Conceived as the first "virtual
hip-hop group,"
Gorillaz blended the musical talents of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura,
Blur's
Damon Albarn,
Cibo Matto's
Miho Hatori, and
Tom Tom Club's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz with the arresting visuals of Jamie Hewlett, best known as the creator of the cult comic Tank Girl.
Nakamura's
Deltron 3030 cohorts
Kid Koala and
Del tha Funkee Homosapien rounded out the creative team behind the
Gorillaz quartet, which included 2-D, the cute but spacy singer/keyboardist; Murdoc, the spooky, possibly Satanic bassist and the brains behind the group; Russel, a drummer equally inspired by "Farrakhan and
Chaka Khan" and possessed by "funkyphantoms" that occasionally rise up and provide some zombie-style rapping; and last but not least, Noodle, a ten-year-old Japanese guitar virtuosa and martial arts master. The group's website, www.gorillaz.com, showcased Hewlett's visuals and the group's music in eye- and ear-catching detail.
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Gorillaz debuted in late 2000 with the Tomorrow Comes Today EP, which they followed early the next year with the Clint Eastwood single; their self-titled full-length debut arrived in spring 2001.
Gorillaz was a massive worldwide success and achieved platinum-level sales in the U.S. The group's Svengalis were quick to capitalize, and released the B-sides collection
G-Sides, the Phase One: Celebrity Takedown DVD, and the
dub-inspired remix album
Laika Come Home in 2002. The project went on hiatus as
Albarn resumed work with
Blur for their seventh album, 2003's
Think Tank.
When he was ready to begin the next
Gorillaz album,
Albarn turned to Danger Mouse, the DJ behind The Grey Album, the infamous mash-up of
the Beatles'
White Album and
Jay-Z's
Black Album, and a host of other collaborators, including
De La Soul,
Shaun Ryder,
Debbie Harry, Dennis Hopper, and
Martina Topley-Bird. Although
Del tha Funkee Homosapien and
Nakamura did not return, 2-D, Russel, Murdoc, and Noodle were all present and accounted for on
Demon Days, another Top Ten hit, which arrived in spring 2005. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
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