Pure Reason Revolution began life as a Reading outfit named The Sunset Sound, and featured Jon Courtney, Andrew Courtney, Chloë Alper and, for a short while, Jim Dobson. Jon and Andrew Courtney had previously played with pop guitar band Gel, and were signed by Seymour Stein to his Sire record label, home of Madonna, The Undertones, The Ramones and Ice-T. Chloe used to front the Period Pains, who scored a minor hit with an anti-Spice Girls song.
The band was completed with Tom Leathes (vocals, guitar) and Bob Cooper (bass guitar). Their debut single "Moving" picked up radio airplay on Radio 1 (where the band was championed by alternative-music guru Steve Lamacq), XFM and LA's KROQ. The Reading Chronicle's Weekender section described the band's sound as "sugary sweet swaggering guitars" and "breezy, sophisticated harmonised guitar pop" and compared the band to the Beach Boys playing Nirvana songs.
Whilst at Westminster University, Jon met Jim Dobson and Greg Jong and discovered they were musically compatible. Pure Reason Revolution was born.
The band signed to Alan McGee's Poptones label for a one-off release of Apprentice of the Universe (no 12 in the indie charts, no 74 nationally).
Signing to SonyBMG in autumn 2004, the following year saw the band release two singles - the 12-minute long Bright Ambassadors of Morning (the title is from a line in Pink Floyd's Echoes on the Meddle album), and The Intention Craft - plus a mini-album, Cautionary Tales for the Brave. The use of so many of the proposed album tracks on a mini-album led the band to develop some new material for the album, including The Twyncyn / Trembling Willows. All releases were all on the band's own Holograph imprint, via SonyBMG.
In March 2005, the band played the South-by-Southwest festival in Texas, before playing, Boston, New York, and Montreal club shows. Back in the UK Pure Reason Revolution supported Mew, Hope Of The States, Blackfield and Oceansize as well as headlining their own gigs and recorded sessions for Mark Radcliffe's Radio Two show and XFM.
In spring 2005, Jong left the band, to be replaced by another Westminster pal Jamie Willcox, though it is Jong's work featured on recorded output up to, and including, Cautionary Tales for the Brave. Both Jong and Willcox receive credits on the The Dark Third album.
The band regularly allows fans to listen to streaming material via its myspace website including works in progress and exclusive Christmas tracks.
The first full-length album, The Dark Third was released in the UK on April 10th 2006, and was produced by Paul Northfield (Rush, Porcupine Tree, Gentle Giant, Hole). A US version of the album containing the original, pre-Cautionary Tales mooted tracklisting and amended artwork was released in the USA on 25 July 26 2006 and in Feb 2007 a 2CD version of the album (combining US and UK albums plus extra tracks) was released throughout Europe on Insideout Music
In the summer of 2006, it was announced that due to his wife being pregnant with their first child Andrew Courtney was to leave the band. He was replaced with Paul Glover, formerly of the band Wire Jesus. The departure of Courtney was closely followed by the departure of Jim Dobson, in November 2006.
Now a four-piece Pure Reason Revolution did their first European tour supporting Blackfield in February 2007. In June, the band journeyed to the US again to play club dates in Boston, New York and Philidelphia, followed by NEARfest, the renowned progressive/art rock festival. Pure Reason Revolution also opened for Porcupine Tree on their 'Tour Of A Blank Planet' European tour in June/July 2007.
A live album of their NEARfest performance was released in June 2008 and their second album, Amor Vincit Omnia, was released on March 9th 2009 on Superball Music, taking the band's sound in a more electronic direction.
The band are set to release their third studio album, Hammer & Anvil on 18 October 2010. (25 October in the U.S.) This album is deals with a variety of themes but is particularly influenced by war and takes the bands sound deeper into the electronic realm while simultaneously building on their progressive roots. It is co-produced by Jon Courtney and Tom Bellamy (The Cooper Temple Clause,Losers)
After touring in 2010 and 2011 the band announced on 9th of August 2011, they would be splitting up. On November 5th they released their final album: an EP called Valour.
Jon Courtney & Chloë Alper reunited in 2019 to reform Pure Reason Revolution. They are currently working on a new album which will be released in 2020.
OVER THE TOP
Pure Reason Revolution Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't lose the cost of violence no, no, no
Close in I'm gonna find you won't let you go
And sink these in your heart, you're close
Yeah we'll assimilate to the stark
And lose the cost in silence no, no, no
Close-kill I'm gonna fire won't let you go
And dig this in your heart, you're close
We're going over the top
You said at worst we'll fend alone
We're going over the top
It's here we'll stand and die alone
Now if we're gonna fight this hour
Then God I'm gonna see this through
Fall in again
Your sovereign love is down
Your sovereign love is dead
Did you hear the diving bombs?
Did you see the dying ones? Long gone
Did you feel the crying ones?
That sink deep in your heart
Close in I'm gonna find you won't let you go
Addicted to the heart
I'll wield and lead us headlong, brace men
I'll wield and lead, we've lost control
You call this the win?
Into the graves we've sown
The lyrics of the song 'Over The Top' by Pure Reason Revolution convey the emotions of soldiers in the battlefield. The first few lines suggest that the soldiers are on a mission where they are close to their enemy and there is no turning back. The lyrics 'Assimilate to the start' and 'We'll assimilate to the stark' indicate that they have accepted their fate and have assimilated themselves to the situation at hand. The phrase 'Can't lose the cost of violence' indicates that the cost of violence in this scenario is high, and they cannot risk losing the battle.
The next set of lyrics 'We're going over the top' indicates that the soldiers are ready to face the enemy head-on. They are willing to give their lives for their country and fight the battle till their last breath. The phrase 'It's here we'll stand and die alone' suggests that although they are part of a team, they may not have the support they need and may have to fight alone.
The lines 'Did you hear the diving bombs?' and 'Did you see the dying ones?' portray the horror of war and the impact it has on the soldiers. The phrase 'Addicted to the heart' indicates that they have developed a love for the war which has kept them going despite the horrors they have seen.
The last set of lyrics 'You call this the win? Into the graves we've sown' suggest that even if they win the war, the victory is not worth the lives lost in the process. The phrase 'Into the graves we've sown' implies that the war has taken a toll on them and that they may have lost their loved ones and friends in the battle.
Line by Line Meaning
Assimilate to the start
Adjust yourself to the beginning or the origin of this situation.
Can't lose the cost of violence no, no, no
There is no way we can avoid the consequences of violence.
Close in I'm gonna find you won't let you go
I will come closer to you and not allow you to escape.
And sink these in your heart, you're close
I will inflict this pain on you, and you're near enough to feel it in your heart.
Yeah we'll assimilate to the stark
We will fit in with the stark reality of this situation.
And lose the cost in silence no, no, no
We will bear the cost silently, with no complaint or resistance.
Close-kill I'm gonna fire won't let you go
I'll come even closer and shoot, and I won't let you escape.
And dig this in your heart, you're close
I'll embed this pain deep in your heart, as you're very near.
We're going over the top
We're taking this to the extreme.
You said at worst we'll fend alone
You predicted that at the worst, we would have to fight alone.
It's here we'll stand and die alone
This is where we'll stay and die alone.
Now if we're gonna fight this hour
If we're going to fight now,
Then God I'm gonna see this through
I will complete this task, regardless of the cost.
Your sovereign love is down
Your unconditional love for us has diminished.
Your sovereign love is dead
Your unconditional love for us has completely disappeared.
Did you hear the diving bombs?
Did you listen to the sound of the bombs falling from planes?
Did you see the dying ones? Long gone
Did you observe those who are already dead or are in the process of dying? They have left this world.
Did you feel the crying ones?
Did you experience the pain and emotions of those who are crying?
That sink deep in your heart
Those emotions and pains that you felt have embedded themselves deep in your heart.
Addicted to the heart
We are addicted to our emotions and to feeling the pain.
I'll wield and lead us headlong, brace men
I'll control and guide us while we rush headlong into this battle, my brave comrades.
I'll wield and lead, we've lost control
I'll take over and lead us because we've lost control of the situation.
You call this the win?
You refer to this as a victory?
Into the graves we've sown
We've dug our own graves and brought about our own downfall.
Contributed by Violet P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.