1991 - 2000
Brian, Paul, Dom and Damien Rice form Juniper, having met in school. They go to college, play some weddings, 21st's and Bar Mitzvahs... and for a while have a Sunday night residency in the Kildrought Lounge and Bar, Celbridge. They meet Dave, who weans them off the Neil Diamond and Roxette covers. Band move into house in country, release EP, Manna, and two singles in Ireland. Damien leaves band, the others read about Chuck Yeager and his Right Stuff. They call the new band Bell X1. Bell X1 support Elliott Smith and Bon Jovi in the same 1 week period, leading to severe identity crisis, making small music with big hair. They make their first album, Neither Am I, in the summer/autumn of 1999 with Nick Seymour of Crowded House and release it in Ireland a year later, after much touring and a couple of old singles.
2001
Band take some time to indulge musical differences. Paul records and tours as drummer with Tipperary siren Gemma Hayes, Brian's away with Offaly hearthrob Mundy, and Dave and Dom join Richie Mullen of Lino Richie Carpets, Finglas, in touring cabaret show. Bell X1 regroup in late summer and write songs for what would become Music in Mouth in a house by the sea in Wexford.
2002
Second album recording starts in Ridge Farm studios in Surrey, with producer Jamie Cullum. After 4 weeks they move to the Fallout Shelter, London. The studio has no teapot!! Some moaning. The band take turns to make dinner. Some of it is shit. The world Cup happens. Mixing finishes in July and everyone goes away for a while. Come back and mix it all again. Borrow a friend's house in Kilkenny, record some more songs, play hurling, are laughed at by locals. Music in Mouth finally finished in December, a few days after the birth of Jamie's daughter Ellie, who was both conceived and born during the making of the record.
2003, 2004
The album Music in Mouth is released on July 21st 2003, to tremendous applause, and the band play with all sorts to try to flog it. Tom McRae, Keane, Starsailor, Aqualung and Snow Patrol show them the highways and byways of the UK and continental Europe. Songs from the record appear in many TV series, from Teachers to The OC, and at home the album goes double platinum, with four top 40 singles. In July 2004, the band gather in yet another house in Wexford to write a new record.
2005
Flock is recorded in Dublin and mixed in London, with Roger Becherian producing and Phil Hayes knob twiddling. A shrine to Daniel O' Donnell (Irish singing deity, ref Cliff Richard without ever having had a brush with cool) is created in the green room, Dave creates Pistachio Nut Shell Installation and mustaches are grown. The band take a break from recording and sell out a mini tour in the USA, where they record a live session for Nic Harcourt’s essential show on KCRW in L.A.
Flock is released in Ireland and hits the heights of #1 in the album charts. The band leaves Island Records and sets up its own record label called BellyUp records. A live album called Tour De Flock is released - it is a 2-disc compilation featuring 16 tracks from their sold-out gig at The Point Theatre, Dublin on December 1, 2006.
In 2008, Flock is released in the USA and the band appears on the St. Patrick's Day edition of the Late Show with David Letterman.
On 2nd October, Brian Crosby quits saying "It's been an extraordinary privilege to be in a band with your mates for more than 15 years. I'm really grateful for everything I got to do with Bell X1, for all the adventures we had and for the great support of our fans. It's been particularly wonderful to have connected with so many people and to have got to meet people all over the world doing what I love. I look forward to continue making those connections. At the same time I'll be applauding the boys continued success."
As well as promoting Flock in the USA, the band gets busy recording a new album Blue Lights On The Runway. It finally sees the light of day in 2009, with lead single The Great Defector becoming their biggest hit to date (no. 3 in the Irish charts).
2011
The band will release its newest album Bloodless Coup in stores and online on April 1 in Ireland, April 4 in the UK, April 8 in Germany and Benelux, April 12 in the USA and Canada, and April 26 in France. The album's lead single is “Velcro,” which the band performed on The Rachael Ray Show on St. Patrick's Day.
Pinball Machine
Bell X1 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a pinball machine
Arm that melts over me
Like Salvador's dream
Light that spits across the ceiling
'Cos someone burst the stitches on the curtain of night
Maybe it's all about sowing my seed
I follow you at a distance
Bounced through others eyes
Like a pinball machine
Dressed as Mr. Walker
But in disguise
I could have been a contender
But instead I'm content with
The gin and tonic dressing gown I lament
One night only
The great and the glory
Let's see if it sticks
You still love me
I believe
If push came you'd shove me
I believe you share my bed
You share the blame
I believe
In pinball machines
The opening lines of Bell X1's song Pinball Machine describe a tear falling from the eye to the ear like a pinball machine. This simile suggests that the tear is falling erratically and unpredictably, much like a pinball bouncing around a machine. The use of the pinball machine metaphor here creates a sense of chaos and lack of control, both of which are reinforced in the following line describing an arm melting over the singer like Salvador's dream. The reference to Salvador Dalí's surreal art here mirrors the surreal, dreamlike quality of the image described. Similarly, the line "Light that spits across the ceiling" creates an image of chaotic, fragmented light beams shooting across the room.
The second stanza of the song is more introspective, with the singer questioning the purpose of his actions. The line "Maybe it's all about sowing my seed" suggests that the singer is engaging in sexual activity purely for the sake of reproduction, rather than out of love or attraction. However, the singer acknowledges that there are limitations to this attitude, as indicated by the line "subject to conditions and not while you bleed." In other words, the singer is aware that there are emotional and physical consequences to their actions, and that they cannot simply act without regard for the other person.
The final stanza of the song shifts again, with the singer describing themselves as a Mr. Walker dressed in disguise. The reference to being a "contender" suggests that the singer feels they could have achieved more in their life, but they are content with what they have. The line "The gin and tonic dressing gown I lament" further emphasizes this sense of contentment with a simple life. However, the last lines of the song return to the pinball machine metaphor, suggesting a continued interest in uncertainty and unpredictability.
Line by Line Meaning
Tear that trickles from your eye to your ear
Like a pinball machine
The tear running from your eye to your ear resembles the movement of a pinball machine.
Arm that melts over me
Like Salvador's dream
Your arm around me feels like a melting sensation, much like the surreal quality of Salvador Dali's dreams.
Light that spits across the ceiling
'Cos someone burst the stitches on the curtain of night
The sudden light that bounces across the ceiling is due to someone ripping open the darkness of the night.
Maybe it's all about sowing my seed
But subject to conditions and not while you bleed
Perhaps it's about me starting a family, but only under certain circumstances and never when you're on your period.
I follow you at a distance
Bounced through others eyes
Like a pinball machine
I follow you from afar and see you through the eyes of others, much like a pinball bouncing from one point to another.
Dressed as Mr. Walker
But in disguise
I may look like a gentleman in my attire, but I'm actually hiding something.
I could have been a contender
But instead I'm content with
The gin and tonic dressing gown I lament
I could have been successful, but I'm satisfied with my comfortable yet unfulfilling life – as evidenced by my favorite gin and tonic dressing gown, which I begrudge.
One night only
The great and the glory
Let's see if it sticks
This could be a big moment for us, let's enjoy it and see what happens.
You still love me
I believe
If push came you'd shove me
I believe you share my bed
You share the blame
I believe
In pinball machines
Despite everything, I still believe you love me and would protect me if needed. We share the responsibility for our actions. And most importantly, I believe in the unpredictability and randomness of life, much like a game of pinball.
Contributed by Grace T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
niamhdowling
They should play this song at every gig. It's stunning.
didoma73
honestly, there's a reason why bell x1 is unlike everything else in the mainstream music industry...they're intent on sending a message through their music, and maybe that's more significant than those who simply make music just for their paycheck... anyhow, the underlying message i see in this song is about the issue of pregnancy...how it's completely different from both standpoints of a man and a woman, and how he's paranoid from all the stress that he's under - from getting the girl pregnant
Charlene T
Love the neither am I album. In many ways, I consider it the best. Such a different, fresh sound compared to the others. Of course, the others are excellent too but there's something about NAI that just catches me every time.
didoma73
this song has grown on me so much...really made me see "Neither Am I" in a new light, but it could never surpass "Flock" =p
Enabran Tain
Remember seeing Bell X1 in Dolans Warehouse in Limerick 2000 and there was only around 50 people there but they were only a a small band back then and not that many people had not heard of them at that time
Scottie Teng
i love fishy!!!!!
irishmusiccentral
Man: "It's all about sowing my seed, but subject to conditions and not while you bleed." Woman: "I believe if push came you'd shove me, I believe you share my bed, you share the blame."
Emer O
the video for man on mir is on the official bellx1 youtube channel, theres a few others there too :D
peachloca
i like them
irishmusiccentral
there's a video for "Man On Mir" too. I've seen it on TV a few times but unfortunately don't have a recording of it.