{{short description|English electronic music band}} {{about|the industrial music group|the Dwele album|Greater Than One (album)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Greater Than One | image = Greater Than One.jpg | image_size = | caption = Greater Than One (Newman and Wells mid) | alias = Tricky Disco, GTO, John + Julie, Church of Extacy, Signs of Chaos, T.D.5, Salami Brothers, Killout Squad, Technohead L.E.D.. | background = group_or_band | origin = London, England | genre = House, techno, hardcore techno, trance, industrial (early) | years_active = 1985–1995, 1996–2000 | label = Kunst = Kapital (1987) <br /> Wax Trax! Records (1988–89) <br /> Go Bang! Records (1990) <br /> Warp Records (1990–91) <br /> Jumping Man Records (1991) <br /> Mokum Records (1995) | website = | current_members = | past_members = Michael Wells (1985–2000) <br /> Lee Newman (1985–1995; to death) }} '''Greater Than One''' is an English electronic music band, founded by husband and wife Michael Wells and Lee Newman in 1985. They released many albums under this name, and also under the names '''Tricky Disco''', '''GTO''', '''John + Julie''', '''Church of Extacy''', '''Signs of Chaos''', '''T.D.5''', '''Salami Brothers''', '''Killout Squad''', '''Technohead''' and '''L.E.D.'''. Only a few of their singles were commercially successful. Since Newman's death on 4 August 1995 from cancer, Wells continues to release music under some of these names, and also as '''the Man''' and '''S.O.L.O.'''
==1985: Greater Than One== In 1985, Newman and Wells met at the Royal College of Art in London, formed Greater Than One, and released their first album ''Kill the Pedagogue'' on cassette. During the late 1980s they organised art installations and exhibitions accompanied by their own music: "When the whole audience were in, we started a soundtrack ... war sirens and searchlights. This was designed to disorientate the audience, throwing them into an unexpected nightmare. After the shock, Islamic chanting began which then changed to ''Song For England'', during which we came onstage wearing illuminous skull masks...".<ref name=godsend>{{Cite web|url=http://www.prongs.org/godsend/gto.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205071506/http://www.prongs.org/godsend/gto.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 February 2012|title=Greater Than One Interview|date=5 February 2012|accessdate=2020-06-18}}</ref> They formed their own label ''Kunst=Kapital'' and released four further albums under this alias between 1987 and 1990.
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==1990: First hits== Their first hit single was the trance record "Pure" as GTO on Chrysalis Records, a club hit around Europe, closely followed by "Tricky Disco" as Tricky Disco on Warp Records, which peaked at number 14 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1990.<ref name="every hit">{{cite web |url=http://www.everyhit.com/ |title=Archived copy |website=Everyhit.com |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717022953/http://www.everyhit.com/ |archive-date=17 July 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums 18" />
thumb|Label of 1991 "Jumping Man Records" record of "Listen To The Rhythm Flow" performed by G.T.O. They used many aliases because, releasing so much material, they feared the press would not write about it all, if they knew it all came from the same band. As Newman said, "if you give them a Tricky Disco one week and then a John and Julie two weeks later and GTO a month later they’ll write about all of it".<ref name=WUNH>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brainwashed.com/gto/|title=Dataflow: Greater Than One | Tricky Disco | GTO | Technohead | John + Julie | Church of Extacy | Signs of Chaos|website=Brainwashed.com|accessdate=2020-06-18}}</ref> Their aliases also allowed them to release different types of material on different record labels. The single "Double Happiness" as John and Julie appeared on XL Recordings; the 12 inch single "Listen to the rhythm flow''"'' as GTO was released on Jumping Man Records in 1991; the 1993 ''Tip of the Iceberg'' album as GTO was released on REACT, and the 1995 album ''Headsex'' as Technohead appeared on Mokum Records.
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==1995: Technohead== ''Headsex'' contained their biggest hit, "I Wanna Be a Hippy". The remix by Flamman & Abraxas was accompanied by a video featuring three youths with shaved heads, wearing Mokum T-shirts and carrying inflatable hammers, chasing a hippy on a bicycle around a park in Amsterdam. Newman died later that year in August, after a brief battle with cancer. It reached number 1 in 12 countries including Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland,<ref name=wells>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dataflow.org/michael_wells.htm|title=DATAFLOW ONLINE MUSIC - Michael Wells - a brief summary|website=Dataflow.org|accessdate=2020-06-18}}</ref> and number 6 in the UK in February 1996, which culminated in two performances on ''Top of the Pops'' in January and February of the same year.
Two Technohead follow-up singles followed in 1996. "Happy Birthday" fared mildly well in Europe, cracking the top 20 in the UK and Finland in April at No. 18 and No. 20, respectively, reached the top 40 in Ireland and the Netherlands with peaks at No. 23 and No. 28, respectively, and managed to chart in Germany at No. 100. The follow-up single, "Banana-na-na", which was released in October, cracked the top 40 in the Netherlands at No. 38 and peaked at No. 64 in the UK.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums 18">{{cite book| first= David| last= Roberts| year= 2005| title= British Hit Singles & Albums| edition= 18th| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London| isbn= 1-904994-00-8}}</ref><ref name= zobbel>[https://www.zobbel.de/ The Zobbel website Chart Log UK 1994 – 2006], ''Zobbel.de'', accessed 15 June 2007.</ref>
Wells has recorded many singles and three more albums since, including two Tricky Disco singles in February 2007 and two Technohead singles in 2010 and 2014, both of which were released on Mokum Records.
In 2019, Wells returned to Mokum Records to release the song "Hands Up!" in order to commemorate the label's 200th release and also to release the "Wasted EP" as MOK202.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9CLBvhtic] {{dead link|date=June 2021}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Studio albums=== ====Greater Than One==== *''Kill the Pedagogue'' (1985) *''All the Masters Licked Me'' (1987) *''Trust'' (recorded 1987 as the first attempt of All the Masters Licked Me) *''Dance of the Cowards'' (1988) *''London'' (1989) *''G-Force'' (1989) *''Index'' (1991) (EP) *''Duty + Trust'' (1991 - recorded 1987/1988)
====GTO==== *''Tip of the Iceberg'' (1993)
====Church of Extacy==== *''Technohead'' (1993)
====Technohead==== *''Headsex'' (1995) *''Wasted'' (EP) (2019)
====Signs Ov Chaos==== *''Frankenscience'' (1996)
====The Man==== *''Phunk Box'' (1997)
====Signs of Chaos==== *''Departure'' (1998)
====S.O.L.O.==== *''Out Is In'' (1999)
===Singles===
====Technohead==== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Single ! colspan="9"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| Certifications<br /><small>(sales thresholds)</small> ! rowspan="2"| Album |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="35"| UK<br /><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums 19">{{cite book| first= David| last= Roberts| year= 2006| title= British Hit Singles & Albums| edition= 19th| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London| isbn= 1-904994-10-5}}</ref> ! width="35"| AUS<br /><ref name="ARIA history pages">{{cite web|url= https://imgur.com/a/gswxJsf| title= Technohead ARIA chart history to 2024|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=26 July 2024}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.</ref> ! width="35"| AUT<br /><ref name="lescharts">{{Cite web|url=https://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Technohead|title=Discographie Technohead|website=Lescharts.com|accessdate=2020-06-18}}</ref> ! width="35"| BEL<br />(Fl)<br /><ref name="lescharts"/> ! width="35"| FIN<br /><ref name="lescharts"/> ! width="35"| GER<br /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/|title=Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts|website=Offiziellecharts.de|accessdate=2020-06-18}}</ref> ! width="35"| IRE<br /><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602061251/http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement | archive-date=2 June 2009 | title=The Irish Charts - All there is to know }}</ref> ! width="35"| NL<br /><ref name="lescharts"/> ! width="35"| SWI<br /><ref name="lescharts"/> |- | rowspan=2| 1995 | align="left"| "I Wanna Be a Hippy" | 6 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | * BPI: Silver<ref name="UK's certification database">{{cite web |url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx |title=Archived copy |website=Bpi.co.uk |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704041118/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx |archive-date=4 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * BVMI: Gold<ref name="Germany's certification database">{{cite web |url=http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=&strInterpret=Technohead&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked |title=Bundesverband Musikindustrie: Gold-/Platin-Datenbank |website=Musikindustrie.de |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202233816/http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=&strInterpret=Technohead&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | align="left" rowspan="2"| ''Headsex'' |- | align="left"| "Headsex" | — | 186 | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | |- | rowspan="2"| 1996 | align="left"| "Happy Birthday" | 18 | — | — | — | 20 | 100 | 23 | 28 | — | | align="left" rowspan=7| Singles only |- | align="left"| "Banana Na Na (Dumb Bi Bumb)" | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | |- | 2004 | align="left"| "I Wanna Be Hippy (I Wanna Get Stoned 2004 Remix)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 58 | — | |- | 2010 | align="left"| "Take Me Away" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | rowspan="2"| 2014 | align="left"| "Party Boy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "Singing in Da Rave" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | rowspan="5"| 2019 | align="left"| "Hands Up!" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "Eeeeyo" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | align="left" rowspan="4"| ''Wasted EP'' |- | align="left"| "Wasted" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "Fuck You Bitches (aka F**K YOU B*****$)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | align="left"| "You Are My Extacy" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |- | colspan="16" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://brainwashed.com/gto/ Official site]
{{Authority control}}
Category:1985 establishments in England Category:Musical groups established in 1985 Category:English techno music groups Category:English electronic music groups Category:British hardcore techno music groups Category:Wax Trax! Records artists