MIK GLAISHER: Drums. Norn in Rotherham, moved to Sheffield in 77. Started playing at 17 after hearing All Right Now by Free, Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys, LA Woman by The Doors. First record bought Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones. Likes: fish. Positive qualities: Doesn't bite fingernails. Negative qualities: Bites knuckles. Ambitions: Anything I'm not doing now.

KEVIN BACON: Bass guitar. Born in Alfreton, Derbyshire, moved to Sheffield in 79. Got interested in playing after hearing Daydream Believer by the Monkees. Favourite records Their Satanic Majesties Request by The Rolling Stones, Manifesto by Roxy Music. First record bought: Legend of Xanadu by Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Titch. Likes: Cats, Dutch girls. Positive Qualities: makes people laugh. Ambitions: To own a colour TV. and to be able to afford the
license.

ANDY PEAKE: keyboards; vocals. From Grantham, Lincs. Moved to Sheffield in 74. Started playing at the age of 8 after his father, who was in a dance band, got him a piano for free. Favourite music: Beach Boys, Dvorak's New World Symphony, "Anything that's the real thing"; The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu. Likes: Staying up late, Belgian beer, Indian food. Dislikes: Religion, discos, Margaret
Thatcher, ET, Keep fit fanatics. Positive Qualities: Imperturbability. Negative Qualities: Imperturbability.

After spending 77-78 messing about with various 'kinds' of music and various names it became increasingly apparent that something was wrong and the group split up at Christmas.

1979 - The group decided to start again in January, scrapping everything and changing the name of the group to THE COMSAT ANGELS after a story by JG Ballard ("average story, great title") . A self-financed single (Red Planet) was released in April. The group
played in Holland during the summer and signed with Polydor records in September.

1980 - The first LP Waiting For A Miracle was recorded (and mixed in 10 days) in January and eventually released in September. More gigs in Britain and Holland.

1981 - Lots of drinking and thinking. Played in Holland, Germany and France. The second LP Sleep No More was recorded in March and released in September. More gigs, more drinks, more thoughts.

1982 - More gigs, some rethinking. Third LP Fiction was recorded in May and released in August . A tour of the US was abandoned halfway through due to Kevin acquiring appendicitis. The contract with Polydor was allowed to lapse. A grim but determined Christmas.

1983 - First few months spent writing and arguing as usual. Signed with JIVE Records. The fourth LP Land was recorded in June and released in October. The first LP to be released internationally. Started doing gigs with Paul Robertson on guitar. Wow, it's Christmas again!

When we started the group we were very idealistic, I suppose we still are, but we've learned a few things ..... this period could be regarded as stage 2 of the group's "career". Stage 1 started in January 1979 and ended in November 1982. It's the part where we put what we've learned into use. What have we learned? Well.....that extremes are only part of the story and that in order to be understood you must language which everyone understands (not only words), however, what you say is a different matter. We've come down on the side which is firmly against solipsism, closed systems and anything which requires special knowledge; the big picture is the only picture.

We've learned to reserve the right to do exactly what we want, all rights reserved; you read it here, in black and white. Don't be too specific about what you want; anything can happen.

Here are some questions we often get asked, together with answers provided in the hope that people will ask us some new ones!

What are your influences?

A hard one, this! I think that everything you like influences you to some extent. Everyone in the group likes different things, so it may be possible to pick out several different influences in any song should anyone want to try.

Why did you change record companies?

We couldn't agree on terms for the year 82-83 with Polydor. We wanted to stick to the terms of our original contract with them, but they wanted to change, so we parted. Luckily, Jive records had always been interested in the group and we were able to work out a deal without too much discomfort to either party.

What do you think of the music press?

We continue to ignore what they say about us whether it's good or bad. We know when we've done a good or bad gig, etc. and so do you. The worst writers attempt to put themselves between a group and the listener and just create confusion. I don't know about anybody else, but I don't need someone else to tell me what's good and what isn't. It's all a matter of taste of course, but some people would have us believe otherwise.

Why did you record Independence Day again?

We were never very happy with the first version and when Mike Howlett, the producer on Land, suggested doing it again we thought it might make a good B-side or something. However, it turned out so well that we decided to put it on the LP. We were concerned that people might think that we didn't have enough new songs but that is obviously not the case. You'd be surprised how many people think 'Land' is our first LP and they haven't heard Independence Day before.