1986)
  • Tackhead / Gary Clail - "Reality" (1989)
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System featuring Bim Sherman - "Beef" (1990) – UK #64[7]
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - "Human Nature" (1991) – UK #10,[7] AUS #38,[8] IRE #27,[9] NED #69[10]
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - "Escape" (1991) – UK #44,[7] AUS #117[8]
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - "The Emotional Hooligan" (1991)
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - "Who Pays The Piper?" (1992) – UK #31,[7] AUS #177[8]
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - "These Things Are Worth Fighting For" (1993) – UK #45,[7] AUS #157[8]
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - "Speak No Evil" (1993) (promotional release only)
  • Gary Clail - "Another Hard Man" (1995) – UK #86[11]

Studio albums

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  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - End Of The Century Party (1989)
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - Emotional Hooligan (1991) – UK #35,[7] AUS #95[8]
  • Gary Clail On-U Sound System - Dreamstealers (1993) – AUS #180,[8] NZ #38[12]
  • Gary Clail - Keep The Faith (1995)
  • Gary Clail Soundsystem - Nail it to the Mast (2014)
  • Gary Clail SoundSystem - Violence (2022)

Compilation albums

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  • Gary Clail - Human Nature: The Very Best of Gary Clail (1997)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Nail It To The Mast". Archive.today. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "On-U Sound In The Area - Gary Clail biography". Skysaw.org. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Proefrock, Stacia. Biography of Gary Clail at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  4. ^ Robbins, IA (1991) The Trouser Press Record Guide, 4th ed. Maxwell Macmillan International, ISBN 0-02-036361-3
  5. ^ "Gary Clail Soundsystem* - Nail It To The Mast". Discogs.com. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Violence, by Gary Clail Sound System Violence". Garyclailsoundsystemviolence.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Official Charts > Gary Clail On-U Sound System". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Gary Clail". Fireball Media. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  10. ^ "dutchcharts.nl > Gary Clail / On-U Sound System in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Official Charts > Gary Clail". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  12. ^ "charts.nz > Gary Clail / On-U Sound System in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
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