The Last Drive

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The Last Drive were a Greek garage revival rock group which formed in 1983 and broke up in 1995. They are regarded by many as the most important Greek rock group of the 80's and one of the most important and influential groups of Greek rock history.

1 Their story
2 After the Last Drive
3 Members
4 Discography
- 4.1 In Greece
- 4.2 Abroad
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Their story

[edit] 1983-1986: The beginnings

They started playing under the name "Last Drive" in late 1983 and their first performance was at the "Rodeo club" on December 27, 1983. They adopted the name "Last Drive" after noticing a cocktail by that name at a bar menu. During 1984, Yiorgos Karanikolas was added on lead guitar. The group was basically playing garage rock mixed with rockabilly and surf rock . They started playing in underground joints of that time, while some band members played with Blue Light (group) at their first live performance at Pegasus club. In 1985 they released their first record, the 7" single Midnite Hop, which now is the most sought-after record by collectors in Greece. They also participated with a song in a compilation tape by Dikaioma Diavasis records, Live at the Kyttaro club.

[edit] 1986-1990: Success in Europe

In 1986 they released their full-length LP album, called Underworld Shakedown, which caused a sensation both for its content and the quality of production (by the Drive themselves) which was unusually high for the standards of the independent scene of that time. The LP contained covers of garage standards like Misirlou and Night of the phantom, as well as their own material. They continued to appear live in Athens and many other cities in Greece, and in the Spring of 1987 they toured abroad for the first time, in Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands. They performed alongside the Fuzztones, the Creeps, the Stomachmouths, the Dizzy Satellites and others. In 1988, having replaced Nick "Pop Mind" with Panos Kasiaris on rhythm guitar, they released Heatwave, which was produced by Peter Zaremba of the Fleshtones. That was the album that established their name in Europe, where it was re-released (with a new cover) by Music Maniac Records, a German label specializing in garage-rock releases. Their success brought them to Germany, where they participated in the Berlin Independence Days festival and also recorded the Time EP.

By this time the sound of the group had started to somewhat change, becoming harder and speedier and moving towards stoner rock and neo-psychedelia, without however burning the bridges with its garage past. The band also caught the eye of Paul Cutler, of Dream Syndicate fame, who would produce their next two records.

[edit] 1990-1995

Their LP Blood Nirvana, which was released in 1990, marked the change in their sound, a fact that let down some of their hardcore garage fans and ended their cooperation with Music Maniac. At this time they were considered a part of the "explosion" of the hard rock/indie Greek scene that took part during the early 90's. Thus, they started becoming widely popular among rock fans in Greece, and on the same year they were voted "band of the year" by the readers of the leading music magazine, Pop & Rock. They played as a support act for the Wipers, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Gun Club, and toured Germany with Dead Moon. In 1992 they released the F*head Entropy album, which is their most mature work. Following a tour in Spain, the Last Drive celebrated their 10th anniversary with a live performance (pie fight included) at the "West Club" on December 23, 1993. In 1994, their contract with their long-time company, Hitch Hyke Records, ended. They signed for the multinational BMG Hellas and released Subliminal, an album in which songs followed a somewhat slower tempo than before, and also was to be their last release. In 1995, Karanikolas left the band and moved to the States. Some months later the Last Drive disbanded, after twelve years on the road, having created a dedicated following in Greece and abroad, an explosive live act, and a legend that most bands in Greece still envy.

[edit] After the Last Drive

Yiorgos Karanikolas created Blackmail, who generally picked up from where the Drive had stopped, but with a greater emphasis on neo-psychedelia, and became quite popular at the time.

Alex Kalofolias and Thanos Amorginos created the Earthbound in 1998, a group with a completely different orientation around ethnic/Latin/desert rock. There have been rare instances in which the Earthbound were joined on stage by former Drive members. Kalofolias and Karanikolas also co-wrote the music for the Stratos Tzortzis film Sose me (Save me). Amorginos also writes music for theatrical plays, while Kalofolias's main profession is now literature translation.

Chris Michalatos played for a while with The Speedballs, a rockabilly act.

[edit] Members

Alexis Kalofolias (Alex K.) - ripper bass, vocals
Yiorgos Karanikolas (B.George Bop) - lead guitar, vocals
Christos Michalatos (Chris B.I.) - drums
Thanos Amorginos (T.H. Lime) - guitar
Panos Kasiaris (P.PEP) - guitar
Nick "Pop Mind" - guitar

[edit] Discography

[edit] In Greece

Singles/EPs

Midnite Hop (Art Nouveau 7", 1985)
I Was A Teenage Zombie (with the Flashtones as "The Pleasure Hustlers") (Time Bomb: The Flashtones present the Big Bang Theory, Hitch Hyke 1989)
Time (Hitch Hyke EP 1989)
Overloaded (Hitch Hyke single sided promo 1991)

LPs

Underworld Shakedown (Hitch Hyke 1986)
Heatwave (Hitch Hyke 1988)
Blood Nirvana (Hitch Hyke 1990)
F*Head Entropy (Hitch Hyke 1992)
Subliminal (BMG 1994)

Contribs

Live sto Kyttaro (Dikaioma Diavasis 1985)
May This Bullet (The Thing Magazine Compilation CD Volume 1)
Rock Fm - Rodon Live (Music Box 1991)
Jailbird/Outlaw (Local Heroes '95 Comp., Pop & Rock mag.)

[edit] Abroad

Singles/EPs

Blue Moon / Every Night / Sidewalk Stroll (Voxx 7, 1987)

LPs

Their Story So Far (Double CD, Music Maniac 1989)
Blood Nirvana (Romilar D 1991)
Blood Nirvana (Music Maniac 1991)
Blood Nirvana (Restless CD 1992, bonus "Time Has Come Today" alternative mix)

Contribs

Every Night (Battle of the Garages Vol. 4, Voxx 1986)
Valley of Death (The sounds of now, Dionysus 1986)
I love Cindy (The secret team, Voxx 1988)
Hell to pay (Music Maniac Gimmick Comp., 1989)
Black Limo (The monster dance hall favorites vol. 3, Munster 1990)
Overloaded (It's a Restless World, Restless 1991)
The End Inc. (Larsen/Zine Comp. 1993)
Outlaw (Enclosed Please Find... Your Invitation To Suicide: A Tribute to the Songs of Martin Rev & Alan Vega Double LP, Munster 1994)