Again

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Again

Again (轮回, lúnhuí)

1 Lineup
2 Former member
3 History
4 Discography
- 4.1 Compilations
- 4.2 Appearances in Podcasts

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Lineup

Wei Zhao - Lead Guitar

Qiang Li - Rhythm Guitar

Xun Zhou - Bass

Wei Shang - Drums

Yao Wu - Female Vocals

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Former member

Tong Wu - Vocals (now Folk Orchestra XI YANG YANG)

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History

Like many chinese Rock bands of the first generation, most musicans came from professional musical artistic genre. Lead Guitar Wei Zhao studied at China Central Music University for Trumpet, so was Bass player Xun Zhou, who served at Central Ballet Orchestra as lead contra bass before he learnt how to rock. Rhythm Guitar Qiang Li was a professional Saxophonist at the Art Academy of the Chinese Armee. Ex-Vocalist and founding Member Tong Wu comes from a traditional folk music artist family who later made a successfull solo career as an famous chinese classic folk interpret parallel to the bands development.

It was in the very beginning of the 90's at the very beginning of Chinese Rock started to rise when these for professional musicans found each other with the common aim to perform hard rocking music. Their early style was obviously influenced of western rock'n'roll and SCORPIONS-like hard rock. Finally in 1993 their first composition "Burning flames of the Ancient way" (also translated to: "War flames on the way to Yangzhou"; a song using the lyrics of Xin QiYi's (1140-1207) poem Yongyule, Jinkou beiguting huaigu) was published on diverse Rock Compilations, an heavy rocking song with simple metal riffs which brought the whole rocking generation in heat. That built a solid foundation to their huge success of the debut album "Creation" two years later, an unbelievable number of 250 Tsd. copies were sold.

It has alway been questioned if this band shall be considered as heavy metal genre. In spite of certain metal influences in their music which still can be found in their nowadays performence, none would judge them wrong to simply call it a good rocking band. Band members them self also never really stood for a heavy metal image. Because of the early enthusiasm for metal style in chinese rock revolution, many metal fans also counted them into the whole chinese metal rock community.

Maybe to escape for the limitation of this mistaken image, under the influence of front man Tong Wu they started with experiments in combining chinese classic folk elements into rock with a slight progressive touch. The following release "Happy hearted Collection" could enlarge the band's fan base over the limits of the hard rock circle but also disappointed many older fans of the beginning days. That experimental album claimbed onto the top 10 bestseller list of the year 1996 anyway.

Thereafter they got many moninations and prices of the biggest chinese popular music awards. Best rock band, best new hit, best what ever, too many to care about. By the end of the 90's AGAIN made it to enter the mainstream pop music circle as an innovative rock band. TV-Reports and Intviews in different shows followed. But the most important TV-Performance was on a live show of the sylvester party 1999 in CCTV (China Central TV, biggest TV station in China). It has always been a big deal for chineses artists in general to come onto CCTV, that is the sign or proof of commercial breakthrough. Those who got attention of CCTV can consider themselves as Super Stars! And AGAIN had the honor to be the first chinese Rock Band playing on CCTV. During thes years thausends of gigs on both national and international pop music festivals in Korea, Hongkong, Japan etc. has been performed.

The online single "Spring comes and goes" of March 2000 became THE top hit. Also at the beginning of 2002, the new single "Dont let those cry who loves you" stayed number 1 of chinese radio charts for serveral weeks. Another experimental coversong of the famous Italian Opera Composition "Sole Mio", which also entitles the album of div. coversongs, opened complete new perspectives and brought them even more respect. From now on, CCTV among other TV-Shows and huge Pop Festivals shall be the main content of their activity scheduals. With their 3rd album "Beyond Again" they were even trying to overhaul themselves, what it ever means... This album wasn't that experimental as most AGAIN fans would expect, they went more into pop music oriented commercial rock instead. The single "One loves" once again claimbed onto No. 1 of the Charts, what else...

With the success of AGAIN, all the members also became rock stars, everyone has his own developments as session musicians or guest compagnions for pop interprets etc. Especially Vocalist Tong Wu's solo career in Chinese classic folk music developeted into the superlative. His own Folk Orchestra named Xi Yang Yang (Happiness) mostly does oversea tours through the US, Japan or EU. His wasn't depended on a rock band anymore, wether in financial meaning or in his musical career. The band had to struggle with his spare time for AGAIN performances until summer of 2004 where the manager of AGAIN suddenly anoucced to kick Tong Wu out of the band. Shortly after, a new Female Vocalist was found in a pop singer Yao Wu. With her the band release their 4th album named "Hero". Tong Wu's depart sure was an big lose, and will be an unsure question if the new front woman can keep the band in the same status like her predesessor did.

May 1st-4th, 2006, they performed during the Midi Music Festival 2006.

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