Wheels

The early seventies in London was a time of leftist ideals and women's liberation in rock music. It was the beginning of punk rock, and Barbara Gogan felt the pull of this musical revolution from a very early age. Leaving her Noyers-sur-Jabron commune in France, the 18-year-old Gogan moved into a London squat and became forever known as one of the founding members of punk rock in the London band The Derelicts. In the post-punk '80s, Gogan's bandmates changed, as did her music. She fronted the London band The Passions, had two chart-topping singles, and will forever retain her pop-star status with legions of fans. The hit single, "I'm in Love with a German Film Star," appeared most recently on a 1999 Rhino Records release titled The Postpunk Chronicles Vols. 1-3. Here, Gogan's work is alongside those of such bands as REM, Joy Division, and Echo and the Bunnymen. In the technologically driven '90s, Gogan paired up with electronic composer Hector Zazou to create Made on Earth (Crammed Records)Ña collection of heartfelt songs that among the electronic cognoscenti are head-to-head with Portishead . Made on Earth was featured on NPR's All Things Considered in 1998. Gogan's latest release, Wheels, represents a lifetime devotion to the craft of making music. Wheels reflects Gogan's ongoing commitment to spiritual investigation, and her master-craftsmanship allows this investigation to achieve incomparable sonic beauty.