Killing Joke are an English rock band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England. The original line-up included Jaz Coleman (vocals, keyboards), Paul Ferguson (drums), Geordie Walker (guitars) and Youth (bass). Their first album, Killing Joke, was released in 1980. After the release of Revelations in 1982, bassist Youth was replaced by Paul Raven.
Reunion with Youth and Butterfly era (1992-1996)
A Killing Joke anthology, Laugh? I Nearly Bought One!, was released in 1992; during its production, Walker became reacquainted with Youth, who suggested that they reform the band with himself back on bass. That same year, two singles (on cassette and CD) appeared featuring the early songs "Change" and "Wardance" in several new versions remixed by Youth, who was by then a very successful producer.  Coleman produced the 1993 debut album Churn by the New Zealand band Shihad, and Shihad drummer Tom Larkin played on some of the songs on the next Killing Joke album, Pandemonium. Relations later soured between Coleman and Shihad due to a dispute over Coleman's production fee for Churn.  The reactivated Killing Joke released two strong and well-received albums on Youth's Butterfly Recordings label, Pandemonium and Democracy, which saw the band shifting back to the simpler arrangements of their early albums. They also employed young talent like Waxworth Industries for 12-inch remixes in order to provide an alternative inroad to the band's new and evolving sound. Pandemonium (1994) melded a metallic, ritualistic sound with mosh beats and loops, and earned Killing Joke a memorable Top of the Pops appearance for the single "Millennium", which was a UK Top 40 hit (the album itself made the Top 20). The title track was also released as a single and made the UK Top 30. In 1995, the band recorded the song "Hollywood Babylon" for the soundtrack of Paul Verhoeven's movie Showgirls. Democracy (1996) successfully introduced acoustic guitar into the mix, as well as adopting more of a "live band" sound again. The title track was again released as a single and made the UK Top 40. Much of Pandemonium and all of Democracy featured session drummer Geoff Dugmore. He also played live with the band throughout this era. Nick Holywell-Walker joined the band on keyboards and programming for 11 years from 1994 to 2005, notably on Democracy and XXV Gathering. Youth bowed out of live performance early in the Democracy tour and was replaced by Troy Gregory previously of Prong.  After the Democracy tour, the band went on an extended hiatus. Coleman and Youth produced a string of well-received orchestral rock albums based on the music of legends such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Doors. Coleman became composer-in-residence for New Zealand and Czech symphony orchestras, and made his acting debut with the main role in the film Rok dabla (Year of the Devil) by Czech filmmaker Petr Zelenka.
What happened in 1992?
A Killing Joke anthology, Laugh? I Nearly Bought One!, was released in 1992;
A Killing Joke anthology, Laugh? I Nearly Bought One!, was released in 1992;